Fantasy Football Week 8 Lineup Decisions: Every player you need to get in and out of your lineups

Fantasy Football is all about the matchups. Even though you drafted your team with certain hopes and intentions, your weekly lineup decisions shouldn't be determined by the order you picked your players in. You need to check who your players play and make sure you've got the right guys in -- and the wrong guys out.

We can take some educated guesses based on coaches film, meaningful data, healthy personnel, defensive schemes, track records, and key details of offenses. The things we know can help us minimize the impact of the things we don't know. This should lead to better decisions being made.

We'll go through every game and highlight the players who aren't obvious starts and sits (because you don't need to be told to sit Elic Ayomanor). You should feel more comfortable starting or sitting players based on the information given, and feeling comfortable with your Fantasy lineup before the games start is the best feeling in the world.

All lines from Caesars Sportsbook.

The pass rush is crucial for Minnesota -- Jalen Hurts smashed the Vikings secondary last Sunday in part because he had his quality offensive line protect him long enough to throw accurately deep downfield. Herbert hasn't had that luxury much this season; even when left tackle Joe Alt has played his O-line has allowed pressure at a 38.3% rate. And his tendency when pressured has been to keep his throws inside of 15 air yards and not attack downfield -- a favorable nudge for Ladd McConkey, Keenan Allen and even tight end Oronde Gadsden II. Entering last week the Vikings pass defense had some outstanding metrics but that was playing against the likes of Aaron Rodgers, Caleb Williams and Michael Penix Jr. Now they'll face arguably the best thrower they've seen to date and could get picked apart, albeit on shorter throws.

Last week was also the first time in their past three that the Vikings tightened up against the run. Having linebacker Blake Cashman back may have helped a little but the D-line and the safeties got the memo to attack and limit Saquon Barkley, who despite a hot start finished with 2.4 yards per carry. Chargers running back Kimani Vidal struggled mightily last week versus the Colts -- he rarely had the kind of rushing lanes he had against the Dolphins, he frequently stopped his feet instead of building acceleration and he slipped out of only one tackle attempt over 13 touches (it was on a catch, not a run). There aren't a lot of good running backs to go with given this week's byes, and it helps that Vidal will play on a short week without Hassan Haskins swiping short-yardage touches away (Nyheim Miller-Hines might take some passing downs, though). Those are the only reasons to stick with Vidal as a low-end No. 2 option. 

The Chargers tend to play a lot of zone coverage unless they're trailing. They don't blitz any more than the average defense but they've gotten a nearly 40% pass rush pressure rate anytime Khalil Mack has been on the field. Carson Wentz has been a roller coaster -- great on one play, awful on the next -- and he's predictably played at his worst when pressured in his last three games (55% completion rate isn't bad, but a 10% interception rate is). The Vikings O-line, even with many starters back last week, allowed a 41.3% pass rush pressure rate against the Eagles without blitzing a lot. Wentz threw for 313 yards but no touchdowns. I'd err on the side of caution with Wentz, even with Jordan Addison playing amazing football. 

MUST-STARTS: Justin Jefferson

STARTS: Justin Herbert, Ladd McConkey, Jordan Addison, Quentin Johnston, Keenan Allen, Jordan Mason, Oronde Gadsden II, Kimani Vidal (low-end No. 2 RB at best), T.J. Hockenson (borderline top-12 TE)

SITS: Carson Wentz, Nyheim Miller-Hines (desperation PPR RB), Jalen Nailor, Zavier Scott, Chargers DST, Vikings DST

It's hard not to race to start Michael Penix Jr. against a Dolphins defense that's given up at least 22.8 Fantasy points to five quarterbacks this season. They predictably play a lot of zone coverage early in games and move to man coverage on some third downs and/or when they're trailing, but the biggest indictment on their defense it that they blitz at the third highest rate and are worse than league average in pass rush pressure rate. It makes things easier for every quarterback they face. Penix's biggest issue is that he's had some mind-numbing throws regardless of opponent, coverage or pressure, making him a little tougher to trust. Plus, as bad as this Dolphins defense is against the pass, they are totally inept against the run, giving up league-worsts in yards per rush (5.7) and explosive run rate (13.8%) to running backs in the past five weeks. The Falcons won't mind running all game long; both Bijan Robinson and Tyler Allgeier should have a lot of work and a lot of numbers.  

