Week 8 Start/Sit Advice

Wednesday, Oct 26, 2022 at 10:07 pm ET

This is the Fantasy Nerd's look at the best and worst matchups for Week 8 of the 2022 NFL season. Analysis is aggregated from multiple sources including FN. Rankings are based upon PPR (point per reception) scoring. 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 Jonathan Taylor, Travis Kelce, or Cooper Kupp. 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 Kirk Cousins (MIN, QB)
Fresh off a bye, Kirk Cousins and company should be plenty refreshed to take on the Cardinals. Arizona ranks in the bottom 10 in stopping opposing QBs. They couldn't stop Andy Dalton last week who put up 26.5 points. Cousins' floor is pretty safe in this one, but it's his ceiling that we're really after in this one.

6th Most Pts to QB

Start 'em Tua Tagovailoa (MIA, QB)
It's no secret that we're not big fans of Tua Tagovailoa. He has only one game this year where he's thrown for multiple scores and his Fantasy Nerds consistency grade is a big ole "F", but we like him in this matchup. The Lions have been so favorable to quarterbacks this season including giving up 31.7 points to Geno Smith in Week 4 and 27 points to Carson Wentz in Week 2. He should be able to produce QB1 numbers in this game.

5th Most Pts to QB

Start 'em Daniel Jones (NYG, QB)
What do you get when you combine a mobile QB with a defense that gives up the 4th-most rushing yards per game? The answer: A solid fantasy day from Daniel Jones. Fresh off a 107-yard rushing performance, Danny Dimes is a phenomenal streaming option if you have a QB on bye. Jared Goff took home 33 fantasy points against the Seahawks back in Week 4 so it's absolutely possible for Jones to deliver fringe QB1-type numbers.

11th Most Pts to QB

Start 'em Travis Etienne (JAC, RB)
The James Robinson trade essentially made Travis Etienne an RB1 overnight. His targets and carries were already trending up, but with Robinson gone, there's really no threat to his workload. JaMycal Hasty and Snoop Conner will get the occasional rotation, but neither is a legitimate threat. It's a tough matchup, but volume and talent should be enough to make Etienne a high-end RB2 this week with RB1 easily in sight the rest of the season.

14th Fewest Pts to RB

Start 'em Josh Jacobs (LV, RB)
Did you know that Josh Jacobs has three straight games of at least 143 yards rushing? He's averaged 33.7 points over those games. It's not crazy to think that he could deliver another game past the century mark. He's had at least 20 carries per game over that stretch. As long as they continue to feed him the ball, that volume combined with the fact that the Saints have been average against the run make Jacobs a must-start.

15th Fewest Pts to RB

Start 'em Raheem Mostert (MIA, RB)
Raheem Mostert delivered a nice 20 point fantasy day against the Steelers last week. This week he'll face a Lions defense that has given up the 2nd-most yards on the ground and the 3rd-most fantasy points on the season. Ezekiel Elliott put up 17 points last week and Rashaad Penny put up 28 points in Week 4. Mostert is a solid RB2 in this game.

3rd Most Pts to RB

Start 'em DeAndre Hopkins (ARI, WR)
With no Hollywood Brown, DeAndre Hopkins resumed his normal role last week pulling in 10 of his 14 targets for 103 yards and a nice 20 point fantasy day. The matchup this week will be more difficult, but Hopkins will still be a WR1. Tyreek Hill and Jaylen Waddle averaged 22.4 points against the Vikings in Week 6 so the potential is there.

12th Most Pts to WR

Start 'em Chris Olave (NO, WR)
Chris Olave hauled in 9 of his targets for a solid 106 yards last week. That's his second 100-yard game this season. He's really the only bright spot on this receiving corp right now so we'll continue to play the hot hand. That's even better against a Saints team that has allowed the 14th-most yards to receivers and ranks in the Top 10 for fantasy points surrendered this season.

10th Most Pts to WR

Start 'em Brandin Cooks (HOU, WR)
In the past, Brandin Cooks was PPR-gold quietly delivering consistent points each week. 2022 has been a different season for him. He only has two games of at least 10 targets and that was back in Weeks 1 & 2. Since then, it's been boom or bust with more busts than booms. Still, we like him this week against the Titans who are giving up the third most yards per game to receivers and the second most fantasy points to them.

