Fantasy Football Start ‘Em, Sit ‘Em: Justin Boone’s lineup advice for Week 8

Make any day feel like Game Day with the Burger King Game Day Menu. Before you take your first bite, get your lineup ready with this week’s must-starts and sits.

Justin Boone provides a weekly look at undervalued fantasy players to consider starting this week and potential busts you might want to leave on your bench.

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For the rest of your lineup decisions, consult his Week 8 rankings.

Starts

Dak Prescott, QB, Cowboys

vs. Cardinals

Prescott is coming off a three-touchdown game that helped him finish as the QB6 overall last week. It was his first multiple-TD outing since Week 2. 

Now, he faces one of his easiest matchups of the season against a Cardinals defense allowing the third-most fantasy points to quarterbacks, including at least two touchdowns to the last six QBs they’ve faced. The Cowboys also have the highest implied team total on the week at 30.75, so you can expect another top-half QB1 finish from Prescott. 

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Other QBs to start:

• Jacoby Brissett at Cowboys – On the other side of that game, the Cowboys are giving up the eighth-most fantasy points to quarterbacks. Brissett is always risky, but his last matchup with an easy opponent resulted in a top-10 fantasy finish. I’m expecting something similar this time around. 

• Kyler Murray at Lions – Murray is still getting comfortable in Kevin O’Connell’s offense and a date with the Lions should help. Detroit is the most generous defense to fantasy QBs, with multiple TDs allowed to every quarterback its encountered, including at least three touchdowns to four of those six passers. Murray has also been more productive with his legs lately, which boosts his fantasy floor and ceiling. 

Rachaad White, RB, Commanders

vs. Eagles

Fantasy managers might not realize just how valuable White can be at the moment as a solid RB2 with Jacory Croskey-Merritt on IR. Prior to the Commanders’ Week 7 bye, White handled nearly 70% of the snaps, coming away with 57 yards and a score. That’s the third time in his last four outings where White has posted either 80-plus yards or a touchdown. While Washington is well rested after a week off, the Eagles — who are already banged up — will be playing on a short week after appearing on Monday Night Football. Philly’s once-feared defense has lost its teeth, allowing some huge stat lines over the last month. 

With Austin Ekeler and Jeremy McNichols only playing supporting roles, White is positioned to be a top-24 fantasy back in Week 8 and possibly longer.

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Other RBs to start:

• Bhayshul Tuten vs. Colts – Tuten has been remarkably consistent with his yardage totals this season, with at least 87 scrimmage yards in five of his six appearances. Coming off the bye week, Tuten and the Jags are 10-point favorites against a Colts team that just traded away defensive tackle DeForest Buckner and guard Quenton Nelson. Consider Tuten a borderline low-end RB1 this week. 

• Jordan Mason at Lions – Aaron Jones Sr. returned to practice on Thursday, but it’s clear he’s not 100% after battling through a knee injury recently. Mason handled 15 carries for 68 yards last week and should see the bulk of the touches yet again. In his only two appearances this year, Mason has racked up 127 yards and a touchdown on 30 carries.  

• Blake Corum vs. Chargers – Corum has found the end zone in three straight games, while putting up at least 60 scrimmage yards in each of those contests. The Rams are 9-point favorites over a Chargers team that’s permitting the ninth-most fantasy points to running backs. This is another spot where Corum can deliver top-24 RB production behind Kyren Williams. 

Michael Wilson, WR, Cardinals

at Cowboys

It might seem insane to have Wilson listed as a Start after his disappointing performances the last three weeks since Marvin Harrison Jr. was removed from the picture. Wilson has been the WR52, WR56 and WR24 in weekly scoring, with stat lines of 4-30-0, 4-32-0 and 4-55-0 (with 11 rushing yards). He’s also been held to eight targets or less in each of those games, after earning 30 targets the prior two weeks before Harrison’s departure.

Now, Wilson gets a shootout with a Cowboys defense that’s allowing the sixth-most fantasy points to his position. That makes him a viable fantasy WR2 this week. However, if you have Wilson, you should strongly consider moving him after this performance since he’ll face the Seahawks, Rams and Chiefs the following three weeks.

