Week 8 Fantasy Football Quarterback Rankings: Joe Flacco Rises

Joe Flacco rises in our Week 8 fantasy football quarterback rankings with a matchup looming against the New York Jets.

Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Joe Flacco (16) throws a pass in the fourth quarter of the NFL Week 7 game between the Cincinnati Bengals and the Pittsburgh Steelers at Paycor Stadium in downtown Cincinnati on Thursday, Oct. 16, 2025. The Bengals won, 33-31. | Sam Greene/The Enquirer / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Week 7 is in the books and we’re inching closer to the midway point of the fantasy football season. Things are looking quite different than last year. Injuries have shaken up the position and breakouts are emerging (I’m looking at you, Drake Maye). A couple of signal callers on new teams are exceeding expectations such as Daniel Jones and Sam Darnold, while others are getting benched at halftime like Justin Fields. 

The quarterback position has produced a lot of surprises in 2025, but one that isn’t all that shocking is seeing Patrick Mahomes back on top. After finishing as the QB1 overall in Week 6, Mahomes produced another top-five finish after tallying just shy of 300 yards, while tossing three touchdowns in a 31-0 shellshacking of the Las Vegas Raiders on Sunday. Two of those touchdowns went to Rashee Rice, who made his season debut after serving his six-game suspension.

Bo Nix had an atrocious first half against the New York Giants, but he rallied the Denver Broncos to a 33-32 wild victory in Week 7, leading the position with a whopping 40 fantasy points. The second-year sensation recorded 279 passing yards, two passing touchdowns, 48 rushing yards, two rushing touchdowns, and he converted a couple of two-point tries. He has now jumped into the QB1 discussion and faces a soft Dallas Cowboys defense in Week 8.

There are a few players you wouldn’t expect who are consistently performing as top-tier quarterbacks, and a few backups have already made noise and assumed control of the starting gig. Let’s take a look at the best quarterbacks this season before diving into the Week 8 rankings.

Top 12 Fantasy Football Quarterbacks in 2025

1. Patrick Mahomes, Kansas City Chiefs
2. Jalen Hurts, Philadelphia Eagles
3. Drake Maye, New England Patriots
4. Dak Prescott, Dallas Cowboys
5. Daniel Jones, Indianapolis Colts
6. Bo Nix, Denver Broncos
7. Baker Mayfield, Tampa Bay Buccaneers
8. Justin Herbert, Los Angeles Chargers
9. Matthew Stafford, Los Angeles Rams
10. Josh Allen, Buffalo Bills
11. Jared Goff, Detroit Lions
12. Trevor Lawrence, Jacksonville Jaguars

As we enter Week 8, bye weeks will present a critical challenge yet again for fantasy football managers who must carefully adjust their lineups. After just two teams were idle in Week 7, Week 8 presents some challenges as six teams are off  – the Arizona Cardinals, Detroit Lions, Jacksonville Jaguars, Las Vegas Raiders, Los Angeles Rams, and Seattle Seahawks. Fantasy managers will need to find bye-week replacements for Kyler Murray, Jared Goff, Trevor Lawrence, Matthew Stafford, and Sam Darnold. Hopefully nobody outside of managers in deep SuperFlex leagues was considering starting Geno Smith, who is also not playing this week. 

The QB landscape looks wildly different than it did on opening night, and the chaos is only just getting started. With Week 8 already underway after the Los Angeles Chargers dominated the Minnesota Vikings, let's take a look at the best and worst signal callers of the week.

Bo Nix Enters The Top 5 Against The Cowboys' Vulnerable Defense

Denver Broncos quarterback Bo Nix (10) makes a pass during the first half against the New York Giants at Empower Field at Mile High. | Isaiah J. Downing-Imagn Images

Nix is coming off a career game at home against the New York Giants. His 40-point eruption is the most points anyone has scored in a game this season. After failing to produce 20 fantasy points in four of his first six matchups, Nix is now averaging 19.6 fantasy points per game, the eighth-most among all signal callers. In seven games, the second-year quarterback has accumulated 1,556 passing yards, 11 touchdown passes, four interceptions, an additional 172 rushing yards, and three rushing touchdowns. 

In Week 8, Nix and the Broncos draw a matchup with a Dallas defense that is allowing the most fantasy points per game to opposing quarterbacks. No team has scored fewer than 22 points against the Cowboys this season, and they have allowed four of their seven opponents to tally 30+ points. The Cowboys defense has simply been shredded this year and there’s no reason to expect anything different in Week 8. Nix will continue to find Courtland Sutton, Marvin Mims, Troy Franklin, and Evan Engram in space. While he doesn’t have the best arsenal of weapons at his disposal, he could certainly do worse. And with his dual-threat ability, the sky is the limit when his Broncos host the Cowboys at Mile High.  

Waiver Wire Quarterback Pickup of Week 8: Joe Flacco, Cincinnati Bengals

Joe Flacco has turned back the clock in Cincinnati, and fantasy managers should be paying attention. The 40-year-old veteran has looked rejuvenated since stepping in for the injured Joe Burrow, throwing for 342 yards and three touchdowns in a thrilling 33–31 win over Pittsburgh. He’s been aggressive downfield, feeding Ja’Marr Chase and Tee Higgins for a combined 257 yards — the kind of passing volume fantasy players salivate over.

Now comes an enticing revenge game against his former team, the New York Jets. New York has been decent against opposing quarterbacks in the fantasy football world but that's in large part due. game script. Opposing teams have been able to feed the running backs late in games with big leads. But the Bengals aren't the best team in the world, which means this could be a close game where Flacco needs to air it out again. Overall, it’s a soft landing spot for a red-hot signal-caller, and things only get better from here with the Bears and several other beatable secondaries on deck.

Cincinnati’s schedule is built for fantasy fireworks, featuring six of the next nine games against bottom-10 pass defenses. As long as Flacco stays under center, he’s a rock-solid QB1 streamer — and maybe more. Don’t overthink it: the Flacco revival tour is real, and he’s ready to keep fantasy lineups rolling.

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With that, let’s take a look at where the rest of the quarterbacks across the NFL stack up in our weekly rankings.

Week 8 Fantasy Football Quarterback Rankings