Fantasy Football Start/Sit: Week 8

The bye-pocalypse is back in Week 8, with six teams (Cardinals, Lions, Jaguars, Raiders, Rams, and Seahawks) all off this week.

That makes start/sit decisions easier to a degree, but it's also going to require us to dig a bit deeper into benches and the waiver wire to fill starting lineups.

Thankfully, FanDuel Research's fantasy football projections serve as a solid baseline for deciding who to slot into your starting lineup. But when we pair those projections with some recent historical data, even further lines can be drawn. From there, factors like game environment, strength of opponent, and the latest news can help shape our start/sit decisions.

Below, you'll find every fantasy-relevant player, sorted by position and bucketed into tiers. These tiers are meant to reflect your typical 12-team, half-PPR scoring formats with only one starting quarterback -- though the general rankings can be loosely applied to most formats. Any player not listed can be assumed sit-worthy in most leagues.

Here is the Week 8 fantasy football start/sit.

All betting references refer to the NFL odds at FanDuel Sportsbook. All statistics via NFL Next Gen Stats unless otherwise stated.

Fantasy Football Start/Sit: Week 8

Quarterback

Start

Jaxson Dart (NYG)
Jaxson Dart has yet to finish lower than QB14 or score fewer than 17.5 fantasy points through four starts. He's coming off 23.6- and 29.4-point outings against the Eagles and Broncos -- two top-10 pass defenses by numberFire's schedule-adjusted metrics. With 50 rushing yards or a rushing touchdown in all four starts, Dart has the kind of floor/ceiling combination we're looking for ahead of a rematch with Philly. Dart's safely in the top 10 at the position this week.

Joe Flacco (CIN)
Joe Flacco may not be the same quarterback he was during his previous renaissance with Cleveland in 2023, but he doesn't have to be with this Bengals supporting cast. Flacco's notched 18.8 and 26 fantasy points through two starts with Cincinnati, cracking 45 pass attempts in both games. He's fed Ja'Marr Chase and Tee Higgins a combined 62.4% target share to this point -- a recipe which could lead to more fantasy success against a potentially Sauce-less Jets secondary, one that's let up the sixth most fantasy points per dropback to opposing quarterbacks. Flacco's a low-end QB1 on a bye-heavy week.

Sit

Caleb Williams (CHI)
The Chicago Bears are cooking right now -- no thanks to quarterback Caleb Williams. Caleb has the league's worst Completion Percentage Over Expected (-9.7%) on the season, and he's come out of the bye lacking the downfield success that elevated him over the first month (11.8 downfield pass attempts per game from Weeks 1-4; 7.5 in Weeks 6-7). The Ravens present another plus matchup for Williams, but they've been just as bad against the run (30th) as the pass (30th). I'd be more inclined to start Williams if Lamar Jackson suits up, but we could see another run-heavy approach from Chicago if Lamar is out.

Jordan Love (GB)
Jordan Love has been a much better real-life quarterback than a fantasy quarterback this season. Though he's top three in EPA per dropback and has one of the lowest interception rates (1.1%) in football, Love's just 15th at the position in fantasy points per game and 22nd by PFF's expected fantasy points. He's finished as a top-12 quarterback just once this season, limiting his appeal ahead of Sunday night's road clash with Pittsburgh. In one of Week 8's slowest-paced games, Love's upside is capped.

Running Back

Start

Woody Marks (HOU)
Woody Marks salvaged his Week 7 with a late touchdown, but those count the same for our purposes. He out-snapped Nick Chubb 42-18 in that one, seeing 20 adjusted opportunities (carries plus 2x targets) to Chubb's 11. Marks has now finished top 20 at the position twice in his last three games -- a span in which he's averaged 18.7 adjusted opportunities and a 76% red zone snap rate. With Marks emerging as Houston's clear top back, he warrants RB2 consideration as the Texans could be down several playmakers in a home date with the Niners -- a defense allowing the fifth highest target rate to opposing running backs.

Tyler Allgeier (ATL)
It won't feel great starting Tyler Allgeier given his backup status, but that role hasn't stopped him from producing in fantasy. Allgeier has weekly finishes of RB17, RB27, and RB15 in this role -- all of which have come in Falcons wins. In Atlanta's three victories, Allgeier has averaged 14 rush attempts, 53 rushing yards, and 12 fantasy points while scoring a touchdown in every game. That gives him plenty of appeal against Miami -- the fifth best running back matchup by adjusted fantasy points allowed -- as Atlanta is a 7.5-point favorite.

Sit

Kimani Vidal (LAC)
We shouldn't have expected Kimani Vidal to pop the same way he did in Week 6 (21.3 fantasy points), but last week's 5.5-fantasy point outing was disappointing, nonetheless. It wasn't all bad -- Vidal still led the LA backfield in snap rate (65%) and adjusted opportunities (19) -- but his efficiency cratered against a better defense. Things don't get much easier in Week 8 as Minnesota is a bottom-five running matchup by adjusted fantasy points allowed. The Vikings have given up the league's highest running back target rate, which should give Vidal something of a floor. But in terms of upside, you can do better -- even with so many byes this week.

