Week eight has caused the biggest shakeup in the rankings and seen a handful of rookies with eye-catching performances. With three new names in the top-10, the league’s rookies are separated by thin margins.

Dropped Out

Quinyon Mitchell – The Philadelphia Eagles cornerback had a quieter game than usual, but performed well by not needing to defend pass attempts. In their win over the Cincinatti Bengals, Quinyon Mitchell allowed only two receptions for 12 yards, according to next gen stats, and has yet to give up a touchdown this season.

Zack Frazier – The outstanding center dodged a bullet by being injured and not having to worry facing the most dangerous nose tackle in the league, Dexter Lawrence. Unfortunately being injured cannot save you from dropping down the rankings. So, hopefully his ankle injury heals soon, as he was the best rookie offensive lineman pre-injury.

Keon Coleman – Keon Coleman was Josh Allen‘s second favorite targeted behind Khalil Shakir in the Buffalo Bills dominant win in Seattle. He went five for seven earning 70 yards and a highlight reel, one-handed touchdown.

Just Missed the Cut

Bo Nix – This week the 12th overall pick from the University of Oregon just missed the cut after throwing for 284 yards and four total touchdowns for the Denver Broncos. Bo Nix went 28/37 (75.7%) and while he only ran for four yards on five carries, he has the ability to earn yards on the ground if he forces the defense to open up. 

10. Joe Alt – OT

The Los Angeles Chargers offensive tackle had a return to form after last weeks uncharacteristic outing. While Justin Herbert was sacked three times in Chargers victory over the New Orleans Saints, Joe Alt was not responsible for any.

He also did not commit any penalties and never allowed his defensive matchup to record any pressures or hits on his quarterback. He leads tackles this season with zero hits allowed and has the potential to become a top tackle in the league. 

With each passing week the Arizona Cardinals wide receiver continues to increase his threat level. Marvin Harrison Jr. had 111 yards on six receptions, and Kyle Murray had only one incompletion when Harrison was targeted.

Harrison was the fastest ball carrier in the Cardinals win over the Miami Dolphins recording a speed of 20.58MPH. He caught his fifth touchdown pass of the season after burning Jalen Ramsey on a slant route.

8. Bucky Irving – RB

The one thing keeping Bucky Irving in the top ten is his receiving game. He gained 88 scrimmage yards for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers but for the second week rushed for less than 50 yards, but did force seven missed tackles against the Atlanta Falcons.

For the second straight week Irving went perfect in completion percentage going seven for seven totaling 40 yards. Being a dual threat in the rush and pass game is a great attribute for a running back. But, the ability to make explosive (20+ yard) plays stands out more and Irving has not recorded an explosive rush in the last two weeks after recording nine in his first six matches.

The Eagles secondary has improved a lot since last season. On top of Darius Slay Jr. and Mitchell, Cooper DeJean is another big-time secondary player for Philadelphia. He made his first start in week six and has rapidly climbed up the rankings since then.

Against the Bengals he had a momentum changing stop and tackle for loss against Ja’Marr Chase causing a turnover on downs late in the third quarter while Cincinnati still trailed by one score. DeJean also had three solo tackles and a pass break up in his standout performance. 

Malik Nabers does not move in these rankings after having a better game against the Pittsburgh Steelers than he did the Eagles the week before, but still an average performance to his standard. The star New York Giants receiver doubled his dropped total from two to four, had an almost touchdown pass ruled incomplete after not getting his second foot inbounds, and caused a touchdown to be overturned for an illegal formation.

Nabers continues to see the majority of Daniel Jones‘ pass attempts and still recorded 71 yards on from seven receptions. The pressure is building when he lines up against his opponent’s top corner and to content for Rookie of the Year, like he was in the first four weeks, he will need to perform like he did at the beginning of the season.

5. Edgerrin Cooper – LB

The Green Bay Packers linebacker had the performance of his career in their narrow victory against the Jacksonville Jaguars. He recorded nine tackles (five solo), one sack, one stuff, one pass deflection, one QB hit, and one forced fumble.

Edgerrin Cooper is becoming a crucial player in the defense that has recorded the most takeaways this season. A linebacker’s job is to be the heart of the defense and once Green Bay fixes their defensive problems, Cooper has a chance to be the most influential rookie linebacker this season.

Brock Bowers takes one of the biggest hits in this week’s rankings after having his worst performance since week four. Despite losing all games from week five to eight, Bowers has been the light for the Las Vegas Raiders to have results go their way. Unfortunately, the Kansas City Chiefs shut down their beacon of hope.

Against the Chiefs he went five for five and contributed 58 yards, but no where near the standard of when he recorded 98, 97, or 93 yards receiving in previous weeks. While their divisional matchups with Kansas City were always going to be a problem, Bowers and the Raiders have the Bengals next week to regroup.

The Jaguars wide receiver had a quieter game last week, partially due to leaving the contest against Green Bay early with a chest injury. Brian Thomas Jr. is considered to be questionable with his day-to-day injury by head coach Doug Pederson, but no matter the opponent he has an impact. 

Against the most dangerous defense in the league he went three for four on his targets and racked up 60 yards coupled with a touchdown. He is still tied for fourth in total touchdowns with five and tied for sixth in the league with total yards this season, 573. 

The leader for Defensive ROTY had another outstanding performance last week. Against the Minnesota Vikings, the Los Angeles Rams edge rusher had three tackles (one solo), two stops, 1.5 sacks, two hurries, three QB hits, and five pressures.

Offenses are actively avoiding Jared Verse this year. He has recorded four or less total tackles in six of his seven matchups but has still earned himself 2.5 sacks and 6.5 stuffs. 

To no surprise, Jayden Daniels regains the top stop on this week’s rankings after playing one drive last week. In a rookie quarterback showdown against Caleb Williams, Daniels had his first 300+ yard passing game in his short NFL career.

He had the worst completion percentage (55.3%) of the season so far, but some of that was due to a few drops. Daniels threw a 61 yard completion, the longest in his career, and had the play of the week. With time expiring he threw a 52 yard Hail Mary that was caught for a touchdown by Noah Brown and gave the Washington Commanders their sixth win of the season.