Week 8 Start 'Em, Sit 'Em: Advice on Fantasy Football Stars to Play or Bench

Most fantasy football leagues this year have a 14-week regular season. That means we're now at the halfway point to when the playoff field will be decided, so managers should have a pretty good idea of where they stand at this point.

Even if you've been struggling, there's still time for your team to get hot and make a second-half run. So don't give up now. Anything can happen in fantasy football, especially if you stay aggressive, scour the waiver wire for potential impact additions and ensure you're setting the best possible lineup each week.

Heading into Week 8, here's some start/sit advice to help with lineup decisions for Sunday.

In the past, the 49ers have been known to divide up their carries between multiple running backs each week. That hasn't been the case of late. Instead, they've been relying solely on Elijah Mitchell to carry the load.

Over San Francisco's past two games, Mitchell has 27 rushing attempts. The rest of the team's running backs have combined for only four carries (three by JaMycal Hasty, one by Trey Sermon). So it's clear that the 49ers are going to roll with Mitchell as their starter now that he's healthy again.

Not only did Mitchell get a high volume of touches in Week 7, but he had his best fantasy performance of his rookie season by rushing for 107 yards and a touchdown. He should have no trouble putting up similar numbers in Week 8 against the Chicago Bears, who are allowing 122.1 rushing yards per game (10th most in the NFL).

Mitchell should be in fantasy lineups this week, as he has the potential to end up as a top-10 running back considering he should get a ton of opportunities against a weak run defense.

Through seven weeks, Myles Gaskin has been highly inconsistent. He's had five or fewer carries four times, but in the other three games, he had at least 14 touches. He still doesn't have a rushing touchdown, but he has three receiving scores over the past three weeks.

It's too tough to rely on Gaskin on a weekly basis at this point. And that means he should likely be benched when the Dolphins have a difficult matchup. That's the case this week when they go on the road to face the Buffalo Bills, who are 4-2 and coming off their bye week.

Buffalo is allowing only 16.95 fantasy points per game to opposing running backs, which ranks second-best in the league, per NFL.com. Plus, the Bills are likely to have a big lead early against the Dolphins, who should be passing a lot while playing from behind.

That all adds up to what should be a quiet day for Gaskin. So leave him on your fantasy bench this week.

Colts quarterback Carson Wentz has been throwing the ball to Michael Pittman Jr. a lot this season, and that seems unlikely to change. The second-year wide receiver has been putting up solid numbers of late while emerging as Indianapolis' top weapon in the passing game.

After not getting into the end zone through four weeks, Pittman has scored a touchdown in two of the Colts' past three games. That included in last week's win against the 49ers, in which Pittman had four catches for 105 yards despite the rain-soaked conditions in San Francisco this past Sunday night.

Pittman should continue to get plenty of targets, and he'll likely turn those into a big game in Week 8. Indianapolis is hosting the Tennessee Titans, who are allowing a league-high 48.03 fantasy points per game to wide receivers, per NFL.com.

The Colts and Titans shouldn't have any trouble putting up offense in this matchup. So expect Pittman to fare well against Tennessee's secondary, making him an excellent fantasy option at wide receiver this week.

This isn't just a suggestion for Week 8, it's advice for every week moving forward: Bench Allen Robinson II.

Robinson has shown that he can be among the NFL's top wide receivers in the past, but he's not in a position to be successful this year. Andy Dalton started the year as Chicago's starting quarterback, and now rookie Justin Fields has the job. Robinson hasn't excelled with either under center, as he's been held to 63 or fewer yards in each of the Bears' first seven games.

Robinson hasn't had more than four receptions in a game since Week 1, and his only touchdown of the season came in Week 2. Last week against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, he was held to two catches for a season-low 16 yards.

This week, the Bears are facing the 49ers, who rank fifth in the NFL with 205 passing yards allowed per game. Of course, Robinson also hasn't been a factor when Chicago has had great matchups, either. So it's best to not start him moving forward, and it may even be worthwhile to drop him if there's a great replacement option on the waiver wire.