NFL Players You Should Start & Sit in Fantasy Football for Week 8

There’s a maddening paradox in fantasy football. Sometimes the too-obvious-to-be-right choices prove to be just that and you end up kicking yourself, wondering, "How did I pysch myself out such a blatantly obvious decision?"

That was the case for anyone who benched Aaron Rodgers in Week 7. Mr. Discount Doublecheck, who’s been as good as ever this season, drew a matchup against Oakland’s miserable pass defense—ranked No. 31 in the league. Light work.

The Raiders have been absolutely atrocious against the pass, largely a result of their inability to generate any semblance of pressure. Oakland has 13 sacks this season. The second-worst team (the Giants) have 30. You read those sentences correctly. Bet Jon Gruden would like to have a guy like Khalil Mack on the roster right about now, huh?

But maybe, despite all the evidence pointing toward starting Rodgers, you psyched yourself out. Maybe you put the mustachioed signal-caller on your bench. And maybe you missed out on his explosive, league-attention-capturing day: 429 passing yards and five touchdowns to go along with a rushing score.

Or maybe—even worse!—you benched Marvin Jones. Ouch. We’re here to make sure you don’t experience similar regret again.

So, which players and storylines will define Week 8 of the 2019 NFL season? We’re here to give you a heads-up on what might unfold.

Below, we lay out players who are must-starts and must-sits for your fantasy lineup, based on variables such as opponent strength, recent trends, and injuries.

If you’d like to keep tabs on how we’ve been performing, check out our picks for Week 7.

It seems ridiculous to list Gurley, a fantasy darling since he entered the NFL from Georgia, in a “start ’em/sit ’em” piece. But things have been shaky for Gurley since his knee injuries in 2018, and though he's been good this year, he hasn't been his usual great self. For example, in the Rams' explosive win against Atlanta last week, he had 18 carries for 41 yards and caught one ball for a touchdown. Good, not great.

This week, though, Gurley has a dream matchup. The Rams host the Bengals, who have been obliterated by opposing running backs. Last week, Leonard Fournette ripped off 131 rushing yards against Cincy. Gurley is positioned for a big day.

Another guy who doesn’t seem to belong in this type of piece, but another guy who has underperformed this season. In his first campaign as Pittsburgh’s go-to wideout, JuJu has failed to have a single explosive game and has had two total no-shows. Some WRs with more points than the former USC star this season: Michael Gallup, Curtis Samuel, and D.J. Moore.

Given his struggles -- and the Steelers’ continued uncertainty at the QB position -- it’s fair to consider benching Smith-Schuster. But this should be a good week for him with the Steelers fresh off a bye and facing the Dolphins. Miami has given up an abundance of TDs to WRs this season. John Brown had a big day against the Dolphins in Week 7, and with Mason Rudolph back at QB, JuJu should do the same in Week 8. And don’t forget: it’s Monday Night Football. The stars live for the national spotlight.

Chark has been one of the breakout stars of 2019. A second-round pick in 2018, he spent his rookie campaign in anonymity, playing in only 11 games and catching 14 balls. But he's looked far more comfortable from the jump in 2019 and has been Gardner Minshew's go-to target.

Chark has been inconsistent, as should be expected from a young player. But after two underwhelming weeks, he faces the Jets, who have the No. 24 passing D in the league. After a disappointing four targets last week, expect Chark’s volume to rebound. He’s a good play both in Week 8 and the following week, when he’ll square off with a weak Texans secondary.

Carr is not an explosive QB, and he probably never will be, but he’s a reliable bet. He's getting plenty of volume this season, too, as he’s attempted at least 30 passes in five of seven games. Though he's yet to really break through in 2019, he'll have an opportunity to post big numbers against the Texans Sunday.

Houston has the No. 29 passing D in the league, and the Texans’ secondary has proven particularly vulnerable at surrendering yardage. That could mean highlight-reel days both for Carr and emerging tight end Darren Waller, who has put the Raiders’ wide receiving corps to shame.

The 2017 No. 5 overall pick has been an enigma this season. He's been hot some weeks, ice-cold the others. But Week 7 was one of his good weeks, as he caught six passes for 80 yards and a TD in Tennessee's thrilling win over the Chargers.

In Week 8, the talented 24-year-old, who was once all about that #MACtion, draws Tampa Bay. With Ryan Tannehill at QB, the Titans have the opportunity to exploit a Bucs passing D that's been the worst in the NFL. Delanie Walker’s status remains uncertain following his ankle injury in the first half Sunday, so Davis is the only viable play right now from Tennessee’s aerial attack.

This is the second straight week in which we’re advocating for keeping the 2017 MVP candidate on your bench. Last week, Wentz drew the Dallas Cowboys, and we foresaw turmoil. That proved to be the case, as the North Dakota State alum threw for only 191 yards and one touchdown while throwing a pick and fumbling the rock, by far his worst fantasy day of the season.

He has yet another tough draw this week, against a Bills D that is nearly the top in practically every category. Further, this game takes place in Western New York. With the Bills 5-1, you know the Ralph will be raucous. This is a must-win for Philly, but Wentz faces a tall task.

Mayfield hasn’t done enough this season to warrant a start against any opponent. He’s failed to live up to the hype, as the 2018 No. 1 overall pick and 2019 advertising darling has completed only 56.6% of his passes (63.8 percent last year) for five touchdowns and 11 picks (27 TDs and 14 picks last year).

Unfortunately, Mayfield doesn’t get a reprieve in Week 8. Instead, he gets met with the unstoppable force that is the New England Patriots. This Pats D is playing on another level. Expect multiple turnovers from Mayfield.

Hyde was a beneficiary of Lamar Miller's season-ending torn ACL. He was brought into Houston from Kansas City, where he would’ve been a backup, and immediately inherited a substantial role in the offense. He's had a couple big days—against his old Chiefs teammates and against Atlanta, in particular—but hasn't been reliable.

This week, he faces an Oakland D that, despite serious struggles against the pass, has been stout against the run. The Raiders have the No. 5 rushing D in the league. Even in their big loss to Green Bay, Aaron Jones only rushed for 50 yards. Look for Oakland to shut down Hyde this week.

Olsen came out of the gates hot but has struggled in the past three weeks, catching only six combined passes for 57 yards and no scores. Following the bye, Olsen is expected to resume a bigger role in the offense, as Carolina attempts to manage the wear and tear on MVP hopeful Christian McCaffrey.

Though the veteran tight end’s targets may well increase following the break, he draws a tough matchup at San Francisco on Sunday afternoon. The Niners have the No. 1 passing D in the league and are giving up only 24.2 yards per game to opposing TEs in 2019. Though Olsen may be a strong play later on in the season, you should avoid him this week.

On a week-to-week basis, it’s incredibly difficult to decide which Rams pass-catchers to play. Who will have the big day this week—Cooper Kupp, Robert Woods, Brandin Cooks, Gerald Everett, or someone else?

Cooks, like Olsen, had a stellar start but has cooled off in the past three weeks, catching eight total passes. He also has just one TD on the season, so his fantasy production has only been so-so. This week he draws a Cincy D that is allowing the fifth-fewest fantasy points to opposing WRs. For all of the Bengals' struggles in Year 1 under Zac Taylor, Cincy has contained opposing wideouts. Kupp remains a decent play, but Cooks should be benched.