Wide receiver non-PPR rankings for Week 8 fantasy football

Final injury report

Out: Chris Godwin (finger), Alshon Jeffery (calf), Diontae Spencer (shoulder), Julian Edelman (knee), N’Keal Harry (concussion), Marquez Callaway (ankle), Michael Thomas (ankle, hamstring), Breshad Perriman (concussion), Sammy Watkins (hamstring), Deebo Samuel (hamstring)
Doubtful: Allen Robinson (concussion), Jamison Crowder (groin), Richie James (ankle), John Ross (illness)
Questionable: Bryan Edwards (foot, ankle), Tim Patrick (hamstring), Cordarrelle Patterson (quadricep)

Thursday injury report

The most significant news is that Julian Edelman had surgery on his knee. The hope is he can return this season, but he will not play in Week 8 vs. the Bills. The big upgrade this week was Michael Thomas moving from DNP on Wednesday to limited on Thursday. Additionally, the Jets got Jamison Crowder back in limited fashion after a Wednesday DNP. You might notice A.J. Brown was a Thursday DNP after not appearing on Wednesday’s report. That appears to be his new pattern and he should be fine for Sunday.

Wednesday injury report

The biggest additions to the Week 8 injury report are Allen Robinson and Marquez Callaway. Robinson is in the concussion protocol and will need to be asymptomatic by the weekend to face the Saints. If he can’t, Anthony Miller and Darnell Mooney would see more work. Callaway saw a bump last week with Michael Thomas and Emmanuel Sanders out. His ankle will be something to watch with Sanders still on Covid-19 IR and Thomas likely out again.

DNP: Alshon Jeffery (calf), N’Keal Harry (concussion), Marquez Callaway (ankle), Michael Thomas (ankle, hamstring), Cordarrelle Patterson (quadricep), Allen Robinson (concussion), Jamison Crowder (groin), Breshad Perriman (concussion), Diontae Johnson (toe), JuJu Smith-Schuster (knee)
Limited: Russell Gage (knee), Julio Jones (hip), Bryan Edwards (foot, ankle), Jarvis Landry (hip, ribs), DeVante Parker (groin), Equanimeous St. Brown (knee), Julian Edelman (knee)
Full: Adam Thielen (shoulder), John Brown (knee), John Ross (illness)

Talk about a throw back. Some classic names topped the charts at the wide receiver position, like Davante Adams, Chris Godwin, DeAndre Hopkins... and last, but not least, Tyler Lockett. In a game that DK Metcalf saw tight coverage, Russell Wilson and Lockett didn’t miss a beat. He finished the game with a career-high 20 targets, posting 200 receiving yards and three touchdowns. If you faced Lockett in a matchup this week, I’m sorry for your loss.

Injury news

The biggest injury news of the week belongs to Odell Beckham Jr., who suffered a torn ACL in Sunday’s contest versus the Bengals, officially ending his second season with the Cleveland Browns. Rashard Higgins was the next man up to make a splash with six catches for 110 yards.

Just as second-year wideout Deebo Samuel gets rolling, he finds himself out of the lineup once again. Samuel returned from an offseason foot surgery in Week 4 and seemed to be hitting his stride prior to exiting Sunday’s game with a hamstring injury.

Steelers WR Diontae Johnson had a big day with two touchdowns in his return from a back injury against the Titans. He suffered an ankle injury, though Johnson initially said he should be good to go for Week 8. If he’s absent once again, slot Chase Claypool in as the main beneficiary of those targets.

An unhappy surprise, Chris Godwin was announced out for Week 8 after having suffered a broken finger on a touchdown catch in Week 7. Mike Evans totaled 267 receiving yards and three scores in his outings without Godwin so far.

Speaking of Mikes, Saints wideout Michael Thomas could be in to miss another week after suffering a hamstring injury on his return from an ankle injury. It’s been one thing after another for Thomas managers, and it may be awhile longer before we see him produce.

Bye weeks

Teams with a Week 8 bye include the Arizona Cardinals, Houston Texans, Jacksonville Jaguars and Washington Football Team. Fantasy managers will be without two of their top-15 wideouts in DeAndre Hopkins and Terry McLaurin and will certainly be forced to call upon roster depth. Cardinals wideout Texans wide receivers Will Fuller and Brandin Cooks get a rest, each of whom have ranked as top-15 wide receivers in standard leagues. Fuller, by the way, ranks as the WR1 in that span. As for the Jaguars wide receivers,

Streaming options

Brandon Aiyuk, 49ers

As noted above, Deebo Samuel is expected to miss several weeks with a hamstring injury, leaving even more targets on the table for Aiyuk and TE George Kittle to consume. Aiyuk has been on the field for the bulk of offensive snaps and has seen five or more targets in four of his six outings. He’s following up his breakout 100-receiving yard game with a matchup versus the Seahawks, who are allowing a league-high average of 280 receiving yards to wide receivers per game.

Marquez Valdes-Scantling, Packers

Valdes-Scantling is by no means a weekly slam-dunk, but he does carry some intrigue in Week 8 as he faces the Minnesota Vikings. The Vikings have allowed an average of 205 receiving yards and two touchdowns to wideouts so far on the 2020 season. Valdes-Scantling saw 5 targets in Week 7 but failed to convert any into receptions. He’s been difficult for fantasy managers to plug and play since averaging just 27 yards per game in his last three games, but this matchup is bound to be the perfect bounce back. His weekly salary sits at just $3,800 on DraftKings.