Week 8 Start 'Em, Sit 'Em: Top 10 Players, Stat Projections for Every Position

While there is always an element of unpredictability when it comes to fantasy football, most players have likely shown their true colors at the midway point of the season, which has taken some of the guesswork out of lineup decisions.

There are bound to be some tough choices to make regardless, especially when injuries strike and owners are forced to turn to options they never envisioned being on their team at the start of the season.

Now is the time when teams start making a move toward the playoffs in fantasy, so Week 8 is likely crucial for most owners.

Here is a look at the best and worst plays at every skill position for Week 8, as well as projections for how they will fare statistically.

Quarterback

Rank	Player	Team	Start/Sit	Projected Stats
1	Aaron Rodgers	GB	Start	330 yards, 3 TD
2	Tom Brady	NE	Start	300 yards, 3 TD
3	Andrew Luck	IND	Start	275 yards, 3 TD
4	Russell Wilson	SEA	Start	270 yards, 3 TD
5	Kirk Cousins	WAS	Start	250 yards, 3 TD
6	Matt Ryan	ATL	Start	310 yards, 2 TD
7	Jameis Winston	TB	Start	280 yards, 2 TD
8	Derek Carr	OAK	Start	275 yards, 2 TD
9	Drew Brees	NO	Start	260 yards, 2 TD
10	Cam Newton	CAR	Start	250 yards, 2 TD (1 pass, 1 rush)
---	Philip Rivers	SD	Sit	220 yards, 1 TD, 2 INT
---	Jay Cutler	CHI	Sit	180 yards, 1 TD, 3 INT
---	Dak Prescott	DAL	Sit	235 yards, 0 TD

Start: Kirk Cousins

Cousins enters Sunday's game against the Cincinnati Bengals coming off a strong performance in Week 7. He threw for 301 yards and one touchdown, and didn't throw an interception for just the second time this season.

He also added another element to his game by running for a 19-yard touchdown on a well-designed read-option, as seen in this video courtesy of the NFL:

Cousins has thrown for 260 or more yards in all but one game this season, and he has multiple touchdowns in four of his past five outings.

The Bengals are tied for 28th in the league with 14 passing touchdowns allowed, and Cousins will take advantage of that in London.

Sit: Philip Rivers

Rivers has thrown for over 300 yards in three of his past four games with the lone exception coming two weeks ago against the Denver Broncos, when he settled for just 178 yards and one touchdown.

The Chargers and Broncos will meet again Sunday, which doesn't bode well for the veteran signal-caller's fantasy prospects.

Rivers averaged just 215 yards and one touchdown per game in two contests against the Broncos last season, and they are once again the best in the league at defending the pass in 2016.

Denver is allowing just 175 passing yards per game and has surrendered a mere four passing touchdowns, so Rivers is best left on the bench.

Running Back

Rank	Player	Team	Start/Sit	Projected Stats
1	Ezekiel Elliott	DAL	Start	180 total yards, 2 TD
2	Spencer Ware	KC	Start	160 total yards, 2 TD
3	Matt Forte	NYJ	Start	140 total yards, 2 TD
4	David Johnson	ARI	Start	150 total yards, 1 TD
5	Lamar Miller	HOU	Start	140 total yards, 1 TD
6	Christine Michael	SEA	Start	130 total yards, 1 TD
7	LeGarrette Blount	NE	Start	100 total yards, 1 TD
8	Jacquizz Rodgers	TB	Start	150 total yards, 0 TD
9	Melvin Gordon	SD	Start	90 total yards, 1 TD
10	Matt Jones	WAS	Start	85 total yards, 1 TD
---	Isaiah Crowell	CLE	Sit	30 total yards, 0 TD
---	Jonathan Stewart	CAR	Sit	50 total yards, 0 TD
---	Ryan Mathews	PHI	Sit	40 total yards, 0 TD

Start: Jacquizz Rodgers

Rodgers was a fantasy afterthought entering the season, but he has quickly developed into a stud for the Buccaneers due to injuries to Doug Martin and Charles Sims.

The 26-year-old veteran has racked up 255 rushing yards over the past two contests, and as pointed out by Evan Silva of Rotoworld, the Bucs haven't been shy about feeding him the ball:

The Oakland Raiders are allowing 128.3 rushing yards per game and have surrendered seven rushing touchdowns already this season.

Only the San Francisco 49ers allow a higher yards-per-carry average, and that is a good sign for Rodgers since he has quickly developed into Tampa's workhorse.

Sit: Isaiah Crowell

Since rushing for 120 yards and a touchdown against the Redskins on Oct. 2, Crowell has just 101 rushing yards and one score in his past three games combined.

