Fantasy Football Week 8: Start 'Em, Sit 'Em

It seems like only yesterday that the 2021 fantasy football season was getting underway. But as we roll into Week 8, we're already getting into the second half of the regular season.

For some, that's no big deal or even cause for celebration. Their teams have gotten off to strong starts, and at 5-2 or even 6-1, they are sitting pretty. Others are 2-5 or 1-6 and in scramble mode trying to keep a season that is probably lost from definitely becoming so.

However, there are also a lot of fantasy managers walking the tightrope at 4-3 or 3-4. They are one good decision away from the win that can get them back to .500 or solidify their playoff odds. They are also one bad one away from the loss that could send them into scramble mode too.

There's precious little room for mistakes. Zero margin for error. Every lineup decision is critical.

No pressure.

This article aims to assist fantasy managers with those decisions. Just as I do every week here at Bleacher Report, I have examined questions on the B/R app and chosen some that will potentially aid both the fantasy managers who asked them and others in setting their Week 8 lineups.

Now let's light this candle.

Please help! I need 1 RB/2 WR/1 Flex. Standard Scoring. RB: Alex Collins, Devontae Booker, Elijah Mitchell, Chase Edmonds. WR: Mike Evans, Stefon Diggs, Calvin Ridley -- @UlyKnows

The best place to start with this question is at the back.

The decision of which wide receiver to potentially sit here is easy to answer—none of them. Stefon Diggs of the Buffalo Bills is a top-five fantasy option with a great Week 8 matchup against a leaky Dolphins secondary. Mike Evans of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers caught three touchdown passes last week against the Chicago Bears and should continue to see increased target volume with Antonio Brown out indefinitely.

And while I generally defer to running backs in "flex" conversations, Calvin Ridley's upside is just too tempting, even in a season where the Atlanta Falcons wideout hasn't met expectations.

That's especially true when you consider that each of these running backs have questions.

Arizona's Chase Edmonds splits touches with James Conner with the Cardinals and doesn't benefit from points-per-reception here. Devontae Booker of the Giants is averaging all of 3.2 yards per carry this year. Alex Collins of the Seattle Seahawks averaged 2.2 yards a pop last week against the New Orleans Saints. And Elijah Mitchell of the 49ers faces a Chicago Bears defense that ranks 16th in standard points allowed to running backs this season.

As miserable as Booker has been on a per-carry basis, he's tempting in the running back spot. He has found the end zone in two of the last three weeks and gets Kansas City's non-existent defense on Monday night. However, Mitchell just gashed a decent Colts defense for 107 yards and a score, the second time in the four games he's played that he's topped the century mark.

Mitchell gets the nod in the backfield. 

The Calls: Stefon Diggs, Mike Evans, Calvin Ridley, Elijah Mitchell

Need 2 WRs and a flex between Stefon Diggs, Mike Williams, Ja'Marr Chase and D'Andre Swift. Full PPR -- @rweber16

You'd be surprised how many of these questions I get. "Pick three of these four fantasy studs."

Must be nice.

The question of who to start in the flex spot is simple enough to answer. As I've said many times in this column (and others), it's generally wise to defer to running backs in flex spots when possible. They touch the ball more, and touches equal opportunity. That the only running back with more PPR points than Detroit's D'Andre Swift after seven weeks is Tennessee's Derrick Henry seals that deal and then some.

After tallying a Bengals rookie record of 201 receiving yards last week against the Baltimore Ravens, Ja'Marr Chase has over 150 receiving yards and a touchdown in two of the last three games. He has quickly become an every-week must-start.

Mike Williams of the Chargers has been more productive to date this season than Diggs, who barely ranks inside the top-25 wideouts overall. However, Diggs had his best fantasy outing of the season his last time out, while Williams had his worst (albeit with a knee injury). Add in that Diggs faces a Dolphins team allowing the third-most points per game to receivers, and spot No. 2 is his.

Finally, depending on what your tight ends, other running backs and quarterback look like, you may want to seriously consider shopping one of those receivers. Flipping Williams or Diggs for an upgrade at another position makes more sense than benching one of them each week.

The Calls: D'Andre Swift, Ja'Marr Chase, Stefon Diggs

With Lamar Jackson on bye, who should I pick up…Matt Ryan, Trevor Lawrence or (Carson) Wentz? -- @CTownRaider22

Week 8 isn't the Byepocalypse that Week 7 was, but there are still some holes to fill in lineups. That's especially true at tight end, where Mark Andrews of the Ravens and Darren Waller of the Raiders are both out of action.

