Fantasy Football Week 8 Starts, Sits: Settling Toughest Lineup Decisions
It’s hard to believe, but we’re already in Week 8 of the 2016 NFL season. That means there are just a few weeks left in your fantasy football league’s regular season, which makes every lineup decision even more important.
Here’s our start/sit advice for Week 8.
STARTS
Andy Dalton, QB, Cincinnati Bengals
Dalton is averaging 281 yards with a total of six touchdowns and zero interceptions over his last four games. You could do a lot worse than that, especially with six quarterbacks on a bye this week.
Devontae Booker, RB, Denver Broncos
Booker will get most of the carries out of the Broncos’ backfield with C.J. Anderson not able to play. He also ran for 83 yards and a touchdown in Week 7, and he has a favorable matchup against a Chargers defense giving up 4 yards per carry.
Matt Forte, RB, New York Jets
Forte hasn’t been as dominant of late as he was early in the season, but his matchup against a Cleveland Browns defense allowing the third-most yards per carry and second-most rushing yards per game is too good to justify sitting him.
John Brown, WR, Arizona Cardinals
This is a risky play, but with many teams on a bye this week, Brown isn’t a bad flex option. He had a decent Week 7 performance with 54 yards on five receptions, and he’s playing a Carolina Panthers defense in Week 8 that’s struggled in pass coverage all season.
Tyler Eifert, TE, Cincinnati Bengals
Eifert made his season debut last week and caught one pass for nine yards. He should be more involved Sunday after another week of practice and a good matchup against a Washington Redskins defense that struggles versus tight ends.
SITS
Jay Cutler, QB, Chicago Bears
Cutler hasn’t played since Week 2 because of an injury, and his first game back is against a vaunted Minnesota Vikings defense that ranks second in yards allowed per pass attempt and first in points allowed per game. He’s a must-bench this week.
Matt Jones, RB, Washington Redskins
Jones has been a colossal fantasy disappointment this season, and his struggles have allowed Chris Thompson to receive a lot of the carries in the Redskins’ backfield. Jones ran for just 27 yards on 10 carries last week, and he’s missed two practices this week because of a knee issue. He’s not a trustworthy option for Sunday.
Jermaine Kearse, WR, Seattle Seahawks
Kearse’s season-high in receiving yards is just 57, and he still has yet to score a touchdown. Given the struggles of the Seahawks’ passing attack, it’s best to bench Kearse until Seattle’s offense shows some improvement. Right now, this is a run-first team with Christine Michael.
DeSean Jackson, WR, Washington Redskins
Jackson hasn’t tallied 55 or more receiving yards in any game over the last four weeks, along with zero touchdowns in that same span. His Week 8 matchup against Bengals cornerback Dre Kirkpatrick is a tough one. Jackson, who’s officially questionable for this weekend, just isn’t reliable enough to be started this late in the fantasy football regular season.
Antonio Gates, TE, San Diego Chargers
The veteran tight end has just 54 yards with zero touchdowns over the last two games, and he’s playing a Broncos defense in Week 8 that’s allowed the fewest passing yards per attempt. Gates isn’t even the No. 1 tight end in San Diego anymore — that title belongs to rookie Hunter Henry.
Thumbnail photo via Matt Marton/USA TODAY Sports Images
