My rankings do not always mirror my projections, and often, it's because the projections are telling me something I just don't want to hear. In Week 8, what they're telling me is that Bo Nix is the number one streamer and a top-12 quarterback this week. It sounds ridiculous, right? Well, let's at least entertain the why behind it. 

First, Nix has been much better than expected. Over the last month, he's QB18 at 18.7 Fantasy points per game. Two of the QBs ahead of him in that stretch (Joe Flacco and Justin Fields) are not starting this week. We're not expecting Jayden Daniels as of Tuesday afternoon, either. Two others (Baker Mayfield and Brock Purdy) may be playing without their top two pass catchers. It's not hard to get Nix into borderline Qb1 territory based on the last month. 

Second, he's playing the Carolina Panthers. They've given up the fourth-most Fantasy points per game to opposing QBs. Five of the seven QBs they've faced have scored at least 20 Fantasy points against them, and four of those quarterbacks have scored at least 24. it is an elite matchup, which is a big part of why the Broncos have an implied point total of 26.25, easily their highest of the season.

This brings us to the third reason: Nix has been a huge part of the Broncos offense, even for a quarterback. They've scored 11 touchdowns on the season, five of those are Nix passing touchdowns, and three are Nix rushing touchdowns. If they're going to score a bunch of points in Week 8, you would expect Nix to score multiple touchdowns.

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Again, you won't see Nix as my top QB add below, but the projections would tell you he should be. At least now you know why.

Let's get to the rest of the preview:

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Week 8 QB Preview

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Numbers to know
  • 10 -- Bo Nix has 10 red zone rush attempts, just one behind Javonte Williams. Jalen Hurts, Justin Fields and Jayden Daniels are the only QBs who have run more in the red zone.
  • 3.33% -- Russell Wilson had a 3.33% sack rate in Week 8. Justin Fields has been sacked on 9.09% of his dropbacks this season. If Wilson can cut that in half, it will be a big boost for the offense.
  • 338 -- Tua Tagovailoa threw for 338 yards way back in Week 1. His return makes a huge difference for the Dolphins.
  • 45.9% -- Nearly half of Baker Mayfield's passes have gone to Mike Evans or Chris Godwin this season. He'll be tough to trust without them.
  • 7 -- Daniel Jones was sacked a season-high seven times in his first game without Andrew Thomas.
  • 10 -- Anthony Richardson has completed 10 or fewer passes in three of his four complete games this season. 
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Matchups that matter
Matchups that Matter
Projections powered by Sportsline
Bo Nix QB
DEN Denver • #10
Age: 24 • Experience: Rookie

Weekly Breakdown

vs CAR DEN -8.5 O/U 43.5

OPP VS QB

29th

PROJ PTS

23.8

QB RNK

19th

YTD Stats

PAYDS

1246

RUYDS

255

TD

8

INT

5

FPTS/G

16.2
Sam Darnold QB
MIN Minnesota • #14
Age: 27 • Experience: 7 yrs.

Weekly Breakdown

@ LAR MIN -3 O/U 48

OPP VS QB

17th

PROJ PTS

21.3

QB RNK

6th

YTD Stats

PAYDS

1370

RUYDS

100

TD

12

INT

5

FPTS/G

20.4
Drake Maye QB
NE New England • #10
Age: 22 • Experience: Rookie

Weekly Breakdown

vs NYJ NYJ -7 O/U 41.5

OPP VS QB

5th

PROJ PTS

13.3

QB RNK

22nd

YTD Stats

PAYDS

541

RUYDS

68

TD

5

INT

2

FPTS/G

17.4
Jared Goff QB
DET Detroit • #16
Age: 30 • Experience: 9 yrs.

Weekly Breakdown

vs TEN DET -11 O/U 45.5

OPP VS QB

15th

PROJ PTS

21.9

QB RNK

9th

YTD Stats

PAYDS

1610

RUYDS

17

TD

11

INT

4

FPTS/G

21
C.J. Stroud QB
HOU Houston • #7
Age: 23 • Experience: 2 yrs.

Weekly Breakdown

vs IND HOU -6 O/U 46

OPP VS QB

23rd

PROJ PTS

23.7

QB RNK

8th

YTD Stats

PAYDS

1663

RUYDS

94

TD

10

INT

4

FPTS/G

18
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Adds/Streamers (QB Preview)
Tua Tagovailoa QB
MIA Miami • #1
Age: 26 • Experience: 5 yrs.

Weekly Breakdown

vs ARI MIA -3 O/U 46.5

OPP VS QB

25th

QB RNK

15th

ROSTERED

52%

YTD Stats

PAYDS

483

RUYDS

28

TD

2

INT

3

FPTS/G

14.1
Tagovailoa was a borderline top-12 QB for me coming into the season. If he can stay healthy, I would expect him to be a borderline top-12 QB the rest of the season. He has a very good matchup against Arizona this week, they have allowed the second-highest NY/A to opposing QBs.
Bo Nix QB
DEN Denver • #10
Age: 24 • Experience: Rookie

Weekly Breakdown

vs CAR DEN -8.5 O/U 43.5

OPP VS QB

29th

QB RNK

19th

ROSTERED

33%

YTD Stats

PAYDS

1246

RUYDS

255

TD

8

INT

5

FPTS/G

16.2
The Panthers have seen the 21st most pass attempts from opposing QBs, and they've allowed the third most passing TDs. Nix has at least 25 rushing yards in five of seven games and 136 yards combined in his last two games. If you want to trust the projections, he's the top streamer and a top-12 QB this week.
One To Stash (QB Preview)
Russell Wilson QB
PIT Pittsburgh • #3
Age: 36 • Experience: 13 yrs.

Weekly Breakdown

vs NYG PIT -6.5 O/U 36.5

OPP VS QB

24th

QB RNK

18th

ROSTERED

18%

YTD Stats

PAYDS

264

RUYDS

3

TD

3

INT

0

FPTS/G

28.8
Russell Wilson just scored 28.6 Fantasy points in his 2024 debut. I understand not trusting him as a starter immediately, but he needs to be rostered everywhere. He and George Pickens look like a match made in heaven.
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Top DFS Play
Projections powered by Sportsline
Lamar Jackson QB
BAL Baltimore • #8
Age: 27 • Experience: 7 yrs.

Weekly Breakdown

@ CLE BAL -9.5 O/U 44.5

OPP VS QB

14th

PROJ PTS

26.1

QB RNK

1st

YTD Stats

PAYDS

1810

RUYDS

455

TD

17

INT

2

FPTS/G

29.7
Jackson is projected to score five more points than any other QB this week. Even if he was the highest-priced QB, he would be my top cash game option, but there are three other passers who are more expensive. He leads the NFL in passer rating, and he's averaging 65 rushing yards per game. Simply remarkable.
Contrarian DFS Play
Projections powered by Sportsline
Bo Nix QB
DEN Denver • #10
Age: 24 • Experience: Rookie
All those positive things I said about Nix at the top come in a QB that is priced as one of the worst starters in the league in the Week, and I don't imagine he'll be highly rostered. There is three-touchdown upside here in a bargain basement price.
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Heath's projections

My full set of Week 8 Fantasy football projections for every position are now available on SportsLine. You'll find them here. Find out which of my favorite plays are projected to score higher than consensus rankings and which don't live up to their draft hype, at least in Week 8. Projected stats for all starting running backs are available, so be sure to check out the full set of projections at SportsLine.