Here, the problem is Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson, and the solution is not named Trevor Lawrence. No offense to the rookie signal-caller for the Jacksonville Jaguars, but he's 26th in fantasy points per game among quarterbacks this season. Also, his opponent (the Seattle Seahawks) ranks in the bottom half of the league in fantasy points given up to quarterbacks.

The solution also isn't Matt Ryan of the Atlanta Falcons. Ryan isn't a bad fantasy option. If you toss out a Week 1 clunker against the Philadelphia Eagles, the former NFL MVP ranks inside the top 12 in fantasy points per game this year. But Ryan's matchup with the Carolina Panthers is only average, and he's a relatively low-ceiling option.

No, the play here is Indianapolis Colts quarterback Carson Wentz. Thanks in large part to (approximately) six sprained ankles, Wentz's first season in Indianapolis got off to a bumpy start. But Wentz has quietly peeled off three straight games with multiple touchdown passes and no interceptions.

Over that span, Wentz has been a top-10 fantasy option, and Sunday, he faces a Tennessee Titans defense that has surrendered the seventh-most fantasy points to quarterbacks in 2021.

The Call: Carson Wentz

Thanks to you I survived #BYEPOCALYPSE! 12 Team Full PPR Need 2 Flex. Michael Pittman Jr., Michael Carter, (Emmanuel) Sanders, Elijah Mitchell or (Chase) Claypool? -- @Klutch36

If you think I included this question only in a blatant and craven attempt to see praise of my fantasy acumen published, then I am shocked and appalled by that accusation.

It's 100 percent accurate, but still—shocked and appalled.

That aside, this is an interesting quandary. The first spot isn't all that hard to fill, though. With two flex spots, you want to try to get at least one running back who will see 15-plus touches into the lineup. That makes Mitchell a "go."

Michael Carter of the Jets, on the other hand, is a pass. Carter totaled 19 touches and 104 yards last week against the Patriots, but with Zach Wilson out indefinitely, an already struggling Jets offense is in even more trouble. Stay away from it, if possible.

Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver Chase Claypool joins Carter on the bench. He's a vertical threat on a team that can't push the ball vertically, and unless he gets a touchdown, his fantasy upside is limited.

That leaves a close call between Buffalo wideout Emmanuel Sanders and Indianapolis wide receiver Michael Pittman Jr. Pittman is coming off a big game in San Francisco, while Sanders has at least five catches and 70 yards in three of the last four games, with four scores over that span. Both have highly favorable fantasy matchups in Week 8 as well.

In the end, I'll defer to the player who is the top option on his team at wide receiver.

Pittman gets the last spot.

The Calls: Elijah Mitchell, Michael Pittman Jr.

Need a WR2 and a flex in a PPR league. Khalil Herbert, (Kadarius) Toney, Jerry Jeudy, Bobby Trees (Robert Woods), DeVonta Smith? -- @NDNATION0704

The wide receiver spot is as good a place as any to start.

DeVonta Smith of the Eagles is an immensely talented young player and the top wide receiver in Philly. But with the Eagles passing attack in shambles, it's hard to trust any pass-catchers on the team. Kadarius Toney of the Giants has a chance to play in Week 8, but there's no need to roll the dice here on a banged-up player.

Jerry Jeudy of the Broncos had a great preseason and a promising Week 1, but he hasn't played since with a high ankle sprain, although his matchup against a reeling Washington defense is tempting.

The right play at wide receiver is the rather obvious one. Robert Woods of the Los Angeles Rams has been supplanted by Cooper Kupp as the team's top wideout, but he's still a top-20 producer on the season. The wide receiver slot is his.

The question, then, becomes whether one of those wide receivers deserves a start in the 'flex" spot ahead of Chicago Bears running back Khalil Herbert.

The answer to that question is "no." With Damien Williams on the COVID-19 list in Week 6, Herbert carried the ball 19 times for 97 yards and a score. He followed that up last week with 18 carries for 100 yards against Tampa Bay despite Williams' return.

He's a young lead back getting over 15 carries a game, and that's the sort of workload fantasy managers should want in the lineup.

The Calls: Robert Woods, Khalil Herbert

Need two out of three RBs. Darrel Williams, Antonio Gibson, Kenneth Gainwell? Thanks! -- @McNastyy

Given all the injuries that have hit the running back position, more than a few fantasy managers have been left sorting through less than ideal options at the position.

