Week 8 Start 'Em, Sit 'Em: Sunday Matchups to Exploit and Avoid

Fantasy football owners can call Week 8 the week of the quarterback.

While somewhat unexpected, it doesn't hurt that Jacksonville Jaguars quarterback Blake Bortles dropped a 29-point garbage time outing on the Tennessee Titans on Thursday Night Football.

Mostly this has to do with the rest of the week. It features a showdown between Matt Ryan and Aaron Rodgers, with Carson Palmer, Kirk Cousins, Russell Wilson and Jameis Winston also sitting in elite matchups.

Great and terrible matchups reside at every position as usual, though 2016 hasn't really seen anything like this quarterback slate yet. With six teams on bye, here is a look at value comparisons and how to play some notable matchups.

Quarterback

Matchup	Verdict
Andrew Luck (vs. KC) vs. Drew Brees (vs. SEA)	Andrew Luck
Aaron Rodgers (at ATL) vs. Tom Brady (at BUF)	Aaron Rodgers
Tyrod Taylor (vs. NE) vs. Andy Dalton (vs. WAS)	Andy Dalton
Jameis Winston (vs. OAK) vs. Matthew Stafford (at HOU)	Jameis Winston
Derek Carr (at TB) vs. Philip Rivers (at DEN)	Derek Carr

Matchup to Exploit: Jameis Winston, TB (vs. OAK)

Marcio Jose Sanchez/Associated Press

Owned in just 53.8 percent of leagues, Jameis Winston can help those in need of a streaming option. 

His Tampa Bay Buccaneers encounter the Oakland Raiders in Week 8, which is a great matchup for any quarterback because the Raiders allow the seventh-most points to quarterbacks on average. Four opposing signal-callers have hit the Raiders for 21 points or more.

Winston himself is a matchup-based play to the extreme. He's gone for 20 or more points in three games this season, never hitting on more than 14 in the other three.

The conclusion is easy enough—Winston will post a major day, while weapons such as Mike Evans cruise.

Matchup to Avoid: Philip Rivers, SD (at DEN)

Name recognition goes a long way in the world of fantasy football, which would explain why San Diego Chargers quarterback Philip Rivers continues to sit owned in 90.9 percent of leagues.

Rivers has only two games above the 20-point measuring stick this year going into a Week 8 encounter with the Denver Broncos. Owners, especially those burnt by it, will recall Rivers only posting 11 points against the Broncos back in Week 6 even though his team pulled off the upset.

This isn't much of a shock. Denver allows the third-fewest points to quarterbacks on average, has yet to give up more than one passing touchdown in a game and has only coughed up four passing scores all year.

So yes, owners need to keep Rivers on the bench when he visits Denver.

Running Back

Matchup	Verdict
Melvin Gordon (at DEN) vs. Matt Forte (at CLE)	Matt Forte
LeGarrette Blount (at BUF) vs. Jordan Howard (vs. MIN)	LeGarrette Blount
Spencer Ware (at IND) vs. David Johnson (at CAR)	Spencer Ware
Frank Gore (vs. KC) vs. Isaiah Crowell (vs. NYJ)	Isaiah Crowell
Devonta Freeman (vs. GB) vs. Christine Michael (at NO)	Christine Michael

Matchup to Exploit: Matt Forte, NYJ (at CLE)

Those who invested in running back Matt Forte on the hopes he'd post strong numbers with the New York Jets got rewarded in Week 7.

There, Forte posted 25 points by way of 100 rushing yards and a score, with another 54 yards and a score through the air.

The problem with Forte is consistency. He's sitting on three performances of 14 points or more, but in the other four outings, he hasn't scored more than six points.

Consistency shouldn't be much of a problem against the Cleveland Browns in Week 8, seeing as the defense allows the fifth-most points to backs on average. Four opposing backfields have gone for 20 or more points against the unit, and Forte doing so on his own is far from impossible.

Matchup to Avoid: Devonta Freeman, ATL (vs. GB)

Elaine Thompson/Associated Press

Some might jump all over the idea of trotting out Atlanta Falcons running back Devonta Freeman against the Green Bay Packers in Week 8.

