Start 'Em, Sit 'Em Week 8: Advice for Unfavorable Fantasy Football Matchups

As expected, members of the Houston Texans sit in the highest-scoring positions of Week 8 coming out of the Thursday opener. 

Deshaun Watson's Texans played with the Miami Dolphins like a cat would some catnip, hopefully getting the vast majority of fantasy owners started on the right foot. 

A necessary start, too—the rest of the Week 8 slate isn't as simple. 

Granted, oddsmakers expect plenty of scoring. According to OddsShark, four games have spreads of more than a touchdown and at least five have an over/under minimum of 50. Picking and choosing the proper start-sits in an environment like this will set owners apart over the long haul. 

QB

Matchup Comparison	Verdict
Aaron Rodgers (at LAR) vs. Andrew Luck (at OAK)	Andrew Luck
Kirk Cousins (vs. NO) vs. Andy Dalton (vs. TB)	Andy Dalton
Russell Wilson (at DET) vs. Patrick Mahomes (vs. DEN)	Patrick Mahomes
Ben Roethlisberger (vs. CLE) vs. Drew Brees (at MIN)	Ben Roethlisberger
Tom Brady (at BUF) vs. Carson Wentz (at JAX)	Tom Brady

Start: Mitchell Trubisky, CHI (vs. NYJ)

Well, don't stop believing now. 

Chicago Bears quarterback Mitchell Trubisky has 43.46, 28.34 and 33.42 points over his last three outings, that last number coming in a duel against Tom Brady of all people. 

But it's easy to see why owners might shy away from Trubisky in Week 8 against a New York Jets defense ranked right in the middle of the pack in terms of points allowed to quarterbacks on average this year. 

A closer look at the numbers, though, reveals the Jets inflated their standing in this area with three cupcake matchups to start the year and have since allowed at least 22 points to quarterbacks in three of their last four. And Trubisky still has a great floor considering he's hit double digits in all but one of his outings. 

Sit: Ben Roethlisberger, PIT (vs. CLE)

It sounds counterintuitive to bench a name as big as Ben Roethlisberger, yes. 

But Big Ben has only thrown multiple touchdowns in a game once over his last three outings, and his Pittsburgh Steelers again have to deal with the Cleveland Browns. 

Those Browns enter allowing the 10th-fewest points to opposing quarterbacks on average this year, including limiting Big Ben to a season-worst 12 points in their first meeting. 

This one might go down in Pittsburgh, but quarterback as a whole is streamable enough to outright avoid the risk here. Big Ben is reliable most times out, but the sooner fantasy owners realize the Browns have one of the NFL's elite defenses, the better. 

RB

Matchup Comparison	Verdict
Todd Gurley (vs. GB) vs. Alvin Kamara (at MIN)	Todd Gurley
Kareem Hunt (vs. DEN) vs. Saquon Barkley (vs. WAS)	Kareem Hunt
James Conner (vs. CLE) vs. Christian McCaffrey (vs. BAL)	James Conner
Adrian Peterson (at NYG) vs. David Johnson (vs. SF)	Adrian Peterson
LeSean McCoy (vs. NE) vs. Mark Ingram (at MIN)	Mark Ingram

Start: Saquon Barkley, NYG (vs. WAS) 

Something has to give in this meeting. 

New York Giants rookie Saquon Barkley has put up at least 17.8 points in every game this year, hitting above the 20-point mark four times and three games in a row. 

These Washington Redskins have allowed the eighth-fewest points to backs over the same time span, even holding Ezekiel Elliott to 5.2 last time out. 

But what sets Barkley apart is his versatility. He's second on the Giants behind only Odell Beckham Jr. in targets, and his ability to keep the Redskins off balance should negate some of their more impressive numbers, creating a viable start situation. 

Sit: Mark Ingram, NO (at MIN)

Sunday's dance between the New Orleans Saints and Minnesota Vikings has "Alvin Kamara" game written all over it. 

