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Quarterback
Tom Brady (New England Patriots)
Week 8 stats: 26/38 for 288 yards and 4 touchdowns
Presented with limited commentary until more becomes necessary. Brady has 20 touchdowns and one interception on the year. The Pats are 7-0.
Running Back
Denard Robinson (Jacksonville Jaguars)
Week 8 stats: Bye week
Wide Receiver
Jason Avant (Kansas City Chiefs)
Week 8 stats: None
Avant played on 21 snaps in Kansas City's blowout victory over Detroit in London this week. However, he received zero targets, and thus, recorded no stats.
Devin Funchess (Carolina Panthers)
Week 8 stats: 1 reception for 8 yards on 1 target
Devin's still averaging a catch per game, but that's nothing special. After some up and down performances, Funchess seemed to lose a little playing time on Monday night this week as he saw the field on just ten offensive snaps.
Defensive Line
Alan Branch (New England Patriots)
Week 8 stats: 1 assist
Coming off his best game of the season last week, Branch didn't get much action last Thursday night - 16 defensive snaps - and tallied a lone tackle assist on the day. However, the Pats front seven has been pretty dominant throughout the season, and Branch continues to play his role in that by forcing opponents to account for him more and more.
Mike Martin (Tennessee Titans)
Week 8 stats: None
Martin did not play this week. Even with a new head coach in Tennessee, nothing has changed for Martin.
Linebackers
Brandon Graham (Philadelphia Eagles)
Week 8 stats: Bye week
David Harris (New York Jets)
Week 8 stats: 6 solo tackles, 3 assists
After his team's 34-20 loss to the Raiders, Harris said "it was disgusting to look at" the film of the Jets' defensive performance. In a poor team performance, Harris seemed to be a lone bright spot as Gang Green Nation noted that "he was one of the few Jets on defense who effectively got to the ball."
Jake Ryan (Green Bay Packers)
Week 8 stats: 1 solo tackle
Ryan saw limited action on defense - just two snaps - in his fifth game. He also played on 18 special teams snaps and recorded a lone tackle.
LaMarr Woodley (Arizona Cardinals)
Week 8 stats: 2 solo tackles
Woodley continues to get action on roughly half of the Cardinals defensive snaps. He's had a fairly quiet season on the stat sheet so far and doesn't seem to be standing out - good or bad - in Arizona.
Secondary
Leon Hall (Cincinnati Bengals)
Week 8 stats: 5 solo tackles, 2 passes defended
Returning from a back injury that caused him to miss Week 6, Hall played on 73% of Cincy's defensive plays and made his presence known. He earned a +2.8 PFF grade, and while he surrendered a two-yard touchdown pass, "he only allowed three of his other five targets to be caught for 28 yards." Getting Hall back is a huge bonus for the undefeated Bengals.
Jordan Kovacs (Miami Dolphins)
Week 8 stats: None
Kovacs only played on special teams this week and failed to record any stats. He also seems to be dealing with a knee injury that's keeping him out of practice.
Charles Woodson (Oakland Raiders)
Week 8 stats: 4 solo tackles, 1 interception, 1 pass defended
Woodson needs no introduction, and if you've been following along, he's having a ridiculous season. He snagged another interception to bring his season total to five, which leads the league and moves him into a tie for fifth place all-time with Ken Riley at 65 career interceptions. It also puts him in second place all-time since the AFL-NFL merger in 1970, trailing only Rod Woodson by six picks.
OFFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK
Tom Brady
By default at this point
DEFENSIVE PLAYERS OF THE WEEK
Leon Hall and Charles Woodson
Showing that veterans can still ball
PLAY OF THE WEEK
Woodson's 65th
See above
WEEK EIGHT MATCHUPS REVISITED
Michael Schofield vs. the Packers Defensive Line
Schofield and the Broncos offensive line had an impressive showing against the Packers on Sunday night. They did not give up a sack to the 11th-ranked defense in the league and allowed their running backs to score three touchdowns. Schofield had a very solid night, with commentator Cris Collinsworth stating, "Michael Schofield has earned himself a job."
WINNER: Michael Schofield
Charles Woodson vs. the Jets Receivers
Woodson recorded his fifth interception of the 2015 season on Sunday against Jets quarterback Geno Smith. Overall, the secondary for the Raiders was solid, holding Geno Smith to under 270 passing yards. With the pick, Woodson now leads the league in picks on the season... at age 39.
WINNER: Charles Woodson
Devin Funchess vs. the Colts Secondary
Funchess was held to one catch for eight yards on Monday night against the Panthers. Although the game was mostly played during torrential downpours, it appears as though Funchess is struggling to become a consistent threat for the Panthers offense.
WINNER: Colts Secondary
WEEK NINE MATCHUPS TO WATCH
Charles Woodson vs. Antonio Brown
Woodson is certainly not showing his age this season, as he currently leads the NFL with five interceptions on the season. On Sunday, Woodson's Raiders take on the Steelers, led by the now-healthy Ben Roethlisberger. Steelers star wide receiver Antonio Brown will be draped by the former Michigan safety all day, and this is certainly a matchup to keep your eye on. Brown is currently ranked fourth in the league in receiving yards and looks to move up in the ranks with Roethlisberger back behind center. However, based on the way Woodson has been playing through the first half of this season, look for Brown to have a quieter game than usual.
ADVANTAGE: Charles Woodson
Brandon Graham vs. the Cowboys Offensive Line
Halfway through the 2015 season, Graham has been very solid at the linebacker position for the Eagles. He has recorded 24 total tackles, one forced fumble, and two sacks. He will match up against the Cowboys offensive line this upcoming weekend, a unit that has been fairly inconsistent this season. To this point, the Cowboys offensive line is ranked near the top of the league in run blocking but also ranked dead-last in terms of pass protection, giving up more than 30 sacks this season. This matchup appears to be a toss up, and it will likely depend on what version of the Dallas offensive line comes to play.
ADVANTAGE: Draw
Alan Branch vs. the Redskins Offensive Line
Alan Branch has had a quiet season statistically so far for the Patriots, recording 12 total tackles, one forced fumble, and one sack. However, he's making his presence known to opposing teams as a strong rotational component on the Pats defensive line. The Redskins travel to Foxboro this weekend, where Branch will face a very inexperienced and inconsistent Redskins offensive line. They are ranked 22nd in run blocking, but third in pass protection. Expect to see Branch play a significant role in stopping the run on Sunday against running back Alfred Morris.
ADVANTAGE: Alan Branch