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Fantasy Football Week 8 Confident Sit ‘Em Start’ Em Advice
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- Fantasy Football Week 8 Confident Sit ‘Em Start’ Em Advice
| Source: Lastwordonsports.com - Sue Levine, Editor
Fantasy football week 8 is here, and that means the second half of the fantasy regular season starts this Thursday. At this point in the season, every win or loss can determine your playoff hopes and overall seed in your fantasy football league. In this article, we will be going over 4 players that must be in your lineups for week 8, along with 4 players that are better off staying on your bench due to tough matchups. All projections are based on Sleepers' standard PPR scoring.
Fantasy Football Week 8 Sit' Em Start' Em – Quarterback
Start' Em: Geno Smith / Week 8 Projection – 16.8 FPTS vs. Las Vegas Raiders
The New York Jets host the Raiders this Sunday in what feels like a make-or-break game for both of these teams, who are looking for their first win in weeks. Although the Jets' defense has been pretty hit or miss this season, the Raiders' offense is going well and has been. The pace of this game should be pretty high scoring, and the Jets will have to answer with Breece Hall still being limited in practice on Wednesday. The Jets' offense is trending toward leaning on Veteran quarterback Geno Smith and the two playmakers on the outside in Garrett Wilson and Omar Cooper Jr.
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The Raiders defense has given up the fifth most fantasy football points to opposing quarterbacks this year, giving up, on average, 245 yards and 2.4 touchdowns a game in the air. Geno Smith has had an inconsistent fantasy football season, but has had two big-time games against weak secondaries in Detroit and Miami. With this favorable matchup, we can expect Geno to expose this secondary and score well over his 16.8 projection and put up closer to 24 points, as he did against the previous challenged defenses he has faced. Smith should be an auto-start in Superflex leagues or if you are streaming the positions because of bye weeks.
Sit' Em: Bo Nix / Week 8 Projection – 13.83 FPTS vs. Kansas City Chiefs
Bo Nix is coming off a big-time week where the quarterback scored 26.18 FPTs against the Cardinals; most of those points came when Nix ripped off a 60-yard touchdown run. This performance has given fantasy managers who have a share of the quarterback hope that his big performance can start a trend in the right direction. Though that could be true, Week 8 is not a good matchup for the Broncos quarterback.
Nix takes on a Kansas City defense that is holding opposing quarterbacks to just over 12 fantasy points a game. In the season opener at Arrowhead, when the Chiefs saw the Broncos last, Bo Nix looked lost, turning the ball over multiple times, resulting in an underwhelming 6,44 fantasy football performance in week 1. Nix should have a better performance against the Chiefs' defense the second time around, but the QB is still better off on your bench this week instead of in your lineup, as he could easily be a league loser all around fantasy in week 8.
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Fantasy Football Week 8 Sit' Em Start' Em – Running Back
Start' Em: Rhamondre Stevenson / Week 8 Projection – 10.59 FPTS @ Miami Dolphins
Stevenson has been very hit or miss this season, but is still ranked as a running back 17, averaging 12.41 fantasy football points a game this season. We now see 3 backs getting touches for the Patriots, with Corey Kiner busting onto the scene in Week 6, and he was involved in the TNF game at Chicago. All of this is scary for Stevenson owners, but week 8 is a great spot start for the back, and this is why.
New England takes on a Dolphin defense that has gotten gashed by the run all year. The defense has struggled to get off the field, and with the Patriots being heavy favorites to win this matchup, the game script should involve Stevenson seeing a ton of carries. The Patriot offense should score a lot of points on Sunday, and with Stevenson being the main pass catcher out of the backfield, along with getting the goal-line carries for the most part, it makes him a comfortable start. Rhamondre should finish closer to 15-16 fantasy points rather than his 10.59 projection.
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Sit' Em: Tony Pollard / Week 8 Projection – 12.18 FPTS @ Cincinnati Bengals
Tony Pollard scored the most fantasy football points of any player in NFL week 7 with an insane 36.5 points, punching it into the endzone 3 separate times. If Pollard was on your bench last week and you are beating yourself up for it, don't. The last thing you want to do is pull the trigger this week, expecting more of the same out of the Titan running back. Pollard has a rough matchup against a Bengals defense that held opposing running backs in check all season long, and this slow, ugly Titan offense isn't going to change that trend.
The matchup Sunday against the Titans and Bengals shouldn't be the most competitive game of the week 8 slate, to say the least, with the potential pass-heavy game script, because of the score limits the ceiling of Pollard in week 8. Even with the back's career performance, he is still a better fit on fantasy football managers' bench this week instead of in your lineups, for example, Stevenson is a much safer, stronger start than Pollard in football week 8.
