Upgrades For Week 8 Quarterback Rankings: Joe Burrow, Drake Maye & More

Let's get into the Week 8 QB edition of Freedman's Favorites, where I highlight guys I'm upgrading because of …

Favorable betting factors and situational spots
Advantageous defensive matchups (perhaps aided by injury)
Increased usage expectations (again, maybe aided by injury)

For process notes regarding this series, see the end of this piece. Also, check out the rest of my Week 8 favorites and fades.

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Week 8 Quarterback Rankings

Rank	Player	Team	Opponent
1	Josh Allen	BUF	BAL
2	Drake Maye	NE	MIA
3	Joe Burrow	CIN	TEN
4	Lamar Jackson	BAL	BUF
5	Trevor Lawrence	JAC	IND
6	Dak Prescott	DAL	ARI
7	Matthew Stafford	LA	LAC
8	Jayden Daniels	WAS	PHI
9	Jordan Love	GB	CAR
10	Caleb Williams	CHI	SEA
11	Jared Goff	DET	MIN
12	Jacoby Brissett	ARI	DAL
13	Bryce Young	CAR	GB
14	Patrick Mahomes	KC	DEN
15	Kirk Cousins	LV	NYJ
16	Kyler Murray	MIN	DET
17	Sam Darnold	SEA	CHI
18	Aaron Rodgers	PIT	CLE
19	Baker Mayfield	TB	ATL
20	Michael Penix	ATL	TB

Week 8 Matchup Upgrades: Tanner McKee at Commanders & Drake Maye at Dolphins

There are a few "flow chart" defenses so bad that they provide automatic upgrades to whatever QBs they face. If a guy is playing one of them, I aggressively move him up my ranks. If not, I carry on.

Based on the numbers I see in our Fantasy Life DvP (Defense vs. Position) Matrix as well as RBs Don't Matter and FTN, the Cowboys and Commanders are two of the biggest flow chart defenses for QBs.

Commanders: No. 1 in largest fantasy boost allowed to QBs (+7.1)
Dolphins: No. 32 in defensive dropback EPA (0.298)

Bang a gong.

Tanner McKee (Eagles) at Commanders: In his two starts this year in place of injured starter Jalen Hurts (calf, IR), McKee has been acceptable as a desperado option in 2QB/superflex leagues (12.1 fantasy points per game, 426 yards passing, 2 TDs, 1 INT with 2-1-0 rushing). That might not sound great … and it definitely doesn't help that WRs DeVonta Smith (hamstring) and Dontayvion Wicks (ankle) and RB Saquon Barkley (back/hamstring) are injured … but that might be good enough against the Commanders, who have a drastically reduced HFA because the Eagles play in division on a similar grass surface in a similar outdoor stadium. The Commanders are coming off the bye, and the Eagles are losing a day off Monday Night Football, but divisional road dogs tend to be sharp (752-641-37 ATS, 4.8% ROI), and HC Nick Sirianni has done well as a road dog in the past (8-4 ATS, 29.9% ROI, per Action Network).

Drake Maye (Patriots) at Dolphins: Maye looked like canine excrement in Weeks 1-3 (9.2 fantasy points per game, 585 yards passing, 1 TD, 6 INTs with 15-82-0 rushing), but he has been a top-5 finisher in each of his past four games (29.7 fantasy points per game, 1,199 yards passing, 12 TDs, 2 INTs with 23-129-2 rushing). The Pats have a three-day edge coming off Thursday Night Football, and Maye tends to crush in division (9-3 ATS, 43.0% ROI).

Week 8 Scoring Upgrades: Dak Prescott vs. Cardinals & Joe Burrow vs. Titans

Sometimes upgrades are as simple as: "This team is going to score a lot of points, so I need to bump up the QB."

This week, the Cowboys are No. 1 in implied team total (30.5 points); the Bengals, No. 2 (28.5).

Upgrades warranted.

Dak Prescott (Cowboys) vs. Cardinals: The setup for the Cowboys is good. Although they're losing a day coming off Monday Night Football, they're indoors at home, where they have a boosted HFA because they're outside division and on turf (vs. grass). And the matchup is great: The Cardinals are No. 32 in defensive pass DVOA (34.9%), and they could be without three defensive starters in DT Walter Nolen (ankle), CB Max Melton (knee), and FS Andrew Wingard (knee), on top of No. 1 CB Will Johnson (neck, IR). For the year, Prescott has been a steady (if uninspiring) low-end QB1 (19.0 fantasy points per game, 1,851 yards passing, 13 TDs, 5 INTs with 16-81-0 rushing).

