Start
C.J. Stroud (QB) – Houston Texans
@ Carolina Panthers
The top two picks from the NFL’s latest entry draft square off in week 8, and to this point there is no debating that the second overall pick C.J. Stroud has far outperformed the top pick Bryce Young. Stroud is coming off of a bye week, and the Texans offensive line that they rebuilt in the offseason is finally getting healthy and has begun to get some much needed reps in together. Stroud will also be getting Tank Dell back from a concussion, and the small speedster has really helped open the offense in his rookie campaign. Carolina’s defense has seriously underperformed as of late, allowing Tua Tagovailoa and Jared Goff to each throw for 3 touchdowns the last time we saw them on the field, and Stroud is certainly capable of putting up big numbers this week. While there are no byes this week, there are plenty of question marks at quarterback entering week 8 due to injury.
Sam Darnold (QB) – San Francisco 49ers
vs Cincinnati Bengals
Reserved for deeper leagues and/or those who are holding out hope of a late clearance for Brock Purdy from concussion protocol, Darnold has the makings to slide right in and replicate the 18-22 points that Purdy normally puts up. Darnold’s arm has never been in question, but has yet to take the next step as a passer due to poor decision making. Thankfully for him, Kyle Shanahan’s offense is much more systematic than Darnolds previous offenses, and there was chatter in the offseason that he might actually be a better fit in San Fran than Purdy. Darnold has had plenty of time to learn the offense, and could step right in and be a safe floor play in fantasy this week.
D’Onta Foreman (RB) – Chicago Bears
@ Los Angeles Chargers
Coming off of a 3 touchdown performance in week 7, Foreman should be a no-brainer starter in week 8. However, there has been plenty of chatter about Roschon Johnson coming back and taking work away from Foreman. I personally do not see that being a major issue in week 8. Johnson had one solid fantasy week back in week 1, but, even when healthy, played a very limited role in the Bears offense, recording 22 touches in weeks 2-4 combined before suffering a concussion in week 5. Foreman always seems like an afterthought in the fantasy community despite performing well last season in Carolina after the McCaffrey trade. He should have another week of 20-24 touches against a below average Chargers run defense who has struggled in the past few weeks.
Gus Edwards (RB) – Baltimore Ravens
@ Arizona Cardinals
Edwards broke out with 140 total yards last week in a blowout victory against the Detroit Lions. True, he only had one reception that went for 80 yards (without scoring), but Detroit’s defense has been stout against the run all season, and Edwards ran for over 4.5 yards per carry. He is still in a timeshare with Justice Hill, as they were both around 50% of snaps, but Hill only got 4 carries in week 7 as Edwards seems to be taking more control of the backfield. With the new Ravens offense looking like they are finally putting things together, the Ravens will likely get out ahead of the Cardinals early, giving Edwards plenty of 2nd half carries and production. Arizona gives up the 5th most fantasy points to running backs, and Edwards is in line to see a lot of work this week.
Romeo Doubs (WR) – Green Bay Packers
vs Minnesota Vikings
Doubs is not someone to build your fantasy roster around, but for where he was drafted, more often than not you have been pleasantly surprised with his fantasy output. He has had 2 dud performances (week 2 @ Atlanta and week 5 @ Las Vegas), but has averaged over 15 points in ½ PPR in his other 4 games. With Aaron Jones, Christian Watson and Luke Musgrave banged up entering week 8, Doubs could easily receive double digit targets for the third time this season. Minnesota is giving up the 6th most fantasy points to wide receivers, so Doubs is in line for a stellar performance in a game where the Packers will have to try and keep up with the Viking offense.
Calvin Ridley (WR) – Jacksonville Jaguars
@ Pittsburgh Steelers
Ridley has been nothing but a disappointment to fantasy owners who drafted him this season, and if he does not show up in a plus matchup against the Steelers this week, it might be time to give up on him. However, Pittsburgh has given up the 2nd most fantasy points to wide receivers this season despite their impressive pass rush. They tend to take away the middle of the field, but can be exposed on the outside which is where Ridley almost exclusively lines up. If it weren’t for a few misthrows and drops in the end zone for Lawrence and Ridley, both of their fantasy seasons would look much different to this point, but I am willing to give Ridley one more shot before he becomes a permanent bench spot holder.