MUST-STARTS: Bijan Robinson, De'Von Achane, Drake London

STARTS: Jaylen Waddle, Kyle Pitts, Falcons DST 

FLEX: Darnell Mooney, Tyler Allgeier

SITS: Michael Penix Jr. (decent bye-week QB), Tua Tagovailoa, Malik Washington, Julian Hill, Ollie Gordon, Dolphins DST  

This game will be a test for the Bears on both sides of the ball, but maybe not as big of a test as it looked when the season began. Offensively, the Bears have run the ball exceptionally well the last two weeks. They'll face a Ravens defense that will get tackling machine Roquan Smith back but still seems like it's lacking on the defensive line, letting up an average of 1.4 yards or more before contact per rush in each of its past four games. Not good for them but great for D'Andre Swift. Defensively, the Bears have been great against the run the past two weeks thanks to the return of linebacker T.J. Edwards and improved run defense from D-tackle Gervon Dexter. Taking on Derrick Henry behind what should be the healthiest the Ravens offensive line has been since Week 1 will be daunting, especially with Lamar Jackson adding his rushing potential to the backfield. This is where the Ravens figure to lean offensively in hopes of controlling the clock, though they'll take some shots downfield with Jackson off of play action, too. It's been risky business to trust top Ravens players this season but I'd take another shot on them without reservations, even against an improving defense that might play more man-to-man coverage than they should. 

MUST-STARTS: Lamar Jackson

STARTS: Caleb Williams (borderline starter QB), Derrick Henry, D'Andre Swift, Rome Odunze, Zay Flowers, Mark Andrews (borderline top-12 TE)

FLEX: DJ Moore

SITS: Kyle Monangai (desperation RB), Luther Burden (stash), Rashod Bateman, DeAndre Hopkins, Olamide Zaccheaus, Colston Loveland, Justice Hill, Bears DST, Ravens DST

The Panthers need to run the ball if they want to keep Josh Allen off the field, a real possibility considering that Buffalo's run defense has given up 5.2 yards per carry (fifth-worst), a 56.8% success rate (ninth-worst) and a 12.6% explosive run rate (third-worst) to RBs in their past four games. Who they'll run it with remains a frustrating issue: Chuba Hubbard not only played 54% of the Panthers snaps in his first game back, but also dominated third-downs and took both snaps inside the 10-yard line. Rico Dowdle, who absolutely demolished the Dolphins and Cowboys defenses for two weeks without Hubbard active, only saw more touches than Hubbard in the fourth quarter -- Hubbard had a 13-10 touch advantage through the first three quarters. Dowdle was clearly the more effective back because of his speed not just overall, but it hitting the lanes created by the O-line faster than Hubbard did. Coach Dave Canales insists he'll stick with a similar rotation this week, hurting Dowdle's upside, especially since there's a real chance there won't be clock-killing carries for Dowdle like he had in Week 7. He's at best a low-end No. 2 RB given all the byes this week. Hubbard is at best a low-end flex who might actually play the most again this week if the Panthers find themselves trailing. 

MUST STARTS: Josh Allen, James Cook

STARTS: Rico Dowdle (low-end No. 2 RB), Bills DST (not next week)

FLEX: Tetairoa McMillan (high-end PPR flex), Xavier Legette (low-end PPR flex), Chuba Hubbard (low-end flex)

SITS: Andy Dalton, Jalen Coker, Ja'Tavion Sanders, Ty Johnson, Ray Davis, Panthers DST

The Jets run defense is better than people may assume, and it could get even better this week with the return of linebacker Quincy Williams. Without Williams for their past four games they've held their own against the Dolphins, Broncos and Panthers running backs but got crushed by Javonte Williams and the Cowboys in a blowout loss. Overall, they let up 4.3 yards per carry with just six explosive runs allowed, albeit with 19 missed tackles. In the first three games when Williams played the Jets limited running backs to 3.8 yards per rush with zero explosive runs and five missed tackles. Chase Brown has scored 13.1 or fewer Fantasy points in every game this year; being paired with Pro Football Focus' lowest-graded run-blocking unit has definitely hurt Brown's cause. He hasn't seen a major uptick in touches since Joe Flacco became the Bengals starter and only has two receptions in each start. The Jets may stink but their defense has been pretty good against the run, making it tougher to trust Brown as anything more than a No. 2 RB because of all the byes this week. Losing some passing downs work recently to Samaje Perine hasn't helped either. 

