Who To Start, Sit, Scoop Up, And Not Sleep On For Your Week 8 Fantasy Football Lineup

Another week has been muddied by a major injury. Carson Palmer is down, and with him goes the fantasy prospects of nearly every Cardinals player. Thankfully, we don’t have to think about the future of Larry Fitzgerald or Adrian Peterson yet (or any Packers player), because six teams are on bye. This is the dredges of the fantasy football year. Half the season is over and you must win now.

The byes this week are brutal: Arizona, Green Bay, Jacksonville, Los Angeles Rams, New York Giants and Tennessee

Start of the Week

The Niners are being scored on at will, and Carson Wentz is coming into his own with a high-octane offense that can score from just about anywhere. We saw a precursor of this game as Dallas and Dak Prescott destroyed the 49ers 40-10, and then Wentz marched up and down the field against Washington, throwing four touchdowns in the process. He should score more points for you at home in a cushy matchup. Bask in his glory.

Obligatory Browns dig:

https://twitter.com/realprinceblue/status/922652727234252800

Start/Sit

QUARTERBACK STARTS

Philip Rivers: The Patriots were handing out points to opposing offenses like never before, then Bill Belichick got desperate and called in the fog machines during the Super Bowl rematch against the Falcons Sunday night, and things got better. Conspiracies aside, you should be picking on the Patriots whenever you can, and Rivers should be a top-8 play this week with some nice upside. If he can look sharp and spread the ball around against Denver, he’s going to eat at a buffet of points against New England.

Andy Dalton: Things are getting desperate with the bye weeks and injuries, so now we have to consider Dalton, who, like usual, has been up and down all season. He should take advantage of a Colts passing defense who is only behind the Patriots in yards given up through the air, and the Colts just lost rookie first-round safety Malik Hooker for the season. Besides, AJ Green might get a second squeaky wheel game, which means good things for Dalton.

Anyway.

https://twitter.com/BrandonSaho/status/922212270335242241

Josh McCown: Every NFL season is weird in its own way, and this year, we have Josh McCown, who could be the savior for some deep-league teams in need. Over the last four weeks, McCown has been a top-ten QB. A lot of that is thanks to Austin Seferian-Jenkins, but Jeremy Kerley and Jermaine Kearse have been solid as well. He should be a top-12 option against the weak Falcons D at home.

QUARTERBACK SITS

DeShaun Watson: It’s going to be painful, benching the studly Watson, but if you have him, and you aren’t an unlucky Rodgers/Palmer or any other underwhelming QB owner, you may want to look to your backup. Watson will play in Seattle against a top-4 passing defense. You might have Derek Carr, McCown or Alex Smith. Consider them instead.

Matthew Stafford: The Steelers offense has been wonky, but their defense has been consistent all year. They currently only give up 172.2 yards per game through the air, and they’re getting to the quarterback often with the second-highest sack total in the league. Stafford’s been sacked 17 times in the last three games alone.

Derek Carr: His broken back didn’t seem to hinder him against the Chiefs last Thursday as he threw 52 times for over 400 yards and 3 touchdowns, but quarterbacks playing in Buffalo have had a tough time if their name isn’t Jameis Winston. Bye weeks are awful, but consider Dalton or Rivers if you have them. You probably have a second QB after Carr’s injury a few weeks ago. Put him to use.

If it comes down to Carr or DeShuan Watson — flip a coin?

This tweet is true.

https://twitter.com/TitanicTD/status/921227404567183360

WIDE RECEIVER STARTS

Jarvis Landry: Matt Moore didn’t look great against the Jets, which explains why the coaching staff signed Jay Cutler in the first place, but if he goes, keep in mind that he threw 5 of his 13 completions to Jarvis Landry, who will be his safety valve. There’s a damn good chance Baltimore grinds the poor Dolphins into Florida orange juice, but don’t get cute and bench Landry. Especially if you’re in a PPR league.

Keenan Allen: We’re doing this. All the Chargers. You were playing Allen already, but consider him at $7,300 in Draft Kings. Monitor his injured shoulder, and if he’s doing fine by the time game time rolls around, invest. The Chargers are a team. And like this slipping, they will score points on the Patriots.

https://twitter.com/CuckmySock/status/922292618632953856

Mohamad Sanu: He’s been a lowkey PPR flex for a while now, and saw the second-most targets against the Patriots Sunday night with 10. He’s seen at least six targets every game this season, and he’s only $4,900 on Draft Kings.

WIDE RECEIVER SITS

Danny Amendola: Rex Burkhead comes back, Amendola sees less work. There are just too many mouths to feed in New England right now, and I don’t feel comfortable rolling him out when he’s averaging 4.5 short-yardage passes per game.

This is ugly.

T.Y. Hilton: Maybe a squeaky wheel game is coming after Hilton called out his entire offensive line, but… Maybe not? The Colts don’t play well on the road, and Cincinnati has a lowkey great secondary right now. It might not be worth the trouble.

Tyreek Hill: Ok, so I know this is going to be really science-heavy, but bear with me. Tyreek Hill doesn’t really put two good games in a row together often, and he’s playing Denver this week, so he’s either going to do next to nothing, or he’s going to bust out a big one and save the week. Try not to depend on him. Seriously, look at this PPR game log.

