Start 'Em, Sit 'Em Week 8: Early Look Ahead at Schedule's Difficult Decisions

Another week of fake football, another week of serious start 'em, sit 'em scenarios that cause fantasy owners to lose sleep.

Outside of the obvious (such as starting an angry Peyton Manning coming off a loss to his former team against a miserable Washington secondary), Week 8 is in no way one of the easier weeks to decide.

Through careful analysis of the opposition, trends and other factors, the following not-so-obvious fantasy stars should be placed in lineups or on the virtual bench. Enjoy.

Start 'Em: Tony Romo, QB, Dallas Cowboys vs. Detroit Lions

By now, Tony Romo should be a fixture in all fantasy lineups. He's thrown for over 300 yards in two of his last three games, with a high of 506 and a low of 170.

While he has an off game every now and then, that simply won't be the case against Detroit in Week 8. The Lions give up 282 passing yards per game, and the top four corners on the roster rank No. 46 or worse, with the bottom three ranking in the 80-100 range, per Pro Football Focus (subscription required).

In other words, Romo is in for a huge day. Don't miss out.

Sit 'Em: Tom Brady, QB, New England Patriots vs. Miami Dolphins

Tom Brady's days as a viable fantasy option are over.

Brady has eclipsed the 300-yard mark just once and has not thrown three touchdowns in a game, which is out of the ordinary for the Patriots signal-caller. In two of his last three games, Brady has failed to throw a touchdown.

Now, Brady is in an iffy matchup with a Miami defense that is capable of applying consistent pressure. Despite the addition of Rob Gronkowski, Brady was mediocre last week. That won't change against Miami.

Start 'Em: Le'Veon Bell, RB, Pittsburgh Steelers vs. Oakland Raiders

Le'Veon Bell is the last of a dying breed. Fully healthy, the rookie is one of the only every-down backs in the NFL who also sees goal-line work.

In other words, he's an instant starter no matter the matchup.

Bell touched the ball 20 times in Week 7 and racked up 99 total yards. In the past three games after battling an injury, Bell has averaged 19.6 touches per contest.

Oakland has been good against the run this year, but Bell is now a starter no matter what because of his consistent opportunities, which turn into fantasy production.

Sit 'Em: Alfred Morris, RB, Washington Redskins vs. Denver Broncos

After an exciting campaign with over 1,600 yards on the ground, many owners took the risk on Alfred Morris and have paid for it.

Morris has just 472 yards and three touchdowns thus far in an offense that is consistently playing from behind because of a torrid defense.

Forget that Morris went for 95 yards a week ago and remember that an enraged Manning is waiting for the horrific Washington defense to arrive Sunday. The Redskins will play from behind throughout, and, to make matters worse, Denver has the league's best run defense.

Even worse, Morris failed to score last week, while backup Roy Helu Jr. scored three touchdowns.

Avoid Morris at all costs.

Start 'Em: Anquan Boldin, WR, San Francisco 49ers vs. Jacksonville Jaguars

Anquan Boldin has been the definition of inconsistent this year, as his fantasy production has wavered with the erratic and often disappointing play of quarterback Colin Kaepernick. 

Against Tennessee a week ago, Boldin had his best output in three weeks, with five receptions for 74 yards. Boldin is just getting started back on the right track, but he has a major boost in the form of a matchup with the Jacksonville Jaguars on Sunday.

Jacksonville does nothing in particular very well and will have no answer for Boldin. He's in for a big day after failing to reach the 100-yard mark since his 208-yard explosion in Week 1.

Sit 'Em: Vincent Jackson, WR, Tampa Bay Buccaneers vs. Carolina Panthers

It's easy to throw Vincent Jackson in the starting lineup in Week 8 based solely off his performance a week ago—Jackson went off for 138 yards and two touchdowns as rookie Mike Glennon's favorite target.

There are a couple of major issues with this approach, though. For one, Atlanta has a mediocre secondary, at best. More importantly, running back Doug Martin suffered an injury that will keep him out for the season, per NFL Around the League:

With Martin out of the way, defenses will throw everything they have at shutting down a limited passing game led by a rookie. That's especially bad because Carolina is the No. 5 team in the NFL against the pass.

For at least this week, Jackson needs to be on the bench.

Follow B/R's Chris Roling on Twitter for more news and analysis @Chris_Roling