Washington's Antonio Gibson is one of those banged-up running backs. Heralded as a potential top-10 option by more than one fantasy pundit before the season, Gibson has been battling a shin injury that has limited both his workload and his production.

Things haven't been that much better for Darrel Williams of the Kansas City Chiefs, who was pressed into a larger role when Clyde Edwards-Helaire sprained his MCL. Williams scored twice against Washington in Week 6, but that's his only game with over 60 rushing yards, and he's averaging just 3.5 yards per carry.

Kenneth Gainwell of the Eagles is the wild card here. With Miles Sanders unlikely to play this week against Detroit, Gainwell could see more touches against a Lions defense, allowing the fourth-most fantasy points to running backs. But how Gainwell and Boston Scott and will split the workload isn't known.

Despite his unimpressive production on a per-touch basis, Williams is still the first "yes" here. There's a good chance of the sort of game script for the Chiefs that could lead to 15-plus touches and a score against the two-win Giants.

The second spot is a matter of tolerance for risk, but the best play here is to gamble on Gainwell's gravy matchup. With Washington heading into a bye in Week 9, the team is less likely to press their luck with a banged-up Gibson than to give more work to J.D. McKissic.

The Calls: Kenneth Gainwell, Darrel Williams

Need 1 RB from Myles Gaskin and Antonio Gibson and WR/Flex from Julio Jones, Laviska Shenault, Tee Higgins, Kadarius Toney and T.J. Hockenson. -- @sasanka

First things first. The wide receiver spot is a no-brainer.

Yes, A.J. Brown is the clear No. 1 receiver for the Tennessee Titans. Yes, Julio Jones hasn't topped 60 receiving yards or caught even four passes since blowing up for a 6/128/0 line in Week 2. But Jones still has the highest fantasy ceiling of any of the wideouts listed here, and frankly, the veteran is overdue to notch his first touchdown as a Titan.

At running back, the concerns surrounding Washington's Antonio Gibson have already been voiced. Myles Gaskin of the Dolphins has plenty of his own question marks, not the least of which is a bad matchup against a stout Bills defense. Gaskin's 19 total touches in Week 7 were a season-high, but the odds of a negative game script are much higher for Miami than Washington.

Don't love Gibson this week. Love Gaskin even less, even with Malcolm Brown on injured reserve. Starting Gaskin essentially means relying on him to either somehow find the end zone or reel in a lot of garbage-time dump-offs.

That leaves the flex spot. We can rule out Gaskin here, too, because his prospects aren't getting better in the flex. Kadarius Toney has a great matchup with the Chiefs, but there's no need to unnecessarily gamble on a banged-up player. Pass.

While we're passing on guys, Laviska Shenault Jr. can take a seat. The Jaguars wideout is talented, but he hasn't found the end zone yet in 2021 and has less than five targets in two of his past four games.

That leaves one spot and two players—Detroit Lions tight end T.J. Hockenson and Cincinnati Bengals receiver Tee Higgins. The former has cooled off substantially after a hot start to the season, while the latter has taken a back seat to Ja'Marr Chase in the Queen City pecking order.

The kicker here is the matchup. Higgins gets a Jets team allowing the fifth-fewest PPR points to receivers, while Hockenson draws a Philadelphia Eagles team giving up the sixth-most points to tight ends.

Hockenson finds the end zone for the first time since Week 2 on Sunday.

The Calls: Antonio Gibson, Julio Jones, T.J. Hockenson

With no Travis Kelce, Mark Andrews or Darren Waller available in Week 8, who is the best tight end to roster in this week's DraftKings Fantasy Football Millionaire contest? -- @DFSSOS

It is indeed a short week at tight end. Andrews and Waller are enjoying their bye in Week 8, while Kelce plays on Monday night and won't be available for the Fantasy Football Millionaire slate.

The most expensive tight end available this week is Atlanta's Kyle Pitts [DK DFS VALUE $6,300]. As Pitts showed last week against Miami with seven grabs for 163 yards, he's more than capable of blowing up in a given week. But in addition to being $900 more than the No. 2 tight end (Detroit's T.J. Hockenson), Pitts' matchup with Carolina isn't especially good.

That's not a wise use of salary.