Also, while the New York Jets defense has been disappointing as a whole this season, they are still stout against the run, ranking second in the NFL with 74.9 yards surrendered per game and 3.3 yards per carry allowed.

With New York struggling to stop the pass, look for Cleveland to throw early and often, which will result in Crowell taking a backseat Sunday.

Wide Receiver

Rank	Player	Team	Start/Sit	Projected Stats
1	Julio Jones	ATL	Start	150 yards, 2 TD
2	TY Hilton	IND	Start	130 yards, 2 TD
3	Mike Evans	TB	Start	120 yards, 2 TD
4	Larry Fitzgerald	ARI	Start	120 yards, 1 TD
5	AJ Green	CIN	Start	100 yards, 1 TD
6	Michael Crabtree	OAK	Start	90 yards, 1 TD
7	DeAndre Hopkins	HOU	Start	90 yards, 1 TD
8	Randall Cobb	GB	Start	85 yards, 1 TD
9	Brandon Marshall	NYJ	Start	80 yards, 1 TD
10	Brandin Cooks	NO	Start	75 yards, 1 TD
---	Tyrell Williams	SD	Sit	40 yards, 0 TD
---	Alshon Jeffery	CHI	Sit	50 yards, 0 TD
---	Kelvin Benjamin	CAR	Sit	40 yards, 0 TD

Start: DeAndre Hopkins

After racking up over 1,500 receiving yards last season, Hopkins is off to a brutal start in 2016 with just 36 grabs for 390 yards and three touchdowns through seven games.

Much of that has been due to the poor play of quarterback Brock Osweiler, and after Osweiler was shut down by the Broncos last week, Hopkins' fantasy owners may be having second thoughts about starting the supremely talented wideout.

Week 8 isn't the time to give up on Hopkins, though, since he will go up against a Detroit Lions defense that is among the league's worst, as pointed out by Kyle Meinke of MLive.com:

Along with the Browns, the Lions have given up the NFL's most passing touchdowns with 18, and they are allowing 273 yards per game through the air as well.

Hopkins' quarterback situation is far from ideal, but if he is going to break out at some point this season, Week 8 is the perfect opportunity.

Sit: Kelvin Benjamin

The Panthers have been wildly inconsistent on both sides of the ball this season, and Benjamin has been adversely impacted by that.

Since catching three touchdowns in Carolina's first two games of the season, Benjamin has found pay dirt just once, and he is averaging less than 50 receiving yards per game over his past four outings as well.

Benjamin will be faced with the difficult task of being shadowed by Cards cornerback Patrick Peterson in Week 8, and with Carolina's offense out of sync as it is, the likelihood of a big game is minute.

Tight End

Rank	Player	Team	Start/Sit	Projected Stats
1	Rob Gronkowski	NE	Start	120 yards, 2 TD
2	Jimmy Graham	SEA	Start	100 yards, 1 TD
3	Greg Olsen	CAR	Start	80 yards, 1 TD
4	Travis Kelce	KC	Start	70 yards, 1 TD
5	Jordan Reed	WAS	Start	65 yards, 1 TD
6	Gary Barnidge	CLE	Start	60 yards, 1 TD
7	Jack Doyle	IND	Start	60 yards, 1 TD
8	Zach Ertz	PHI	Start	80 yards, 0 TD
9	Cameron Brate	TB	Start	70 yards, 0 TD
10	Martellus Bennett	NE	Start	65 yards, 0 TD
---	Hunter Henry	SD	Sit	20 yards, 0 TD
---	Zach Miller	CHI	Sit	30 yards, 0 TD
---	Coby Fleener	NO	Sit	25 yards, 0 TD

Start: Gary Barnidge

Barnidge broke out in a big way last season by setting career highs with 79 receptions for 1,043 yards and nine touchdowns.

While things haven't come as easily in 2016 with 30 grabs for 361 yards and no touchdowns thus far, he has been coming on as of late with at least 59 yards in five consecutive games.

Veteran quarterback Josh McCown is expected to return from injury and start Sunday, which should boost Barnidge's value significantly, according to RotoGrinders NFL:

The Jets are allowing 282 yards per game through the air and have given up 13 passing touchdowns, and Barnidge figures to be the biggest beneficiaries of their struggles in that department.

Sit: Hunter Henry

Henry has been a revelation for the Chargers this season, but it may be best to pump the brakes on the rookie in Week 8.

Although he returned to practice this week, Henry reported concussion-like symptoms against the Atlanta Falcons in Week 7 and was limited to just one catch for 16 yards.

Henry made six grabs for 83 yards and one touchdown against the Broncos two weeks ago, but the odds of him repeating that performance against the No. 1 pass defense aren't great.

With Antonio Gates figuring into the equation as well, Henry's potential production will be capped at a modest level this week.

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