FantasyFootball Week 8 Studs & Duds
By: David Bachman
Fantasy Football Editor For WagerOnFootball.com

Here's a quick rundown of the NFL's week 8 fantasy football stars. These guys are the WagerOnFootball.com "ALL Week 8 STUD Team". After you check out these top performers surf over to our NFL sportsbooks page and see what great sponsors we have here at Wager On Football Sportsbook Review.

More Weeks 1 . 2 . 3 . 4 . 5 . 6 . 7 . 8 . 9  .10 . 11 . 12 . 13 . 14 . 15 . 16 . 17

Here are some additional Fantasy Football injuries to players from Week 8's action:

Gametime Dropouts: Roy Williams, WR, Lions (ankle); Brian Westbrook, RB, Eagles (ribs); Corey Dillon, RB, Patriots (knee); Tim Rattay, QB, 49ers (forearm)

Fred Taylor, RB, Jaguars: A quad injury knocked him out early against the Texans. LaBrandon Toefield and Greg Jones got some carries, but they were very ineffective.

Jerry Rice, WR, Seahawks: He got his one catch for six yards, but then left with a sprained ankle. That might hurt his chances of doing something significant if and when Koren Robinson is suspended.

Thomas Jones, RB, Bears: He sprained his foot in the first quarter against the 49ers, opening the door for the seemingly long-forgotten Anthony Thomas to step in and have a big game.

Mewelde Moore, RB, Vikings: A sprained ankle kept him out in the fourth quarter, which meant more touches for Michael Bennett.

David Carr, QB, Texans: He left briefly with an ankle injury but returned to the game and had a solid game against a tough Jaguars defense.

Byron Leftwich, QB, Jaguars: He was dinged up during the game and was replaced briefly by David Garrard, but Leftwich did return.

Notes

Anquan Boldin returned to action for the first time this season and led the Cardinals with four catches for 50 yards. It's a start, at least.

Dorsey Levens picked up for the injured Brian Westbrook in Philadelphia, but didn't do much (50 total yards, 0 TDs) against a very tough Ravens defense.

Plaxico Burress remains Ben Roethlisberger's favorite target. All four of his touchdowns, including the two against the Patriots, have come with Big Ben at quarterback.

Kevin Faulk was a late replacement for the injured Corey Dillon, but while he was a solid receiver as usual (8 catches, 72 yards), he was terrible as a runner (5 carries, 4 yards, 1 lost fumble).

Domanick Davis was fully healthy for the first time in weeks and turned in a decent game (56 yards rushing, 39 yards receiving).

Even without Roy Williams and Charles Rogers, Joey Harrington is still putting up decent numbers, although his play is still spotty.

Robert Ferguson was healthy again, catching one pass for 48 yards. He may still have some value down the stretch, but Javon Walker is still the main man with Donald Driver also a solid choice.

Edgerrin James only had 34 yards rushing, but he made up for it in a big way with six catches for 90 yards.

Keary Colbert has continued to look good, recording his second 100-yard game of the season, thanks in part to a 63-yard reception. He's one of the few bright spots in Carolina's flagging offense. By the way Mushin Muhammed could of had 3td's in this game folks.

One reason Michael Vick looked good on Sunday? Alge Crumpler caught seven passes for 86 yards. Speaking of the Falcons, both T.J. Duckett and Warrick Dunn scored TDs, with Duckett looking slightly better (8 carries, 45 yards vs. 15 carries, 33 yards).

Yes, Jerome Bettis rode the Short Bus to a 2-yard TD (which seems long for him), but the Steelers also used him extensively in the fourth quarter to help wear down clock. He even got a 29-yard gain, which was close to the sum total of his rushing yards in five games. The 65 yards he had against the Patriots was one more than his total coming into the game.

While there was talk about Deion Sanders playing some wide receiver for the Ravens, it was Terence Newman who caught a pass for the Cowboys on Sunday.

