We are once again looking at four teams on a bye for Week 8 fantasy football. Some key fantasy options won’t be available, as a result, including Kyler Murray, DeAndre Hopkins and Deshaun Watson. That could result in some difficult start ‘em/sit ‘em decisions, so let’s discuss a couple of players at each position and how they could perform based on their matchups.
[PUMPKIN]
Start ’em, Sit ’em – NFL Week 8 Fantasy Football Lineup Picks
Quarterback: Start ‘Em
Carson Wentz, PHI (vs. DAL)
Wentz was pretty much the last-man-standing in the Eagles’ offense last week against the Giants, so he put the team on his back in a comeback win. He not only threw for 359 yards and two touchdowns, but he also had 14 rushing yards and a rushing touchdown. His rushing production has been stellar this season, in general, posting three games with at least 37 rushing yards and generating five total rushing touchdowns. Now he gets to face a Cowboys team that has allowed an average of 34.7 points per game. Despite having limited weapons, this is still an excellent spot for Wentz to thrive.
Quarterback: Sit ‘Em
Ben Roethlisberger, PIT (at BAL)
While his passing yards have mostly been underwhelming, Roethlisberger has had no problem racking up passing touchdowns, totaling 13 through six games. He’s also done a good job of limiting turnovers with just four interceptions. Although he has a lot of talent around him that should continue to leave him with plenty of touchdown upside, this might not be the week where they cash in considering the matchup. The Ravens have only allowed eight passing touchdowns all season on their way to allowing a league-low 17.3 points per game.
Wanna Bet?
Mike Barner has Ben Roethlisberger as one of his Sit ‘Em players for Week 8 fantasy football lineups. The Steelers face the Ravens, and he notes the Ravens allow fewer than 18 points per game. With two great defenses squaring off, it could be a great opportunity to bet the under. Check out the OddsShopper tool to find all the best odds and where to make the best bets for this weekend’s matchups. Click on the image below to check out the best bets.
Running Back: Start ‘Em
Le’Veon Bell, KC (vs. NYJ)
The revenge narrative can be enticing in fantasy football. It doesn’t always pan out, but Bell seems worth the risk here against his former squad in the Jets. He did not have a good relationship with head coach Adam Gase and things didn’t end well with him ultimately being released. The Chiefs should be able to win this game with ease, so it wouldn’t be a surprise to see them give Bell more touches than normal so he can stick it to his old team. The added benefit to that would be extra rest for Clyde Edwards-Helaire, as well.
Running Back: Sit ‘Em
D’Andre Swift, DET (vs. IND)
Swift still hasn’t taken over as the Lions’ featured back, but he is starting to find himself on the field more often. He played a season-high 45.2% of the Lions’ offensive snaps in Week 7. By contrast, Adrian Peterson was on the field for only 30.6% of their offensive snaps. The end result was 48 total yards and a touchdown for Swift. It wouldn’t be a surprise to see the Lions continue to expand his role, but even if he plays more this week, it likely won’t be a significant amount more. Considering this is a tough matchup against a Colts team that has allowed only 19.2 points per game, it’s tough to justify starting Swift unless you are desperate.
Wide Receiver: Start ‘Em
Brandon Aiyuk, SF (at SEA)
The 49ers just can’t catch a break when it comes to injuries. Running backs and dropping left and right and now Deebo Samuel (hamstring) will be on the sidelines for at least Week 8. That should lead to more targets for Aiyuk, who just caught six passes for 115 yards last week against the Patriots. It doesn’t get any better for him than this matchup against the Seahawks, who have allowed the most passing yards per game.
Wide Receiver: Sit ‘Em
CeeDee Lamb, DAL (at PHI)
It’s incredible that Lamb is even in this section given the great start that he’s had to the season. With the Cowboys often playing catchup in games, he had 36 receptions, 497 yards and two touchdowns through the first six games. However, he didn’t catch a single one of his five targets last week and things might not get much better for him this week with Andy Dalton still in the concussion protocol. If he ends up being ruled out, that leaves Ben DiNucci to throw passes to Lamb. That not ideal, to say the least.
Tight End: Start ‘Em
Richard Rodgers, PHI (vs. DAL)
The key here will be the status of Dallas Goedert (ankle), who has returned to practice on a limited basis this week. Goedert was originally expected to sit out Week 8 considering the Eagles have a bye in Week 9, but be sure to monitor to see if that actually comes to fruition. If he does indeed sit, this is a great opportunity to deploy Rodgers, who was busy last week when he caught six of eight targets for 85 yards and was on the field for 85.2% of the Eagles’ offensive snaps.
Tight End: Sit ‘Em
Mike Gesicki, MIA (vs. LAR)
After receiving 16 targets over the first two games of the season, Gesicki has received a total of 14 targets across the last four contests. That left him with a total of seven catches for 121 yards during that stretch. He has a couple of factors working against him breaking out of his slump here. First, there might be an adjustment period with rookie Tua Tagovailoa now under center. Second, the Rams have allowed the fifth-fewest passing yards per game. There aren’t any key tight ends on a bye, so there’s probably no need to risk starting Gesicki.
Follow us on all of our social channels! Check out our Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and YouTube for more great Awesemo content.
Looking for more Week 8 fantasy football Start ‘Em Sit ‘Em and NFL DFS picks content? We have loads of articles, data, cheat sheets and more on the Awesemo NFL home page. Just click HERE.
