Start 'Em, Sit 'Em Week 8: Advice for Fringe Flex Fantasy Football Starters

It might seem hard to believe, but Week 8 of the 2016 season is just around the corner. For most of you, this means you're about to enter the home stretch of your fantasy regular seasons.

With so much on the line—and for many, a rough start to overcome—this is a critical time in the fantasy year. Making the wrong decisions now can have you playing in the dreaded consolation bracket at the end of the season.

The hardest decisions are likely to come from the back end of your roster, your bench or off the waiver wire. This is especially true with six teams—the Baltimore Ravens, Los Angeles Rams, Pittsburgh Steelers, Miami Dolphins, New York Giants and San Francisco 49ers—on bye. Determining which fringe players you can use to replace the likes of Le'Veon Bell or Odell Beckham Jr. can make or break your week.

We're here to help with a little advice about some of the fringe starters available in Week 8. We're not here to tell you to start Ezekiel Elliott, Julio Jones or Rob Gronkowski. If you have those guys, you start them. We're here to help make decisions on those players who have you riding the proverbial fence.

Our start 'em and sit 'em decisions will be based on factors such as past performance, projected role and matchup. Injuries will also be considered where applicable.

Start 'Em: Alex Smith, QB, Kansas City Chiefs

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Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Alex Smith is usually one of those guys in fantasy whom you rarely rely on. However, he can be a nice spot-starter because he takes care of the football (just seven interceptions last season), and he can be a decent option when facing the right matchup.

Well, this week brings the right matchup for Smith. 

The Chiefs will be facing the Indianapolis Colts, who might have the worst overall defense in the NFL. Indianapolis is allowing an average of 28.6 points and 399.7 yards per game. The team is rated dead last in overall defense and pass coverage by Pro Football Focus, too.

The fact that the Colts also possess a potent offense works in favor of Smith owners. Indianapolis averages 27.7 points per game, fourth-most in the NFL. While the Chiefs don't typically lean on the pass, they may have to in order to keep pace on the scoreboard.

The Chiefs fell behind early in Week 1 against the San Diego Chargers, and Smith finished that game with 363 passing yards and two touchdowns.

Don't expect an elite fantasy day from Smith, but he should be good for a solid outing. If you're in need of a replacement for Ben Roethlisberger or Eli Manning, feel free to start Smith and expect somewhere in the 300-yard, two-score range.

Sit 'Em: Trevor Siemian, QB, Denver Broncos

You might view Denver Broncos quarterback Trevor Siemian as a guy similar to Smith. The Broncos generally operate a run-oriented offense, and Siemian has been able to manage games without a lot of glaring mistakes—just three turnovers this year.

Like Smith, Siemian also has just one standout fantasy game—312 yards and four touchdowns against the Cincinnati Bengals in Week 3—on his 2016 resume.

The difference between the two this week is the matchup at hand. While Smith is going up against a suspect Colts defense, Siemian has to face a talented Chargers unit that seems to be improving by the week.

San Diego is rated 11th in pass rush and 13th in pass coverage by Pro Football Focus for the season so far.

The last time Siemian faced the Chargers, he produced 230 yards and one touchdown. These aren't the worst numbers in the world, but they're not what you realistically want out of your fantasy starter—and they're about what you should expect from Siemian in Week 8.

Start 'Em: Ty Montgomery, WR/RB, Green Bay Packers

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Now that running back Eddie Lacy has been placed on injured reserve, the Green Bay Packers find themselves thin at the position. This has forced the team to place wide receiver Ty Montgomery in its backfield—and this is huge for fantasy owners.

Montgomery got his first significant taste at running back last week against the Chicago Bears, and the results were magnificent. He carried the ball nine times for 60 yards and caught 10 passes for 66 yards.

It seems Montgomery will continue holding a backfield role for the foreseeable future.

"Once again, just look at the availability and production," Packers coach Mike McCarthy said, per Jason Wilde of the Wisconsin State Journal. "[Montgomery] has been given two primary roles, Dallas and against the Bears. And he’s delivered. I thought he played excellent [Thursday] night."

Because Montgomery still also operates as a receiver, he is a virtual must-start in points-per-reception leagues. As ESPN fantasy analyst Matthew Berry recently pointed out, Montgomery is now available for use as a running back—at least in ESPN leagues:

Start Montgomery, and do so with confidence.

Sit 'Em: Jordan Howard, RB, Chicago Bears

A guy you would be right to not have confidence in is Bears running back Jordan Howard. The rookie out of Indiana got off to a hot start in the starting role, rushing for 229 yards between Weeks 4 and 5. However, he has rushed for just 56 yards in the two weeks since.

Last week against the Packers, Howard saw just seven carries and zero receptions. Even more alarming is the fact that he seems to be losing his role in the offense.

According to Pro Football Focus, Howard saw 22 offensive snaps against the Packers. Fellow back Ka'Deem Carey saw 26 snaps and 10 rushing attempts. Carey rushed for 48 yards against the Packers and caught a pass for nine yards.

At best, Howard is likely looking at a 50-50 backfield split this week. At worst, Carey being the more productive back in Week 7 could push Howard into spot duty.

Either way, Howard is not a smart play this week with the Minnesota Vikings coming to town. The Vikings are allowing an average of just 81.7 rushing yards per game, third-fewest in the NFL.

Start 'Em: Quincy Enunwa, WR, New York Jets

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Quincy Enunwa has earned his way into the No. 2 receiver role for the New York Jets. He is athletic, explosive and determined to become a true pro playmaker.

"I do it every week," Enunwa recently said, per Connor Hughes of NJ.com. "Explosive plays. Explosive plays. Whenever you get your opportunity, you want to take advantage of it."

Enunwa should have a big opportunity this week against a Cleveland Browns defense that is both bad and banged-up. The Browns are rated just 26th in pass coverage by Pro Football Focus. Even if the team gets star cornerback Joe Haden back this week, he may spend the majority of the day shadowing Brandon Marshall.

While Enunwa has become a big piece of the Jets' passing attack, he hasn't established himself as a surefire fantasy starter yet. He only has two touchdowns this season and has yet to produce a 100-yard game.

Both of these facts could change on Sunday.

Sit 'Em: Dontrelle Inman, WR, San Diego Chargers

The Chargers have their own speedy receiver in Dontrelle Inman. The problem with Inman is that he hasn't been nearly as consistent as Enunwa. In fact, a large percentage of his 2016 production—seven receptions, 120 yards and a touchdown—came during Week 4 against the New Orleans Saints.

Inman did have a decent game last week, at least in PPR formats. He caught three passes for 58 yards, which is generally acceptable production for a flex start. Unfortunately, it's difficult to envision Inman having a similar day this week against the Broncos.

The Broncos are rated third in pass coverage by Pro Football Focus and will be playing at home. The last time San Diego played the Broncos, Inman caught just one pass for 11 yards.

Unless Travis Benjamin or Tyrell Williams is injured between now and Sunday, Inman is a player best avoided.