It was feast or famine for quarterbacks in week 7. Big names like Russell Wilson, Derek Carr and Dak Prescott produced major fantasy numbers, while Cam Newton and Marcus Mariota were really bad.
We had one minor injury in week 7 with Carson Palmer. Palmer wasn’t much of a fantasy quarterback anyway, but for the ones who were using him, it’s time to look in a different direction than Arizona.
Here’s the week 8 quarterbacks start ’em, sit ’em guide in fantasy football.
Start
Andy Dalton vs. Indianapolis Colts
He’s owned in 55 percent of fantasy leagues on Yahoo, so he may be there to fill a streaming void in place of an injured quarterback or a player on bye.
The Colts are trash against the pass. Had it not been for Jacksonville building a massive early lead, Blake Bortles would have easily been in the top-12 in fantasy scoring. Instead, he was ranked 13th in week 7.
Indianapolis is becoming a place where you can find the streaming quarterback fit. They allow more than 300 yards passing per game, and give up an astounding 8.9 yards per pass completion, by far the highest in the NFL.
Dalton isn’t great, but he’s actually produced at a decent clip against bad pass defenses. He’s faced two bottom-10 pass defenses this season, and he’s gone for six touchdowns, no interceptions and is 46-for-57 in completions.
This matchup sets up well.
Philip Rivers vs. New England Patriots
Rivers was serviceable against Denver, going for two touchdowns and less than 200 yards in week 7. Most importantly, he didn’t turn the ball over, the second consecutive game he’s achieved that feat.
That’s important for the Chargers and for Rivers’ fantasy owners. He gets a much more attractive matchup in week 8 against a New England team that has been leaky, at best, against the pass.
Despite a good outing in week 7, the Patriots still far outdistance the rest of the field in bad pass defense, giving up the most fantasy points to quarterbacks and most yards per game through the air.
New England looked better in week 7, but the Chargers will have some opportunities on passing downs against the Patriots. In a week with several byes, Rivers has plenty of potential in week 8.
Jameis Winston vs. Carolina Panthers
There may be some trepidation after Carolina’s defense stifled Mitchell Trubisky in week 7. He attempted only seven passes.
This matchup is more about Winston’s maturation as a quarterback and my belief that Tampa Bay is going to continue to get better. O.J. Howard is establishing himself as a strong receiving tight end and the offense has looked better since the second half of the week 6 game against Arizona.
Winston needled several passes in against a good Buffalo defense in week 7. The injuries are starting to fade away and this offense is looking better, giving way to Winston being able to score even against good defenses. Carolina isn’t a very opportunistic defense, giving up 10 passing touchdowns against just one interception all season, so I trust Winston to stay away from turnovers and throw in a few touchdowns.
Don’t be scared away by Carolina’s defensive stats. Start Winston.
Sit
Deshaun Watson vs. Seattle Seahawks
I love the feel-good story of Watson. He’s been a game-changer so far this season.
But is he really that good? Maybe, but he’s putting up big numbers against bad pass defenses. Three of the four opponents that he’s cashed in major fantasy performances came against bottom-10 pass defenses in yards per completion.
The only halfway decent defense he’s faced is Tennessee, which isn’t near as consistent as the juggernaut awaiting him in week 8. Seattle is a legitimate top-10 overall defense. This will test Watson, who hasn’t really been tested by good defenses yet in his young career.
Escape with major fantasy production in this one, and I’ll buy your hype. However, I’m not starting him to find out.
Matt Ryan vs. New York Jets
I know you wasted a high fantasy football draft pick on Ryan. I told you that was a mistake before the season began, but despite the desire to hold on to starting that pick, I’d look at sitting him.
There are some nice streaming options this week in addition to Dalton, with Case Keenum also coming to the front of the list. That makes Ryan, at best, a back-end QB1, with the likelihood of being a QB2.
He was bad against New England in week 7, saved by a late flurry in the fourth quarter. And that was his best outing in the last four games.
He’s not the player we saw from last year. He never has been, so we shouldn’t have assumed he would be that kind of player this year. The week 8 matchup isn’t great, going into back-to-back road games against a Jets team that gives up QBR’s of 85 to opposing quarterbacks. There are better options available in week 8.
Matthew Stafford vs. Pittsburgh Steelers
Stafford is tough to trust in fantasy football and this matchup just doesn’t work for the veteran signal caller.
While we were all grousing about the offense, the Pittsburgh defense has been pretty good all year. They have more interceptions than touchdowns allowed through the air and they allow 147 yards passing per game.
Teams don’t have any time to throw, with Pittsburgh tallying 24 sacks this season, the second-most behind only Jacksonville. Stafford has a bad ankle, so his mobility is something I can’t trust in this matchup.
