We near the halfway point in the NFL season and so very little is settled. The old adage that the cream rises to the top is apparent, and from a fantasy perspective, that is just as true. With that being said, here's this week's Game Balls.

QB
Matthew Stafford, DET, 352 yards passing, 3 passing TDs, 1 rushing TD - Well how do you do? Stafford finally puts up big numbers (remember, the cream rises to the top). This is the Stafford everyone enjoyed last year, and he did those stats with little to nothing (again) from Calvin Johnson. To me, this is a trend not a fluke, as Stafford is too good to underperform as he has. If you benched him, get him back in your lineup.

Blaine Gabbert, JAX, 303 yards passing, 1 TD - There were other QBs who put up better numbers, but since this was the rookie's first 300-yard passing game, he deserves his recognition here. Maybe not relying so heavily on Maurice Jones-Drew, who is injured, actually helps Gabbert's statistics.

Honorable mention: Tom Brady, 304 yards, 4 TDs - A jolly good performance from Brady in London. As expected.

RB
Doug Martin, TB, 135 rushing yards, 1 TD, 79 receiving yards, 1 TD: And there's the highly drafted rookie's coming out party. Martin was doing okay up until this week. But his owners had been waiting for a true breakout game, and they got it Thursday night. Martin is fully entrenched in the Tampa offense and is now borderline start-every-week type of RB.

Willis McGahee, DEN, 122 rushing yards, 1 TD: On Sunday night, McGahee exerted his will and showed that the Broncos are a balanced attack. With Peyton looking more and more like Peyton, McGahee will likely have looser defenses to face. Expect more of these type of performances from McGahee.

Honorable mentione: Steven Ridley, NE, 127 yards, 1 TD: Ridley is quietly a fantasy star. He consistently puts up solid fantasy numbers for the Patriots.

WR
Titus Young, DET, 9 catches, 100 yards, 2 TDs: I had been touting Young all year, and now the Lions have finally discovered another receiver other than Calvin Johnson. In fact, with Megatron's struggles, Young is stepping up his game, finally.

Julio Jones, ATL, 5 catches, 123 yards, 1 TD: This just in, Julio Jones is pretty good. The only problem with the Falcons offense is that there are so many weapons, that you just don't know who's going to step up. This week was Jones' turn.

Honorable mention: Denarius Moore, OAK, 5 catches, 96 yards, TD - Moore is making his case as a WR1 in most fantasy formats.

TE
Jason Witten, DAL, 18 catches, 167 yards - The only thing negative you can say about Witten is that he didn't score this week. Otherwise, in a PPR format league, Witten was an absolute beast.

Rob Gronkowski, NE, 8 catches, 146 yards, 2 TDs - I never condoned taking Graham as early as he was being drafted. But those who invested in Gronk are seeing their dividends pay off week after week. Wow, that's all you can say about the New England tight end.

Honorable mention: Heath Miller, PIT, 4 catches, 46 yards, 1 TD: Miller is quietly becoming a must-start tight end in all leagues.

GAME-USED SOCK AWARD
Eli Manning, NYG, 192 yards, 0 TDs, 1 INT - No one has been bigger fan of Eli than me. I still consider him an elite fantasy quarterback, but this week, against the Cowboys, Eli floundered. His owners suffered this week, and may have taken a loss as a result. So, for that Ei, here's a game used sock, worn by a large offensive lineman.

Follow Jimmy Dinsmore, The Fantasy Geek, on Twitter @fantasy_geek

Fantasy Football game balls, week 8, rob gronkowski, jason witten, tom brady, matthew stafford, willis mcgahee

Here's the GSI Cheat Sheet for Week 8 (last update 10/27)...

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*All rankings are based off year-to-year leagues, PPR formats with yardage and TD's.

