Week 8 Start Em Sit Em: Wes Welker and Other WRs You Must Start

The biggest concern about starting WRs is that since the offenses throw the ball so much, you have to expect that defenses are more prepared to stop the pass.

In turn, some stud WRs may not produce nearly the anticipated numbers. That said, throwing the ball a lot also increases a receiver's targets, which increases the possibility of gaining more yards.

So, here are four must-start WRs for Week 8 of fantasy football.

Wes Welker, New England (at Pittsburgh)

The only real reason why Pittsburgh's pass defense looks really solid is because no one throws the ball against them. The reason? They have a rather susceptible rush defense that allows 107 yards per game.

However, that only plays into New England's hands, as they have the NFL's No. 1 pass offense and No. 10 rush offense. As for Wes Welker, that just means another day at the office. Wes isn't going to be stretching the field much, but he will continue as the game's best slot WR.

No one on Pittsburgh can cover him straight up, and he's arguably even better against the zone, so look for another solid day from Welker.

A.J. Green, Cincinnati (at Seattle)

This is a game where Bengals WR A.J. Green can really gain some confidence. Sure, it's Seattle, but they do play better at home, and Cincy could use another road win.

Also, favoring Green is Seattle's No. 20-ranked pass defense, so even though Cincy is only ranked No. 20 in pass offense, Green and the Bengals offense will be set up nicely thanks to their Top 5 defense.

Therefore, don't expect Green to pile on all kinds of yards, but a multi-TD game is very possible.

Calvin Johnson, Detroit (at Denver)

Yeah, it's Calvin Johnson, and he was going to start no matter what. But after Detroit's two-game losing streak and a confident Broncos team hosting the Lions, Johnson's production isn't guaranteed.

Denver does have an improving pass defense, and expect Johnson to see double coverage everywhere. Now, he's not going to go for over 120 yards (previous three-game average of 122), but he will dominate inside the red zone.

That is where the double coverage will not matter, because all that's required is to out-leap everyone around him, which shouldn't be a problem against Denver. 

Steve Smith, Carolina (vs Minnesota)

Despite having over 800 receiving yards thus far, Panthers WR Steve Smith only has three TDs. He also can be hit-or-miss sometimes, as Smith has gained over 140 yards four times, but has gained less than 80 yards three times.

However, his Week 8 matchup is against the No. 29 pass defense in Minnesota, who will be blitzing Cam Newton and forcing some quick passes to slow Carolina's offense.

The effect of that will be Smith not going deep, but then having to get yards after the catch. That is arguably Smith's best attribute, but gets overlooked because of his all-encompassing skill set.

Be sure to check out John on Bleacher Report. 

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