Tennessee Titans running back Tony Pollard racked up 155 total yards on Sunday and finished as the top overall fantasy scorer in Week 7.
Fantasy Football Week 8 Sit' Em Start' Em – Wide Receiver
Start' Em: Michael Wilson / Week 8 Projection – 15.61 FPTs @ Dallas Cowboys
The Dallas Cowboys defense still has serious issues on that side of the football, and it isn't going to change this Sunday against the Arizona Cardinals. Michael Wilson is the wide receiver 1 in Arizona and has been pretty quiet since Harrison was traded, with back-to-back 10-point fantasy football performances in a row. Week 8 is a great spot for Wilson to have a mid-season breakout game and continue what he was doing at the end of 2025 and the beginning of the 2026 season.
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The Cowboys' secondary hasn't been able to shut down anyone to this point, and Wilson is definitely a big, highly talented wide receiver. Wilson should have a field day against this week's Dallas defense and finish around 20 fantasy points with almost a guarantee to find his way into the endzone for 6 at some point Sunday. Michael Wilson is a must-start if you have him on your fantasy team, as he will go way over that 15-point projection.
Sit' Em: Jameson Williams / Week 8 Projection -10.6 FPTS @ Minnesota Vikings
Jameson Williams' fantasy football owners are feeling great about their flex and how he has been performing the last 3 games after a really quiet and slow start to his 2026 season. If you do have Jamo on your fantasy team, you are aware of how much of a boom or bust player he is. This Sunday against the Vikings is where you use your head instead of your heart when setting your lineup, and leave Jamo on your bench as this matchup screams bust for the Detroit wideout.
The Vikings have been giving up 180 yards in the air while issuing just 0.50 passing touchdowns a game. Those numbers don't even sound real, but that is the reason why Minnesota is the only undefeated team left in the NFL. Brian Flores has the defense locking down every opponent they face. With how often the Vikings bring pressure, the Lions' pass game will be more quick hitters than anything, which means a lot of action for Amon Ra and Gibbs out of the backfield and less deep shots to a burner like Jamo.
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Be the fantasy football sharp and be smart by leaving Williams on your bench and keep playing him in good matchups because that is when we see the wideout have those big-time performances.
Fantasy Football Week 8 Sit' Em Start' Em – Tight End
Start' Em: Colston Loveland / Week 8 Projection – 9.84 FPTS @ Seattle Seahawks
Fantasy football managers are finally getting their return on investment with Colston Loveland, who was the tight end 3 off the board in fantasy football drafts this year. We all know Loveland was off to the worst start possible while playing healthy but not proving any fantasy football relevancy and losing many managers their weekly matchups through the first 5 weeks of the season.
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Since Caleb Williams has been back, it is more of what we saw at the end of the 2026 season for tight end Colston Loveland, as he has seen a high target share along with finding his way into the endzone two weeks in a row. Cole Kmet, the Bears' second tight end, went down with a knee injury , so Loveland will be leaned on more than ever for the remainder of the season, and we can expect to see him continue to produce at a high level and provide that spark at the tight end position that fantasy managers drafted him to do.
This week, Loveland faces a tough defense, but that could help his production out as Ben Johnson might try to simplify the pass game and get the ball out quickly against this Seattle defense that stacks the box and gets to the quarterback pretty well. It is safe to say Loveland should be a lock in your lineup this week and every week going forward.
Sit' Em: Sam Laporta / Week 8 Projection – 11.1 FPTS @ Minnesota Vikings
Sam Laporta is off to an awesome season coming at tight end 5 so far in the 2026 NFL season. Laporta came out with some very negative words about the Detroit franchise and not receiving contract racks coming off his rookie deal, leading up to the game on Sunday. Not sure if that played a role in what happened against the Packers , but Laporta hauled in 1 pass on 2 targets Sunday, resulting in losing a lot of fantasy football managers their week 7 matchups.
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Facing the top-notch Minnesota defense, along with the problems between the tight end and his organization, makes him a really sketchy start for week 8, and you should stream a tight end or give your TE 2 the nod before we find out what is going on with Laporta and the Lions. Another bust week could be in the Detroit tight ends' future.
Detroit Lions tight end Sam LaPorta (87) makes a catch against Carolina Panthers cornerback Akayleb Evans (29) during the second half at Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte on Sunday, Oct. 4, 2026.
The Last Word
These predictions are all based on matchups and trends for the most part, and should give you all the confidence in the world to base your lineups on this advice and reasoning for either throwing these players in your lineups or leaving them on your bench in fantasy football week 8.
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We are getting into the nitty-gritty of the fantasy football season, and every matchup means something, whether that is for seeding, to get into the playoff picture, or for overall points, which nobody thinks about but can play a part between making and missing the playoffs.