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Other WRs to start:

• DJ Moore vs. Ravens – We’ve barely seen the DJ Moore experience this season, since he’s only taken the field for 60% of the snaps in two contests due to injuries. In those two outings, Moore combined for 18 targets, 11 catches, 167 yards and a touchdown. The upside remains high when healthy, especially in a game tied for the highest projected point total on the week at 54.5.

• Garrett Wilson vs. Raiders – Fantasy managers are down on Wilson after back-to-back quieter games, but let’s not forget he was the WR12 after the first five weeks. Wilson voiced his displeasure with the recent reduced targets on the sideline during last week’s loss to the Dolphins and it’s setting up a squeaky-wheel situation. The Raiders have allowed double-digit fantasy points to six different receivers over the last month, and I’d expect Wilson to join that list.  

• Stefon Diggs vs. Eagles – With Terry McLaurin out for the year, the Commanders’ receiving corps is going to look a little different coming out of the bye. While Diggs’ role might not change that much, he’s likely to see more targets. That’s notable against an Eagles defense that’s giving up the second-most fantasy points to receivers, the sixth-most receiving yards and the ninth-most receiving touchdowns. In the last four games, six WRs have posted at least 70 yards against Philly.

Hunter Henry, TE, Patriots

at Dolphins

Henry has been a streaky fantasy player in the past, so I tend to not get too excited when he puts together three or four strong performances. We’re currently in the midst of that kind of stretch with stat lines of 5-62-0, 3-44-1, 4-48-1 and 7-71-0 over the last month. Fortunately, this week he gets a Dolphins defense that’s giving up the third-most fantasy points to tight ends. In its last five outings, Miami has allowed at least one touchdown to five different tight ends and the only game during that stretch where it didn’t let a TE find the end zone, T.J. Hockenson hit them up for 13 catches and 119 yards. 

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Henry is a solid fantasy TE1 once again and even someone you could consider as a flex option this week, especially with A.J. Brown’s health concerns. 

Other TEs to start:

• T.J. Hockenson at Lions – Speaking of Hockenson, he’s also a quality start this week against a Lions defense permitting the most fantasy points to tight ends. That includes 10 touchdowns given up to the position in six games. 

• Brenton Strange vs. Colts – As I mentioned in this week’s waiver wire article, Strange is averaging the sixth-most targets among tight ends over the last month and has posted three very usable stat lines of 7-95-0, 7-68-0 and 5-44-0. That includes two top-12 weekly fantasy finishes. Follow that volume into a game versus a spiraling Colts squad. 

Sits

Patrick Mahomes, QB, Chiefs

at Broncos

Mahomes is the featured quarterback to sit for the second straight week after the Seahawks caused him to finish in the single digits for fantasy points. After starting the season with two straight top-10 fantasy results, Mahomes hasn’t cracked the QB1 range in his last four games (QB20, QB13, Q23, QB25). 

Injuries to his pass-catchers and offensive line have been part of the problem and are only amplified more in tougher matchups. The Broncos fit that description, especially with Pat Surtain II trending towards a return from his ankle injury. 

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It’s also worth noting, Mahomes isn’t running as much coming off the ACL last season, as expected. After averaging over 30 rushing yards per contest in 2025, he’s under 12 yards per game this year. 

Other QBs to sit:

• Caleb Williams at Seahawks – Williams gets the unenviable draw of facing the Seahawks’ stifling defense this week. Seattle has held opposing QBs to the second-fewest passing yards and fantasy points this season.

• Bo Nix vs. Chiefs – Nix finally had a good fantasy day in Week 7, but it was mostly thanks to a fluky 62-yard TD run. I wouldn’t expect much from him against a Chiefs defense giving up the third-fewest fantasy points to QBs, including Nix himself, who only managed 131 passing yards, one TD, one interception and two rushing yards in their Week 1 matchup. 

Omarion Hampton, RB, Chargers

at Rams

Hampton only topped six fantasy points once in the four games before the Chargers’ Week 7 bye. We also watched as this backfield became a true three-man, hot-hand committee, with Kimani Vidal and Keaton Mitchell. 

It’s possible Mike McDaniel and the coaching staff made adjustments during their time off and are ready to fix the long list of problems with this offense, but expecting that to happen against the Rams is a stretch. 

