Week 8 Wide Receiver Rankings - PPR Leagues

Some high powered passing offenses are back from their week of rest: Cincinatti, Denver, and Green Bay.  But, this week only two recievers from those teams break my top-10: A.J. Green and Demaryius Thomas. Randall Cobb comes in close at No. 11.

The "Battle of the Unbeatens" (DEN vs. GB) should be a passing extravaganza, but I'm a little hesitant to rank Cobb and Thomas higher. I know Peyton Manning can still play, I have no doubt in his ability, but until I see him get back to his Week 3 form, I can't put too much confidence in Thomas. Now not too much confidence still means I have him in my top-10. His playmaking ability is undeniable and if Manning can find himself again, Thomas is a shoe-in top-10 play and can easily break the top-5. But, as it stands, Manning is 27th among QB's in PPR, so I can put much stock into his game until he rekindles his fire.

On the other hand, Cobb is a different story. His shoulder has been a lingering problem and has contributed to his disappointing showings in Weeks 4-6. With a week off, Cobb should be ready to go, but he draws a tough matchup in the Broncos. The biggest reason that Denver is 6-0 is because of their defense, that's no secret. They have shut down opposing offenses. Aaron Rodgers will look to spread the ball out between his receivers and exploit defensive weaknesses. Cobb should be heavily guarded in this game, so although I expect production, he has a lower ceiling even if he's 100% healthy.

BYE WEEK: Buffalo, Jacksonville, Philadelphia, Washington

The week I decide to award DeAndre Hopkins my number one slot, he comes out flat. Last week Hopkins only had six catches for 50 yards, way down from his normal nine to ten catches per game for 100+ yards. But with Arian Foster gone, Houston needs to lean heavily on Hopkins for production. This brings me to Nate Washington. What a week he had! After coming back from an injury, Washington had nine receptions for 127 yards and two touchdowns. But, I'm not sold. His two touchdowns came in garbage time when Miami stopped caring after racking up a 41-point lead heading into halftime. I'm not putting much stock in Washington, he's not worth adding off the waivers, unless you're desperate and hoping the Foster Effect will carry over into his production. He will be a WR2 in Houston but when Hopkins is getting all the looks, that doesn't say much. I only see value in him as a deep-league flex play.

Unlike some players gaining some fantasy value because one of their teammates got injured, some are benefitting because of a player returning. Pittsburgh's Ben Roethlisberger is scheduled to make his return from injury this week. Pencil Antonio Brown in as a top-5 play. This also bodes well for Martavis Bryant. Although he didn't get to play with Roethlisberger for the first few games of the season due to suspension, the two know each other well. It seemed like all of Bryant's catches last year resulted in touchdowns and he hasn't slowed down this year, reeling in 3 TD's in two games. Overall, Bryant has 11 touchdowns in only 12 career games. The scoring machine should be in your lineup this week.