OK, how many of you who aren't Ohio State fans thought you would even consider playing Craig Krenzel on your fantasy team this year? And who would've thought Krenzel and Ken Dorsey would be squaring off again in the NFL -- in prime time, no less.

OUR Week 8 STUDS

1. Peyton Manning, QB, Colts (25-44, 472 yards, 5 TDs, 1 INT): It's hard to believe that he was close to throwing six TD passes and still losing the game. Still, it's games like these that show why I liked Manning more than Daunte Culpepper at the start of the year. It is amazing what Payton can do at the line. He's an extra coach on the field. He threw a late pick, but he just doesn't turn the ball over as much as Culpepper. Manning has thrown for at least two scores in each game this year. And despite the one interception Sunday, he has just four all season long.

2. Priest Holmes, RB, Chiefs (32 carries, 143 yards, 3 TDs, 1 lost fumble; 3 catches, 82 yards): Last week, he fumbled early and still had a monster week. He did the same this week and had just as big a game, although he slacked off slightly on the scores, but that's because Trent Green had a huge game as well. Priest in the red zone throws his body around like a kid hooped up on goofballs. The receiving yards are great as well, reminding many of the Priest Holmes from a couple of years ago before he became just a TD machine.

3. Jake Plummer, QB, Broncos (31-55, 499 yards, 4 TDs, 3 INTs; 2 carries, 5 yards): The numbers for the snake were amazing, although the three picks were part of the reason that he had to throw the ball so much as Denver played catchup against the Falcons. Still, it's hard to argue with such ridiculous stats, even if they came in a loss. Now if he can just stop throwing those gimme picks Denver will compete and keep KC in third in the AFC West.

4. Shaun Alexander, RB, Seahawks (32 carries, 195 yards, 1 TD; 3 catches, 13 yards, 1 TD): Remember when the Panthers had a stifling defense? Yeah, it seems like such a long time ago. Alexander is a back who often seems to get hotter in the second half of the season, so just continue to ride his coattails. He had 156yds behind that massive left side of Walter Jones and Steve Hutchinson (both ProBowlers). Jerry Wunsch and Pork Chop Womack came into the offensive line this week as well for Chris Terry and when Hutch went out in the 3rd quarter with an ankle sprain.

5. Drew Brees, QB, Chargers (22-25, 281 yards, 5 TDs): While current Purdue quarterback Kyle Orton disappears from the Heisman lists, ex-Boilermaker Brees continues to prove he's a NFL-caliber QB, and then some. Of course it helps that the Raiders are terrible, but completing 22 of 25 passes is amazing. Plus, Brees is making good use of what seemed to be marginal receiving weapons. What a great target Gates is in the red zone. Guys like that help QB's stats.

6. Michael Vick, QB, Falcons (18-24, 252 yards, 2 TDs; 12 carries, 115 yards): It was only a matter of time before he was going to have a huge game, but it was hard to believe he did it in Denver, where another No. 7 used to combine the running and passing skills to do great things. He's already got two 100-yard rushing games this season, something backs like Travis Henry and Fred Taylor haven't been able to do this season.

7. Trent Green, QB, Chiefs (27-34, 389 yards, 3 TDs): He got a chance to pitch in a few scores after the running backs went nuts last week. It helps that he was playing a porous Colts defense, but stats are stats. Morton and Gonzo helped out the chiefs air attatck at arrowhead. God I hate the Chiefs.

8. Vinny Testaverde, QB, Cowboys (19-24, 235 yards, 3 TDs, 3 INTs; 2 carries, 10 yards, 1 TD): He didn't have Terry Glenn, but Keyshawn Johnson and Jason Witten helped pick up the slack for the old man, who just seems to put up solid fantasy numbers every week, despite the fact that everyone is waiting for the other shoe to drop and/or Drew Henson to get the starting nod. Witten was everywhere in this game.