Jake Ferguson (TE) – Dallas Cowboys
vs Los Angeles Rams
While the Arizona Cardinals Trey McBride is the pickup of the week at tight end with Zach Ertz being placed on IR, he is facing a Ravens defense that has given up the fewest points to tight ends this season, so this might not be the week to unleash McBride on your roster. Ferguson has a much better matchup against the Rams this week, and with Dallas coming off of a bye, should be in play to be a top 10 tight end. In the Cowboys last game, Ferguson only managed one reception on one target but was still on the field for 86% of the team’s offensive snaps. He has received 7 targets in half of his games this season, and should be able to exploit a Rams defense giving up the 5th most yards to tight ends. It is not the sexiest tight end play this week, but fellow streamers like Dalton Schultz have much tougher matchups this week.
Atlanta Falcons Defense
@ Tennessee Titans
I have never added a defense to the Sit-Start-Cut article, but I had to bring up the Falcons in a plus matchup against the Titans this week. They are currently only owned in 29% of yahoo league, so odds are your streaming defense can easily be replaced for this week. The Titans seemed poised to run out some combination of Will Levis and Malik Willis at quarterback which has all the signs of being an unmitigated disaster. The Titans offensive line can be replaced by a turnstile and no one would notice, and the one thing the offense is actually known for, the run game, has been a disappointment this season. Add in that the Falcons are actually one of the best teams in the league at stopping the run, and this has the makings of a 20 point defensive performance. Atlanta has had trouble getting to the quarterback this season, but were able to rack up 5 sacks against the Commander’s Sam Howell, and should be able to find equal success against two young shell shocked quarterbacks who have shown no signs of being ready to start an NFL game.
Sit
Joe Burrow (QB) – Cincinnati Bengals
@ San Francisco 49ers
Burrow has steadily been improving and has started to look more mobile as he tries to play through his calf injury, but this is not a matchup to rely on the Bengals signal caller. The 49ers have dropped two straight games, and while Kirk Cousins was able to put up a good performance last week, one of his touchdowns was an interception that Addison stole from the defender. The entire narrative of the game could have changed had that play gone differently. Burrow has only topped 20 points once this entire season and is currently the 27th quarterback in fantasy points per game. The 9ers defense will come out flying this week and will have Burrows under duress all game.
Geno Smith (QB) – Seattle Seahawks
vs Cleveland Browns
Geno Smith and the Seahawks offense are much like Burrows – they look like they are on the verge of putting things together and replicating last season’s success, but this is not the week for it to come together. Smith is still rostered in 74% of fantasy leagues on Yahoo, but his last 20 plus performance was back in week 2. The Cardinals defense has struggled as of late, and Smith only managed 219 yards and 2 touchdowns with 1 interception in their week 7 matchup. Against the Myles Garrett and the Browns defense, Smith is currently projected to score around only 14 points, and does not offer much upside.
Brian Robinson (RB) – Washington Commanders
vs Philadelphia Eagles
Robinson started the season strong, but new offensive coordinator Eric Bieniemy has a tendency to utilize a committee backfield, or in some game scripts, abandon it altogether. Rookie Chris Rodriguez has started to cut more and more into Robinson’s snaps, and although Robinson remains atop the depth chart, he has been held below 50 rushing yards in 4 straight games and is averaging below 4.0 yards per carry. Despite putting up a respectable 13 fantasy points against the Eagles in week 4, he only rushed for 45 yards and saved his fantasy day by falling into the end zone. It is hard to bank on that happening again against the best run defense in the league
Josh Jacobs (RB) – Las Vegas Raiders
@ Detroit Lions
While the Lions defense was exposed last week by the Baltimore Ravens, they have been a solid group for most of the year, and it feels like last week’s matchup can be thrown out as a one off. Jacobs has been an absolute disappointment this season after missing the preseason with a contract holdout. 2022’s rushing leader has only 347 yards on the ground this season, putting him on pace for just 843 yards and 5 touchdowns over the course of this season. He is 6th in the league in running back receptions which slightly is saving his value in PPR leagues, but it is hard to expect a breakout performance from Jacobs this week.
