Week 8 QB power rankings: Betting the MVP race, rest of season projections, how to treat injuries and full tiers

Quarterbacks do not face off directly. They don't stare at each other across the line of scrimmage. 

Still, Justin Herbert was afforded a chance to enhance his placement in our weekly QB rankings when he shared the same stadium Sunday with the incomparable Patrick Mahomes. Herbert was, well, just OK. The offense delivered a mere 17 points for the second straight game. Herbert was held to 17 completions and one touchdown pass. There were two interceptions and five sacks.

Of course, a QB robot designed by sports-minded scientists would look deficient in many head-to-heads against Mahomes. He accumulated 321 passing yards in the first half alone. Mahomes settled for 424 total on 32 connections, four of them for TDs.

A partial excuse for Herbert: the fractured finger on his non-throwing hand. Plus, their stats would be more balanced if he had Taylor Swift's beau to aim for. Nonetheless, Herbert was unable to gain ground in our rankings. In fact, he's been hurdled by Lamar Jackson, whose performance was the high point for signal-callers in Week 7.

As for Mahomes? He's the man, again.

Meanwhile, with the teams of a half-dozen QBs off and two others shelved with injuries, a full 25% were inactive. (That excludes the two playing Monday night.) You may have heard on CBS' "The NFL Today" show that 53 QBs had taken snaps before Sunday's games kicked off, with 40 different starters.

That all means there was little movement in our tiers. For each player, we list his MVP odds if applicable, a QB2 rating that indicates how much a team's power rating is downgraded if the starter is out and projected fantasy points per game.

Which QB offers the best value in the MVP race? And which signal-callers are on the rise? ... Join SportsLine right now to see Week 8 QB Power Rankings from veteran writer Mike Tierney, including how to bet when injuries strike and SportsLine projections for all 32 starters!