TGIF and welcome back to my Start/Sit HUB! Mike Hubbard Jr here, providing information to help you win your fantasy league week in and week out. For all things fantasy football, follow me on Twitter (@FantasyHubbard) and Instagram (@fantasyhubbard). You can tweet me or message me on either social media with any questions you might have regarding the fantasy football season.
Week 8 is underway following the TNF game between the Green Bay Packers and the Arizona Cardinals. Aaron Rodgers handed Kyler Murray his first loss of the season with a final score of 24-21. Kyler Murray had by far his worst performance this season and finished it limping. This game was rush heavy. Aaron Jones, AJ Dillon, Chase Edmonds, and James Conner all had respectable performances. Randall Cobb was the most experienced and reliable WR for Rodgers but only had 3 receptions for 15 yards. Lucky for fantasy owners, 2 of those 3 receptions were TDs. The final minutes in this game went from the Packers about to go up 10, to the Packers only up 3, to the Cardinals about to tie or take a 4-point lead, to a costly weird INT in the endzone to solidify a Packers W. You can’t make this stuff up. Keep an eye on injuries to Murray and Hopkins, along with the Covid situations for Adams and Lazard. Both teams are now 7-1 and are front runners for an NFC title run.
Congrats on surviving BYE-megeddon last week. Week 8 still has a few teams on BYE so make sure you are aware and manage those lineups accordingly. Sunday should be a fun slate of games. The matchups I look forward to watching the most this Sunday are the Cowboys/Titans game and the Colts/Titans game. Plenty of fantasy players to keep an eye on in those matchups.
I’m here with start and sit suggestions that can impact your team this week. My decisions as always include obvious and not so obvious picks. I would also like to clarify that my sit suggestions are based on the assumption you have or can add a player that has a better chance at success.
Good luck this week and continue to check out my weekly articles.
Eagles @ Lions
Start – Devonta Smith – Devonta Smith is having an okay rookie season. His week 1 TD has been his only score thus far but he is leading the team in targets, receptions, and receiving yards. The Heisman winner is Jalen Hurts favorite pass catcher targeting him 6 or more times in all but 1 game this season. The Lions are going to continue to compete, so the Eagles better be ready to put up some points if they want to avoid the upset. Nick Sirianni likes to pass more than he likes to rush, and the Lions continuously give up plenty of fantasy points to opposing QBs and WRs. Smith has another opportunity to showcase his speed and big play abilities in Detroit on Sunday.
Sit – Amon-Ra St. Brown – St. Brown is getting his opportunities lately for Detroit, but his production seems to be overshadowed by his teammates. Hockenson and Swift are the top targeted players on the Lions despite neither of them being a WR. Amon-Ra wasn’t targeted a single time last week and Kalif Raymond is emerging as another option for Goff. The potential is evident but there are too many options for Goff and Amon-Ra is not a top priority. It doesn’t help that the Eagles have actually been very good defensively against opposing WRs.
Panthers @ Falcons
Start – Kyle Pitts – Kyle Pitts went from average rookie in his first 4 games to breakout elite TE in his last 2. He is making plays, carving up defenses, and showing Matt Ryan why he was drafted #4 overall. Pitts has 16 receptions on 18 targets for 282 yards and a score over his last 2 games. Those are top tier TE stats. Matt Ryan is going to continue to throw a lot to keep his team in games. The Panthers defense has started to unravel, and they are better at stopping the run than they are the pass. Another big game from Pitts this week is certainly in reach.
Sit – Mike Davis – Mike Davis has seemingly taken a backseat to Cordarrelle Patterson. Davis had a season low 4 carries for 10 yards and wasn’t targeted at all while Patterson saw 5 targets and had 14 carries. Cordarrelle has outproduced Davis on the ground despite fewer carries and has significantly outperformed Davis as a receiver. Start Davis at your own risk but beware the Falcons aren’t a team to jump to a big lead and run the ball often.
Dolphins @ Bills
Start – Emmanuel Sanders – The Bills are coming off a BYE week and will be fresh after an upset loss against the Titans in week 6. Sanders and the Bills get a juicy matchup this week against Miami at home in Buffalo. Miami’s defense is very bad while the Bills offense is very good. The last time these teams faced off was in Miami 6 weeks ago when Buffalo won 35-0. I expect another big Buffalo win and a big game from Sanders. Sanders has 5+ targets and 48+ receiving yards in every game this season. He also has a couple of 2 TD games. Sanders is 3rd in targets and receptions for the Bills this season but is 2nd in receiving yards to only Stefon Diggs and 2nd in receiving TDs to only Dawson Knox. Knox is out this week and Diggs has only scored 2 times this season. Sanders is set up for a great performance on Sunday.
Sit – Devin Singletary – Singletary seems to be in the same position as Mike Davis in Atlanta taking a backseat at RB. Zach Moss is playing more lately and frankly he has been playing better, especially as a receiving RB. Moss has 4 total TDs this season compared to Singletary’s 1 TD. Singletary has 11 total carries in his last 2 games and just 38 receiving yards the entire season. I do believe the Bills will lead a lot of the time if not the entire game making the Bills RBs more likely to get touches, but Moss is the safer play and has more upside. Devin is on the bench this week for me.
