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Week 8 Fantasy Football Picks: Start 'Em, Sit 'Em for Las Vegas Raiders vs Cleveland Browns

By Max Staley

Week 8 fantasy football picks: start 'em, sit 'em advice for the Raiders-Browns matchup.
Week 8 fantasy football picks: start 'em, sit 'em advice for the Raiders-Browns matchup. / Ezra Shaw/Getty Images
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The Las Vegas Raiders take on the Cleveland Browns in what is quietly most exciting matchups on the Week 8 slate. The game features a hefty 52.5-point over/under on FanDuel Sportsbook, so this could end up being a high-scoring affair.

If you need help with your lineups, here's some start 'em, sit 'em advice for the Week 8 Raiders-Browns showdown.

Who Should I Start Fantasy Football

Start Derek Carr, QB, Las Vegas Raiders: Derek Carr has been dealing recently. He has put up at least 19.0 fantasy points in three straight games. That run includes matchups against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Kansas City Chiefs, who both grade out as top-five pass defenses in Football Outsiders' DVOA metrics. Things should lighten up considerably against the Browns, who sit at No. 25 in that category. Expect Carr to keep rolling in this one.

Start Harrison Bryant, TE, Cleveland Browns: If you need some help at tight end this week, Harrison Bryant is your man. The 2019 John Mackey Award winner is coming off a breakout performance in Week 7 that saw him turn 5 targets into 4 catches and 2 TDs while starting in place of the injured Austin Hooper. Hooper missed the team's practice on Wednesday and is looking iffy for Week 8 at best, setting up Bryant for another big day. The rookie should have no trouble dominating a Las Vegas defense that ranks No. 29 in pass defense DVOA and surrenders 32.8 points per game (No. 31). Don't worry about David Njoku either, as Bryant started over him and played 40 snaps to his 31. Assuming Hooper remains sidelined, Bryant offers legit TE1 appeal.

Sit Henry Ruggs, WR, Las Vegas Raiders: Henry Ruggs' usage has been really frustrating this season. He has now seen just 3 targets in three consecutive appearances and hasn't recorded more than 5 targets all year. The rookie oozes upside, which he put on display with 118 yards and 1 TD on 2 receptions in Week 5, but he's not seeing enough volume to be anything more than a flyer. He's ceding too many chances to Nelson Agholar, who has now out-snapped Ruggs in back-to-back games. For whatever reason, it doesn't look like Agholar is going away any time soon after seeing 9 targets in Week 7.

Sit Baker Mayfield, QB, Cleveland Browns: Baker Mayfield is coming off one of the most impressive performances of his career. After starting out 0-for-5 with an interception, Mayfield went 22-of-23 with 297 yards and 5 touchdowns. That's more likely to be a blip on the radar than a sign of things to come, however. Kevin Stefanski is running an extremely run-heavy offense (No. 3 in team rush attempts), and that has capped Mayfield's ceiling all year. Prior to last week, the 2017 Heisman Trophy winner had finished with fewer than 16.0 fantasy points in all six of his starts. Against a Raiders' run defense that ranks No. 29 in DVOA, expect the Browns maintain their run-centric approach.

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Max Staley is not a FanDuel employee. In addition to providing DFS gameplay advice, Max Staley also participates in DFS contests on FanDuel using his personal account, username mstaley1212. While the strategies and player selections recommended in his articles are his personal views, he may deploy different strategies and player selections when entering contests with his personal account. The views expressed in their articles are the author's alone and do not necessarily reflect the views of FanDuel.