9. Rod Smith, WR, Broncos (9 catches, 208 yards, 1 TD): Someone was bound to have a huge game with Plummer's gaudy stats, and of course, it was Smith, still Denver's top target. His 80-yard TD reminded some of his long score against the Falcons back in the Super Bowl. However, with all the passes thrown around, it's hard to believe he had just one score. He's getting some single coverage this year with the emergance of Lalei.

10. Ahman Green, RB, Packers (24 carries, 70 yards, 2 TDs; 4 catches, 73 yards): He put up plenty of all-purpose yards, plus added those much-needed touchdowns to turn in yet another great fantasy performance. He seems to be doing much better after that Monday night bust against the Titans. He gets some rest between the 40's from Davenport and Fisher...maybe this is helping?

Other top performances: Tony Gonzalez, TE, Chiefs (8 catches, 125 yards, 2 TDs); Chris Brown, RB, Titans (32 carries, 147 yards, 1 TD; 4 catches, 23 yards); Tiki Barber, RB, Giants (24 carries, 101 yards, 2 TDs; 1 catch, 10 yards); Reggie Wayne, WR, Colts (6 catches, 119 yards, 2 TDs); Marvin Harrison, WR, Colts (5 catches, 119 yards, 2 TDs); Willis McGahee, RB, Bills (30 carries, 102 yards, 2 TDs; 1 catch, 9 yards); Muhsin Muhammad, WR, Panthers (8 catches, 106 yards, 2 TDs); Keyshawn Johnson, WR, Cowboys (3 catches, 80 yards, 2 TDs); Terrell Owens, WR, Eagles (8 catches, 101 yards, 1 TD); Jake Delhomme, QB, Panthers (19-36, 248 yards, 2 TDs, 1 INT; 3 carries, 18 yards); Peerless Price, WR, Falcons (2 catches, 59 yards, 2 TDs); Antonio Gates, TE, Chargers (5 catches, 63 yards, 2 TDs); Plaxico Burress, WR, Steelers (3 catches, 63 yards, 2 TDs); David Givens, WR, Patriots (8 catches, 101 yards, 2 TDs); Tom Brady, QB, Patriots (25-43, 271 yards, 2 TDs, 2 INTs, 1 lost fumble).

Duds

Randy Moss, WR, Vikings (0 catches, 0 yards): That hamstring is still bothering him, but he continues to find his way into the game, even though he hasn't produced. Watch out Moss might be out next week. However, Marcus Robinson (4 catches, 91 yards) and Nate Burleson (6 catches, 43 yards, 1 TD) are doing their best to pick up the slack.

Daunte Culpepper, QB, Vikings (24-42, 231 yards, 1 TD, 2 INTs; 5 carries, 32 yards, 1 lost fumble): If you don't count turnovers, the numbers are actually slightly better than last week's efficient but unexciting game against the Titans. If you count turnovers, this was a very bad game for Culpepper. After two straight weeks with five TD passes, Culpepper has fallen back to earth in a big way, although Moss' injury helped that. I'm loving the guys in my pools with CPep are finally losing.

Mewelde Moore, RB, Vikings (8 carries, 29 yards; 1 catch, 26 yards): I hate to be picking on the Vikings, but Moore's great fortune may soon be over after such a lackluster game. Michael Bennett scored a TD and could work his way back into the rotation. Plus, Onterrio Smith is close to coming back, and there's also Moe Williams. I'm afraid to see what happens there now. Moore is one more bad outing away from RBBC.

Freddie Jones, TE, Cardinals (1 catch, 8 yards): Buffalo's defense is tough, but you'd expect more from a top tight end, even with Anquan Boldin back. Then again, Josh McCown was just 9-for-24 for 101 yards. Boldin is the stud from here on out.

Larry Fitzgerald, WR, Cardinals (1 carry, 4 yards): Boldin's return won't detract from the rookie's stats like this again ... hopefully. He got swallowed up by Buffalo's zone blitz scheme, and bump n run.

Travis Henry, RB, Bills (1 carry, 2 yards): It's Willis McGahee's job to lose now. Sorry Henry owners but this is Willie's to lose, and I don't think he will.