49ers @ Bears
Start – Khalil Herbert – With David Montgomery still on IR and Tarik Cohen unable to play, the Chicago backfield consists mainly of Khalil Herbert and Damien Williams. Khalil has made the most of his playing time and the Bears are rewarding him with ample opportunities. Herbert carried the ball 55 times over the past 3 weeks and caught 7 of his 8 targets. The 49ers are bad at stopping the run so Khalil should get touches and continue to capitalize on them. If Herbert has a great game, I wouldn’t be surprised to see the Bears pull of the upset in San Francisco.
Sit – Allen Robinson – Allen Robinson has been a huge disappointment for fantasy owners this season. He has only eclipsed 4 receptions 1 time this season and his season high in receiving yards is 63. He has also only found the endzone once and that was in week 2. Darnell Mooney has more targets, receptions, and receiving yards than Robinson. Robinson has yet to find his flow and Justin Fields at QB doesn’t appear to be helping him. The 49ers also have been very good against WRs this season. I prefer Mooney over Robinson moving forward until we see a positive trend for Robinson.
Steelers @ Browns
Start – Diontae Johnson – Diontae Johnson has emerged as a must play WR every week. He is the definition of consistency. He is averaging 10 targets in games he has played in and that is including a game where he only had 2 targets. In the 2-target game he still racked up 72 receiving yards and a TD. Johnson has had either a TD or at least 71 receiving yards in all 5 of his games. Diontae is Big Bens favorite and most reliable target and with JuJu Smith-Schuster gone for the season, him and Chase Claypool should produce along with the rookie standout Najee Harris. Expect Big Ben to air it out if they trail or the Browns shut down the Steelers run game.
Sit – Odell Beckham Jr – Even I still had some hope for OBJ this season, but that hope is diminishing quickly. He has now played in 5 consecutive games but has struggled to produce even with injuries to others that had given him better chances to succeed. OBJ also struggles with injuries every week and is questionable to play more often than not. Jarvis Landry should be good to go this week resulting in less targets for OBJ who has steadily declined statistically every year since 2018. OBJ is averaging just 45 yards a game and has yet to score.
Titans @ Colts
Start – AJ Brown – AJ Brown had a good week 1 but struggled quite a bit from week 2 through week 5. Week 6 he had 7 receptions for 91 yards and followed that up with 8 receptions for 113 yards and a TD in week 7. It is safe to say AJ is back to being a great fantasy WR and gets the Colts who give up plenty of points to opposing WRs. Ak has double the number of targets than Julio Jones the past 2 weeks. The Titans have won 3 in a row and are looking great offensively. AJ leads the team in targets, receptions, and receiving yards, and is tied for receiving TDs this season and should do more of the same Sunday in Indianapolis. I’m expecting plenty of points in this one.
Sit – Nyheim Hines – Nyheim Hines has just 1 TD this season and hasn’t been fantasy relevant since week 3. Jonathon Taylor is RB1 and is having a fantastic season. Hines and Mack are both not getting enough snaps to compete with Taylor. The Titans have a good run defense as well so if you haven’t benched or dropped Hines yet, you can do so confidently barring any Taylor injuries.
Bengals @ Jets
Start – Joe Mixon – Mixon might be the most obvious must play this week. The Jets are possibly the worst defense against opposing RBs this season and Mixon is healthy and will get his usual workload. The Bengals look to stay hot and should win convincingly with a lead throughout the game. Mixon is averaging 17+ carries per game this season. If this game gets a little too out of hand, Samaje Perine could also get a lot of opportunities making him a sneaky play.
Sit – Tyler Boyd – You could argue the Jets are the worst team in the NFL but statistically they do a good job defending WRs. Boyd is a great WR but seems to be the low man on the totem pole. Ja’Marr Chase is putting up stupid elite numbers as a rookie and Tee Higgins is healthy again. Chase has 754 receiving yards and 5 TDs and Higgins has been targeted more than Boyd in every game they have played together. Higgins had 15 targets alone last week. CJ Uzomah has also joined the Bengals fantasy party scoring 5 TDs in his last 4 games. Boyd meanwhile is averaging 3 receptions and 23 receiving yards his last 3 games. The Bengals should score a ton this week, but Boyd is least likely to contribute as of lately.
Rams @ Texans
Start – Tyler Higbee – Higbee gets the Texans this week who have given up 21+ points to opposing offenses every single week this season. In fact, they average 29 points against them. Higbee is 3rd on the team in receiving yards in a loaded offense that score a lot of TDs. The Texans struggle against TEs so Higbee has a great opportunity to rack up some yards and find the end zone. All Rams players are good plays this week.
Sit – Nico Collins – Nico Collins is WR2 on the Texans. Brandin Cooks is WR1 and even he isn’t an ideal play this week. There really aren’t any Texans players to feel confident starting in fantasy football this year. The Texans struggle to score points and struggle to stop opponents scoring. Nico has 11 targets in the past 2 weeks but that has only translated to 72 receiving yards and no scores. Tyrod Taylor could play which certainly helps the Texans chances, but I would still sit all Houston players this week with the exception of Brandin Cooks if you need to.