Joe Burrow (Bengals) vs. Titans: Burrow has dominated against non-divisional opponents (40-17-2 ATS, 33.3% ROI). I feel that on its own could be the blurb, but there's more. Following Burrow's typical slow start in Weeks 1-2 (15.7 fantasy points per game, 461 yards passing, 3 TDs, 1 INT with 6-19-0 rushing), he has been on absolute fire since Week 3 (25.5 fantasy points per game, 1,192 yards passing, 12 TDs, 2 INTs with 11-41-1 rushing). And the matchup is a beauty: The Titans are No. 31 in defensive pass DVOA (32.9%).

Week 8 Indoors Upgrades: Jacoby Brissett at Cowboys & Kyler Murray at Lions

In general, I want to be heavy on QBs playing indoors, where they don't need to worry about wind, temperature and precipitation. Here are two such QBs who stand out.

Jacoby Brissett (Cardinals) at Cowboys: Brissett has been a rather inefficient passer this year (5.4 AY/A), but he has still been a functional contributor (16.2 fantasy points per game, 1,600 yards passing, 10 TDs, 6 INTs with 26-80-1 rushing), and it's encouraging that he's No. 4 in designed rush share (9%) and goal-line rush share (38%, per our Fantasy Life Utilization Report). The Cardinals have a one-day edge over the Cowboys coming off Monday Night Football, and Brissett did well against them last year in their one matchup (24.8 fantasy points, 261 yards passing, 2 TDs, 0 INTs with 5-4-1 rushing). The Cowboys are No. 30 in defensive pass DVOA (32.9%), and they could be without LB Dee Winters (calf) in addition to SS Jalen Thompson (hamstring, IR) and No. 3 S P.J. Locke (foot, IR).

Kyler Murray (Vikings) at Lions: Since returning in Week 3 from injury, Murray has failed to live up to the bounceback expectations many fantasy analysts had for him entering the season (13.8 fantasy points per game, 794 yards passing, 3 TDs, 1 INT with 23-123-0 rushing). Maybe, though, he can have a peak performance this week against the Lions, who are No. 1 in most fantasy points allowed to QBs (25.0). Over the past five years, the Lions have had the league's No. 2 HFA (+7.69, per NFElo), and this is their second straight home game, but the Vikings have cut their home edge to the core because they play in division on a similar turf surface in a similar indoor stadium. Plus, Murray as a road dog has been exceptional (29-13-2 ATS, 32.2% ROI), and the Lions could be without CB Ennis Rakestraw (ankle) on top of FS Kerby Joseph (knee, PUP). If looking for cheap options, I'd consider starting Murray in Guillotine Leagues^TM this week.

Week 8 Defensive Injury Upgrades: Trevor Lawrence vs. Colts & Sam Darnold vs. Bears

Here are a couple QBs who get upgrades because of defensive injuries.

Trevor Lawrence (Jaguars) vs. Colts: Lawrence has been solid this year with his production (19.7 fantasy points per game, 1,480 yards passing, 14 TDs, 4 INTs with 17-70-0 rushing) and efficiency (65.2% completion rate, 8.6 AY/A), and now he's coming off the bye at home, where the Jags have had the league's No. 1 HFA over the past five years (+8.22). The Colts could be without two starters in their secondary in No. 1 CB Sauce Gardner (calf) and slot CB Justin Walley (undisclosed).

Sam Darnold (Seahawks) vs. Bears: The Bears are a respectable No. 5 in defensive dropback SR (42.2%), and they have a three-day edge coming off Thursday Night Football, but for the Seahawks this is the fourth game in five weeks at home, where they have a boosted HFA because they're outside division and on turf (vs. grass). Darnold has had modest success since returning from injury in Week 3 (16.5 fantasy points per game, 1,277 yards passing, 8 TDs, 8 INTs with 9-52-0 rushing), and he'll likely be without LT Charles Cross (ankle), but the Bears in the back seven could be without LB T.J. Edwards (hamstring) and CB Malik Muhammad (toe).

Notes

Week 8 Favorites & Fades: Here's the full series.

Introduction
QB Favorites
QB Fades
RB Favorites
RB Fades
WR Favorites
WR Fades
TE Favorites
TE Fades

Byes: This week, the 49ers, Saints, Giants and Texans are off.

Market Odds: As of Tuesday afternoon.

Injuries: Since I write Freedman's Favorites on Monday and Tuesday, I have incomplete injury information. After I submit this article, any updated thoughts I have regarding injuries will manifest in my rankings. For our quick fantasy thoughts every day, subscribe to the Fantasy Life newsletter.

Schedule: This season, I have the following rankings schedule.