After the first three weeks of the season you'd have never thought we'd utter the names Keenan Allen and Calvin Ridley in the same rankings discussion. Allen was statistically the best receiver in the NFL while Ridley was coming off a game with one target. A lot has changed since then.

Allen has not scored a touchdown or topped 61 yards since Week 3. Mike Williams and Hunter Henry have taken a larger role in the offens, while the offense as a whole has sputtered. To make things worse, Allen's dealing with a hamstring injury that kept him out of practice this week and is seriously threatening his status for Sunday.

Allen is listed as a game-time decision on Sunday and we're still projecting him to play, but I'm not 100% sure I want to start him even if he's active. He has a very difficult matchup against the Bears, and this game has the lowest over-under of the week (41). He's a No. 3 receiver for me, and I'm planning as if I won't have him. 

Ridley has touchdowns in four of six games this season and two of his past three. His target volume has been disappointing, but it should improve with the trade of Mohamed Sanu, though he will have to deal with life without Matt Ryan for the first time in his career.

Like Allen, Ridley is a No. 3 receiver, but I feel a lot better about starting him. He has legitimate upside every week, which is more than you can say for a banged-up Allen. I'd sit Allen for Ridley, Mike Williams and even a couple of the waiver-wire guys below in non-PPR. 

Week 8 WR Preview
WR Preview
Who's Out

The following players are not being projected to play Week 8 at this time. Here's what it means:

CAR Carolina • #19
Age: 34 • Experience: 11 year
Stefon Diggs is must-start without Thielen, and Bisi Johnson is an intriguing dart throw.
MIA Miami • #3
Age: 30 • Experience: 7 yrs.
Kenny Stills and Keke Coutee both get a boost, and Hopkins should be a true No. 1 again.
CLE Cleveland • #3
Age: 34 • Experience: 10 yrs.
The 49ers aren't throwing the ball enough for anyone other than George Kittle to matter.
WR Preview
Numbers to Know
  • 45.2% - Share of the Jets' air yards for Robby Anderson. You can't trust him this week, but the schedule gets much easier in Week 9 and this type of volume should pay off. 
  • 17 - Average targeted air yards for DeVante Parker. With Ryan Fitzpatrick back under center, Parker is a weekly boom-or-bust flex with upside. 
  • 27% - Target share for Dede Westbrook since Week 3. Some near misses are the only thing between him and must-start status. I'm trusting him this week against the Jets.
  • 10.4 - Targets per game for Tyler Boyd. He was awful in Week 8, but he still has a career average of 7.9 yards per target, which should make him must-start with this volume. 
WR Preview
Matchups that matter
Matchups that matter
Projections powered by Sportsline
NYJ N.Y. Jets • #84
Age: 29 • Experience: 7 yrs.
Weekly Breakdown
MATCHUP
vs TB TEN -2.5 O/U 46.5
OPP VS WR
25th
PROJ PTS
9.9
WR RNK
43rd
YTD Stats
REC
22
TAR
34
REYDS
317
TD
2
FPTS/G
9
KC Kansas City • #9
Age: 28 • Experience: 8 yrs.
Weekly Breakdown
MATCHUP
vs MIA PIT -14.5 O/U 42.5
OPP VS WR
17th
PROJ PTS
15
WR RNK
NR
YTD Stats
REC
25
TAR
38
REYDS
340
TD
2
FPTS/G
11
NO New Orleans • #80
Age: 32 • Experience: 10 yrs.
Weekly Breakdown
MATCHUP
@ NE NE -10.5 O/U 46.5
OPP VS WR
2nd
PROJ PTS
11.7
WR RNK
NR
YTD Stats
REC
25
TAR
44
REYDS
439
TD
0
FPTS/G
11.2
PHI Philadelphia • #17
Age: 34 • Experience: 10 yrs.
Weekly Breakdown
MATCHUP
@ BUF BUF -1.5 O/U 43
OPP VS WR
3rd
PROJ PTS
11.7
WR RNK
19th
YTD Stats
REC
26
TAR
41
REYDS
253
TD
4
FPTS/G
12
BUF Buffalo • #1
Age: 28 • Experience: 8 yrs.
Weekly Breakdown
MATCHUP
@ SF SF -5.5 O/U 41.5
OPP VS WR
1st
PROJ PTS
8.5
WR RNK
NR
YTD Stats
REC
23
TAR
43
REYDS
297
TD
3
FPTS/G
11.8
WR Preview
Waiver Wire Targets
Week 8 Adds
NYJ N.Y. Jets • #84
Age: 29 • Experience: 7 yrs.
Ownership
63%
I loved Davis' increased targets in Week 7 and Ryan Tannehill's accuracy when throwing to his receivers. If Delanie Walker misses time, that should only help Davis' target share. It was getting close to quitting time for many Corey Davis' truthers, but there's reason to believe again.
PHI Philadelphia • #11
Age: 27 • Experience: 6 yrs.
Ownership
37%
It's been close enough between Brown and Davis that I don't feel super confident which one is going to be better rest of season. That's also a knock against both of them because it's unlikely they're both useful. They're both No. 3 receivers in Week 8 with significant upside if Tannehill is as good as he looked in Week 7.
ATL Atlanta • #9
Age: 31 • Experience: 9 yrs.
YTD Stats
Ownership
53%
Dorsett was No. 1 on this list before the Patriots traded for Mohamed Sanu. I still think he could be a good flex in Week 8, but I worry about his long-term targets with Sanu in the fold. View him more as a one-week replacement.
BAL Baltimore • #18
Age: 28 • Experience: 6 yrs.
Ownership
34%
Johnson had a good connection with Mason Rudoph earlier in the season and has an outstanding matchup against the Dolphins. He's a dart throw, but he's my favorite dart throw this week.
Stashes
TB Tampa Bay • #81
Age: 36 • Experience: 11 year
Ownership
42%
There are rumblings that Brown could sign with a team after the trade deadline. I thought we were done with him for this year, but his upside makes him worth speculating on if you have a bench spot.
MIA Miami • #5
Age: 29 • Experience: 5 yrs.
Ownwership
6%
In deeper leagues Hamilton is worth a look just to see what type of target share he gets without Sanders.
WR Preview
DFS Plays
Top Play
NO New Orleans • #13
Age: 31 • Experience: 8 yrs.
Week 8 Prices
FanDuel
$8,500
DraftKings
$8,000
Thomas has 36 targets over the past three weeks and has been the one elite wide receiver to deliver exactly what we expected from him. In cash games, his floor is as safe as you can find with at least 16.4 PPR points in every game this season.
Contrarian Plays
TEN Tennessee • #83
Age: 30 • Experience: 9 yrs.
Week 8 Prices
FanDuel
$5,600
DraftKings
$5,100
When am I going to give up on Tyler Boyd? When he stops averaging double-digit targets per game.
WR Preview
Heath's Projections