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Sean McVay’s crew are 7-point favorites and if the Chargers are trailing, that could limit Hampton’s upside, since the routes run were split almost evenly in their last outing (Hampton 15, Vidal 13, Mitchell 12). I’m treating Hampton as a TD-or-bust RB3 until further notice. 

Other RBs to sit:

• Quinshon Judkins at Steelers – Judkins returned from injury with his best stat line of the season, compiling 104 yards and two touchdowns against the Titans. Those were impressive totals considering he only played 53% of the snaps, while Dylan Sampson handled 46%. Sampson also ran more routes (15-9). It seems likely that Sampson being back will limit Judkins’ pass-catching role, which pushes Judkins into more of a TD-or-bust RB3 range in a matchup on the road with a tougher Steelers defense. 

• Rico Dowdle vs. Browns – Dowdle’s 15-touch, 86-yard performance against the Saints needs to be graded on a curve since New Orleans plays a fast-paced style and allows the most fantasy points to RBs. That caused Dowdle’s usual 10 touches to inflate to 15. Jaylen Warren remains the clear lead back in Pittsburgh, making Dowdle too volatile to start in fantasy most weeks.

• J.K. Dobbins vs. Chiefs – In Jonah Coleman’s first game off IR, the rookie turned the Broncos backfield into a three-man committee and led the way by playing almost 50% of the snaps. That left Dobbins and RJ Harvey to share the other 50%. Coleman has provided the most juice in his limited action, while Dobbins hasn’t been very efficient with his touches. In a difficult matchup with the Chiefs, Dobbins is far too risky to trust in your lineup given the recent trends in Denver’s RB usage. 

Rome Odunze, WR, Bears

at Seahawks

Though Odunze is a quality real-life receiver, his role in the Bears’ passing attack isn’t leading to major fantasy production. After slow starts, Luther Burden III and Colston Loveland have gotten back on track, but Odunze has yet to find the end zone and has only topped 55 yards on two occasions. 

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Meanwhile, the Seahawks defense is giving up the fewest fantasy points to receivers and has only let two wideouts top 60 yards against them this season. 

It’s always possible Odunze could make a big play and finish with a fine stat line; this just isn’t the matchup I want to take a chance on. 

Other WRs to sit:

• Jaylen Waddle vs. Chiefs – Waddle has been one of the biggest disappointments of the fantasy season and is now dealing with a chest injury. Denver’s No. 1 receiver has only gone over 50 yards once in seven games and has just a single touchdown in a Broncos’ uniform. This week, he gets to deal with a Chiefs defense that’s the second-worst matchup for fantasy WRs and held him to one catch for two yards in the opener. 

• Xavier Worthy at Broncos – Worthy’s big-play ability is always enticing, but as we saw last week, he fades in difficult matchups. The third-year wideout has never posted more than 25 yards against the Broncos and, to make matters worse, Patrick Surtain II is likely returning to the lineup. 

• Josh Downs at Jaguars – Downs hasn’t gone over 50 yards in any of his last four games and is still searching for his first touchdown of 2026. His only hope for future fantasy value would be a trade to a contender. 

Pat Freiermuth, TE, Steelers

vs. Browns

With injuries at the position and four teams on bye — including starting tight ends like George Kittle and Isaiah Likely — it’s difficult to recommend sitting any tight end in the top 20. 

Freiermuth earns the mention as a potential sit, since he has yet to reach 50 yards in any game this season. He’s also been held to 20 yards or less in three of his last four contests. Freiermuth is always a threat to score a touchdown and he did just that against the Browns back in Week 4. But if you’re starting him this week, just know that without a TD, he’s likely to let you down. 

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Other TEs to sit:

• Tyler Higbee vs. Chargers – After eclipsing 60 yards in three consecutive games, Higbee has fallen back to earth with stat lines of 4-22-0 and 2-14-0. The Chargers are the ninth-toughest matchup for fantasy tight ends, but that likely won’t matter. The Rams will get up in this game and lean on the run. 

• Mike Gesicki vs. Titans – Gesicki has scored five TDs this season, which has masked some very weak box scores otherwise. In the past two games, Gesicki’s only catch in each outing was for a short touchdown. He managed just three targets during that span. That’s the most TD-or-bust profile I’ve ever seen.