Week 8 Sit Start Advice

This is the Fantasy Football Nerd's look at the best and worst matchups for Week 8 of the 2016 NFL season. Decisions are based upon the FFN rankings and matchup analysis. Given the known conditions, these matchups are the ones to watch and/or avoid.

Please Note: This list does not generally include the elite players that you are going to start regardless of matchup. You don't need us to tell you to start Aaron Rodgers, Rob Gronkowski, or Antonio Brown. Instead, we take a look at other players on your team that we believe either have great matchups or should be avoided for multiple reasons. Factors like opposing defense, performance trending, and peer comparisons may influence our decisions.

Start 'em Jameis Winston (TB, QB)
It's not very often you see Jameis Winston in the Top 10 let alone the Top 5, but there he sits with a plum matchup against the 32nd-ranked pass defense of the Oakland Raiders. After dropping 3 TDs on the Niners last week, look for Winston to light up the silver and black.

Start 'em Russell Wilson (SEA, QB)
Russell Wilson and wife Ciara announced that they are expecting. Congrats to the couple and hopefully Mr. Wilson will deliver a bundle of joy to fantasy owners this week against the Saints who give up the 3rd-most passing yards and 20 fantasy points to opposing signal callers.

Start 'em Christine Michael (SEA, RB)
You'll find Christine Michael inside the Top 5 this week facing the Saints who are giving up almost 117 yards on the ground each week. Over the last four matchups, New Orleans has given up an average of 21 fantasy points (24 PPR) to lead RBs making Michael a great RB1 play this week.

Start 'em Spencer Ware (KC, RB)
Over the last three weeks, the Colts have surrendered 23.6 standard fantasy points (26.6 PPR) to opposing rushers. Spencer Ware has been getting the lion's share of the carries, and with tons of question marks surrounding Jamaal Charles, Ware remains a safe play.

Start 'em Devontae Booker (DEN, RB)
Amid conflicting reports that CJ Anderson is expected to miss time (perhaps the rest of the season), Devontae Booker becomes a must-add to any fantasy roster. Now, he's likely to struggle this week against a San Diego line that gives up the 8th fewest yards per game and has largely held RBs in check, but he should be added in season-long leagues ASAP.

Start 'em Michael Crabtree (OAK, WR)
Both Michael Crabtree and Amari Cooper should put up solid stat lines for fantasy owners this week just as other WR duo's have this year. Denver's Emmanuel Sanders and Demaryius Thomas put up a combined 30 points against Tampa Bay in Week 4. Julio Jones and Mohamed Sanu put up a combined 28 points in Week 1.

Start 'em Terrelle Pryor (CLE, WR)
His hamstring issue limited him in practice and last week's game, but the desire to play wasn't diminished. He won't be 100% this week (he claims he's 80%), but on a team riddled with issues, he's still atop the depth chart and the kind of playmaker they need. Facing the Jets who give up the 6th-most yards per game through the air, Terrelle Pryor should still be a solid WR3/Flex play this week.

Start 'em Cameron Brate (TB, TE)
Available in more than half of all Yahoo leagues is Cameron Brate who should be able to benefit from the Oakland secondary in the same way that Jameis Winston, Jaquizz Rodgers, and Mike Evans will. A rising tide lifts all boats.

Start 'em Jack Doyle (IND, TE)
Ranked 10th this week is Jack Doyle - a name that not many people know but should. With Dwayne Allen likely out again, Andrew Luck has turned to Doyle often the past three weeks. Even though no tight end has reached double digits in fantasy production, Doyle's involvement makes him a viable TE1 this week.

Start 'em New York Jets (NYJ, DEF)
There are Help Wanted ads all over Cleveland looking for assistance at the QB position. If Cody Kessler cannot go, it's going to be Kevin Hogan under center. The Jets are ranked 6th this week so if you're streaming defenses, Gang Green could fit the bill for you.

Start 'em Matt Bryant (ATL, K)
Matt Bryant is ranked 3rd this week among kickers on FFN facing a Green Bay team that has surrendered 8.2 fantasy points to kickers on average this season. Don't be surprised to see Bryant hit double digits this week.

Sit 'em Brock Osweiler (HOU, QB)
Even though QBs are averaging more than 20 fantasy points a week against the Lions, we do not want any part of the Brocketship. Even against a Detroit secondary giving up the 9th-most yards per game, Brock Osweiler is a risky start. Apparently $72 million gets you a guy that can fumble the ball simply by trying to throw a pass.

Sit 'em Kirk Cousins (WAS, QB)
After putting up a nice stat line, it's time for Cousins to come back to jolly ol' Earth this week against the 12th-ranked pass defense of the Bengals. Cincy is allowing an average of 19 fantasy points which makes Kirk Cousins a strong QB flex play, just not QB1 material.

Sit 'em Ryan Mathews (PHI, RB)
If you were disappointed by Ryan Mathews last week, have a seat. This week he gets rival Dallas and their 10th-ranked rush defense. Hill, Hyde, Howard, Jones, and Jennings averaged 9 fantasy points against Jerry's team. Expectations are low for Mathews this week.

Sit 'em Jamaal Charles (KC, RB)
For a guy who was supposed to be "110%", we haven't seen even 10% and there's no guarantee that we will. Spencer Ware has been pretty dominating and that leaves little reason for the Chiefs to push him. One carry last week just isn't going to cut it. Charles needs to ride the pine until we know what kind of role he's going to play.

Sit 'em Cameron Meredith (CHI, WR)
You could put both Cameron Meredith and Alshon Jeffery in this category this week. The Vikings give up the 4th-fewest passing yards and the 2nd-fewest fantasy points to wide receivers making this a very difficult day for the Bears' wideouts.

Sit 'em Coby Fleener (NO, TE)
Coby Fleener struggled last week as predicted and this week isn't going to be much easier. The Seahawks allow the 9th-fewest passing yards and the 2nd-fewest fantasy points just behind Denver. At best, Fleener is a low-end TE2 option this week, and at worst, he's not even a flex play. Leave him on the bench.

Sit 'em Green Bay Packers (GB, DEF)
The Green and Gold have been solid up front (less the matchup with Zeke), but they're not going to have an answer for Julio Jones and Matt Ryan. This duo of Ryan/Jones has been on fire all year, and given the Pack's #24 ranking among DSTs this week, the industry doesn't think they're going to cool down anytime soon.

Sit 'em Wil Lutz (NO, K)
The road should be a bit bumpy for the high-powered offense of the Saints this week facing a Seattle defense that gives up the 2nd-fewest points on the board this season. The Seahawks have surrendered just 5.6 points on average to kickers each week.

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