Rhamondre Stevenson (NE)
Rhamondre Stevenson has seen some of his best utilization of the season the past two weeks, cementing himself as the RB1 in New England. But from a fantasy perspective, Stevenson still has only three games inside the top 45 at the position -- all of which came in top-five running back matchups. This week, Stevenson is up against Cleveland -- the second worst fantasy matchup for running backs and numberFire's No. 1 run defense. There's still some touchdown equity with New England showing a 24-point implied total, but there are serious ceiling concerns in such a brutal matchup.

Wide Receiver

Start

Alec Pierce (IND)
Alec Pierce took full advantage of Indianapolis' receiver injuries, commanding his highest target share of the season (31%) a week ago while notching 12.3 fantasy points. The Colts will likely be healthier for this week's home date with Tennessee, but Pierce should remain on the flex radar. He ranks third on the Colts with a 18.1% target share in his five healthy games, a split in which he's seen a staggering 45% of Indy's air yards and averaged 63.4 yards per game. The Titans have given up fourth most yards per target on downfield passes this season, giving Pierce real upside coming off a 10-target game.

Tez Johnson (TB)
Though Emeka Egbuka returned for the Bucs in Week 7, Tampa's injury woes continued with Mike Evans going down again. Rookie Tez Johnson took full advantage, cracking double-digit fantasy points for the second straight game. Johnson is the WR21 over the past three weeks, averaging 11.0 fantasy points on the back of a 15% target share. He's run the third most routes on the team over that stretch, and this is an offense we want shares of heading into an indoor game versus New Orleans. In Week 8's second-fastest game against a bottom-10 pass defense, Tez is on the WR3 radar in fantasy.

Sit

Keon Coleman (BUF)
Keon Coleman recorded 21.2 fantasy points in Week 1. In five games since, he's totaled 24.5 fantasy points. He's third on the team in target share and has seen fewer than one red zone target per game during the past five. At this point, we've got a pretty large sample of Coleman being a boom-or-bust fantasy option in this Buffalo offense -- just with way more busts than booms. With Carolina quietly letting up the seventh fewest fantasy points per target to opposing wide receivers, Coleman's a risky start in Week 7.

Rashid Shaheed (NO)
Rashid Shaheed saw his highest single-game target share of the season last week (29%), yet he still put up only 4 receptions, 40 yards, and 6 fantasy points. With Spencer Rattler struggling and Chris Olave emerging, Shaheed makes for a risky flex play in Week 8. He's finished as a top 40 receiver just twice in seven games -- a trend which could continue against a Tampa defense that's been above-average against wide receivers this season.

Tight End

Start

Kyle Pitts (ATL)
Kyle Pitts has enjoyed some really encouraging utilization to begin the year. While he's down at TE14 in fantasy points per game (8.3), Pitts leads the position in route participation (90%) and is eighth in target share (19.4%). He's scored just one touchdown but is coming off his best game of the year -- 7 receptions, 10 targets and 62 yards against the 49ers. That sets him up well for a home clash versus a Dolphins team that has struggled to defend tight ends. Miami has surrendered the second highest target rate, most yards per route run, and fourth most fantasy points per target to the position, making Pitts a strong TE1 in Week 8.

Dalton Schultz (HOU)
With Nico Collins departing last week's game, tight end Dalton Schultz stepped up in a huge way. He tied for the team lead with 10 targets, extending his streak of games with six-plus targets to four straight. During this four-game stretch, Schultz owns a 20% target share and has put up 2.08 yards per route run. This week he'll see a Niners team that was gashed by the aforementioned Pitts in their first game without Fred Warner. Schultz is a surefire TE1 if Collins is out but should still hover around the top 12 at the position if Collins plays.

Sit

Travis Kelce (KC)
Travis Kelce saw a season-low three targets in Rashee Rice's first game back -- a concerning development for his fantasy outlook. He salvaged his day by securing all 3 targets for 54 yards, but I'm not confident we can count on that kind of yardage if the targets continue to be scarce. There's still touchdown upside on one of the league's top offenses, but it's hard to trust him with a handful of other young tight ends emerging. With KC favored by double-digits against the Commanders, Kelce is a middling fantasy option.

Mark Andrews (BAL)
You're only considering Mark Andrews if Lamar Jackson plays this week, and even if Lamar suits up, Andrew is difficult to trust. He has finished better than TE20 just once through six games this season. He's scored fewer than 5.0 fantasy points four times and has cleared 30 yards just once. With a near-identical route rate to Isaiah Likely's in the three games with Likely back, Andrews is a touchdown-dependent fantasy option. He's been targeted only three times in the red zone, so he's not a great TD dart throw, either. There are almost surely better tight ends on your waiver wire.

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The above author is a FanDuel employee and is not eligible to compete in public daily fantasy contests or place sports betting wagers on FanDuel. The advice provided by the author does not necessarily represent the views of FanDuel. Taking the author's advice will not guarantee a successful outcome. You should use your own judgment when participating in daily fantasy contests or placing sports wagers.