As far as injuries go, last week was an absolute bloodbath, and we are still feeling the effects as I write this article. We have Breece Hall, D.K. Metcalf, David Njoku, Chubba Hubbard, Mike Williams, and most recently, Ja’Marr Chase all set to miss some time. I am here to offer my condolences. I have various shares of these players across several managed leagues, and this is by far the worst part of fantasy football. Even still, we have to trudge forward, hit the waivers, set our lineups, and carry on. Let’s get you that win this week.
As I will do every week for this article, I am using the FantasyPros Expert Consensus Rankings to bring you, players, in ranges where the start/sit conundrums exist. Your RB2, WR3, and FLEX positions. Here are the ranges in which I will try to live when writing this column each week:
QB ECR: 10-20 | RB ECR: 20-40 | WR ECR: 20-40 | TE ECR: 10-20
With that, I will bring you my confidence plays and fades for this week. Again, my goal here is to give you plays and fades beyond just your obvious studs & duds. Good luck!
Week 8 Fantasy Football Start Em, Sit Em
PLAY
QB Daniel Jones ECR QB#10, at SEA
Danny Dimes is hitting his stride as of late. He has 17 or more points in six-point touchdown leagues in four of his last seven games. He is also averaging about 60 yards rushing in his five previous contests. I also like this matchup against the Seahawks, who have allowed two more touchdowns to opposing quarterbacks in four of their seven games this season. With Mahomes and others on bye, Jones is a streamer I have confidence in this week.
RB Devin Singletary ECR RB#21, vs GB
Devin Singletary has been a bit polarizing in fantasy this season, but he’s also been very solid. Singletary has scored 10 or more PPR fantasy points in three of his last four games. I think he has a great shot to keep that trend going, given that the Bills are 10-point home favorites against a struggling Packers squad. In addition, no team has a higher implied team total than the Bills at 29. So Singletary should see plenty of opportunity to overachieve this Sunday night.
RB Michael Carter ECR RB#23, vs NE
This could end up being one of the best spots to start Michael Carter. Yes, the Jets did trade for James Robinson, but he is unlikely to hit the ground running and demand a ton of snaps. Furthermore, Carter handled this feature-back role for the Jets just last year. Before his injury last season, he reached 10 or more PPR points in six of nine games. He finished as the RB29 in PPR, and that was after missing three contests. The matchup isn’t the greatest this week, but these Patriots just let both Chicago backs run roughshod on them this past Monday night. So Carter is a fine start this week.
WR Courtland Sutton ECR WR#25 at JAX
Sutton has gotten the short end of the stick this season. He’s had bad quarterback play and inefficient play-calling affect his fantasy ceiling. That being said, Sutton’s underlying metrics are there. He has nine or more targets in four of his seven games played this year and will get his quarterback back this weekend after Wilson has practiced all week. Look for Sutton to get home against a Jaguars defense that has been giving up more than 27 points per game to wide receivers this season.
WR Amari Cooper ECR WR#20 vs CIN
I will be the first to admit that I was wrong about Amari Cooper. However, he has been incredibly solid and a reliable target for Jacoby Brissett and the Browns. Over his last six games, Cooper has cleared 70 yards four times and hit double-digit fantasy points five times. Regardless of most matchups, I like Cooper, especially now that David Njoku is set to miss extended time. Look for the Browns to feature Cooper as underdogs against Cincy on Monday Night Football.
TE Dalton Schultz ECR TE#14 vs CHI
I know this one is risky, but I am in on Dalton Schultz this week. Just last week, in Dak Prescott’s return to action Schultz caught five balls on five targets and gained 49 yards. In fantasy tight end land, that is a worthy performance. Couple that with Noah Brown likely to miss this game and Michael Gallup struggling in his return from injury, and I think it spells success for one of Dak’s favorite targets.
If you have more Week 8 Start Em, Sit Em questions, join us tomorrow at 11 AM EST on Start Sit, Different Day. We spend an hour doing nothing but answering your most pressing lineup questions! Then, for a few more players you can throw in your DFS lineups, check out Austin’s DFS Academy!
FADE
QB Jimmy Garoppolo ECR QB#14, at LAR
Jimmy G has been solid, but this matchup scares me a bit, and it is not just Halloween right around the corner. It could be all trick and no treat for Garappolo as his favorite weapon Deebo Samuel is likely to miss, and he faces a Rams defense directly after a much-needed bye week. The Rams have also had Jimmy’s number a bit over his last three contests, not allowing him to eclipse 20 fantasy points in any of those games. I am fine with you looking elsewhere if you need to this week.
RB Najee Harris ECR RB#20, at PHI
Apologies to Najee and the Harris family; I genuinely do not mean to pick on the guy. I just continue to hate his matchups and his production this season. He has failed to eclipse 75 yards rushing in any game so far this year and has only one rushing touchdown. In addition, he now faces a well-rested Eagles defense in Philly. Yikes. Play at your own risk.
RB David Montgomery ECR RB#22, at DAL
Chicago told us just last week they wanted to use more of Khalil Herbert and turn this Bears backfield into more of a committee. On Monday, we saw them somewhat come through on that promise. Although Monty had a touchdown and saw 15 rushing attempts, he played his lowest snap percentage of the season for a game in which he was healthy with just 56% of the team snaps. The timeshare is concerning but not as concerning as the matchup against Dallas. The Cowboys allow the fewest points in the NFL to fantasy football running backs. If you can pivot from Montgomery, I think you should.
WR Christian Kirk ECR WR#22 vs DEN
I am a big fan of Christian Kirk this season, and I have suggested starting him in most weeks, but that hype train has to halt this week. After opening the season on a torrid pace, Kirk has been a tad more inconsistent over the last few weeks. Kirk averaged nine targets, five catches, and 82 yards through the first four weeks. However, in the three games since then, he has averaged just six targets, four catches, and 43 yards. To complicate things, he is facing a Denver secondary this week that allows just 18.4 fantasy points per game which is the lowest in the league allowed to wide receivers. So hopefully, you have a stronger option at wide receiver this week.
WR Drake London ECR WR#35 vs CAR
Speaking of starting the season hot, London was one of our favorite fantasy stars in the making through the first month of the season. Since then, however, London has not eclipsed 50 yards receiving in four straight contests. The Falcons have done him no favors with their incredibly run-heavy approach. The rookie wide receiver has only seen double-digit targets once this season, all the way back in Week 2. Even in this plus-matchup, London is one of the hardest wide receivers to trust in all of fantasy football.
TE Greg Dulcich ECR TE#16 at JAX
Rookie tight end Greg Dulcich has really come on since returning from injury two weeks ago. He has gained over 90 yards receiving and caught a touchdown on 12 targets over his last two games. Some might wonder why then, I am suggesting sitting the tight end star and his amazing hair. He is still playing limited snaps which concerns me, averaging just 65% of the offensive snaps in these past two weeks. Additionally, Jacksonville is bottom 10 in points allowed to the tight end in fantasy this season, with just 7.2 points per game given up on average. I think you can find a better streaming option this week.
Good luck this week. If you need some advice replacing some of Travy’s Fades, we have Ryan’s Streams of the Week to help you get that Week 8 win!