Welcome back to our Start ‘Em Sit ‘Em series for 2020, we are about to enter Week 8! The season seems to be flying along, and more importantly, we haven’t really seen any COVID issues. Hopefully, you are playoff bound- but if you aren’t it’s time to turn that around!
The teams on bye this week are
- Arizona Cardinals
- Houston Texans
- Jacksonville Jaguars
- Washington Football Team
That makes some of our selections a bit tougher, but there are still plenty of options! If you have a particular start/ sit question then you can always check out our weekly rankings page, or reach out to us on any of our social media channels. You can find us on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram. I answered all of you that reached out last week, I will always try to get to every single one of you.
Our Week 8 Start ‘Em and Sit ‘Em selections for 2020 are chosen deliberately for players that I’ve seen people questioning. Slam dunk starts (the likes of Patrick Mahomes) and sits aren’t going to be included. You should always be starting those guys.
Start ‘Em
Tom Brady @NYG
Ok, I’ll admit it- I thought Brady would struggle this season. A new team that would need to have a strong-armed QB. Brady has, however, rolled back the clock and looks as good as he has for a while. Brady has truly been moving the ball and faces up against a Giants offense that has given up 1,181 yards in three games. This should be a smash game for Brady.
Justin Herbert @DEN
Herbert is becoming a must-start each week. He has been a top performer since he took the reigns of the Chargers offense. Denver isn’t a great defense against the position, but they did manage to limit Patrick Mahomes to just 200 yards and a single TD through the air. But let’s be honest, that was more an impact of the weather rather than the effectiveness of their defense. You can start the rookie with confidence.
Joe Burrow v TEN
Burrow had a fantastic outing against Cleveland last week, with 406 yards and 3 TDs (I’ll ignore the INT), as well as adding another 34 yards and a TD on the ground. The Bengals offense is tied to the success of their rookie QB, and the Titans have shown they can be beaten through the air.
Baker Mayfield v LV
Mayfield was the other part of the shootout in Ohio last week. Finally showing owners that he could have relevance this season. Mayfield threw for 297 yards for 5 TDs in that game, and did it without Odell Beckham. This week he faces a Raiders team that has given up an average of 23 points to the position. I fancy him to have another good week this week.
Jonathan Taylor @DET
Taylor has had a decent rookie season- it just doesn’t feel like it at the moment. What is missing is that smash game, but this is a great opportunity to have it. The Lions have given up an average of 25.1 points to the position, one of the worst marks in the league.
Boston Scott v DAL
Scott has done well while starter Miles Sanders has been forced to miss time with injury. This Eagles offense isn’t the greatest, but they do rely on their RB as a major part of their offense. Against the Cowboys, this should be a great start for the week.
Clyde Edwards-Helaire v NYJ
Edwards-Helaire feels like he is moving out of that ‘I have to start him each week’. The rookie hasn’t been used too much at the goal-line this season, and now has to content with Le’Veon Bell for touches in the offense. However, for the time being, it seems as though the Chiefs are going to ride with him in the offense. The game is likely to get out of hand quickly, meaning plenty of opportunities for fantasy scoring.
Brandon Aiyuk v SEA
Aiyuk comes into a matchup against the worst defensive unit against the position this season. He also has become the primary receiver for the offense (excluding George Kittle) with Deebo Samuel out of the contest due to a hamstring injury. Start Aiyuk with confidence this week.
Rashard Higgins @LV
I feel confident in Higgins stepping up with Odell Beckham forced out of the matchup. Last week, he had six receptions for 110 yards, but failed to score. He might be competing for touches with Donovan Peoples-Jones, but the Raiders defense has been vulnerable through the air.
Henry Ruggs III v CLE
Staying in that same game, it’s another player facing the Browns that you need to start. Ruggs struggled to live up the the expectations last week after a huge performance against the Kansas City Chiefs. However, this week should give him an opportunity to get this rookie season on-track.
A.J. Green v TEN
A.J. Green has now started to get back to fantasy relevance. The Bengals receiver struggled at the start of the season, but has now recorded 15 receptions for 178 yards. That isn’t bad at all, and has a matchup against Tennessee where he could realistically score his first TD of the season.
Jimmy Graham v NO
I’m not going to menton the whole revenge game narrative, but if you want to buy into it-fine. What I am buying into is the offense seems to look towards Graham in the redzone and the Saints have given up more points to the position that anyone not called the Atlanta Falcons.
Richard Rodgers v DAL
Rodgers becomes the next man up for the Eagles TE position. The team have injuries everywhere on offense, which is why they are down to their third-string TE. However, regardless of that fact, Rodgers has been getting targets in the offense and Dallas have struggled to defend the position this season.
UPDATE: Dallas Goedert is now expected to play in this matchup, if he does that that would massively impact Rodgers’ value. However, he should still be considered if there aren’t better options out there. The Eagles use 2TE sets often.
Dalton Schultz @PHI
Staying in that same game, Schultz is a player that deserves a start for me. Schultz had four targets in the loss to Washington last week, but should be inline for more this week. The Dallas offense should be back on track in this divisional matchup, and the Eagles have given up an average of 11.1 points to the position this season.
Mason Crosby v MIN
The Packers offense faced Minnesota at the start of the season, where they dominated on offense. As a result, I like Crosby to match his performance from that game against a defensive unit that has gotten worse since then.