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COMPLETE RANKINGS

Fantasy Football 2012 fantasy rankings, fantasy advice, gsi cheat sheet, fantasy projections, week 8

Here’s a quick look at some injuries that could impact your fantasy lineup this week…

QB
Jake Locker (shoulder) –out again this week; Matt Hasslebeck remains under center
Kevin Kolb (ribs) – listed as questionable; John Skelton expected to start vs. SF

RB
Maurice Jones-Drew (foot) – out indefinitely; Rashard Jennings is starter for time being
Demarco Murray (foot) – will miss his second straight week with return still in question
Rashard Mendenhall (Achilles) – team has ruled him out for second straight week
Ahmad Bradshaw (foot) – finally practiced Friday and questionable vs. DAL – GTD (4PM)
Trent Richardson (ribs) – looks to be improving, but how much is uncertain – GTD (1PM)
Felix Jones (knee) – returned to practice on Friday and appears ready to start vs. NYG
Donald Brown (knee) – could return vs. TEN after missing couple of weeks – GTD (1PM)
Isaac Redman (ankle) – has made limited appearances in practices – GTD (1PM)
Brandon Bolden (knee) – will not play in Week 8 again; return remains very unclear
Peyton Hillis (ankle) – will return after missing multiple weeks; backup to Jamal Charles

WR
Brandon Lloyd (knee) – limited most of the week, but expected to play vs. STL
Jordy Nelson (hamstring) – hasn’t practice since injury occurred WED; GTD (1PM)
Wes Welker (ankle) – battling sore ankle, but should be a full go vs. STL
Greg Jennings (groin) – will miss at least three more weeks with surgery ahead
Pierre Garcon (foot) – no return imminent for Garcon, who is making little progress
Danny Amendola (shoulder) – nearing a return, but unclear if will be now; GTD (1PM)
Titus Young (knee) – limited in practice all week, questionable vs. SEA – GTD (1PM)
Nate Burleson (leg) – out for the season after being placed on IR w/broken leg

TE
Jimmy Graham (ankle) – Remain very questionable vs. DEN; officially a GTD (8PM)
Rob Gronkowski (hip) – Continues to play thru minor injury; expected to start vs. STL
Aaron Hernandez (ankle) – Did not travel w/team to London as is out for Week 8

MORE PLAYER NEWS (KFFL.com)

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Eli's Sports Bar is our official Fantasy Football Headquarters for this season. It's the only bar in town where you can play in our FREE weekly Fantasy 5 game for your chance for FREE wings for a year and a crack at an invite our Grand Prize fantasy playoff round. Visit any of their three locations - Liberty Township, Mason and Ross - or visit EliSportsBar.com for more details:

WEEK 8 GAME CARD (Print & Play)

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QUARTERBACKS
Stud – Ben Roethlisberger (PIT): After letting us down a bit the past few weeks, look for Roethlisberger to bounce back this week against the Redskins, who’ve allowed the most passing yards and the second most TD passes to be thrown against them. In fact, Washington has allowed 19 or more fantasy points to the position in five of their seven games. Big Ben will become the sixth to hit that mark on Sunday.

Dud – Cam Newton (CAR): Though were not ready to jump ship yet on Newton this is a week that we recommend sitting the disappointing quarterback. The Bears D’ is the second stingiest unit to fantasy quarterbacks and have yet to allow one to throw for multiple scores. In fact Chicago has allowed as many passing touchdowns (5) against them as their defensive unit has scored to this point of the season.

Sleeper – Carson Palmer (OAK): The Raiders’ signal caller has averaged 325 yards through the air over his last two games, but hasn’t thrown for multiple scores since Week 3. Expect that change on Sunday as the Raiders pay a visit to Kansas City to face a Chiefs’ defense that has ceded 13 passing touchdowns through six games and allows over 22 fantasy points per game to quarterbacks.

RUNNING BACKS
Stud – Chris Johnson (TEN): There’s no way Johnson comes close to matching last week’s grand totals he posted against Buffalo, but a matchup with the Colts’ running defense on Sunday should still spell good things for his owners. Indy gives up over 22 points per game to fantasy running backs and has allowed eight rushing touchdowns in six games this season. Look for 100+ total yards and a score here.

Dud – Shonn Greene (NYJ): Despite rushing for 215 yards and four touchdowns over the past two weeks, Greene is about the come back to life. Gone are the matchups against the Colts and Patriots and now the Jets are set to face a Miami defense that is the eighth toughest against fantasy runners. Greene only netted 40 yards on 19 carries against them in Week 3 and hasn’t scored against the Dolphins in five meetings.

Sleeper – Alex Green (GB): Even though he has 42 carries over the past two games, Green has yet to make the most of his opportunity as the Packers’ lead back. However, as long as he continues to get that workload he should find some success against a Jacksonville defense that yields over 129 rushing yards per game and has allowed seven TD’s to running backs already this season.

