Week 8 Fantasy Football Starts & Sits (2021)

We have made it through the first seven weeks of the fantasy football season and have gotten through the bye week hell that was Week 7. Last week I hit on almost all of my wide receiver takes even with ‘BYEmageddon’. Unfortunately, even with a good matchup I missed on Denzel Perryman who had been a linebacker god so far this season. Now, we head to Week 8 Fantasy Football matchups!

On bye: Baltimore Ravens and Las Vegas Raiders.

Here are your 4-EYED Starts & Sits of the Week!

Quarterbacks

Start: Josh Allen, Buffalo Bills against the Miami Dolphins

This is going to seem like an obvious start, but Patrick Mahomes is coming off a week where he finished as the QB22 behind Geno Smith and Mike White. Nothing seems obvious this season. The Dolphins are giving up the 10th most fantasy points per game to opposing fantasy quarterbacks so don’t overthink this move. Roll with Allen who has been on quite the hot streak to start this year.

Additional Week 8 Fantasy Football Starts:

Jalen Hurts against the Detroit Lions, Joe Burrow against the New York Jets, and Dak Prescott against the Minnesota Vikings.

Sit: Tua Tagovailoa, Miami Dolphins against the Buffalo Bills

Going to the other side of the Bills/Dolphins game here. Tagovailoa is coming off his best game of the season and was the QB1 in Week 7. It looks like the injury actually helped Tagovailoa to reset. He had 16.70 fantasy points through his first two games but has over 21 fantasy points in each of his last two games, per Fantasy Data. The Bills are giving up the fewest fantasy points per game to opposing quarterbacks so this is quite literally the worst matchup Tagovailoa could ask for.

Additional Week 8 Fantasy Football Sits:

Taylor Heinicke against the Denver Broncos, Jameis Winston against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, and Matt Ryan against the Carolina Panthers.

Running Backs

Start: D’Andre Swift, Detroit Lions against the Philadelphia Eagles

Swift could literally set fantasy football records in this game. Slight hyperbole, but he has an incredible matchup this week. The Eagles defense has given up double-digit fantasy points to opposing running backs every week since Week 3. In four of the last five weeks, they have given up at least 20 fantasy points. Kenyan Drake and Josh Jacobs both found the endzone last week and the Eagles have given up at least two touchdowns to running backs in four of the last five games. All data comes from FFToday.

Additional Week 8 Fantasy Football Starts:

Chuba Hubbard against the Atlanta Falcons, James Conner against the Green Bay Packers, and Damien Harris against the Los Angeles Chargers.

Sit: Myles Gaskin, Miami Dolphins at Buffalo Bills

The Bills’ defense has been rough for fantasy this year. They are giving up the second-fewest fantasy points per game to opposing running backs. Gaskin has been on a rollercoaster of a season as he alternates good weeks with bad. His last three games have been 26.9 points, 2.4 points, and 15.7 points, per FantasyData. Gaskin is a risky play this week and with the matchup, the ceiling for his value is definitely capped.

Additional Week 8 Fantasy Football Sits:

Michael Carter against the Cincinnati Bengals, Khalil Herbert against the San Francisco 49ers, and Mike Davis against the Carolina Panthers.

Wide Receivers

Start: Deebo Samuel, San Francisco 49ers against the Chicago Bears

If he can stay healthy, he can dominate. While teammate Brandon Ayiuk was the 49ers receiver everyone was touting, Samuel has risen to the top spot in the 49ers receiver room. Samuel was the WR8 in half-PPR scoring formats last week and is the overall WR5 heading into Week 8 Fantasy Football. He has at least 13 fantasy points in five of six games so far this season, per Fantasy Data. The Bears defense are giving up the fourth-most fantasy points per game to opposing wide receivers so Samuel should continue his streak.

Additional Week 8 Fantasy Football Starts:

Emmanuel Sanders against the Miami Dolphins, Courtland Sutton against the Washington Football Team, and Ja’Marr Chase against the New York Jets.

