Fantasy Football Week 8: Riskiest Starts at Each Position on Sunday

Don't take the chance in fantasy football of starting a player against a risky matchup, because it will not pay off as consistently as expected.

Yes, when certain roster spots need a filler during a bye, adjustments can be made. However, there's no harm in trying to find a better matchup to avoid even further risk of getting beaten.

Take Cam Newton of the Carolina Panthers, for example.

To some, Newton was certainly a hot commodity in fantasy before the 2012 season. Unfortunately, he currently resides in a sophomore funk and has shown no immediate signs of getting out. Looking ahead to Sunday, we'll see Newton square off against Brian Urlacher and the Chicago Bears.

Fielding one of the NFL's best defenses, Chicago is a rough matchup for Newton and anyone else on the Cats offense. To that end, let's first look at Newton and then the other questionable fantasy starts at each position from Week 8.

Quarterback: Cam Newton, Panthers (at Bears)

The Chicago Bears are going to dominate the Carolina Panthers in Week 8.

Cam Newton's inability to spread the field consistently will be a big factor. Although he's only been sacked 15 times, Newton has thrown six picks to only five touchdowns and leads the Panthers in rushing.

In short, no quarterback should ever lead their team in rushing offense, especially in pro football.

Chicago can not only apply constant quarterback pressure, but the Bears can do so with man or zone coverage behind it. Furthermore, Chicago forces turnovers like no other, and Newton has coughed up the rock five times thus far.

Carolina currently lacks the explosion of the 2011 team, and until Newton proves he is out of this slump, he'll remain a risky fantasy start.

Running Back: Shonn Greene, Jets (vs. Dolphins)

Shonn Greene, from an overall perspective, is enjoying a sound year. The New York Jets ball-carrier has amassed 432 rushing yards and scored five times through seven games.

The downside is that 255 yards of that total came from two games (Buffalo Bills, Indianapolis Colts). That's 59 percent of Greene's production, which obviously means that he has been largely inconsistent.

Averaging only 3.5 yards per carry on the season, Greene faces the Miami Dolphins for a second time in 2012. In the first meeting, he collected just 49 total yards on 21 touches (two were receptions) and did not score.

However, that should come as no surprise. The Dolphins rank No. 3 against the run and allow only 3.3 rushing yards per attempt.

No matter how well Gang Green tosses the ball, don't anticipate much impact from Greene this weekend.

Wide Receiver: DeSean Jackson, Eagles (vs. Falcons)

DeSean Jackson may be the best receiver on the Philadelphia Eagles, but Week 8 refuses to offer much fantasy football appeal.

For one, Jackson and the Eagles are hosting the perfect Atlanta Falcons. Secondly, the Falcons present one of pro football's best secondary units and are solid when applying quarterback pressure.

From this viewpoint alone, Jackson won't be getting open too often with guys like Asante Samuel, Dunta Robinson and Thomas DeCoud sitting in coverage. He'll receive some targets from Michael Vick, but not an extensive amount.

Vick is the next issue.

The Eagles QB has been extremely turnover-prone in 2012. Whether it's fumbles or interceptions, Vick has constantly found a way to give opposing offenses an extra possession.

That tendency means that the Eagles must use LeSean McCoy against the Falcons' defensive front this week.

The Eagles are 3-3, and each victory came when McCoy received more than 20 carries. Additionally, Atlanta is suspect against the run. The team ranks No. 28 in rush defense and give up 5.2 yards per carry.

Philly must run the rock to win and reduce Vick's passing attempts to minimize turnovers.

All that simply results in Jackson not making much of a statistical impact.

Tight End: Marcedes Lewis, Jaguars (at Packers)

The Jacksonville Jaguars field the NFL's worst passing offense with an average of 144.8 passing yards per game. They have yet to score more than 23 points in a game this season.

Marcedes Lewis is definitely one of the better and more consistently reliable tight ends around, but it's the rest of Jacksonville's offense that pulls his impact down. With 17 receptions on 19 targets in 2012, Lewis can catch nearly everything thrown his way.

The problem is not only him receiving a target, though. The Jags' pass protection has already given up 18 sacks, and their matchup in Week 8 doesn't bode well for fantasy production. Traveling to the Green Bay Packers, Lewis and company will face a significantly improved pass rush and defense from what we saw a year ago.

Green Bay can bring pressure straight up or mix in more complex schemes because of guys like Clay Matthews and rookie Nick Perry. Factor in the secondary, which features rookie Casey Hayward (four picks) and Tramon Williams, and the Jags won't see much success in the passing game, either.

Perhaps if Lewis had a more reliable quarterback under center, he would be an appealing tight end/flex spot. Instead, it's better to anticipate the Pack dominating this game in all three phases.

Kicker: Jason Hanson, Lions (vs. Seahawks)

The risk involved with Jason Hanson is not about his ability as a kicker. The guy is money from literally anywhere on the field, as he has been throughout his career.

The concern this week is the Detroit Lions offense against the Seattle Seahawks defense.

Detroit doesn't have a consistently dependable running game. The passing game hasn't found a rhythm in 2012, either. With Matthew Stafford throwing more picks than scores, Detroit is in trouble.

As we know, the Seahawks rock on defense. Ranking No. 8 against the pass and No. 5 against the run, Seattle allows fewer than 300 total yards and only 15.1 points per game. That is some impressive defense, and it's not like the Birds have faced a cakewalk schedule, either.

As a result, the Lions won't get many scoring opportunities, which simply limits Hanson's number of field-goal attempts. The Seahawks know how to control the game tempo by running the ball, too.

Detroit will get a minimal number of possessions, while facing one of the league's best defenses.

Defense: Pittsburgh Steelers (vs. Washington Redskins)

The Pittsburgh Steelers may have got back to .500 with a key road win over the Cincinnati Bengals, but that offense pales in comparison to the Washington Redskins.

Led by Robert Griffin III, Washington averages almost 29 points and over 400 total yards per game. Having already gone up against some sound defenses in the New York Giants and Tampa Bay Buccaneers, RG3 and company clearly know how to move the ball.

Yes, the Steelers are certainly a different kind of animal. However, 2012 has not been the same as recent history. We have to remember that Pittsburgh gave up 34 points to the Oakland Raiders and 26 to the Tennessee Titans this season.

Neither of those offenses are nearly as explosive as Washington. After all, Griffin III leads the NFL with a 70.4 completion percentage and the Steel Curtain has just 11 sacks and three picks through six contests.

Regardless of who wins, this will be one high-scoring affair because the 2012 Steelers have yet to face an offensive playmaker of RG3's dynamic.

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