WIDE RECEIVERS
Stud – Demaryius Thomas (DEN): Thomas has provided consistent production all season having scored and/or reached 100 yards receiving in five of his six games. After seeing a season-low two targets in Week 6’s win over the Chargers, the Broncos will work him back into the game plan in a big way coming out of a bye against a Saints’ secondary that has a whopping 45.9 fantasy points per games to wideouts and 10 TD’s on season.

Dud – Brian Hartline (MIA): Since his breakout 253-yard performance in Week, Hartline has managed a total of four catches for 59 yards and he still has only found the end zone once all season. Don’t let the matchup with the Jets fool you, their secondary have played well of late and will likely continue to yield modest numbers to the Dolphins’ passing attack.

Sleeper – Brandon Gibson (STL): The Rams travel to London this week to battle with the Patriots. We are expecting the Rams to have to keep pace. While rookie Chris Givens is more of the down-the-field threat, Gibson is racking up the targets as the possession receiver. It would not be surprising to get 8-10 targets and turn that into decent production against a New England D that has allowed 174 yards per game and 13 total TD’s to wideouts.

TIGHT END
Stud – Heath Miller (PIT): Miller’s five touchdowns are the tied for the most in the league by a tight end and with the Redskins on tap the chances are he could add to that total.  Washington has allowed the second-most point to fantasy tight ends to this point of the season. While the Steelers’ tight end might be limited with yardage totals he’s a good bet to grab another red-zone score.

Dud – Brandon Pettigrew (DET): Though Pettigrew could see a spike in targets with Nate Burleson out, he’ll be hard-pressed to the find end zone versus the Seahawks, who have allowed the fewest passing touchdowns of any team in the league.  He’s only scored once and failed to hit 40 yards in three of six outings. Look for a better lineup option in Week 8.

Sleeper – Anthony Fasano (MIA): If you’re desperate for a waiver wire pick this week, Fasano could fit the bill. The Jets have already allowed five passing touchdowns to tight ends thus far and Fasano has scored four times in eight career meetings with his division foes.

Fantasy Football fantasy advice, week 8, lineup advice, studs, duds, sleepers

GSI.com's Stefanie Theobald checks in with some of the latest injury headlines...

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Here's a look at some great fantasy reads from around the web for Week 8:

Weekly Average Cheatsheet (FantasySportsCentral.com) - average weekly cheatsheet with many sites included.

Weekly Projections (FOXSports.com) - Weekly stat projections, projected fantasy points and rankings by position. Powered by WhatIfSports.

Fantasy Trade Value Chart - (CBSSports.com) Dave Richard unveils his Trade Value Chart to help owners make the best deal possible.

2012 Strength of Schedule (FFToolbox.com) - Ranking each player's schedule broken down by week.

Player History (FFToday.com) - Game-by-game lifetime player fantasy points against the team they are playing this week including all game logs

Fantasy Football Sleepers (KFFL.com) - They break down the fantasy football sleepers of the week

NFL Skinny (Yahoo.com) - The Skinny will provide an early look at the matchups for the coming week.

Fantasy Football fantasy advice, fantasy links, fantasy football, week 8

With Baltimore, Buffalo, Cincinnati and Houston all on bye this week, it poses some lineup problems. Compile that with the inevitable injuries, and you’ve gotta monitor the waiver wire closely. Here are some players to target this week.

QB
Brandon Weeden, CLE – Nobody was more critical of the Browns rookie QB than I was. And, I’m still not sold on him as a long-term starter. But, you can’t deny his numbers over the last few weeks. Quietly, Weeden has put up steady fantasy numbers throwing 2 TDs in three consecutive games. This week, the Browns play San Diego, so you can expect more of the same from Weeden who is a decent bye week fill-in.

RB
Larod Stephens-Howling, ARIZ – I was a week premature in calling for Stephens-Howling to show up. After his Week 6 bust, many owners dumped him already, but after his Week 7 100+ yard, 1 TD-performance, many owners will be back asking for his forgiveness. Grab LSH and start him this week.

Cedric Peerman, CIN – Yes, the Bengals are on a bye this week, but Peerman did find the end zone last week, and may be the best option in the anemic, and uninspiring Bengals backfield. If you’re a homer, or in desperate need, Peerman could be an option for you.

WR
Santana Moss, WAS – Moss was once an elitish wide receiver. And now, he’s on the waiver wire in 75% of leagues. After his 2-TD performance last week, he will be a top target this week. One caveat on Moss though, he is still not the top targeted player for the Redskins, but he’s certainly worthy of grabbing and stashing as he does get red zone targets.