Brandon McManus v LAC
When I’m looking for a kicker, I’m looking for an offense that scores a lot of points, or one that can move the ball but can struggle to convert. McManus finds himself on the latter. With a matchup at home, range is not a concern- so pick him up for a week if you need to.
Los Angeles Rams @MIA
The Rams are a great defense this season, able to put pressure on offensive lines and QBs to make fast decisions. The Rams have recorded 24 sacks this season, and now face a rookie in his first game. This could be a tough opening game for Tagovailoa.
Los Angeles Chargers @DEN
The Broncos offense is not great. In fact, they have thrown 10 INTs this season, which is one of the worst marks in the league. The Chargers have also found a way to put QBs under pressure, with 13 sacks on the season.
Sit ‘Em
Drew Brees @CHI
Brees finished a tough matchup against Carolina last week, with 287 yards and 2 TDs. This week, however, I don’t think that he will end the game against Chicago with a great box score. Yes, Jared Goff threw two TDs against them last week, but the Bears have still given up just an average of just 12.4 points to the position.
Matthew Stafford v IND
Stafford is the definition of a streaming QB. He does well in matchups you’d expect and struggles where you would too. This matchup is one to avoid against the best defense in the league.
Tua Tagovailoa v LAR
We might be seeing the most anticipated debut for a player for a few years- but that doesn’t mean you should start him! Aaron Donald has been eating up offensive lines that have gaps in them, meaning a lot of pressure for the rookie QB. I wouldn’t start him if I could avoid it.
Mark Ingram v PIT
Ingram hasn’t performed to his best this season and is losing touches to rookie J.K. Dobbins. This week, the Ravens face one of the toughest defenses in the league- the Pittsburgh Steelers. A team that has only given up an average of 13.4 points per game to the position.
Wayne Gallman v TB
I get, if you picked up Gallman you are desperate at RB. But this really isn’t the matchup for him to do anything. Tampa Bay’s defense is mean against RB’s and should be able to really put a stranglehold on the Giants offense.
D’Andre Swift v IND
Ok, so Swift isn’t a full sit. I’m just asking you to temper your expectations in this matchup. Swift isn’t going to have the performances that he has in previous games. The Colts have given up just 14.9 points on average to the position. But crucially, for Swift, only 178 yards receiving to RBs this season.
DeVante Parker v LAR
This matchup will be the debut for the team’s rookie QB, and it’s a tough matchup. The Rams have given up an average of just 16.1 points to the position this season. With Jalen Ramsey likely to shadow Parker, I would look elsewhere for fantasy production.
Juju Smith-Schuster @BAL
I’ve specifically mentioned Smith-Schuster, but I’d also limit my expectations of any of the Steelers receiving options. The Ravens are a great unit against receivers, with the pressure they are able to get to the QB. That was before the team added Yannick Ngakoue to their defensive line.
Julian Edelman NOW OUT
I originally selected N’Keal Harry, but halfway through I decided to pivot to Edelman. The reason being, that it seems that Edelman isn’t getting the thing that he really needs to throve- targets. Harry as a big-body can produce in the red-zone with limited targets, but Edelman is much more of a player that needs to be involved often to get a rhythm.
T.J. Hockenson v IND
Hockenson has had a decent season, and was the hero last week. However, that is unlikely to help him against a Colts unit that has allowed just 17 receptions, 134 yards on the season to the position.
Evan Engram v TB
Engram has been a frustrating player to have in fantasy this season. I thought that he would see a bunch of targets in the offense and be part of the tier of TEs below Kelce and Kittle. However, this season he has disappointed. Tampa have been ok at defending the position, and should bring enough pressure that Daniel Jones crumbles- meaning the team will be off the field alot.
Hunter Henry @DEN
Henry is part of an offense that is hot at the moment, but this matchup is a thought one for Henry. Denver’s defense is effective at stopping TE production, and the Chargers offense is built around taking what is available. I’m thinking that Keenan Allen has another boom game.
Dan Bailey @GB
I’m expecting that the Packers are able to get out to an early lead and keep smashing on offense. That could lead to the Vikings looking to keep their offense on the field to try and keep up, rather than have the luxury of kicking for the posts.
Jason Myers v SF
Myers is part of an offense that is annoyingly efficient. At least, as far as kicking points are concerned. The team have only attempted 4 FGs this season- all from long range. Try and pick up another option if you can.
San Fransisco 49ers @SEA
The 49ers defense are starting to look like they are getting back to their best, after doing well against the Rams and New England. However, this Seattle offense is one that they are going to struggle to contain. Wilson always finds a way to avoid the sacks you’d expect to, and this offense is absolutely sizzling.
Denver Broncos v LAC
Denver are a defense that is better in real life than in fantasy. They did well against the inconsistent Patriots offense two weeks ago but didn’t perform well against Kansas City. Justin Hebert is no Patrick Mahomes, but he does lead an offense that is absolutely firing at the moment.
So that’s it for our 2020 Week 8 edition of Start ‘Em Sit ‘Em. Remember, you can always reach out to us for help in setting your lineup. Check out our weekly rankings page, or reach out to us on any of our social media channels. You can find us on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram. And, as always, if you want something more specific to your league- reach out!
Image Credit: Mike Dinovo – USA TODAY Sports
