Who to Start in Fantasy Football? NFL Week 8 First Look
There are no teams on a bye in Week 8, leaving us with plenty of games to enjoy and lots of options for fantasy football this week. There are some great matchups among them, including the Seahawks hosting the Bills.
We have a wide variety of picks and projections to consider on PrizePicks to help decide who to start in fantasy football. Let’s take an early look at the board and highlight some of the more appealing players to start in fantasy football this week at each position.
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Who to Start in Fantasy Football? Week 8
Here’s our full list of who to start in fantasy football for Week 8. Click the player to view their PrizePicks Projections.
Who to Start: Quarterbacks
Who to Start: Running Backs
Who to Start: Wide Receivers
Who to Start: Tight Ends
Who to Start in Week 8: Quarterbacks
Packers QB Jordan Love 1.5 Pass TDs — More (Goblin)
Packers QB Jordan Love continues to rack up touchdowns in bunches. He finished with three touchdown passes against the Texans in Week 7, giving him at least two touchdown passes in all five games that he has played. In three of those games, Love finished with at least three touchdown passes.
Week 8 brings a matchup against the Jaguars, who have given up the most touchdown passes (16) in the league. Love enters this matchup with tremendous upside against the 32nd ranked pass defense by expected points added per play (EPA) this year at .304.
Eagles QB Jalen Hurts 231.5 Pass Yards — More
Eagles QB Jalen Hurts had one passing touchdown and two rushing touchdowns against the Giants last week. The Eagles dominated the entire game, so Hurts only attempted 14 passes on his way to throwing for 114 yards.
While he has produced some modest passing yardage totals this season with both receivers struggling with injury, he has 11 total touchdowns. Now, he has his top weapons back, and he’s got his upside back.
Look for him to produce a juicy stat line against a Bengals team that ranks 28th in the league in schedule-adjusted fantasy points allowed (aFPA) to quarterbacks, per 4for4 Fantasy Football.
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Who to Start in Week 8: Running Backs
Texans RB Joe Mixon 76.5 Rush Yards — More
The Texans want to run the ball, especially with WR Nico Collins sidelined, which has resulted in them having the seventh-most rushing attempts in the league.
Texans RB Joe Mixon has been limited to three full games this season because of injury. In those games, Mixon rushed for at least 100 yards in each of them. In two of those games, he received at least 25 carries.
Another heavy workload could result in him producing a monster stat line against a Colts team that has given up the second-most rushing yards per game (159.9) in the league.
Bills RB James Cook 57.5 Rush Yards — More
After missing one game with a toe injury, Bills RB James Cook returned against the Titans in Week 7. He scored a touchdown, but he had only 32 yards on 12 carries against the league’s best rush defense, per rbdsdm. Although he has three games this season with fewer than 40 rushing yards, he also has six total touchdowns.
The Seahawks are tied for the fourth-most rushing touchdowns allowed (10) and have allowed the eighth-highest explosive rush percentage (11.39%) in the league, per 4for4. They’re also ranked 27th in rush defense success rate, via rbsdm. Don’t expect them to be able to slow Cook down.
Broncos RB Javonte Williams 56.5 Rush Yards — MORE
The Broncos rode their rushing attack in a lopsided win over the Saints in Week 7. Broncos RB Javonte Williams made the most of his 14 carries, finishing with 88 rushing yards and two touchdowns. That marked the third time over the last four games that he has received at least 13 carries.
In what could be another lopsided win in Week 8, expect Williams to have significant upside against a Panthers team that has allowed the most rushing yards per game in the league (162.1).
Who to Start in Week 8: Wide Receivers
Bengals WR Tee Higgins 64.5 Receiving Yards — More
Bengals WR Tee Higgins produced four receptions for 82 yards and a touchdown against the Browns last week. Higgins has finished with at least 60 receiving yards in each of his last four games, partly because he was targeted at least seven times in each of those games.
His role isn’t going to change anytime soon, so he’s an appealing option against an Eagles team that has allowed the seventh-highest pass EPA per play (0.17) in the league, per 4for4.
Falcons WR Drake London 70.5 Receiving Yards – MORE
Falcons WR Drake London has received 27.2% of the team’s targets this season and has been targeted on 31.5% of his routes run. He has produced at least six receptions in six straight games and he caught a touchdown pass in five of those games.
The last time he took on the Buccaneers, he finished with 12 receptions for 154 yards and one touchdown. The Buccaneers have allowed the fourth-most receptions to wide receivers in the league (98), with extreme efficiency from opposing QBs, leaving London with plenty of upside in their Week 8 rematch.
Eagles WR A.J. Brown 76.5 Receiving Yards — More
Even with Hurts not throwing much last week, Eagles WR A.J. Brown finished with five receptions for 89 yards and a touchdown. He has at least five receptions, 89 yards, and one touchdown in all three games that he has played in this season, and he still looks like Hurts’ No. 1 guy.
Brown is one of the most explosive wide receivers in the league, averaging 6.5 yards after the catch and posting an average depth of target of 13.3 yards. In just three games, he already has five receptions of at least 20 yards.
Who to Start in Week 8: Tight End
Jaguars TE Evan Engram 45.5 Receiving Yards — More
When Jaguars TE Evan Engram runs a route, QB Trevor Lawrence is often looking his way. He has been targeted on a whopping 37.3% of his routes run this season.
After missing four straight games with an injury, Engram has caught all 15 of his targets over the last two games for a total of 137 yards. The Packers score a ton of points with Love at the helm, so the Jaguars should need to throw a lot to try and keep pace.
That’s good news for Engram because the Packers are tied for the seventh-most receptions allowed to tight ends (39) in the league.
Raiders TE Brock Bowers 61.5 Receiving Yards — More
The Raiders offense is in rough shape, and they are particularly a mess at wide receiver after trading Davante Adams to the Jets. That resulted in a massive role for Raiders TE Brock Bowers, who has been targeted on 35.7% of his routes run this year.
He has been targeted at least 10 times in each of their last three games — all without Adams, producing a total of 27 receptions for 261 yards and a touchdown. While facing the Chiefs in Week 8 might seem like a tall order, they have allowed the second-most receiving yards (501) and the second-most receptions allowed (43) to tight ends this year.
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Build Your Week 8 NFL DFS Lineup on PrizePicks
After some significant injuries in Week 7, we have plenty of start or sit decisions to consider for fantasy football. The good news is, no teams will be on a bye in Week 8.
You can get in on the action in Week 8 by building a team on PrizePicks for the Sunday main slate. There are no salary constraints, so just pick two or more projections — like rushing or receiving yards — for your favorite players, finalize your lineup, sit back, and enjoy the games.
Follow Mike Barner for more NFL Picks: @rotomikebarner
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