Week 8 features no bye weeks, leaving fantasy managers with plenty of options for their fantasy lineups. This weekly article is meant to make those lineup decisions a little bit easier. You can always listen to The Footballguys Fantasy Football Show, which releases episodes every weekday - also, check out the free Week 8 Player Rankings.
QUARTERBACKS
Start: Jared Goff vs LV - Listen at 36:14
- Avg Fantasy Points: 19.9 (Before Week 7)
- Opponent vs QBs: 18th
- Week 8 Rank: QB8
- Projected Points: 18.5
Before last week, Jared Goff had been a top-6 fantasy quarterback in three of his last five games. Over the first four weeks of the season, the Raiders were 25th against opposing fantasy quarterbacks, giving up eight passing touchdowns in just four weeks. The Lions are at home, and the home/road splits for Jared Goff are very positive. Goff is infinitely better at home, averaging 23 fantasy points per game compared to just 14.5 on the road. The Raiders defense has been respectable against quarterbacks over the last three weeks, allowing just 1 passing touchdown. The context: those quarterbacks were Tyson Bagent, Mac Jones, and Jordan Love.
Sit: Russell Wilson vs KC
- Avg Fantasy Points: 11.4 (Since Week 6)
- Opponent vs QBs: T-4th
- Week 8 Rank: QB13
- Projected Points: 14.8
Russell Wilson has struggled over the last couple of weeks, averaging just 145 passing yards and 1 TD per game. The last time he played the Chiefs, he had his worst performance of the year and finished as QB23. The Chiefs have held opposing quarterbacks to just 13.2 fantasy points per game. In fact, they have held quarterbacks to less than 15 fantasy points in all but two games.
Sleeper: C.J. Stroud @ CAR
- Avg Fantasy Points: 17.2
- Opponent vs QBs:7th
- Week 8 Rank: QB11
- Projected Points: 17.0
C.J. Stroud and the Texans are coming off a bye week, so they have had plenty of time to prepare for this Panthers defense. Stroud has been unprecedently good for fantasy managers this season. He's been a top-12 fantasy quarterback in three of his last four games, and he's the QB13 in points per game this season. Don't let the Panthers' ranking against quarterbacks scare you. Carolina had some success early against the likes of Desmond Ridder and Derek Carr, but since then, quarterbacks have had good performances against this defense. Over their last three games, the Panthers defense has given up eight passing touchdowns to quarterbacks and two top-3 fantasy performances. Stroud should be a plug-and-play streamer in Week 8.
TIGHT ENDS
Start: Jake Ferguson vs LAR
- Avg Fantasy Points: 7.7
- Opponent vs TEs: 24th
- Week 8 Rank: TE12
- Projected Points: 9.8
Jake Ferguson was on a hot streak of at least seven targets in three of his first four games of the season. Since then, he and the Cowboys offense have cooled off a little bit. The good news for Ferguson is that the starting tight end role is completely his. In week six, he saw an 82% route run rate and remains the leader amongst all tight ends in redzone targets.
Sit: David Njoku @ SEA
- Avg Fantasy Points: 7.3
- Opponent vs TEs: 6th
- Week 8 Rank: TE20
- Projected Points: 6.7
David Njoku has struggled no matter who has been under center. Njoku finally broke the 50-yard threshold last week in a game where he saw his highest amount of targets (9) on the season. The major letdown with Njoku this season is that he has zero redzone targets and zero touchdowns. The Seahawks have not allowed a tight end to score a touchdown this season. In fact, only one tight end has scored more than 7.9 PPR points and totaled more than three receptions. I don't see things improving for David Njoku this week.
RUNNING BACKS
Start: Kareem Hunt @ SEA - Listen at 5:00
- Avg Fantasy Points: 15.6 (Since Week 6)
- Opponent vs RBs: 14th
- Week 8 Rank: RB22
- Projected Points: 12.5
Kareem Hunt's fantasy production has largely been buoyed by three touchdowns over two games. Hunt has been limited recently with a thigh injury, but that shouldn't stop him from starting against Seattle with Jerome Ford out. The Seahawks have allowed four running backs to catch at least four passes in four of their last five games. Seattle has also allowed a starting running back to score at least 11 PPR points in five of six games. The only downside is that the Seattle defense hasn't allowed a rushing touchdown over the last three games. The Seahawks also haven't given up a single receiving touchdown to a running back this season.