Sit: Allen Robinson, Chicago Bears against the San Francisco 49ers

Robinson has been non-existent in this Bears offense and you can’t trust him anymore. We used to say that Robinson has quarterback proof, but I don’t think he is team proof. The Bears have eliminated their best wide receiver from the game plan and their 3-4 record show how well that is going. RIP Allen Robinson’s fantasy value in 2021. Rant over.

Additional Week 8 Fantasy Football Sits:

Jakobi Meyers against the Los Angeles Chargers, DeVonta Smith against the Detroit Lions, and Brandin Cooks against the Los Angeles Rams.

Tight Ends

Start: Mike Gesicki, Miami Dolphins against the Buffalo Bills

Fear not Dolphins fans, there is at least some aspect of your offense that I like this week. I had Jaylen Waddle as a sit for wide receivers, but that seemed way too negative so I am pleased to include Gesicki here. Gesicki fooled us with his first two weeks of the season, but he enters Week 8 Fantasy Football as the overall TE3 in half-PPR scoring formats, per Fantasy Data. The Bills’ defense is still strong against the tight end position, but Gesicki’s usage can’t be beat this week.

Additional Week 8 Fantasy Football Starts:

Kyle Pitts against the Carolina Panthers, Dallas Goedert against the Detroit Lions, and Dalton Schultz against the Minnesota Vikings.

Sit: Mo Alie-Cox, Indianapolis Colts against the Tennessee Titans

Alie-Cox fared well as a bye-week fill-in during the ‘BYEmageddon’, but no need to go to the well twice here. A) I don’t have that much faith in Carson Wentz for him to utilize the same tight end two weeks in a row. And B) the Titans are giving up the sixth-fewest fantasy points per game to opposing tight ends. Risky and not worth it in my opinion.

Additional Week 8 Fantasy Football Sits:

Evan Engram against the Kanas City Chiefs, Robert Tonyan against the Arizona Cardinals, and Jared Cook against the New England Patriots.

With IDP options being so plentiful in fantasy football, each week we’re going to list for you an option at each position with honorable mentions to help set your lineups with confidence.

Defensive Linemen

Start: Myles Garrett, Cleveland Browns against the Pittsburgh Steelers

Garrett is the DL1 on the year for a reason. That is probably due to the 54 fantasy points he had in Week 3. BUT even after that, he has at least 14 fantasy points in four straight games. Garrett takes on the Steelers this week who are graded as the fifth-best pass-blocking team, but the third-worst run blocking team by PFF. Quarterback Ben Roethlisberger has still been hit early and often in each of their games and I think Garrett spends more time in the backfield than out of it this week. He has 11 sacks through seven games (per PFF) so far and he will look to add to that league-leading total.

Additional Week 8 Fantasy Football Starts:

Hasson Reddick against the Carolina Panthers, Shaquil Barrett against the New Orleans Saints, and Danielle Hunter against the Dallas Cowboys.

Linebackers

Start: De’Vondre Campbell, Green Bay Packers against the Arizona Cardinals

Campbell is the LB2 on the season and has a good matchup against the Cardinals this week. Campbell has been everywhere for the Packers’ defense as he leads the team in tackles. He has at least 25 fantasy points in two of his last three games. The Cardinals offense has been one of the best in the NFL and the Packers are going to rely on Campbell to have another solid game this week to keep them in it.

Additional Week 8 Fantasy Football Starts:

Harold Landry against the Indianapolis Colts, Jordyn Brooks against the Jacksonville Jaguars, and Demario Davis against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

Defensive Backs

Start: Trevon Diggs, Dallas Cowboys against the Minnesota Vikings

Diggs has 18 tackles and he is the DB1 in fantasy football. He has seven interceptions through six games played which is theoretically not sustainable. I would have said obviously not sustainable, but I wanted to say that when he had three through three games, and yet here we are. He is going to continue being my defensive back start of the week as long as he is active and dominating.

Additional Week 8 Fantasy Football Starts:

Taron Johnson against the Miami Dolphins, Derwin James against the New England Patriots, and Jordan Fuller against the Houston Texans.