Start 'Em, Sit 'Em Week 8: Advice for Unfavorable Fantasy Football Matchups

The majority of NFL teams will be in action in Week 8, as there are only two that have a bye: the Kansas City Chiefs and Los Angeles Chargers. So that gives fantasy football managers a wide array of starting options for the week.

Time is beginning to run out for struggling fantasy managers, too. In most leagues, the fantasy regular season is now at its midway point, having completed seven of 14 weeks. So if you need to make a playoff push, now is the time to get it going.

With that in mind, here's some start/sit advice to help with lineup decisions in Week 8.

Concerned that Christian McCaffrey still hasn't been on the 49ers for long and that he may not yet produce at a high level in Week 8? Don't be. The talented 26-year-old running back should be much more involved than he was in his San Francisco debut last week and is likely to look more like his typical self.

After getting traded from the Carolina Panthers, McCaffrey had only three days before his first game with the 49ers. Yet he still had 10 touches, rushing the ball eight times for 38 yards and notching two receptions for 24 yards in a loss to the Kansas City Chiefs.

Now, McCaffrey has had a full week of practice with San Francisco, so he should be much more prepared for Sunday's game against the Los Angeles Rams.

It's not the best matchup, as the Rams are allowing the fewest points per game to running backs among all teams, per NFL.com. But McCaffrey is a top-tier RB for a reason, and his likely involvement in both the running and passing games should still yield a strong fantasy output. So have confidence in starting him this week.

There are some weeks that Aaron Jones and AJ Dillon are both great starting options at running back. But that isn't the case in Week 8. In fact, neither of them are among the best fantasy RBs to play this week.

The Packers have a challenging road matchup against the Buffalo Bills, who are allowing an NFL-best 76.2 rushing yards per game. The Bills are also giving up the fifth-fewest fantasy points to running backs, per NFL.com.

Jones' involvement in the passing game can sometimes boost his fantasy value even when Green Bay is facing a tough run defense. But that seems unlikely against Buffalo, which has the capability to completely shut down the Packers' offense.

So if you have better starting options, it's probably ideal to leave Jones and/or Dillon on the bench this week. Jones is the slightly better play of the two, but even he doesn't seem poised for a great game.

Over the past four weeks, Donovan Peoples-Jones has been much more involved in the Browns' passing attack. He's had more than 70 receiving yards three times during that stretch, and the 23-year-old had a season-high-tying six catches in Cleveland's Week 7 loss to the Baltimore Ravens.

The Browns may have to pass the ball a good bit if they hope to take down the AFC North rival Cincinnati Bengals on Monday night. And if they're going to do that, then Peoples-Jones could connect with quarterback Jacoby Brissett for some big plays.

It's not a great matchup for Cleveland's receiving corps, as Cincinnati's passing attack has been faring well. But if the Browns fall behind (which seems probable), they could move the ball through the air better in the second half.

So even if Peoples-Jones may not break out for a huge fantasy performance, he has solid flex value for the matchup. He may even get into the end zone for his first touchdown of the season.

Christian Kirk has been one of the Jaguars' primary receiving options throughout his first season in Jacksonville. He's posted some solid numbers, too, having notched 32 receptions for 458 yards and four touchdowns in seven games thus far.

But there have been times when Kirk has gotten shut down. For example, he had only one catch for 11 yards in the Jags' Week 5 loss to the Houston Texans. And there's a chance something similar happens to the 25-year-old in Week 8.

Jacksonville is facing the Denver Broncos in London on Sunday, and it's not a great matchup for Kirk and the rest of the Jaguars' wide receivers. The Broncos are allowing only 173.1 passing yards per game, which ranks second-best in the NFL.

If Kirk gets covered by top Denver cornerback Patrick Surtain II, it could be difficult for the Texas A&M product to get open. So it would be best to find a better starting option at wide receiver than Kirk this week.