Similarly, Mike Gesicki [DK DFS VALUE $5,000] of the Dolphins has been on fire the past month-plus, but the matchup there with Buffalo is unfavorable. Ditto for Ricky Seals-Jones [DK DFS VALUE $3,800] of Washington, who has been productive and carries a low salary but has a bottom-10 matchup against the Denver Broncos.

What we need here is a player with a reasonable salary and a good matchup. The latter will help the odds of a good stat line, while the former will allow managers to pay up at wide receiver or running back.

Say, something in a veteran tight end with touchdowns in each of the last four games about to take on his former team—a team allowing the third-most DK points to tight ends this season.

That's the situation for Hunter Henry [DK DFS VALUE $4,200] of the New England Patriots, who carries a highly affordable price point.

Love the smell of value in the morning. It smells like victory.

The Call: Hunter Henry

As is the case each week, we'll wrap up this week's Start/Sit column by cranking out some answers to app user questions in rapid-fire style.

Why be wrong once and take your time when you can be wrong a bunch of times quickly?

Have more Start/Sit questions? Leave them in the comments. I try to spend a few hours there on Friday and/or Saturday, answering as many as possible.

     

Who is the better start this week—Aaron Rodgers at Arizona with no Davante Adams or Kirk Cousins vs. Dallas? Thanks! -- @Ort33z13

Frankly, an argument could have been made for Cousins over Rodgers if Adams was playing. The Cowboys have been a top-10 matchup for opposing signal-callers, while only two teams allow fewer fantasy points per game to the position than Arizona. With Davante Adams and Allen Lazard sidelined for the Pack, Cousins definitely gets the start.

     

Need an RB2. James Conner or Alex Collins? -- @satstallion

From a matchup perspective, Collins is the better play. The Jacksonville Jaguars are 11th in PPR points allowed to running backs this season. But what Conner lacks in a matchup, he more than makes up for with the production. The Cardinals running back has found the end zone at least once in four of his last five games. He's the play here.

     

(Brandon) Bolden or D'Ernest Johnson? -- @brettingmann

Cleveland's D'Ernest Johnson was one of the stars of Week 7 with his massive game against the Broncos, but the potential return of Nick Chubb could rob most of his fantasy upside in Week 8. Bolden posted a 6/79/1 receiving line last week, but he hasn't had more than eight touches in a game this season. The best bet here is to roll out Johnson and hope his explosion against Denver earned him the lion's share of Kareem Hunt's vacated touches.

     

Courtland Sutton, Keenan Allen, CeeDee Lamb. Pick 2 -- @RobbieGQ

Given that Sutton faces a Washington team allowing the most fantasy points per game to wide receivers, he gets one of the spots. Allen vs. Lamb is a closer call, but with the Minnesota Vikings rolling out a banged-up secondary against a red-hot Lamb (9/149/2 two weeks ago against the Patriots), he has a slight edge over the Chargers veteran.

    

Need TE help, half PPR…Dallas Goedert or Mike Gesicki? -- @therealGM

This is a pretty easy call but gotta give the tight ends a little run. Were the Eagles throwing the ball with some level of efficiency, Goedert would have more upside, But they aren't, and Gesicki has been on fire with the Dolphins of late. Since Week 3, only Mark Andrews of the Ravens has more fantasy points at the position. Ride the hot hand and start Gesicki.

     

Kyler Murray or Joe Burrow? -- @parzy24

This is another instance where shopping a surging player is a good idea. You don't need two fantasy quarterbacks of this caliber, and just after a massive performance against the Baltimore Ravens, this is the perfect time to try to sell on Burrow. This week, the Bengals are less likely to have to keep the pedal down for 60 minutes than the Cardinals, and Kyler Murray's rushing ability could mean additional fantasy production. It's not a runaway, but Murray has the edge.

     

Rams D/ST or Bills D/ST? -- @InderMan

Both the Los Angeles Rams and Buffalo Bills rank among the top 10 fantasy defenses this year, and both have strong matchups with one-win teams (Miami for the Bills and Houston for the Rams) that rank inside the top five in fantasy points surrendered to defenses. But the Texans could be getting Tyrod Taylor back this week, and the Bills are fantasy's No. 1 defensive unit in terms of points per game. Go with Buffalo.

      

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Fantasy points allowed and scoring data courtesy of My Fantasy League.

Gary Davenport is a two-time Fantasy Sports Writers Association Football Writer of the Year. Follow him on Twitter at @IDPSharks.