Kurt Warner, QB, Giants (13-21, 144 yards): The Giants are content to have Barber run the show when needed. When that happens, the passing numbers decline. Warner is still a decent second QB, but remember that games like this are possible.

Brandon Stokley, WR, Colts (2 catches, 35 yards): With all the passes flying around, it's surprising that Stokley only had two catches. But Harrison's re-emergence probably accounted for some of those lost catches.

Fred Taylor, RB, Jaguars (3 carries, 9 yards; 1 catch, 10 yards): He was doing very little before he hurt his quad.

Daniel Graham, TE, Patriots (0 catches, 0 yards): The Steelers did wonders on the Patriots' offensive schemes, and seemingly took the TD machine out of commission.

Eric Johnson, TE, 49ers (1 catch, 9 yards): He's one of the league leaders in reception and he got his only catch late in the fourth quarter. That won't do. He was mostly taken out by the great play of Chicago's Linebacking corps. On one 3rd quarter play they bumped him at the line and he went flying, never got into the game did he??

Fantasy Notes:

Rod Smith...yes, Rod FORKING Smith was the demise of my teams this weekend. I'm detecting a trend this season...whichever obscure average player that I'm facing in both of my big money leagues is going to go off! I had to face the Rod Smith owner in both money leagues this week and that bastard catches more passes for more yards than he has all season! I will cross-reference my schedule for next week and let you guys know which scrub is going to go off for silly points. I am now in the typical "Multi-League Conundrum". In one league I'm up by 12 points and the other owner has Randy McMichael going tonight, in the other league, I'm down by 14 and have Randy McMichael going tonight. I don't even know why I bother anymore. Why put a lineup in? Why stare at the tv with a glimmer of hope, WHY WHY WHY?

McNabb didn't do much of much this game, he hit TO for one score but coughed up the rock on the 1 yard line when heading for another one. A pretty tame fantasy day, but that's to be expected against Baltimore's D.

I fully expected Clinton Portis to go silly on the porous Packer D, but no such luck...he was held to a pedestrian 70 yards. I just can't figure him out this year. Of course, if my opponent has him next week...look for 200 yards.

Fragile Freddy Taylor is conjuring up nightmares past for his owners as he came into this game hobbled, tried to go, and was out after 3 carries.

Josh McClown couldn't hit his own ass in the mirror let alone a moving receiver. He threw 24 passes and only hit on 9 of them! Only 9 damn completions in a game? Is he blind? Throwing hot air balloons? No matter, Denny Green is scouting the likes of David Green, Kyle Orton, etc.

Congratulations Willis McGahee owners.

Without Roy Williams at WR, the Lions' offense just isn't the same. Kevin Jones is still yet to have the breakout game and anytime your longest touchdown of the game comes from someone named Kircus, you know you're in trouble.

Chris Brown and Billy Volek managed to toss a couple of scores. Neither of these teams is going anywhere fast.

KC v Indi - This was a fantasy football owner's wet dream. Priest went silly, Manning went nuts, Trent was off the hook, T-Gonz cha-ching! What a great game if you owned these guys.

Seattle finally realized they need to run the crap out of Shaun Alexander! Alexander had a huge game and the Hawks managed to hold on for a win at home. Was this impressive? Hell no. But it beats the hell out of losing to Arizona doesn't it?

I came away totally impressed with Ben Roethlisberger...this kid has poise and composure beyond his years. He has a cannon arm, good feet and is very smart. He is everything you can ask for in a QB...great draft pick Steelers.

Has anyone noticed how quietly the Chargers have put together a 5-3 record?

The Niners only score came on defense and the Bears weren't much better. Krenzel closed his eyes and threw a dream pass to Bernard Berrian on his first throw. He should have quit there...it was all downhill from that point on. A-train came in for the injured Thomas Jones and showed that he can still get it done in the NFL.

Now get back to work!!!

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