Fantasy Football Week 8 Start Sit Decisions: Jalen McMillan and Troy Franklin take off

Fantasy Football Start/Sit Recommendations

Quarterbacks

Start: Justin Herbert, Chargers

The Chargers played it safe on offense during the first month of the season, recording a -10% pass rate over expected. During this period, Herbert averaged 22.8 pass attempts and 145 yards per game. However, the Chargers increased their pass rate to +2% in Weeks 6 and 7. In his last two games, Herbert has made 73 attempts for 586 yards, but only managed one touchdown anong nangyari. The projections from Vegas suggest that Herbert will bounce back in the scoring department, with LA given a 24-point team total.

Start: Jared Goff, Lions

The Lions boast the highest team total of the week at 28.25 points and are up against a Titans defense that ranks 20th in EPA per dropback allowed. Over the last four games, Goff has thrown for an average of 272 yards and 2.3 touchdowns per game. Since Week 3, he ranks as QB1 in EPA per play and QB6 in fantasy points per game. Don’t miss Fantasy Football Happy Hour with Matthew Berry and the Rotoworld Football Show for the latest news, waiver wire tips, and start/sit advice all season long. uaap cdc 2023

Sit: Dak Prescott, Cowboys

This year has seen Prescott take a step back, ranking 24th in EPA per dropback after finishing second in the previous season. He currently ranks as QB16 in fantasy points per game. Bookmakers are showing a lack of faith in the Cowboys for at least this week, as they have a 21.25 implied team total and face a top-10 defense in EPA per passing play allowed.

Sit: Geno Smith, Seahawks

Smith has been handling a high volume of throws under Ryan Grubb, averaging a modest 7.1 yards per attempt with a league-leading 279 throws. He faces a Buffalo defense that concedes the eighth-fewest fantasy points to opposing quarterbacks. Additionally, DK Metcalf’s absence, who’s not practicing as of Friday morning, significantly impacts Smith’s options. Metcalf ranks 27th in yards per route run and is the only Seattle receiver in the top 50 this season.

Running Backs

Start: Kareem Hunt, Chiefs

Hunt joined the Kansas City lineup three games ago and has taken on 65% of the team’s carries. He is averaging 23 touches for 95 yards and one touchdown per game. Since his first start, the Chiefs have a negative pass rate over expected and are 9.5-point favorites against the Raiders this week.

Start: Chase Brown, Bengals

Brown took full control of the Bengals’ backfield last week, out-carrying Zack Moss 15-6 rookie in tagalog. He has accounted for 55% of the Bengals’ carries over the last four weeks, averaging 15.3 touches per game. He is also performing well in efficiency metrics, ranking third in yards after contact per carry and fifth in explosive run rate.

Sit: Chuba Hubbard, Panthers

With Bryce Young returning to the lineup and Andy Dalton sidelined due to a sprained thumb, all Panthers players are out of the fantasy picture. Carolina has averaged just 13.8 points per game in 18 career starts. This week, they are 10.5-point underdogs against a Denver defense that is 10th in EPA per rush attempt allowed.

Sit: Alvin Kamara, Saints

The offensive production under Spencer Rattler offers no fantasy value. Rattler ranks last in the NFL in EPA per play (minimum 100 dropbacks), and the Saints have only three offensive touchdowns in two of his starts. They are seven-point underdogs against the Chargers this week, who have allowed the second-fewest fantasy points to opposing running backs.

Wide Receivers

Start: Troy Franklin, Broncos

Franklin, a fourth-round rookie, has seen his role increase significantly in the past two weeks. After not playing in the opener, he ran routes on 26% of Denver’s routes from Weeks 2 to 5 and has since run routes on 68% of Bo Nix’s dropbacks. He earned a 25% target share and a 30% air yards share in Week 7. Despite being a run-funnel, the Panthers have allowed the 12th-most fantasy points to opposing wide receivers.

Start: Jalen McMillan, Bucs

With Chris Godwin done for the year and Mike Evans dealing with a hamstring injury, the runway is clear for McMillan’s breakout game. Godwin and Evans accounted for 46% of the Bucs’ targets and 60% of their air yards. McMillan may also transition to the slot position, where he thrived in college, following Godwin’s dominant performance as Tampa Bay’s primary slot receiver.

Sit: Diontae Johnson, Panthers

Due to the downgrade in quarterback efficiency and an unexpected QB change, Johnson may see a decreased target share. He holds a 28% target share and 47% air yards share in four starts with Andy Dalton . However, those numbers drop to 23% and 24% with Young’s two starts. Johnson recorded just six catches for 34 yards in those games. Update: Diontae Johnson has been ruled out for Friday, so avoid starting him fortune gaming login.

Sit: Josh Downs, Colts

Every receiver in Indianapolis should be benched this week with Anthony Richardson at quarterback. Downs is averaging a mere 9.6 PPR points across the three games Richardson started that he was active for, a statistic heavily reliant on an 8/82/1 performance after Richardson left with an injury after just four attempts. Until a quarterback change or a significant improvement from Richardson, both Downs and Pittman fall into the WR4 categories.

Tight Ends

Start: Cade Otton, Bucs

After Mike Evans went down early in Week 7, the Bucs turned to Otton, who received 10 targets, catching eight for 100 yards, marking his first century game since college. Otton earned a 22% share of the Bucs’ targets and air yards against Baltimore. Tampa Bay stands ninth in the NFL for pass attempts and third in completions. With a larger role in the passing attack, Otton is pushing for a TE1 ranking this week.

Start: David Njoku, Browns

Njoku showed he was close to full strength during Week 7, running a route on 84% of the Browns’ dropbacks while earning a 28% target share. He converted 14 targets into 10 catches for 76 yards and a touchdown. Now he receives a massive quarterback upgrade with Jameis Winston for Week 8.

Sit: Tucker Kraft, Packers

While there are worse options at tight end than Kraft, his current production on both yards and touchdowns is unsustainable given his modest role. He ranks 14th in targets and 30th in air yards among tight ends but is 10th in receiving yards, with one end zone target and four receiving touchdowns, the second-most at his position. Kraft’s fantasy numbers are impressive, but his usage suggests he’s better suited as a low-end TE1.

Sit: Zach Ertz, Commanders

With Jayden Daniels unlikely to play this week, Marcus Mariota will start against a Chicago defense that leads the NFL in dropback EPA allowed. They currently rank 22nd in fantasy points allowed to tight ends and have given up two TE1 performances this season. While Ertz’s involvement in the Washington offense is promising, fantasy managers should hold off until Daniels returns before considering him a starting option.

Which player will you start this week for your fantasy lineup?