Week Eight is a much more forgiving Bye week, with only the Chargers and Chiefs resting. Still, that’s some big-time Quarterbacks, Tight Ends, and Running Backs that will be on your bench, so you probably are looking for a waiver wire addition to make it through the week with a win.
We have a lot of interesting matchups this week, with the potential for a few blowouts that could be either really good or really bad for your fantasy team, although you never know with Fantasy (looking at you Dallas vs Detroit).
Let’s take a look at who the big names are for this week’s Start ‘Em or Sit ‘Em.
Starts
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Andy Dalton or Jameis Winston, QB (New Orleans Saints)
The New Orleans Saints don’t have a great record, but what they do have is a pretty high-powered offense. Andy Dalton threw for 361 yards and four touchdowns in their Thursday night loss to the Cardinals, which still gave you a nice fantasy day even with three interceptions.
Whether Dalton or Jameis Winston plays this coming week, you can feel confident that either Quarterback can have another huge game. The Saints take on the Raiders in Week Eight, a team that is giving up the most points to opposing Quarterbacks.
The Raiders themselves have been putting up plenty of points, and the Saint's defense has taken a massive step back over the recent years, so this game should be a high-scoring affair. If Michael Thomas returns (finally), that’s an even bigger boost for Dalton/Winston. I’d look to whoever starts as a great streaming option this week.
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Raheem Mostert, RB (Miami Dolphins)
Raheem Mostert has proven why he deserves the starting job over Chase Edmonds, and now he gets a Detroit defense that is giving up the third-most fantasy points to the Running Back position.
The Dolphins have Tua Tagovailoa back, and Mostert benefited from the offense firing on all cylinders again. Mostert caught four passes for 30 yards and a touchdown and added 79 yards on the ground.
Last week Zeke and Tony Pollard combined for 130 yards and two touchdowns against the Lions, so for sure Mostert has a good chance at hitting the century mark while scoring a touchdown.
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DJ Moore, WR (Carolina Panthers)
Could DJ Moore finally be breaking out this season thanks to CMC being traded? Or is Tampa Bay just imploding? Maybe it’s a little of both, but Moore saw his best game of the year on Sunday.
Moore was targeted 10 times (the next closest player had three targets) and he caught seven of them for 69 yards and a touchdown. This week the Panthers face the worst pass defense in the league in a matchup against the Falcons.
Now we aren’t sure who is going to start at Quarterback, but with CMC gone it seems like they have to go to Moore if they want to move the ball.
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Irv Smith Jr, TE (Minnesota Vikings)
Irv Smith Jr faces one of the worst defenses against the Tight End position this week as the Vikings face the Cardinals. Last week against the Saints, the Cardinals gave up three touchdowns to the Tight Ends (Juwan Johnson had two and Taysom Hill had one).
It seems like every week the Cardinals get gashed by the Tight End, so hopefully, that continues this week for Smith. Smith hasn’t been a great fantasy option so far this season, but he does get 5-6 targets a game and has his best opportunity to score this week.
If you need to stream a Tight End, Smith is probably one of the top options this week.
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Cade York, K – (Cleveland Browns)
The Browns take on in-state rival Cincinnati Bengals this week and we could be in for an interesting game.
The Bengals have been surprisingly good on defense, which should keep the Browns out of the endzone. That said, the Browns have been able to move the ball fairly well, so that sets up Cade York for a good amount of work.
As long as the Bengals don’t go up big early, York should get a few FG opportunities this week. Also, the Bengals are currently giving up the most points to Kickers, which is actually a testament to how well their defense is playing.
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Indianapolis Colts, DST
The Colts’ offense may be floundering, but their defense has been solid over the last few weeks. They’ve recorded at least two sacks and a turnover in five of seven games, and now face the Washington Commanders, who are starting their backup Taylor Heinicke.
Heinicke was ok against the Packers last week, although they did score on a pick-six and almost had another defensive touchdown (called back on a penalty). The Commanders are definitely turnover-prone, so the Colts are a great streaming option this week and have a decent chance at a defensive touchdown.
Sits
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Justin Fields, QB (Chicago Bears)
The Bears may have finally found how to properly use Justin Fields because they absolutely ran over the New England Patriots on Monday night. It was a surprising upset against a very tough defense, but now they have to do it again against the best-run defense in the league.
The Bears face the Cowboys in Week Eight, a team that is currently allowing the second-fewest points to the Running Back position. Now yes I know Fields is a Quarterback, but that Dallas defense is very, very good. Not only are they stuffing the run, but they have star Cornerback Trevon Diggs who is an interception machine. The Bears already barely throw, so Fields is in for perhaps his toughest game of the season.
If the Cowboys can keep him from running, Fields is in for a bad fantasy day.
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David Montgomery, RB (Chicago Bears)
Not much to add here after explaining the whole “the Bears are playing the best run defense in the league” above. David Montgomery not only faces that same tough defense, but he also is sharing the backfield more and more with Khalil Herbert.
Montgomery and Herbert split carries evenly against the Patriots, and Herbert still looks like the more explosive back. He only managed 62 yards on the ground, but a touchdown saved his fantasy day. He also had 0 catches in Week Seven, so don’t expect a ton of targets either.
If you have other options at Running Back, I’d try and pivot off Montgomery this week.
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Terry McLaurin, WR (Washington Commanders)
It was nice to see Terry McLaurin come back to real fantasy relevance last week with Taylor Heinicke behind center, but unfortunately, he now faces a much stiffer test.
The Colts are allowing the fewest points to the Wide Receiver position, so they probably will be focusing very heavily on stopping McLaurin at all costs. The Colts are also turning to Quarterback Sam Ehlinger, who is a mobile QB who will probably try and mostly protect the ball. Basically speaking, this game will probably be a low-scoring, fast game that doesn’t require a ton of throwing.
If you can sit McLaurin this week, I highly advise doing so.
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Dawson Knox, TE (Buffalo Bills)
The one bright spot, if you will, on the Packers’ defense has been defending Tight Ends. Maybe it’s because opposing offenses can run all over them. Or maybe it’s because their pass defense is actually decent.
Either way, the Packers get Josh Allen and the high-powered Bills this weekend. And based on how the Packers are playing, this game is going to get out of hand very quickly thanks to Stefon Diggs and Gabe Davis. The Bills probably aren’t going to even need Knox too much.
The matchup alone for Knox is a tough one, and the Bills probably use other players to beat the Packers down this weekend.
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Mason Crosby, K (Green Bay Packers)
The Packers are a mess right now, losing three straight to the Giants, Jets, and Commanders. The offense can barely move the ball after the first drive or two and now travel to Buffalo to take on one of the best defenses in the league.
It’s pretty safe to say the Packers will struggle to move the ball on offense, and then Josh Allen will probably score at will, making it a “play catchup” type of game for the Packers. Safe to say Mason Crosby probably won’t be used much this Sunday.
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Pittsburgh Steelers, DST
The Steelers’ defense started off with a bang in Week One, absolutely stuffing the Bengals. Since then, however, it’s been a hard fall. They lost TJ Watt, who apparently is the heart and soul of that offense because since then they’ve been bad.
Now settings may be different for everyone, but in the last six weeks, the Steelers have scored 2, 1, 5, -4, 2, and 0 fantasy points. They didn’t record a single sack or turnover last week against the Dolphins. They obviously have no real pass rush, which is a dream situation for Jalen Hurts and the Eagles. Hurts should be able to run all over the Steelers, and if they do try and stuff the box, Hurts is good enough to beat them through the air. This could be another bad week for the Steelers, who will probably also struggle to move the ball against the tough Eagle defense.
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