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

For fantasy owners struggling with records under .500, pay attention to potential fringe starters going forward. Whether you drafted poorly or struggled with injured players through seven weeks, there's still time to claim a playoff spot. It's rally time.

This season, like most, we're seeing players break bad trends. In one case, a receiver frequently dropped passes, but he's hit his stride in 2017. A big-name free-agent signing may have led your eyes astray, but this young pass-catcher should take a permanent spot in your lineup.

In the fantasy realm, when you think about the New Orleans Saints, quarterback Drew Brees pops into your mind. There's a ball-carrier in his backfield whose value equals or surpasses the accurate passer in Week 8.

Washington Redskins head coach Jay Gruden sent a clear message when addressing his wide receiver corps. Fantasy football owners should change their idea of the pecking order among quarterback Kirk Cousins' pass-catchers.

Which fringe starters should you start and sit for Week 8?

Start 'Em

1. RB, Bilal Powell, New York Jets vs. Atlanta Falcons

2. RB, Mark Ingram, New Orleans Saints vs. Chicago Bears

3. WR, Devin Funchess, Carolina Panthers at Tampa Bay Buccaneers

4. WR, Nelson Agholor, Philadelphia Eagles vs. San Francisco 49ers

5. TE, Kyle Rudolph, Minnesota Vikings vs. Cleveland Browns (London)

Sit 'Em

1. RB, Christian McCaffrey, Carolina Panthers at Tampa Bay Buccaneers

2. RB, Carlos Hyde, San Francisco 49ers at Philadelphia Eagles

3. WR, T.Y. Hilton, Indianapolis Colts at Cincinnati Bengals

4. WR, Terrelle Pryor, Washington Redskins vs. Dallas Cowboys

5. WR, Jordan Matthews, Buffalo Bills vs. Oakland Raiders

Start 'Em: RB, Mark Ingram, New Orleans Saints vs. Chicago Bears

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Typically, when it comes to Saints players, you automatically start Brees and his top two receivers. Over the past two weeks, fantasy owners should take a look at the team's running back duo.

Between Mark Ingram and Alvin Kamara, the veteran serves as a better play due to his workload over the past two weeks. The seventh-year pro has registered 47 rush attempts with two 100-plus yard games in that span. 

Right after the Saints traded running back Adrian Peterson, Ingram took the opportunity to show why he's the featured ball-carrier in the backfield. In Week 8, he'll match up against the Chicago Bears, who have allowed more than 100 yards on the ground in the last three outings. 

Ingram has also been targeted at least four times as a receiver in every contest. Start him with confidence in a home game for Week 8.

Sit 'Em: WR, Terrelle Pryor, Washington Redskins vs. Dallas Cowboys

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The Redskins made a sudden change within the wide receiver corps in their Week 7 matchup with the Philadelphia Eagles. For the first time during the season, Terrelle Pryor played less than half of the total offensive snaps. Josh Doctson saw a significant increase—he was on the field 84 percent of the time with his unit. 

Gruden didn't use coach speak to get around answering questions about benching Pryor, per Washington Post reporter Dan Steinberg

"We drafted Josh to be the number one guy," Gruden said. "He just has had some injuries. Now that he's healthy, we want to see what he can do, you know? And he's doing a pretty good job."

Clearly, Gruden wants to reap the returns on the 2016 first-rounder. Unfortunately, it comes at Pryor's expense. Fantasy owners should adjust their lineups accordingly. If Doctson remains available, add him to your waiver-wire priorities.

It's safe to drop Pryor to free up space for another pickup. 

Start 'Em: WR, Nelson Agholor, Philadelphia Eagles vs. San Francisco 49ers

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The Eagles signed wide receiver Alshon Jeffery to a one-year, $9.5 million deal, per Spotrac, but he's second to Nelson Agholor in production among the wideouts. The USC product isn't the same player who struggled with drops in the two previous seasons. 

Agholor, along with tight end Zach Ertz, leads the team with five touchdown receptions. The third-year receiver averages 15.3 yards per catch. Over the past three weeks, he's hauled in four passes and scored a touchdown in each contest.

As the big-play threat with a 68.6 percent catch rate, the 2015 first-rounder looks like a safe option for the remainder of the season. 

In standard fantasy leagues, Agholor ranks ninth among all wide receivers with 66.60 points. Jeffery may list No. 1 on the depth chart, but the 24-year-old pass-catcher should cross your fantasy radar. He's already reached career-highs in receiving yards (366) and touchdowns (five) for his three-year career.