MUST-STARTS: Ja'Marr Chase, Breece Hall

STARTS: Joe Flacco (low-end starter), Tee Higgins, Chase Brown (low-end No. 2 RB)

SITS: Tyrod Taylor, Josh Reynolds (desperation WR), Mason Taylor, Noah Fant, Andrei Iosivas, Arian Smith, Isaiah Davis, Samaje Perine, Bengals DST (desperation starter), Jets DST

Texans coach DeMeco Ryans was Robert Saleh's understudy in San Francisco, then took over when Saleh left to coach the Jets, and then Ryans moved to Houston in 2023. Suffice to say, there's a lot of familiarity in defensive scheme between these two teams. Challenged all year due to massive injuries, the 49ers are expected to play without sack leader Bryce Huff. That will give C.J. Stroud something he didn't have much of Monday at Seattle: time. He's been great when he hasn't been pressured, but he himself is expected to be without receiver Nico Collins. I suspect we'll see Dalton Schultz step up because he has familiarity banked with Stroud. Six tight ends have posted at least 10 PPR points against the 49ers this season including Kyle Pitts' 13.2 last week. 

MUST-STARTS: Christian McCaffrey

STARTS: George Kittle, Dalton Schultz, Texans DST

FLEX: Woody Marks (borderline PPR start)

SITS: Mac Jones, C.J. Stroud, Jauan Jennings (desperation PPR WR), Kendrick Bourne, Nick Chubb, Jaylin Noel, Xavier Hutchinson, Jayden Higgins, 49ers DST

Mike Vrabel was an assistant on the Cleveland staff last year before re-emerging as a head coaching candidate, plus he worked with current Browns defensive coordinator Jim Schwartz in Tennessee for a few years, so he probably has some good intel on how the Browns defense works and what to expect in this matchup. He's aware that he'll probably see a lot of man-to-man coverage along with a tough run defense that's allowed 3.5 yards per rush on the season even though they let up a pair of explosive runs to De'Von Achane last week. With the Patriots likely to struggle to run the ball with efficiency, I would expect Drake Maye to shoulder more of the offensive workload and get the ball out a little faster than usual. Maye's been a little better against man-to-man than zone this season (8.5% TD rate is especially encouraging), but it's not the same story if he's been pressured a lot. That said, the Browns have not been quite as dominant with their pass rush over the last three weeks as their rate has dropped to 30.6% or less in each of their last three. That's despite the Browns getting four sacks versus Miami and three versus Minnesota (bad offensive lines). Stefon Diggs (28.6%) and DeMario Douglas (25.8%) have led the Patriots in target per route run rate when Maye's faced man coverage; Hunter Henry (17.3%) and Kayshon Boutte (8.3%) have not. 

STARTS: Drake Maye, Quinshon Judkins, Stefon Diggs, Rhamondre Stevenson (low-end No. 2 RB), Patriots DST 

SITS: Dillon Gabriel, Kayshon Boutte (desperation WR), Harold Fannin (desperation PPR flex or TE), Demario Douglas, Isaiah Bond, TreVeyon Henderson, Hunter Henry, Browns DST 

Call it fluky or call it gutsy, but Jaxson Dart deserves credit for putting up quality numbers in consecutive weeks against the Eagles and Broncos. He's contributed at least 10 Fantasy points with his rushing alone in three of his four starts (five points in each start). It's that kind of hustle that builds up a guy's Fantasy floor, which is really important in Dart's case because his passing remains a little hard to trust. Of his three touchdowns last week, one came against busted coverage to his No. 2 tight end, one came on a designed running back screen, and a third came on a ricochet from a tipped pass. The week before against Philadelphia he found Wan'Dale Robinson on a broken play and Robinson escaped a tackle and weaved his way for a score. This isn't to say Dart doesn't deserve credit, but when a player scores touchdowns like this, eventually things will even out and he won't be so lucky. Week 8's matchup against an Eagles defense that's a lot healthier than it was two weeks ago could be such a spot. Jalen Carter, Quinyon Mitchell and Nakobe Dean will play, as might unretired pass rusher Brandon Graham and cornerback Jakorian Bennett. That's a lot of talent that Dart didn't see much or any of a few weeks ago. Figure his rushing floor has a lot to do with him being a top-12 quarterback, but the matchup keeps him from being, say, top-eight. 

MUST-STARTS: Jalen Hurts, Saquon Barkley

STARTS: Jaxson Dart, Cam Skattebo, A.J. Brown, DeVonta Smith, Wan'Dale Robinson (PPR), Dallas Goedert, Eagles DST (low-end starter)

SITS: Theo Johnson, Tyrone Tracy Jr., Lil'Jordan Humphrey, Jalin Hyatt, Dan Bellinger, Will Shipley, Giants DST

Cade Otton's involvement has coincided with Bucky Irving's injury -- he's seen an uptick in targets in the three games Irving's missed. He has at least 10.1 PPR points in each of his past three games, averaging 6.0 targets per week. He's mostly been a check-down option when Baker Mayfield is pressured and/or can't find anyone open downfield. It's a good role, especially given how much the Bucs have passed in their past three games, but this week's matchup against the Saints may not be as fruitful. The Saints run defense got stomped by two Bears running backs last week and figures to be ripe for the picking by Rachaad White. And if that's not enough, New Orleans' pass defense has been up and down against receivers but typically solid against tight ends. Only two tight ends -- Theo Johnson and Trey McBride (on at least seven targets each) -- have scored 10-plus PPR points against New Orleans. Tight ends without high volume like Dalton Kincaid, Hunter Henry and Jake Tonges all struggled against the Saints. Otton is still start-worthy, but it's probably fair to worry about him hitting the same kind of upside as last week when the Bucs were chasing points and missing veteran receivers. 