DeAndre Hopkins (WR) – Tennessee Titans
vs Atlanta Falcons
Hopkins has been dealing with poor quarterback play all season and is currently sitting as just the 50th best wide receiver in average points per game despite being targeted 7.8 times per game (22nd amongst wide receivers). Not recording a single touchdown on the season will do that to you. Against the Falcons this week, with Levis and/or Willis at quarterback, Hopkins needs to be firmly planted on your fantasy bench, and frankly can be a drop candidate unless he gets traded out of Tennessee before the October 31st trade deadline. The Titans do not appear to have any indications of making a run at the playoffs this season, and with Tannehill and Henry both on expiring contracts, the team should be looking to sell off whatever assets they can.
Amari Cooper (WR) – Cleveland Browns
@ Seattle Seahawks
While it feels like the Deshaun Watson saga has yet to truly unfold, on the field the Browns will be rolling out P.J. Walker again this week at quarterback against a Seahawks secondary that seems to be finding itself as a unit in the past couple weeks. It doesn’t take long to notice rookie cornerback Devon Witherspoon making plays on a regular basis, and has taken the lead in the secondary over last season’s standout rookie Tariq Woolen. Witherspoon is currently the #1 ranked cornerback according to PFF, an astounding feat for the rookie. In the past 2 games with Walker at the helm, Cooper was targeted 8 times each game. He turned in a solid 4 receptions for 108 yards in week 6, but was held to 2 receptions and 22 yards last week on the road against an exploitable Colts defense. Cooper is always a volatile fantasy asset, and this has all the makings of a low floor game for the Browns WR1.
Evan Engram (TE) – Jacksonville Jaguars
@ Pittsburgh Steelers
While I am taking a flier on starting Ridley against the Steelers defense, I am less bullish about Engram this week. Engram is averaging an impressive 7.3 receptions per game, but has yet to find the end zone in a down year for the Jags red zone passing offense. The Steelers allow the 3rd fewest points to tight ends as they attack the middle of the field. Engram has to be commended for turning into one of the most consistent tight ends in the league after years of volatility, but his ceiling seems to be dropping with every passing week.
Cut
Deshaun Watson (QB) – Cleveland Browns
@ Seattle Seahawks
The entire Watson adventure has been the most Browns thing of all time, and while they have tied themselves to an injured quarterback who looks nothing like his past self, you as a fantasy owner do not need to make that same mistake. Watson started the season strong, had a disappointing week 2, before putting up another top QB performance in week 3. Since then he has barely played, and there is no clarity as to the injury or his timeline. He does have some juicy fantasy playoff matchups, but odds are high that the roster spot he will be taking up will be needed in the coming weeks with byes starting back again next week.
Miles Sanders (RB) – Carolina Panthers
vs Houston Texans
I get it – running back is a wasteland, and dropping someone like Sanders is just unfeasible for most fantasy managers, but things are not going well in Carolina for their big free agent signing. Sanders has been a disappointment after signing a 4 year deal, and all signs are pointing towards the Panthers giving more of a workload to Chuba Hubbard coming out of their bye week. The offense as a whole has been a major disappointment this season (outside of Adam Thielen) and new head coach Frank Reich has already given up play calling duties to his offensive coordinator Thomas Brown, a former running back himself who has shown signs in interviews that he has been more impressed with Hubbard than he has of Sanders. Sanders still carries some weight after an excellent 2022 season (behind the Eagles offensive line…) so he still has some trade value, but this is a ride that you should be looking to get off as soon as possible.
Jahan Dotson (WR) – Washington Commanders
vs Philadelphia Eagles
I may be personally responsible for Dotson’s ownership staying above 50% in Yahoo leagues as I targeted him early and often in my drafts, but even I am reaching the end of the rope with the disappointing sophomore season. The Commanders do not seem to have any indication of making a quarterback change from Sam Howell to Jacoby Brisett, which I think is the only way to salvage Dotson’s season. The Commanders quarterback just simply holds the ball for too long, giving defenders time to catch up after Dotson creates separation. Dotson is averaging a measly 26 yards per game, only has one touchdown on the season and has yet to top 50 yards in a game. With the Commanders on a week 14 bye (usually week 1 of fantasy playoffs), even if he turns things around in a hurry, he won’t be any help to you to advance to the next round. There are plenty of more exciting explosive receivers, particularly some speedy rookies, that look to be on the verge of a breakout. Remember, rookies receivers usually take a big step in their development after their team’s bye week – go out and take a flier on finding someone who will turn into the Dotson of 2022.
-Devon Gallant
Twitter: @DevGallant
Photo: Erik Drost. This file is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 2.0 Generic license.