Which leaves Mark Ingram out in the cold. 

Ingram had a huge season debut in Week 5, rattling off 20.3 points on two touchdowns. But his next time out was a 12-carry performance without scores, slumping him to all of 5.2 points against a strong Baltimore defense. 

Expect more of the same against a Minnesota defense allowing the seventh-fewest points to opposing backs on average, with game flow possibly working against him as well as things taking more to the air than ground. 

WR

Matchup Comparison	Verdict
Mike Evans (at CIN) vs. JuJu Smith-Schuster (vs. CLE)	Mike Evans
Antonio Brown (vs. CLE) vs. Adam Thielen (vs. NO)	Antonio Brown
A.J. Green (vs. TB) vs. Michael Thomas (at MIN)	Michael Thomas
Demaryius Thomas (at KC) vs. Tyreek Hill (vs. DEN)	Tyreek Hill
Stefon Diggs (vs. NO) vs. Jarvis Landry (at PIT)	Stefon Diggs

Start: Robert Woods, LAR (vs. GB) 

Los Angeles Rams wideout Robert Woods has quietly been a stud this year for owners who took the risk. 

After a dud of a nine-target, 5.8-point performance in Week 1, Woods has tallied double digits in every game this year with a high of 28.7 points. 

A superb floor established, Woods shouldn't have any problems in an encounter with a Green Bay Packers defense ranked 16th in terms of points allowed to wideouts this year. 

With a surefire explosive game flow, the fact Woods has seven or more targets in all but one game this season and 24 over his last three outings alone hints at a massive day regardless of where the Packers rank. 

Sit: John Brown, BAL (at CAR) 

Don't get too excited about John Brown's 22.9 points in Week 7. 

While it was the biggest output of the year for the Baltimore Ravens receiver, Brown has been anything but consistent this season in terms of both usage and production. 

The week before the outburst, Brown only had three targets and 3.8 points. Directly prior to that, Brown had a massive 14 targets, but only put up 7.8 points. 

Outside of the inconsistent usage, a tough matchup against a Carolina Panthers defense allowing the 15th-fewest points to wideouts doesn't help the outlook. Only two wideouts have scored north of 20 points on the unit, one of those being Beckham. 

TE

Matchup Comparison	Verdict
Travis Kelce (vs. DEN) vs. O.J. Howard (at CIN)	O.J. Howard
George Kittle (at ARI) vs. David Njoku (at PIT)	George Kittle
Eric Ebron (at OAK) vs. Zach Ertz (at JAX)	Eric Ebron
Jared Cook (vs. IND) vs. C.J. Uzomah (vs. TB)	Jared Cook
Jordan Reed (at NYG) vs. Jimmy Graham (at LAR)	Jimmy Graham

Start: Jimmy Graham, GB (at LAR)

A potential shootout will always bode well for a tight end like Jimmy Graham, who has been kicking it up a notch for the Packers in recent weeks anyway, with a pair of consecutive double-digit performances. 

Those outings came on the heels of nine or more targets in each game, giving him his highest target counts in back-to-back weeks. 

Coming out of a bye, Graham should see similar usage again on the road against a Rams defense allowing the 10th-most points to the position, including 18.3 to George Kittle in Week 7. 

While an encounter with the Rams might seem unfavorable at face value, the uptick in usage creates one of the highest ceilings at the position in the league. 

Sit: George Kittle, SF (at ARI) 

Kittle got a mention above for good reason. 

While Kittle has had a fun breakout season, totaling double digits five times at an unsteady position, he's also gone for five or fewer twice despite steady target usage. 

Written another way, Kittle is still a matchup-based play and a sit against the Arizona Cardinals in Week 8. Not only is Kittle and a shaky quarterback situation on the road, the Cardinals only allow the sixth-fewest points to tight ends so far. 

It should go without saying, but overall this one looks like it should be a low-scoring game, too. 

All scoring info, points-against info and ownership stats courtesy of Yahoo standard leagues.