Kevin Walter, HOU – Houston is on bye this week, which means many owners will overlook Walter. Grab him this week in preparation for the Texans Week 9 matchup against Buffalo where Walter should put up nice numbers. Always think ahead in fantasy football for true success.

TE
Dustin Keller, NYJ – Now that he appears to be healthy, Keller is a must grab. He’s a big, athletic tight end, that Sanchez looks to often. For leagues that require tight ends to be started, Keller is a must have, especially after his 7 catches for 94 yards this past week.

Chris Cooley, WAS – Wait, what? Didn’t he retire? Yes, but with Fred Davis out for the year, the Redskins are about to sign Cooley, who is supposedly in game shape, knows the system and could make an impact for your fantasy squad. Don’t start him this week, or even next. Wait and see how he does, but grab the savvy vet now.

Follow Jimmy Dinsmore, the Fantasy Geek, on Twitter @fantasy_geek

Fantasy Football fantasy advice, waiver wire, week 8, brandon weeden, larod stephens-howling, cedric peerman, santana moss, dustin keller, chris cooley

GSI.com's Stefanie Theobald offers a few names for you to consider adding to your fantasy team...

Fantasy Football fantasy advice, waiver wire, week 8, fantasy video, stefanie theobald

FANTASY 101
It’s never too early to look ahead: Now is the time to start looking at NFL schedules to see what players have favorable fantasy matchups down the stretch. Seeing who your current players matchup against down the stretch of the season, particularly during your league’s playoff weeks can help you plan, decide on potential waiver wire pickups and assist in the trading process.

SETTING YOUR LINEUP (Byes: ATL, CHI, GB, NYJ, OAK, and TB)
START 'EM
RB Chris Johnson (vs. IND) – Despite only having three plays of over 10 yards (had 37 in 2010), Johnson needs to stay in the lineup this week against a Colts’ D that got lit up for 62 points a week ago and have allowed the third most fantasy points to running backs.

WR Marques Colston (@STL) – Over the past two weeks no wide receiver has tallied more fantasy points than Colston and now he is set to face a Rams’ secondary that allows 27 fantasy points per game to wideouts. Keep Colston locked in your lineups.

SIT 'EM
QB Ryan Fitzpatrick (vs. WAS) – After throwing for nine scores in his first three games, the Bills’ signal caller has passed for just three touchdowns over his last three contests. This week he faces a Redskins’ D that has only allowed one QB to throw for multiple scores against them this season.

WR Reggie Wayne (at TEN) – With Curtis Painter locked in on Pierre Garcon, Wayne has disappeared in recent weeks. He is averaging just 5.3 fantasy points per game over his past six outings and can no longer be counted on as a fantasy starter.

FANTASY INFIRMARY
WR Andre Johnson (hamstring) – The Texans’ star receiver was on the practice field on both Wednesday and Thursday and will be a game-time decision for Sunday’s tilt with the Jaguars. If he is active owners need to get him in their lineups.

RB Adrian Peterson (ankle) – After seen limping late last week in the loss to the Packers, Peterson sat out of practice on Wednesday for the Vikings. He told reporters on Thursday that he tweaked his ankle, but he “thinks he’ll be alright” for Sunday at Carolina.

QB Matthew Stafford (ankle) and Jahvid Best (concussion) – Stafford practiced Thursday after being limited to individual reps on Wednesday and is making good progress. Barring a setback he should start Sunday at Denver. However, the Lions are going to let Best sit out one more week and then the bye as the running back continues to recover from a concussion.

RB Beanie Wells (knee) – After initial reports that Wells could miss 1-2 weeks with a knee injury, it now appears there is a chance he could play in Week 8. He’ll need to get on the practice field first, but expect the Cardinals running back to be a game-time decision.

Other injuries of note: Mark Ingram (heel), Willis McGahee (hand), Daniel Thomas (hamstring)

REDRAFT RANKINGS – My Top 10
1. Arian Foster
2. Adrian Peterson
3. Aaron Rodgers
4. Calvin Johnson
5. Ray Rice
6. Darren McFadden
7. Matt Forte
8. LeSean McCoy
9. Fred Jackson
10. Ryan Mathews

Fantasy Football fantasy advice, week 8, line up advice, injury report, redraft rankings, start em, sit em