Week 8 Start 'Em, Sit 'Em Advice for Fringe Flex Fantasy Football Starters

Counting on high draft picks and established stars is usually a wise strategy in fantasy football. Unfortunately, it hasn't always been a viable one during the 2025 NFL season. A few players, including Brian Thomas Jr. and rookie running back Ashton Jeanty, have failed to meet expectations. Several more have been sidelined by injuries.

The injury bug continued to make its presence felt on Monday, with Mike Evans and Tank Dell both exiting their respective contests.

Bye weeks are also in play, and the Arizona Cardinals Detroit Lions, Jacksonville Jaguars, Las Vegas Raiders, Los Angeles Rams and Seattle Seahawks will all be off this week.

With this in mind, let's examine the outlook for a few fringe starters in Week 8.

Start: D'Andre Swift, RB, Chicago Bears

AP Photo/Kamil Krzaczynski

Chicago Bears running back D'Andre Swift had a somewhat slow start to the 2025 season but has taken off over his last couple of games. He's topped 130 scrimmage yards and found the end zone in back-to-back outings and could potentially do so again in Week 8.

The only thing keeping Swift from being a must-start instead of a fringe starter is the growing presence of Kyle Monangai. The rookie out of Rutgers logged 13 carries and two receptions in Week 7 while also finding the end zone.

Swift is going to remain a matchup-based play moving forward.

The good news is that Swift has a terrific matchup this week against the Baltimore Ravens. While Baltimore's defense might show some improvement coming out of the bye, it's highly unlikely to be dramatically better.

To this point, the Ravens have surrendered the second-most fantasy points to opposing running backs.

Sit: Jacory Croskey-Merritt, RB, Washington Commanders

AP Photo/Kyusung Gong

Rookie Jacory Croskey-Merritt has established himself as the Washington Commanders' top running back. However, he hasn't established himself as a reliable weekly starter just yet.

After logging 150 scrimmage yards and two touchdowns during a win over the Los Angeles Chargers, Croskey-Merritt tallied just 100 combined scrimmage yards and a fumble in his last two games—both losses.

This week, the Commanders will visit the Kansas City Chiefs, which presents a couple of problems. For one, Kansas City's offense is clicking, and Croskey-Merritt isn't likely to see as many opportunities if Washington is chasing points. Secondly, the Chiefs have surrendered the seventh-fewest fantasy points to opposing running backs this season.

Oh, and Jayden Daniels is dealing with a hamstring injury and has an uncertain status for Week 8. There's a non-zero chance that the Chiefs will clamp down on Washington's run game and dare Marcus Mariota to beat them.

Start: DeVonta Smith, Philadelphia Eagles

AP PhotoAbbie Parr

The Philadelphia Eagles offense has had its fair share of ups and downs this season. The passing game has been particularly inconsistent, and it has placed wide receiver DeVonta Smith firmly in fringe territory.

This past week, Smith racked up nine catches for 183 yards and a touchdown. Two weeks ago, though, he had just four catches for 49 yards.

Ironically, that 49-yard disappointment came against the New York Giants, the same team that Philly will face on Sunday. So, why is Smith a solid start this week? There are three big reasons.

For one, that game was on a short week in New York. The Eagles will have the benefit of home-field advantage and a full week of preparation this week. Secondly, Philly seems to have sorted some things out offensively during its mini-bye—they tallied 316 passing yards and 28 points last Sunday.

Lastly, there just aren't many must-start receivers this week because of injuries and byes. Smith should have a floor in the 10-12-point range, and that's good enough to justify a flex play.

Sit: Keon Coleman, WR, Buffalo Bills

AP Photo/Danny Karnik

Second-year wideout Keon Coleman has occasionally rewarded managers for matchup-based plays. He had 112 yards and a touchdown during the Buffalo Bills' Week 1 comeback win, and he found the end zone against the New England Patriots in Week 5.

However, Coleman hasn't emerged as a go-to target in Buffalo, and he's tended to disappoint in less-than-ideal matchups. During the Bills' Week 6 loss to the Atlanta Falcons, for example, he caught just three of six targets for 11 yards.

This week, the Bills will visit an underrated Carolina Panthers team that has been quite good against opposing receivers. The 4-3 Panthers may not be able to fully contain a Buffalo team looking to get right out of its bye. They can, however, make Coleman fantasy irrelevant.

Carolina has surrendered the third-fewest fantasy points to opposing wide receivers this season.

*Fantasy scoring information from FantasyPros.