The Fantasy Footballers’ Week 8 Starts
The second month of the NFL season is nearly in the books, and we are more than halfway through the fantasy regular season. Now is the time to roll up your sleeves and make the moves needed to bolster your team and position yourself to make the playoffs and make a run at a #footclan title. The start/sit decisions can be grueling, but as always, the Fantasy Footballers rankings are here to help you make the right call. Here are their Week 8 starts of the week, also available on Youtube.
Andy’s starts
QB Matt Ryan at New York Jets
Matt Ryan and the Atlanta offense should get back on track this week against a New York Jets defense ranked 24th against the pass. The Jets are coming off a woeful performance against Miami (Jay Cutler/Matt Moore) in which they allowed 325 yards passing and four TDs. Given that New York should be able to score on Atlanta’s defense and the over/under is 46 points for this game, it’s safe to start Ryan with confidence despite his disappointing performance last week.
RB Joe Mixon vs. Indianapolis
Mixon continues to be the top back in Cincinnati and gets an amazing matchup in Week 8. The Colts have given up 170 yards rushing and two TDs in each of the last two weeks. This game could be the start of a resetting of the Bengals offense, with a heavy dose of Mixon being a key component.
WR Nelson Agholor vs. San Francisco
Agholor is the tenth ranked fantasy WR and has established himself as a TD threat by scoring in three straight games and five-of-seven games for the year. He has four or more receptions over the past three weeks and has earned the trust of QB Carson Wentz, and has surpassed Alshon Jeffrey as the more appealing fantasy WR for the Eagles for the time being. Being a top target of Wentz, the leader in TD passes thrown on the season, in a home matchup against the 49ers makes for a great opportunity for Agholor to continue his touchdown streak and justify being nominated as a start of the week.
TE Jason Witten at Washington
Washington has been atrocious at covering TEs this year and Witten has been a reliable target for Dak Prescott this year. The lack of talent behind Dez Bryant at the WR position increases the target load Witten should see despite his lack of athleticism. The likelihood of a shootout should make him a solid start this week.
Jason’s starts
QB Philip Rivers at New England
The Patriots defense has given up over 20 fantasy points to opposing QBs in every game this season, and have surrendered over 40 points twice. Rivers should get the job in what looks to be a high-scoring game.
RB LeGarrette Blount vs. San Francisco
LeGarrette Blount has a great matchup against a terrible 49ers’ run defense. From the start of the 2016 season through last week, the 49ers are giving up the sixth highest fantasy point total to opposing RBs. The Eagles are playing at home as huge favorites, so Blount should have opportunities to score and get plenty of carries as they grind out the second half and run the clock.
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WR Kelvin Benjamin at Tampa Bay
The Carolina offense stunk it up last week, but a stretch of good matchups begins this week against Tampa Bay. The Bucs have allowed the second-most fantasy points per game to opposing WRs. Benjamin has a decent floor this week that minimizes his risk of a poor performance, and his chances of a big game this week against an awful pass defense look pretty good. This is a week where it shouldn’t be a struggle whether you should start him or leave him on the bench, put him in your lineup as he should be fine this week.
TE Kyle Rudolph vs. Cleveland (in London)
Cleveland has been horrible against TE’s, allowing the second-most fantasy points to the position this year. Rudolph has caught at least five passes in each of the last three games, and that consistent volume along with this great matchup make him a great starting option given the current TE landscape across the league.
Mike’s starts
QB Andy Dalton vs. Indianapolis
The “Chocolate Grasshopper” faces a struggling Colts defense that in recent weeks has allowed 330 yards to Blake Bortles, over 300 yards to Marcus Mariota who was slowed by injury at the time, and gave up over 300 yards to the now-benched Brian Hoyer. Dalton should continue that trend with a big game at home vs. Indy.
RB Jay Ajayi at Baltimore
Ajayi has 23+ carries per game over the last three weeks, and the Ravens have given up 154 yards rushing per game since Week 3, making Ajayi a great start this week.
WR Demaryius Thomas at Kansas City
The Chiefs are allowing the most fantasy points to WRs in the NFL this season, and are allowing an average of 13 receptions to wideouts over the last three weeks. If the Broncos offensive line can hold up, Thomas could approach his output of a couple weeks ago when he caught 10 passes for 133 yards against the Giants.
TE Tyler Kroft vs. Indianapolis
Tyler Kroft is a nice streaming option this week as the Colts have surrendered the ninth-most fantasy points to TEs this season. QB Andy Dalton should have no trouble shredding the Colts defense, and as the primary pass-catching TE Kroft should get an opportunity for a solid fantasy day. Kroft is a decent option to fill-in as a starter this week for anyone struggling at the TE position.
Jason Moore’s ironclad, locked-and-loaded, 100% guaranteed, boom-boom kicker of the week
Harrison But(t-kic)ker vs. Denver
The name says it all, Butker has been great since being inserted as the Chiefs kicker and he should continue to kick butt in Week 8.