RUNNING BACK STARTS

Mark Ingram: The prophecy came true — no Adrian Peterson has allowed Ingram to flourish like we’ve always wanted. Since Peterson left town, Ingram has seen 20+ carries twice and has caught 9 passes over the last two games. This is the stuff fantasy championships are made of.

https://twitter.com/NFL_DovKleiman/status/922157239930097669

Christian McCaffery: Strictly for the PPR crowd. we’re seeing McCaffery struggle mightily running the ball, but he’s on pace for 100 catches this season, now he just needs to improve on his YPC and get into the end zone. That will come eventually. His 7 catches for 36 yards against a surprisingly tough Bears defense was ugly, but 10 points is 10 points, and the dude isn’t giving up on plays:

Melvin Gordon: Don’t worry about the guy’s weak output against Denver, he’ll bounce back against New England, even with Austin Ekeler knocking on the door, looking for more touches. Expect a touchdown or two. He was stuffed multiple times at the 1-yard line against the Broncos.

RUNNING BACK SITS

Frank Gore: Marlon Mack finally out-snapped Gore against Jacksonville. Maybe that was due to the game being out of hand, but where do these Colts go from here? They might as well see what they have in the young Mack. Gore is a legend and a Hall of Famer, but he doesn’t do much for the team at this point.

Adrian Peterson: Just a week after his impressive showing that lit a fire under comeback talk was an 11 for 21 performance. That won’t cut it, and now you can expect opposing defenses to stack the box. This is terribly disappointing.

Dion Lewis: He’s the best running back in New England, but he’s not getting the catching opportunities he enjoyed in 2015 when he was one of the best backs in football, and he’s likely going to top out at the workload he saw against Atlanta — 13 rushes (for a seet 76 yards) and 1 catch for 11 yards. With Rex Burkhead back and James White locked-in as the pass-catching back, what can you really expect from him? Mike Gillislee might get 10 rushes next week for all we know. Stash Lewis for now, and use him if you need with this nasty bye week, but don’t expect much.

TIGHT END STARTS

Jordan Reed: After being banged up the first seven weeks of the season, Jordan looked close to his old self against the Eagles on Monday night. Granted, the Eagles give up a ton of yards through the air (especially to opposing TEs), but it’s time to accept Reed as a viable player to plug back into your lineup. Even with Vernon Davis seeing a healthy amount of targets opposite of him.

Hunter Henry: I will not give up until a Chargers player is in every “start” section this week. The Patriots may have stopped the hyped but ultimately boring Austin Hooper last week, but that was because of Belichick’s fog. They won’t be able to stop Hunter Henry if Rivers decides to throw it his way. Henry has seen 20 targets over the last three weeks, and there’s no reason to believe that’s going to slow down now.

Tyler Kroft: Taking over for Tyler Eifert, Tyler 2™ caught 4 passes for 23 yards and a touchdown. The touchdown was nice, but everything else was ugly. He should be able to eat up sizable chunks of yardage when the Bengals beat up the Colts. It’s pretty much him and AJ Green. Brandon LaFell doesn’t count.

TIGHT END SITS

Austin Hooper: The Hooper drum is being banged far too much for a guy who has trouble topping 50 yards on 9 targets. After seeing him get 1 target while the Falcons play from far behind against the Patriots, it’s time to move on.

OJ Howard: The guy’s a monster waiting for a breakout, and many think his 6-catch, 98-yard, 2 touchdown game against Buffalo was it, but I’m waiting to see him do it for a few games in a row. Jameis Winston has an enticing matchup against the Panthers, but Cameron Brate is still here, and Mike Evans, DeSean Jackson and the rest of the Bucs will still demand targets. He’s not the no. 2 guy to depend on there, yet.

This is still wonderful.

Kyle Rudolph: He’s looked better over the last few weeks, catching 5 passes or more three weeks running, but that was with Stefon Diggs a nonfactor. If Diggs comes back, consider Rudolph someone you may want to bench, depending on how the bye weeks have treated you. If you still haven’t picked up Seferian-Jenkins or Kroft, they’ll likely be better plays.

IND RB Marlon Mack: He’s finally out-touching Frank Gore, and the Colts are going to have to start moving to the future. He’s especially nice in dynasty leagues.
OAK RBs Jalen Richard and DeAndre Washington: Marshawn Lynch is proving to be the heart of the team, but he’s not doing much on the field. He’s been suspended one game for shoving a ref after Derek Carr was hit late Thursday night, now we’ll see these guys splitting carries, with Richard catching more passes. Both are worth an investment, with Richard in locked-in for looks in PPR leagues.

NYJ RB Matt Forte: If you dropped him, he’s back being relevant again. Especially catching the ball. He ran the ball only 7 times for 41 yards, but caught 5 passes for 41 yards. This Jets backfield is a mess, but Forte could plug a hole for the time being.
PIT WR JuJu Smith-Schuster: He’s not seeing the targets you want out of a WR3 or higher quite yet, but with Martavis Bryant asking for trades and causing a fuss (after being suspended so many damn times), there’s a chance the Steelers move on and make the trade. Even if they don’t, Schuster is gaining ground on his snap total and might do something late in the year. Stash him.