Non-PPR Rank 

PPR Rank 

WR 

NON PPR FPTS 

PPR FPTs 

1 

1 

Michael Thomas 

17.95 

27.18 

2 

2 

Chris Godwin 

15.34 

22.19 

3 

3 

DeAndre Hopkins 

12.97 

20.40 

4 

4 

Cooper Kupp 

12.65 

19.26 

8 

5 

Allen Robinson 

12.15 

18.61 

13 

6 

Julian Edelman 

11.27 

18.36 

6 

7 

Julio Jones 

12.22 

18.17 

22 

8 

Tyler Boyd 

10.39 

17.50 

7 

9 

D.J. Chark 

12.17 

17.12 

5 

10 

Stefon Diggs 

12.54 

17.11 

11 

11 

Courtland Sutton 

11.64 

17.11 

9 

12 

Tyler Lockett 

11.70 

16.74 

15 

13 

John Brown 

11.08 

16.31 

18 

14 

Golden Tate 

10.67 

16.11 

24 

15 

T.Y. Hilton 

10.09 

16.10 

10 

16 

Kenny Golladay 

11.69 

16.07 

12 

17 

Mike Evans 

11.56 

16.06 

19 

18 

Dede Westbrook 

10.57 

16.03 

16 

19 

JuJu Smith-Schuster 

11.01 

15.88 

14 

20 

Marvin Jones 

11.09 

15.68 

17 

21 

Robert Woods 

10.73 

15.50 

23 

22 

Odell Beckham 

10.30 

15.20 

20 

23 

Terry McLaurin 

10.46 

15.07 

21 

24 

Tyreek Hill 

10.40 

14.94 

35 

25 

Alshon Jeffery 

8.69 

14.88 

25 

26 

Philip Dorsett 

10.07 

14.87 

32 

27 

D.J. Moore 

8.88 

13.92 

26 

28 

Auden Tate 

9.32 

13.79 

27 

29 

Calvin Ridley 

9.26 

13.66 

29 

30 

Mike Williams 

9.18 

13.45 

39 

31 

Larry Fitzgerald 

8.51 

13.27 

31 

32 

Jarvis Landry 

9.03 

13.24 

38 

33 

Keenan Allen 

8.59 

13.19 

37 

34 

Curtis Samuel 

8.60 

12.86 

28 

35 

Brandin Cooks 

9.23 

12.75 

34 

36 

Corey Davis 

8.78 

12.59 

41 

37 

Diontae Johnson 

8.06 

12.42 

49 

38 

Jamison Crowder 

7.06 

12.31 

30 

39 

D.K. Metcalf 

9.07 

12.10 

33 

40 

Kenny Stills 

8.82 

12.06 

So who should you sit and start in Week 8? And which surprising quarterback could lead you to victory? Visit SportsLine now to get rankings for every single position, and see which shocking QB comes out of nowhere to crack the top 10, all from the model that out-performed experts big time last season.