Sit: Brian Robinson vs PHI
- Avg Fantasy Points: 13.3
- Opponent vs RBs: 1st
- Week 8 Rank: RB32
- Projected Points: 9.2
Brian Robinson started the season running hot, with three top-15 performances in his first four games. Since then, Robinson has been a top-24 running back just once. Over the last three games, Robinson has averaged just 2.6 yards per carry and has failed to surpass 12 touches in a game. The volume and efficiency have begun to dry up, and now Robinson takes on the league's top run defense. The Philadelphia Eagles haven't allowed a running back to reach 54 yards rushing this season. The last time Robinson went up against the Eagles, he put up 13 PPR points primarily due to a 15-yard touchdown run. While touchdowns are always possible, I'd rather not wager my matchup on an inefficient running back scoring a touchdown against the best defense against fantasy running backs.
Sleeper: Emari Demercado VS BAL - Listen at 13:20
- Avg Fantasy Points: 9.0 (Since Week 5)
- Opponent vs RBs: 14th
- Week 8 Rank: RB29
- Projected Points: 10.8
Emari Demercado has been the best Cardinals running back as of late, averaging 4.5 yards per carry. Demercado has had at least three targets in three of his last four games, and he's been a top-22 running back in two of his previous three outings. In games where Demercado receives double-digit touches, he's been a viable option, scoring 12.7 and 11.5 PPR points, respectively. The Baltimore Ravens have allowed running backs to average just over 57 receiving yards per game over the last three weeks. Baltimore has only allowed two rushing touchdowns all season. However, those two times were in Weeks 6 and 7. With Demercado coming off a 17-touch performance where he commanded a 16% target share, I'd be willing to plug him into my lineup as a flex play in Week 8.
WIDE RECEIVERS
Start: Nico Collins @ CAR - Listen at 21:15
- Avg Fantasy Points: 17
- Opponent vs WRs: 11th
- Week 8 Rank: WR20
- Projected Points: 14.3
Nico Collins has had 12 or more PPR points in four of six games this season. The Panthers have allowed six touchdowns to receivers over the last four weeks. Carolina has allowed six receivers to catch at least six receptions in four of the previous five games. A team's top receiver has scored 14 or more PPR points in every game since Week 2. The only bad news is teams can run on the Panthers. The Texans might use this week as a get-right game and establish the run a bit more.
Sit: DeAndre Hopkins vs ATL
- Avg Fantasy Points: 10.8
- Opponent vs RBs: 7th
- Week 8 Rank: WR43
- Projected Points: 10.2
DeAndre Hopkins has just one game as a top-25 fantasy receiver this season. Hopkins is the WR47 in fantasy football right now, and he's going into a tough Week 8 matchup without his starting quarterback. While there's always the possibility that Hopkins gets hyper-targeted by the combination of Malik Willis and Will Levis, I can't imagine a world where this two-quarterback system is leading many scoring drives or sustaining a consistent passing volume for the Titans' pass-catchers.
Sleeper: Drake London @ TEN - Listen at 17:50
- Avg Fantasy Points: 11.9
- Opponent vs RBs: 26th
- Week 8 Rank: WR28
- Projected Points: 13.1
Drake London has quietly been having a great season. Since Week 2, he's been the WR15 in PPR scoring while averaging a 22% target share. London has recorded at least six receptions in four of his last six games. The Titans have been kind to fantasy receivers, allowing eleven receivers to reach double-digit PPR points in just six games. Tennessee has allowed ten wide receivers to get at least five receptions, while six receivers have earned at least seven receptions. With a track record like that, it seems that London's reception volume in Week 8 should be in the usual range of reliability, making him a fantasy starter in Week 8.