Start 'Em, Sit 'Em Week 8: Advice for Fringe Flex Fantasy Football Starters
Fringe fantasy starters can be tricky.
Some are worthy starts that will win managers their weekly match-up, others will under-perform and lose them the showdown.
Week 8 has plenty of both.
Who can be relied upon to deliver in a big spot and which players are worth sitting in favor of more reliable ones?
Find out with this preview of the week to come in fantasy.
All stats from FantasyPros unless otherwise noted.
Start: Isiah Pacheco, Kansas City Chiefs
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Isiah Pacheco is not going to light anyone's fantasy team up for a ton of points or encourage much in the way of excitement from a manager's standpoint, but he has a very favorable match-up in Week 8 against a Denver Broncos team that is abysmal against the run.
The Broncos are giving up a mind-blowing 33.8 fantasy points to opposing running backs and while he may not be a feature back for the Chiefs given their many packages and looks, he will absolutely have the opportunity to exploit that defense.
What he does not get on the ground, he will have a chance to pick up through the air.
The Broncos are also allowing 285 yards a game through the air, making them susceptible a player of Pacheco's ability coming out of the backfield for significant yardage.
Start Pacheco this week and benefit from what may be the best single week of his fantasy season.
Sit: Calvin Ridley, Jacksonville Jaguars
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Calvin Ridley took the fantasy football world by storm with a Week 1 performance that saw him catch eight balls for 101 yards and a touchdown. That, as it turns out, may have been an anomaly more than anything.
Since then, Ridley has had just one game with more than four receptions and one other touchdown. He has also only gone over 50 yards receiving once in that span, making him one of the more frustrating players on any manager's roster.
Against a Steelers team that can be beaten for big yardage by opposing receivers, Ridley would seem to be the perfect candidate to start but his inconsistent targets and lack of substantive points makes him too big a risk to start when there are likely better, more reliable wideouts sitting on your bench.
Start: CJ Stroud, Houston Texans
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Since a disastrous Week 1 against Baltimore that saw him fail to score a touchdown, all rookie CJ Stroud has proceeded to do is score nine touchdowns to a single interception, all while averaging 240 yards a game.
He has played beyond expectation and should have fans in Houston extremely excited about the prospects of his, and the team's future.
In Week 8, he encounters a Carolina Panthers defense that may have pieces but is a middle-of-the-pack unit that he should be able to exploit for yardage and, potentially, another multi-touchdown game.
Stroud has five consecutive double-digit fantasy point performances and that should continue Sunday. Consider starting him not only this week, but slotting him in as a consistent QB No. 1 moving forward.
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Sit: Alexander Mattison, Minnesota Vikings
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To say that Alexander Mattison has not been what Dalvin Cook was for the Minnesota Vikings would be a gross understatement.
The lead back for the NFC South squad has yet to record a single 100-yard game and, perhaps more telling, is his lack of touchdowns. Through seven weeks, he has yet to find the end zone.
His two best games of the season came against bad Chargers and Panthers defenses and he has gone three straight without compiling 50 yards rushing. He is also limited in the passing game in that he has recorded only two games with more than three receptions.
It has been a disappointing season to this point for a player that showed flashes of potential to be the guy in Minnesota.
Though he squares off with a bad Green Bay Packers team giving up 24 fantasy points to opposing running backs, there has not been anything even remotely close to consistency from Mattison, making him a must-sit, especially if you have a better option on your roster.
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