STARTS: Baker Mayfield, Rachaad White, Emeka Egbuka, Chris Olave, Alvin Kamara (No. 2 RB), Cade Otton, Buccaneers DST

FLEX: Tez Johnson, Rashid Shaheed

SITS: Spencer Rattler, Taysom Hill, Juwan Johnson, Saints DST

The Broncos have played the third-most man-to-man coverage of any defense this year, though they've softened a little bit on that after going all in through their first two games. I'd still expect a lot of man-to-man coverage against Dallas along with plenty of blitzing, which they've especially done in both of their close, high-scoring games this year including last week. And if Denver's playing a lot of man coverage, it means Pat Surtain II will be on one of CeeDee Lamb or George Pickens on pretty much every single play. Dallas could use one or both in the slot more than normal to try and force Surtain to cover someone else or try to cover them in the middle of the field, but that would be new territory for Pickens. Chances are the Cowboys will be much more interested in taking their chances on whoever Riley Moss draws in coverage, though he's been pretty good too. Dak Prescott is less efficient against man-to-man coverage compared to zone, and he's less efficient when pressured like most quarterbacks are. He's especially struggled to throw touchdowns this year when he's been pressured, a factor the Broncos figure to take into account. Prescott should deliver good numbers, but maybe not amazing numbers due to the matchup. I'd also be a little worried about the upside for George Pickens since he might see Surtain the most (and had just 1-16-0 against him last year with the Steelers). 

MUST-STARTS: CeeDee Lamb, Javonte Williams, Courtland Sutton

STARTS: Dak Prescott, Bo Nix, Jake Ferguson, George Pickens (No. 2 WR), JK Dobbins, Broncos DST

FLEX: Marvin Mims, Troy Franklin

SITS: Evan Engram (desperation TE), Jalen Tolbert, KaVontae Turpin, RJ Harvey, Jaydon Blue, Cowboys DST

There's a legitimate concern that Daniel Jones won't have to do much work this week for the Colts to beat the Titans. That's exactly what happened in Week 3 at Tennessee -- Jones threw a season-low 25 times, hit Michael Pittman for a touchdown, ran four times for 27 yards and walked out with 17.8 Fantasy points. There's been no sign of life from the Titans defense, which could be without quality defenders Jeffery Simmons and L'Jarius Sneed. It's an easy matchup for Jones, but it's just as easy for Jonathan Taylor, who rumbled for three touchdowns in that Week 3 laugher. To that end, only two quarterbacks against the Titans in 2025 have scored more than 22 Fantasy points mostly because of a lack of opportunities. The Titans see just 29.3 pass attempts per game this year, a number weighted heavily by Bo Nix's 40 attempts in Week 1. Quarterbacks with better outlooks and gamescript should probably be favored over Jones.  

Pollard's playing time has taken a hit over the past two weeks with Tyjae Spears back. He's had 12 touches in each game, but those have amounted to 108 total yards and no touchdowns (six catches in Week 7 salvaged his stat line in PPR). Pollard's also not the primary back in the fourth quarter of the Titans' past two games when they're in catch-up mode -- Spears has been. Indy's run defense has improved as the season's rolled on, and the prospect of Indianapolis dominating time of possession with a lot of rushing impacts any upside Pollard has now that he's played less than 60% of the snaps in each of his past two games. It hasn't helped that the weak Titans offense has two snaps inside the 10 in those games. 

If there's a Titans receiver to keep an eye on long-term, it's rookie Chimere Dike (pronounced CHIM-ray DEE-kay). I thought he moved really well last week for the Titans, scooting past Patriots nickel corner Marcus Jones, one of their fastest players, to catch a long touchdown. He's a little quicker and faster than Elic Ayomanor, who's been a promising prospect himself. The Titans need speed on offense, especially with Calvin Ridley sidelined and not playing great when he's healthy. I wouldn't start him, even in desperate situations, but Dike could be stashed in the deepest of leagues. 

