1. Calvin Johnson, Wide Receiver, Detroit Lions
What a ridiculous performance from Johnson in this one. We published an article on Sunday looking at his matchup with Dez Bryant of the Dallas Cowboys. Little did we know that by the end of the day, Johnson would be compared more to some of the greatest single-game performances in the history of the league. He finished the day with the second-most receiving yards in a game in the history of the NFL, right behind the 336 yards that Flipper Anderson, then of the Los Angeles Rams, put up against the New Orleans Saints in 1989. To put this into perspective, Johnson’s yardage numbers outpaced all but three quarterbacks on Sunday. He now leads the NFL with 829 receiving yards through eight games. That’s about where we all had him prior to the season.
2. Marvin Jones, Wide Receiver, Cincinnati Bengals
On the other end of the spectrum, not many of us had Jones putting up anywhere near the numbers we saw from the young receiver on Sunday. He broke a Bengals’ single-game record with four touchdown receptions, which also represents the second-most in league history behind a trio that includes Kellen Winslow and Jerry Rice. A total of 33 other receivers in NFL history have put up four touchdowns, Terrell Owens being the last to do it in November of 2007. Nearly as impressive, Jones caught all eight of the passes thrown in his direction against the Jets on Sunday.
3. Andy Dalton, Quarterback, Cincinnati Bengals
This third-year pro is in the midst of the best run of his short career. After tallying 325 yards with five scores on Sunday, Dalton is surprisingly the sixth-ranked fantasy quarterback through eight weeks. He’s riding a three-game hot stretch that has seen him compile 11 touchdowns compared to two interceptions. Dalton’s performance in Sunday’s 49-9 destruction over the New York Jets is yet another example that he’s taken that next step. With all the weapons around Dalton on offense, there is no reason to believe he won’t be able to continue this hot play moving forward.
4. Drew Brees, Quarterback, New Orleans Saints
Brees had himself a game against the Buffalo Bills on Sunday. The torched what had been a good defense for five touchdown passes in the No. 1 fantasy performance for a quarterback in Week 8. It’s been somewhat of a quiet start for a Saints team that now has a 6-1 record and is prepared to battle the top teams in the NFC for home field in the second half of the season, but Brees seems to be more comfortable with head coach Sean Payton back on the sideline. He’s thrown a total of just five interceptions in seven games after leading the NFL with 19 interceptions last season. That was one of the primary reasons that some within the fantasy football community overlooked him heading into 2013. With stellar all-around play in the passing game and limited interceptions, Brees is likely going to finish the season among the top-three fantasy quarterbacks, which is where he stands right now.
5. Jordy Nelson, Wide Receiver, Green Bay Packers
With Randall Cobb and James Jones out with injury, someone had to step up and help Aaron Rodgers in the passing game. There was no better of a candidate than Rodgers’ favorite target from two seasons ago. Nelson destroyed a Minnesota Vikings’ secondary to the tune of seven receptions for 123 yards and two scores. That was good enough to rank him fourth among wide receivers in fantasy points this week. Seemingly fully healthy, there is no reason to believe that Nelson cannot continue this exceptional play moving forward, especially if Jones joins Cobb on the sideline for an extended period of time.
6. Frank Gore, Running Back, San Francisco 49ers
Sunday’s 42-10 beatdown of the Jacksonville Jaguars represented the second consecutive game that Gore has failed to put up 100 yards on the ground but still ranked among the top fantasy running backs in the league. He’s now put up seven rushing touchdowns on the season and is the sixth-ranked fantasy running back through eight weeks. It was all about churning those legs and finding holes to run through against Jacksonville on Sunday. Unlike in other performances this year, there simply wasn’t a lot of room to run through, but Gore was able to make the most of his opportunities. The great news here for fantasy owners is that Gore is averaging about 20 attempts per game and is heading into the bye. He’s going to come out refreshed in the second half of the season and continue this surprising fantasy performance.
7. Andre Ellington, Running Back, Arizona Cardinals
“Free Andre” has been something of a rallying cry around the fantasy football community for some time now. He entered Sunday’s game averaging 6.4 yards per attempt on just 28 rushes through seven games. Apparently Arizona’s coaching staff got the hint against Atlanta. The rookie from Clemson attempted 15 rushes and averaged over 10 yards per in an electrifiying performance. His 80-yard touchdown scamper in the second quarter gave Arizona an eight-point lead and helped build momentum for the home team heading into the half. Even if you take away that one big play, Ellington still averaged 5.3 yards per. There is no reason to believe that the Cardinals will go back to Rashard Mendenhall, even when he’s back at 100 percent. Ellington is going to eat a lot in the second half of the season.
8. Cam Newton, Quarterback, Carolina Panthers
After another stellar performance against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Thursday night, it appears that Newton is right back in his comfort zone. He put up 272 total yards and three scores, the third consecutive outing that Newton hasn’t turned the ball over. In total, he’s now the seventh-ranked fantasy quarterback through eight weeks.
9. Darren McFadden, Running Back, Oakland Raiders
Good for McFadden. It’s been a while since we could put him in an article like this. Despite averaging just three yards per rush, the injury-prone running back scored two touchdowns and finished as the second-best fantasy running back for the week. Interestingly enough, he was able to do it against a top-10 fantasy defense versus running backs.
10. Colin Kaepernick, Quarterback, San Francisco 49ers
Don’t look now, but Kaepernick is now a viable QB1 option once again. After a fourth consecutive stellar outing that saw run for two touchdowns and pass for another, the third-year quarterback has a nine-to-one TD/INT ratio since San Francisco’s last loss (Week 3 against the Indianapolis Colts). While Kaepernick isn’t being asked to do much, his performance over this span seems to indicate that he’s progressing very well. Add Mario Manningham and Michael Crabtree to the mix in the next month, and Kaepernick will surely continue to succeed in the fantasy football world.