Patriots @ Chargers
Start – Damien Harris – Damien Harris is on fire scoring 4 rushing TDs in his last 3 games. He has also had 14+ carries each of those weeks and surpassed 100 rushing yards 2 consecutive weeks leading into the Patriots matchup with the Chargers. The LA Chargers have excelled defensively against opposing QBs and WRs but have struggled with RBs and TEs. Damien should be in for a nice day unless the Chargers build a big lead taking out their frustration on the Patriots after losing handily to the Ravens prior to the BYE week. Both Harris and Hunter Henry will be looking to extend their TD streaks.
Sit – Jakobi Meyers – Like I said above, the Chargers defense has excelled against opposing WRs. Meyers is in his 3rd year and is about to play in his 37th regular season game. It is shocking that he has never scored a regular season TD in his career but unfortunately for him this week doesn’t bode well for his chances. I’m steering clear of all Patriots not named Damien or Hunter this week.
Jaguars @ Seahawks
Start – James Robinson – There might not be a hotter player right now in the NFL than James Robinson. He has double digit carries from week 2 on and has scored 5 rushing TDs in his last 4 games. Also, in his last 4 games he has an average of 17 carries and 97 rushing yards per game. Robinson is 6th in total rushing yards in the NFL this season including a week 1 game where he only had 5 carries and a week 7 BYE. The Seahawks are struggling on both sides of the ball but struggle the most with opposing RBs. The game is in Seattle so running the ball will be a priority for the Jags in whatever weather.
Sit – Geno Smith – Geno Smith has not had the best of times filling in for the usually always healthy Russel Wilson. Geno has thrown 3 TDs in his 3 games he has played in this season along with 1 INT. Geno has not passed the eye test and has yet to win this season. He has weapons at WR but has only downgraded them thus far. Seattle is favored by 3.5 this week against a 1-win Jaguar team. I would be surprised if the Jags weren’t competitive in this game and could even get their 2nd win in a row.
Washington @ Broncos
Start – Jerry Jeudy – Jerry Jeudy is set to make his return this week after being on the IR since getting injured in week 1. Everyone is hyping up Courtland Sutton this week for good reason, but my gut is telling me Jeudy is the guy. Jeudy had 6 receptions on 7 targets for 72 receiving yards prior to his injury. His potential is still promising as long as he can stay healthy. Teddy Bridgewater looks to be healthy and starting this week making Jeudy and Sutton both great plays against the rather terrible Washington defense. All offensive Broncos should be started confidently this week.
Sit – Taylor Heinicke – The Denver Broncos defense has been good this year averaging about 18 points against them through 7 weeks. Heinicke has not won a game since week 4 and has thrown 4INTs compared to just 2 TDs in his last 3 games. Terry McLaurin is the only Washington player I would start confidently this week.
Buccaneers @ Saints
Start – Chris Godwin – Tom Brady makes everyone around him better. No Antonio Brown this week gives more opportunity to Mike Evans and Chris Godwin. Rob Gronkowski is expected to play which could take away some targets from both Evans and Godwin, especially in the end zone. The Saints defense is good and Marshon Lattimore will most likely be shadowing Evans. Godwin should produce plenty of receptions and yards because we know Tom Brady will be airing it out if the game is close or not.
Sit – Mark Ingram – Mark Ingram was traded midweek to the Saints where he began his NFL career. I’m assuming Ingram will be the leading RB behind Alvin Kamara. Ingram will get some opportunities of course but the trade seems to only downgrade Kamara. I can see Ingram getting a TD in his welcome home game this weekend but it’s unlikely and I’m not willing to risk it in a starting lineup.
Cowboys @ Vikings
Start – Adam Thielen – The Vikings game this week has the highest o/u at 53.5 and for good reason. The Vikings and Cowboys can put up a lot of points and if I’m betting on it, I would favor the over. Thielen is 2nd to Justin Jefferson in targets, receptions, and receiving yards but does have 5 TDs which is 2 more than Jefferson. Thielen had a slump in week 4 and 5 but exploded for 126 receiving yards and a TD in week 6 before the Vikings had their week 7 BYE. Both teams are fresh off of BYEs and should be eager to play. I assume Cowboys defensive rookie of the year candidate Trevon Diggs will cover Jefferson. If Kirk Cousins want to move the ball down field, he will favor his reliable target Thielen.
Sit – Dalton Schultz – I tried to warn you about Dalton Schultz 2 weeks ago in a bad matchup against the Patriots. He went for 79 yards on 5 receptions in an OT win. That’s my bad. No TDs but still a good day. This week he gets the Vikings in Minnesota. I think he could have a decent day, but I’m still putting him on my bench for 2 reasons. 1 is that the Vikings have been pretty good against TEs this year. The other reason is that Michael Gallup is returning to Dallas’s offense. Schultz should still get looks but not as many as usual, and Dak is questionable with a calf injury so I would feed Zeke to keep Dak from having to run around.