MUST-STARTS: Jonathan Taylor, Tyler Warren, Michael Pittman (No. 2 WR)

STARTS: Colts DST (might be usable Week 9 at Pittsburgh too)

FLEX: Tyjae Spears (low-end PPR flex)

SITS: Daniel Jones (high-end No. 2 QB), Cam Ward, Tony Pollard (desperation RB), Alec Pierce (desperation WR), Chimere Dike, Chig Okonkwo, Van Jefferson, Elic Ayomanor, Titans DST

The Packers run defense has been sensational all year. Only three RBs have had 15 or more PPR points, and they all had at least 19 touches (Jahmyr Gibbs with 10 receptions, Quinshon Judkins, Javonte Williams). The Packers pass defense? They're pretty good too as they lead the NFL in yards per attempt allowed at 5.8 and have yielded the second fewest yards after catch per reception (3.9). The only reason why they've let up numbers to quarterbacks like Jacoby Brissett and Joe Flacco is because they've been thrown at the highest rate in football (39.7 per game)! It's that volume that's aided quarterbacks production, and Aaron Rodgers should follow suit this week. Rodgers has been getting the ball out fast every week except last week because the Bengals couldn't get any pressure on him. Figure Rodgers to sling it quickly and in close quarters against the Packers' primarily single-high coverage (which Rodgers has been iffy against compared to two-high). I might expect Jaylen Warren to have better efficiency as a receiver than runner, helping him be decent in PPR but that's about it. And I wouldn't be surprised if the Steelers tight ends stayed involved in the pass game since there will probably be more throwing than running, but good luck trusting any of them; Pat Freiermuth's route rate spike last week may have only been because of the matchup against the Bengals. 

Save for maybe three off-target throws (including a would've-been deep touchdown to Romeo Doubs), I thought Jordan Love did well last week. His connection with Doubs is undeniable, as is the one he's built with Tucker Kraft. Most importantly, Love dealt with the Cardinals pass rush pressure without much stress, which is great for him since he hasn't always dealt with pass rush pressure smoothly. Fresh off of getting picked apart by Joe Flacco, and by Carson Wentz and Drake Maye in Weeks 3 and 4, the Steelers must either add some wrinkles into their coverages and pressure packages or continue to be deemed predictable. It hasn't helped that both Jalen Ramsey and Darius Slay have allowed a completion rate north of 65% and two touchdowns each. Love's offensive line isn't perfect but they're good enough to give him a chance to evade defenders and throw from imperfect pockets. If there's a real worry it's that the Steelers run defense may have been exposed a bit by the Bengals last week (Chase Brown averaged 9.8 yards per rush) and the Packers focus on grinding the ball with Josh Jacobs instead of putting the ball in Love's hands 35-plus times, which has happened just once this season. 

MUST-STARTS: Josh Jacobs

STARTS: DK Metcalf, Romeo Doubs, Tucker Kraft, Jaylen Warren (PPR preferred), Packers DST, Steelers DST

FLEX: Matthew Golden

SITS: Aaron Rodgers and Jordan Love (both high-end No. 2 QBs), Kenneth Gainwell (desperation PPR RB), Jonnu Smith (desperation TE), Pat Freiermuth, Darnell Washington

It feels like Washington's defense is fighting uphill. Dorance Armstrong was the team leader in sacks when he tore his ACL last weekend. Bobby Wagner remains awesome against the run but opponents are shredding both him and Frankie Luvu against the pass. Mike Sainristil might be the only quality cornerback they have and even he's allowing 71.1% of targets completed against him per Pro Football Focus. It's an older group that figures to struggle containing the Chiefs, just as pretty much every defense has this year. That includes against the run, by the way -- Chicago and Dallas combined for 278 rush yards on 46 carries in the past two weeks with six explosive runs. It's a bad look for a Dan Quinn-coached defense, and it might be the kind of matchup the Chiefs take aim at as they try to right their run offense. Isiah Pacheco has set rush attempt-highs each of his past two games and found the end zone in a favorable matchup against the Raiders last week. This could be another week where he gets more work than Kareem Hunt and does well with it. 

MUST-STARTS: Patrick Mahomes, Rashee Rice

STARTS: Isiah Pacheco (low-end No. 2 RB), Zach Ertz, Chiefs DST

FLEX: Xavier Worthy, Marquise Brown, Jacory Croskey-Merritt (non-PPR)

SITS: Marcus Mariota, Travis Kelce (low-end PPR TE), Chris Moore (desperation WR), Luke McCaffrey, Jaylin Lane, Kareem Hunt, Jeremy McNichols, Tyquan Thornton, JuJu Smith-Schuster, Commanders DST