The fantasy football quarterback situation is getting juicier with Week 8 of the 2025 NFL season on deck. With injuries, benchings and trades all already affecting the space, there is a lot to digest to stay ahead of the game.
Injuries are a big factor in Week 8 on both ends of the spectrum. On the positive side, Lamar Jackson looks to return from a multi-game absence to potentially save his fantasy football managers.
However, those who invested in Jayden Daniels will be without his services yet again in Week 8, giving Marcus Mariota another spot start. Any Bryce Young believers will also have to look elsewhere as the Carolina Panthers turn to Andy Dalton.
Week 8 could also be the beginning of a few coaching changes. Aaron Glenn and the New York Jets are the top team to monitor in that regard, with the first-year head coach openly evaluating both Justin Fields and Tyrod Taylor for the starting job. Fans also speculate on Tua Tagovailoa‘s status as the Miami Dolphins' starter, but he appears to be safe for the time being.
The 2025 NFL season is not yet at its midway point, but it is certainly beginning to feel that way for fantasy football managers. Any manager in desperate need of a last-minute quarterback cannot overlook these five players who could surprisingly produce meaningful weeks.
Andy Dalton, Carolina Panthers
We have reached the Andy Dalton point in the Panthers' current quarterback cycle for the second consecutive season. He will not be anyone's first choice, but Dalton did produce multiple fantasy-relevant weeks around this point in 2024.
Dalton started five games in 2024 and was a mediocre fantasy football quarterback in three of them. He surpassed 220 passing yards with at least two touchdowns in three of his first four starts to end as a top-20 player each week.
Unfortunately, Dalton draws a much tougher matchup in Week 8 against the Buffalo Bills. Buffalo has only allowed 167.2 passing yards per game thus far, the second-fewest in the league. The matchup could not be much worse, but the game script will likely have Dalton dropping back at least 50 times.
Dalton should not be a priority addition, but he could be more useful than most currently value him at. The veteran is worth adding in two-quarterback leagues and could immediately produce better numbers than Bryce Young has all season.
Michael Penix Jr., Atlanta Falcons
Michael Penix Jr. has been subpar for most of the season, but he draws arguably his best matchup of the year in Week 8. Quarterbacks have feasted against the Miami Dolphins in fantasy football all season long, and Penix is next in line.
Although Penix is dealing with a minor knee injury, it is not expected to affect his Week 8 availability. Even if his mobility is compromised, that might not be too much of an issue against the Dolphins, whose underwhelming pass-rush ranks in the bottom half of the league in sacks.
The Dolphins have been a bottom-10 defense against quarterbacks in fantasy football and continue to struggle across the board. Miami has allowed the third-most points per game, the seventh-most total yards per game, the fourth-most yards per pass and the highest completion percentage in the league.
Penix's inconsistency has made him a wild card, but the Falcons have yet to drop two consecutive games this season. Atlanta's offense runs through Bijan Robinson, but Penix could have his biggest game of the year in Week 8.
Justin Fields, New York Jets
There was a point when it seemed like Justin Fields might have revived his career in New York, but that fever dream has since gone up in flames. After a hot start to the year, Fields has been the worst quarterback in the NFL over the last month, entering Week 8 with just 90 passing yards in his last two games combined.
After yet another disappointing performance, Aaron Glenn finally entertained the idea of benching Fields. That would be the right move, but it might not come in Week 8. Veteran backup Tyrod Taylor has been dealing with a knee injury all week, likely giving Fields one final crack at the starting job.
If he remains in the starting lineup, Fields could be in for another big game. The Jets draw a favorable matchup with the Cincinnati Bengals in Week 8, who have been a bottom-10 fantasy football defense against quarterbacks. Cincinnati is currently allowing the third-most passing yards per game, the fifth-most yards per pass and the most touchdowns in the league. Most importantly for Fields, they are sacking quarterbacks at a bottom-five rate.
Fields is lightyears away from being an NFL-level passer, but Cincinnati is one of the few defenses in the league that might allow him to make plays against. The Bengals also struggle to tackle in space, entering the matchup with 79 missed tackles on the year, by far the most in the league.
New York's offense would be best served with Taylor under center, but Fields should enjoy at least one more vintage performance. No fantasy football manager wants him as their quarterback at this point, making him one of the top sleepers of the week. Owners just need to monitor his situation, just in case Taylor shakes off his injury and earns the nod.
Marcus Mariota, Washington Commanders
After returning for three games, Jayden Daniels heads back to the sidelines and will miss the Washington Commanders' Week 8 game against the Kansas City Chiefs. His third absence of the year opens up another opportunity for Marcus Mariota, who has gone 1-1 in his two starts in 2025.
The Chiefs are an undeniably difficult matchup, but the Commanders received a pair of massive injury updates late in the week. Washington expects both Terry McLaurin and Deebo Samuel to return in Week 8 and play together for the first time since Week 3.
Fans might be turned off by Mariota, but he has been excellent with the limited opportunities he's had in Washington. Since he joined the team in 2024, the Commanders have gone 3-1 in games in which Mariota has played more than 40 percent of the offensive snaps. He has completed 71.9 percent of his passes in those games with seven touchdowns and just one interception.
Mariota is not nearly as dynamic as Daniels, but his similar play style allows Kliff Kingsbury to maintain a similar game plan. The Chiefs have struggled to contain opposing quarterbacks on the ground, allowing the sixth-most rushing yards to opposing quarterbacks entering Week 8.
With McLaurin and Samuel back in the lineup, Mariota has a fighting chance to produce a meaningful fantasy football stat line for quarterback-needy managers in Week 8. His insertion makes the game much more competitive than it is being made out to be.
Aaron Rodgers, Pittsburgh Steelers
In perhaps the biggest storyline of the week, Aaron Rodgers will face the Green Bay Packers for the first time in his career in Week 8. Although there are not many hard feelings between the two, the matchup still carries additional meaning for the 41-year-old veteran.
Rodgers' days as an MVP candidate are in the rear-view mirror, but he has been much more effective in 2025 than many anticipated. His move to Pittsburgh has clearly rejuvenated him, as Rodgers is surprisingly fifth in the league with 14 touchdowns through seven weeks with a top-10 passer rating.
The Arthur Smith-led offense is still unsurprisingly run-dominant, but Rodgers' efficiency has kept him in fantasy relevance. As tough as the Packers' defense is on paper, they rank in the middle of the league in fantasy points allowed to quarterbacks.
The strength of Green Bay's defense is its pass rush, but the Steelers have been adept at keeping their quarterback safe. Rodgers has only taken nine sacks thus far. Only Bo Nix, Dak Prescott and Daniel Jones have been sacked fewer times among quarterbacks who have started at least six games.
The matchup will mean a lot to both sides, but no one has a stronger emotional attachment than Rodgers. Expect the best version of him to show up against his former team at Acrisure Stadium, where Green Bay fans will have little influence on the game.
