Week 8 is here, meaning we have already reached the midway point of the 2021 fantasy football season. This week doesn’t present the problems that last week did in terms of byes, but there are going to be some tough decisions as far as lineups are concerned. Here are my players to start and sit this weekend.
Quarterback
Start ‘Em
Joe Burrow, Cincinnati Bengals – Burrow is beginning to enter must-start territory in fantasy football. The Bengals are 5-2 and he has established one of the best QB-WR partnerships in the NFL with Ja’Marr Chase. Burrow has also scored 20+ fantasy points in three of his last four games. This weekend he faces a Jets defense that allowed 54 points against New England.
Matt Ryan, Atlanta Falcons – Ryan has been the picture of consistency in fantasy football through recent weeks. The Falcons pass-heavy offense helps in that regard and he has scored 20+ points in two of his last three outings. He hasn’t scored less than 15 points since Week 1. With Kyle Pitts finding his feet and a matchup against a floundering Panthers team, Ryan is a solid option in Week 8.
Sit ‘Em
Daniel Jones, New York Giants – People are going to be tempted by the matchup in this one and I get it. The Chiefs defense has been abysmal this season and rank 31st in points allowed to opposing quarterbacks. That said, this Giants offense has been struggling with injuries and Jones has been averaging just 8.8 points per game since Week 4. I’m not confident that he will suddenly turn that around.
Tua Tagovailoa, Miami Dolphins – I liked Tua’s chances last week and he paid dividends, scoring 26.5 points against the Falcons. I’m steering clear this week though thanks to a tough matchup against Buffalo. The Bills are the No. 1 ranked fantasy defense and have allowed an NFL best 180.5 passing yards per game. They also shut the Dolphins out when they met in Week 2.
Running back
Start ‘Em
Khalil Herbert, Chicago Bears – After a strong performance against the Bucs last week I’m all in on Herbert. He has produced well, averaging a very impressive 4.9 yards per carry since becoming a starter. He’s also getting the volume you want, averaging over 20 touches per game over the last three weeks. This has the makings of a winning formula.
Kenneth Gainwell, Philadelphia Eagles – Herbert isn’t the only rookie running back worth starting this weekend. With Miles Sanders questionable with an injury, Gainwell should get plenty of opportunities in Philly. He looked good when called upon last week and has a couple of favourable matchups ahead of him, including this weekend against the Lions. Detroit are allowing a whopping 28.7 points per game to opposing running backs.
Sit ‘Em
Melvin Gordon, Denver Broncos – Everybody has been wondering when Javonte Williams will take over from Gordon as the Broncos’ lead back. Even if it isn’t this weekend against Washington, Williams has eaten into Gordon’s touches enough to minimise his value as a fantasy starter. He hasn’t topped 60 yards or scored 12+ points since the opener and has just one touchdown in his last four games.
Jamaal Williams, Detroit Lions – Williams has been seeing plenty of action as the RB2 in Detroit, with at least 12 carries in four of his last five games. The problem is that this hasn’t translated into any sort of fantasy production. He has just two touchdowns all season and hasn’t scored more than 8.5 points since Week 3.
Wide receiver
Start ‘Em
Courtland Sutton, Denver Broncos – Since Week 4, Sutton has averaged 10 targets and 94 receiving yards per game. He has also scored two touchdowns in that period. This weekend he faces a Washington defense who show no sign of fixing their disastrous secondary anytime soon. There should be plenty of points here.
Devonta Smith, Philadelphia Eagles – Smith hasn’t had a touchdown since Week 1, but don’t let that distract you from his production. He has been putting up solid numbers in a limited Eagles offense and has averaged 72.8 receiving yards through his last four starts. This weekend’s matchup against Detroit should give him plenty of opportunities to impress.
Sit ‘Em
Jaylen Waddle, Miami Dolphins – Much like Tua, Waddle is the victim of a bad matchup this weekend. He has been producing since his quarterback’s return, but there is a big difference between performing well against the Jaguars and Falcons and doing so against the Bills. Buffalo are allowing the second fewest points to wide receivers this season.
Corey Davis, New York Jets – With Zach Wilson out injured we are likely to see Joe Flacco under center in New York this weekend. That doesn’t exactly fill me with confidence as far as Davis’ fantasy production is concerned. Add to this the fact they are facing a Bengals defense that has been performing very well through recent weeks and I’m even less keen.
Tight end
Start ‘Em
Hunter Henry, New England Patriots – Henry has beaten out Jonnu Smith as New England’s TE1 for this season and he’s been producing steadily through recent weeks. He has scored double digit points and a touchdown in each of his last four outings. This week he faces a Chargers defense who rank 31st in fantasy points allowed to tight ends.
Tyler Higbee, Los Angeles Rams – This is purely a matchup situation. Higbee hasn’t scored double digits since Week 3, but he’s had a fairly consistent target share. This weekend he faces the Texans, who rank 30th in points allowed to tight ends. The last time Higbee matched up against a team ranked 20th or worse in that metric saw him score 15 points.
Sit ‘Em
Jared Cook, Los Angeles Chargers – Cook has produced fairly well since his switch to the Chargers, but I’m not keen on his matchup this weekend. They come out of their bye to face the Patriots, who are allowing the second fewest points to tight ends in the NFL. With Allen and Williams on the outside, Herbert will look elsewhere.
C.J. Uzomah, Cincinnati Bengals – Uzomah has produced well, but his fantasy production has been inflated by an unsustainable touchdown rate. He has scored five touchdowns on just 13 receptions through his last four games. That isn’t sustainable and his low volume of receptions is a red flag.
Defense
Start ‘Em
Atlanta Falcons – It would take a lot for me to suggest starting the Falcons, but this isn’t an ordinary matchup. They face a Panthers team in crisis who scored just three points against the 1-5 Giants last week. I don’t have much hope for a Carolina turnaround and so Atlanta seem a solid fantasy option.
Sit ‘Em
New Orleans Saints – The Saints defense has been pretty solid this season, but this is a tough matchup. They face the in-form Tom Brady and the Bucs, who have topped 30 points five times already this season. Tampa Bay also rank second in the NFL with 423 yards of offense per game.