Week 8 Start 'Em, Sit 'Em: Advice on Fantasy Football Stars to Play or Bench
Week 8 of the 2023 NFL season gets rolling Thursday night, putting fantasy football managers back on the clock to make those always critical, never easy lineup decisions.
We're here to help with that process.
By weighing projections, analyzing matchups and studying trends, we're spotlighting one start and one sit recommendation at each of the three marquee positions.
Start: C.J. Stroud, QB, Houston Texans (at Carolina Panthers)
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The Panthers had the No. 1 pick and could've spent it on Stroud, but they picked Bryce Young instead. So far, that looks like a mistake, and Stroud might be eager to remind them of that Sunday.
Even without factoring in any extra motivation, though, he looks like a strong play this week. He is coming off of a bye week, should get Tank Dell (concussion) back and could put up numbers against a Panthers defense that allowed both of the last two quarterbacks it faced to throw for three touchdowns.
Sit: Geno Smith, QB, Seattle Seahawks (vs. Cleveland Browns)
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Smith may have been electric last season, but things just aren't clocking this time around. He has just seven touchdown passes against four interceptions through six games and has finished with fewer than 220 passing yards in half of those outings—twice landing south of 125 yards.
He is, at best, on the starting bubble each week and someone you only want to deploy in a favorable matchup. This is the opposite, as the Browns have allowed the fewest passing yards and fifth-fewest fantasy points to the position, per Yahoo.
Start: Breece Hall, RB, New York Jets (at New York Giants)
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Hall appears back on track to reclaiming his position as an elite option in fantasy. In Week 5, he torched the Denver Broncos for 194 yards and a score. If fantasy managers weren't yet convinced—since running backs routinely go off against Denver—he then turned 17 touches into 94 yards and a touchdown against the Philadelphia Eagles, the worst fantasy matchup for the position.
He is a no-brainer start against a Giants defense that has been the eighth-most generous to fantasy running backs.
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Sit: Brian Robinson Jr., RB, Washington Commanders (vs. Philadelphia Eagles)
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If not for three touchdowns, Robinson would be going into this contest amid a disastrous four-game stretch. In these outings, he has otherwise averaged just 9.5 carries for 27.3 yards and 2.0 receptions for 16 yards.
In other words, he appears almost entirely touchdown-dependent to have any kind of fantasy relevance. His odds of finding the end zone this week aren't great, as the Eagles are one of only six defenses to allow three rushing touchdowns or fewer in seven games.
Start: Drake London, WR, Atlanta Falcons (at Tennessee Titans)
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Atlanta's offense has been much more miss than hit this season, having last topped 21 points in Week 2. London has found a way to be a fantasy factor anyway, catching at least six passes for better than 50 yards in his last three outings. And in the game before that, he snagged a touchdown reception.
His fantasy stock is trending up, and it should continue climbing against a Titans defense that is allowing the eighth-most fantasy points to wide receivers and just traded away star safety Kevin Byard.
Sit: Jerry Jeudy, WR, Denver Broncos (vs. Kansas City Chiefs)
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Jeudy's stat sheet is a snoozer. You want to find some reason to get excited about the former first-round pick, but it's just nowhere in the numbers. He is averaging fewer than 50 receiving yards per game and still awaiting his first score of the season.
At this point, he's someone you should bench in all but the deepest leagues until he gives you a reason not to. Don't look for that reason to surface on Sunday, as the Chiefs have given up the eighth-fewest fantasy points to receivers.
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