While fellow committee member Tevin Coleman won't play, per D. Orlando Ledbetter of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, Freeman hasn't shown enough to encourage confidence in the terrible matchup.

Terrible, because the Packers allow the fewest points to backs on average. Lack of confidence, because Freeman has only scored 17 or more points twice and has four games with single-digit production.

So while recent headlines might scream Freeman's value this week, a passing affair between Rodgers and Ryan doesn't figure to give him much of a chance, even without Coleman.

Wide Receiver

Matchup	Verdict
Davante Adams (at ATL) vs. T.Y. Hilton (vs. KC)	Davante Adams
A.J. Green (vs. WAS) vs. Mike Evans (vs. OAK)	A.J. Green
Julio Jones (vs. GB) vs. Randall Cobb (at ATL)	Julio Jones
Marvin Jones (at HOU) vs. Larry Fitzgerald (at CAR)	Larry Fitzgerald
Doug Baldwin (at NO) vs. Julian Edelman (at BUF)	Doug Baldwin

Matchup to Exploit: T.Y. Hilton, IND (vs. KC)

Mark Zaleski/Associated Press

Quietly the third-highest scorer at wideout entering Week 8, T.Y. Hilton of the Indianapolis Colts sits in one of the best matchups of the week against the Kansas City Chiefs. 

Hilton has outbursts of 19 or more points in three games this year, production greatly helped along by exploiting miserable defenses.

Kansas City certainly qualifies, at least against wideouts. The Chiefs surrender the third-most points to wideouts on average, having allowed eight total touchdowns to the position and four sets faced to hit 22 or more points.

Hilton will merely be the latest to take advantage of a unit that just can't figure it out.

Matchup to Avoid: Marvin Jones, DET (at HOU)

Detroit Lions wide receiver Marvin Jones often finds himself in a headline for snazzy highlights.

Fantasy production, though, is a different conversation. Jones has only two outings of 10 or more points this year. One of those was a 32-point outburst, but the odds he pulls off such a feat again seem long.

Now Jones has to deal with the Houston Texans, a team allowing the third-fewest points to wideouts on average. The unit has only allowed four receiving touchdowns to receivers this year.

Jones will dig himself out of the current fantasy slump, but it won't happen in Week 8 on the road.

Tight End

Matchup	Verdict
Rob Gronkowski (at BUF) vs. Coby Fleener (vs. SEA)	Rob Gronkowski
Gary Barnidge (vs. NYJ) vs. Vernon Davis (at CIN)	Vernon Davis
Jimmy Graham (at NO) vs. Kyle Rudolph (at CHI)	Jimmy Graham
Zach Miller (vs. MIN) vs. Travis Kelce (at IND)	Travis Kelce
Zach Ertz (at DAL) vs. Jack Doyle (vs. KC)	Jack Doyle

Matchup to Exploit: C.J. Fiedorowicz, HOU (vs. DET)

On the other side of the Detroit-Houston encounter is a guy by the name of C.J. Fiedorowicz.

Not exactly household material yet, Fiedorowicz has come on in recent weeks. He broke through a logjam of players at his position to post 10 or more points in two of his last four outings.

Now Fiedorowicz gets to keep this positive momentum going against a Detroit defense that allows the third-most points to the position and has found a way to give up seven touchdowns already.

Look for Fiedorowicz to have a monster day as he continues to build a name for himself.

Matchup to Avoid: Coby Fleener, NO (vs. SEA)

Quietly, New Orleans Saints tight end Coby Fleener entered Week 8 among the top 10 scorers at tight end, in large part because of big outings of 16 and 19 points.

Week 8 won't see him post such an outing.

While the Saints defense has to worry about former tight end Jimmy Graham, Fleener has to navigate a Seattle Seahawks defense that has only allowed one touchdown and double-digit performance to the position.

Fleener should remain on all rosters for the good matchups, but Week 8 doesn't offer anything close to one.

All scoring info and statistics courtesy of ESPN.com standard leagues, as are points-against info and ownership stats.

Follow Chris Roling (@Chris_Roling) on Twitter.