2nd Most Pts to WR

Start 'em Zach Ertz (ARI, TE)
Zach Ertz only caught two of his four targets last week delivering his first single-digit fantasy day of the season. Let's not put too much stock in that as he's steadily delivered an average of 12.1 fantasy points each week (Fantasy Nerds Consistency Grade of "A"). He's ranked inside our Top 10 this week facing the Vikings who have been very nice to tight ends this year including a whopping 24.9 fantasy points to Mike Gesicki in Week 6.

9th Most Pts to TE

Start 'em Pat Freiermuth (PIT, TE)
It's not a great matchup and Pat Freiermuth can be inconsistent at times, but he's also seen at least nine targets in half of his games this season. If he can see that many targets in this one, that volume should help him deliver TE1 fantasy points.

13th Fewest Pts to TE

Start 'em San Francisco 49ers (SF, DEF)
Nobody is giving up more fantasy points to opposing defenses this season than the Rams and the Niners have been solid. Matthew Stafford is averaging 1.3 interceptions per game making the Niners a must-start this week.

Most pts to DEF

Start 'em Daniel Carlson (LV, K)
There's a lot to like about the Raiders' kicker this year. With the exception of Week 1 (9 points), Daniel Carlson has delivered double-digit fantasy points every week. We're expecting a similar result against the Saints who have given up the second most fantasy points to kicker this season.

2nd Most Pts to K

Sit 'em Aaron Rodgers (GB, QB)
It's utterly remarkable how bad Aaron Rodgers and the Packers have been this year. Coming off yet another loss, the Pack will face the Bills on Sunday night. Normally any type of shootout would be great, but the Bills defense has not allowed anyone to score more than 19 fantasy points (Patrick Mahomes last week). Remove Mahomes and the Bills have surrendered just 9 fantasy points to the opposing starting QB. Rodgers is averaging just 13.8 points/game. There is nothing to like here.

5th Fewest Pts to QB

Sit 'em Russell Wilson (DEN, QB)
Russell Wilson announced today that he is ready to roll against the Jaguars in London Sunday morning. Still, that doesn't mean that you should start him. On the season, Wilson's production barely makes him a low-end QB2. Sitting out last week doesn't magically fix everything that's wrong with him or this offense. He's still dealing with a hamstring issue and the matchup is tougher than you might think. He's a sit for us.

14th Most Pts to QB

Sit 'em Sam Ehlinger (IND, QB)
With the Colts benching Matt Ryan for the rest of the season, you might be tempted to pick up Sam Ehlinger on the waiver wire and plug him into your lineup in a plus matchup. The sixth round pick of last year's draft hasn't thrown a regular season pass in the NFL yet. There's no telling what kind of production he'll be able to provide making him a risky play. We're going to play the wait and see game with Ehlinger.

8th Most Pts to QB

Sit 'em James Conner (ARI, RB)
It's not clear whether James Conner is going to suit up in Week 8, but right now it appears that he will. There are a lot of negative factors here. First, he's still dealing with injured ribs. If you've ever had that, it makes breathing difficult. Second, the matchup is tough. The Vikings give up just 84 rushing yards per game. Third, Eno Benjamin has played well in Conner's absence, so while Conner will certainly lead this backfield committee, he may not see the number of touches that he normally would. We have to hope for some goal line work. Conner is nothing more than a flex option this week.

12th Most Pts to RB

Sit 'em AJ Dillon (GB, RB)
The Quad Father has not produced a double-digit fantasy day since Week 1 and we've watched his carries really taper off over the past three games. The Packers have given Aaron Jones a bigger role leaving AJ Dillon with little opportunity to produce. Add in a ridiculously tough matchup against the Bills and Dillon isn't even in flex discussion.

6th Fewest Pts to RB

Sit 'em James Robinson (NYJ, RB)
With Breece Hall out for the season, the Jets did what they had to do to compete this season. James Robinson's immediate task is learning the Jets' playbook. It's reasonable to expect Michael Carter to carry the workload this week. A limited role combined with a tough matchup (nobody has put up more than 14 points against the Patriots this year) makes Robinson a must-sit this week.

5th Fewest Pts to RB

Sit 'em Drake London (ATL, WR)
After such a strong start to the season, Drake London has fallen off over the last four games averaging just 5 fantasy points per game. That's too bad because this is such a nice matchup. Carolina has been very generous to opposing receivers, but after a month of disappointment, are you willing to risk the week based upon what London can bring home? We're not.

7th Most Pts to WR

Sit 'em George Pickens (PIT, WR)
George Pickens is such a dynamic receiver, but inconsistent QB play has torpedoed his fantasy value. He has more single digit games this year than double-digits. A matchup with the Eagles is not exciting given that the second or third most targeted receivers on the opposing team have averaged less than 10 fantasy points per game. Case in point - last week CeeDee Lamb managed just 12 fantasy points while Michael Gallup and Noah Brown had 3 points or less. Pickens is certainly better than Gallup and Brown, but single digits is probably what we should expect.

12th Fewest Pts to WR

Sit 'em Romeo Doubs (GB, WR)
Like Pickens above, Romeo Doubs has exceptional talent and is poised to do big things in the league. That's not going to happen on Sunday night when he faces a Buffalo defense that ranks in the Top 10 fewest fantasy points allowed. He won't likely deliver fantasy owners with a doughnut like he did last week, but lower your expectations.

9th Fewest Pts to WR

Sit 'em Greg Dulcich (DEN, TE)
This is a bad matchup plain and simple, but we really like what we're seeing out of Greg Dulcich. He may not be a starter this week, but hold onto him. He's delivered back to back double-digit fantasy points including a nice 6-51 statline with Brett Rypien last week.

7th Fewest Pts to TE

Sit 'em Dawson Knox (BUF, TE)
Dawson Knox is talented and has produced in the past including a trip to the endzone last week, but there are a lot of mouths to feed in Buffalo. Stefon Diggs and Gabe Davis command the lion's share of targets. In fact, Knox is averaging just 4 targets per game. Combine that with a bad matchup (Green Bay gives up the second-fewest fantasy points to the position) and Knox is a Sit for us.

2nd Fewest Pts to TE

Sit 'em New Orleans Saints (NO, DEF)
In years past, the Saints have tended to field a solid defense. That hasn't been the case this year. In fact, they are allowing more points on the scoreboard than any other team right now. Add in a Vegas team that can hit you on the ground with Jacobs or through the air with Adams, and it's best to stream another defense for Week 8.

3rd Fewest Pts to DEF

Sit 'em Mason Crosby (GB, K)
We hate to keep picking on the Packers this week, but Mason Crosby needs to ride the pine. He has yet to deliver a double-digit fantasy day, is averaging just 5.1 points per game, and is facing a Bills defense that has given up the second-fewest fantasy points to kickers this year.

2nd Fewest Pts to K

Join the Discussion

If asking a sit/start question, be sure to provide your scoring format and contribute to answering questions from other FN members as well.

jamisdiablo CommentedOct 30, 2022 10:33 am

Ok, can't bring myself to start DK today even if he goes, so so you swap in Wandale Robinson, Doubs or Henderson Jr? Leaning Robinson since I'm also forced to start Daniel Jones this week. Thanks! (Comment on mine, I'll comment in yours, cheers!

jamisdiablo CommentedOct 30, 2022 10:33 am

Nerd CommentedOct 30, 2022 10:40 am

If PPR, I might go with Wan'Dale Robinson but it's close. In any other format, I'd probably lean Darrell Henderson.

jamisdiablo CommentedOct 30, 2022 10:33 am

Sorry for double post

jamisdiablo CommentedOct 30, 2022 12:24 pm

Yes, it was PPR, my bad. Thanks!

jamisdiablo CommentedNov 2, 2022 10:16 am

Hey there! Where is Elijah Mitchell on your site? Any news you can share? Thinking he may be worth a bench stash...? thanks!