Start ‘Em, Sit ‘Em Quarterbacks for Fantasy Football Week 8

It’s week 8, people! Time to set up those fantasy lineups! Start ‘Em, Sit ‘Em is the ultimate look at a week’s best and worst matchups in fantasy football leagues. Each week I examine the quarterbacks who may or may not exceed expectations based on their weekly opponent… like Jared Goff and Patrick Mahomes in Week 7.

For your final lineup decisions, check out my fantasy football player rankings. I update them daily! Also, be sure to subscribe to the Fantasy Dirt Podcast with Lindsay Rhodes and I where we break down all things fantasy football five days a week!

All positions: QBs | RBs | WRs | TEs | K & DEFs

1. Lamar Jackson at Browns
2. Jalen is hurting for the Bengals
3. Josh Allen at Seahawks
4. Jordan Love at Jaguars
5. Joe Burrow vs. Eagles
6. CJ Stroud vs. Colts
7. Caleb Williams on Commanders
8. Sam Darnold at Rams (Thursday)
9. Bo Nix vs. Panthers
10. Patrick Mahomes at Raiders

Complete Week 8 quarterback rankings

beginning of the week

Jordan Love at the Jaguars (1 p.m. ET, Fox): Fantasy managers “love” Jordan as he is averaging more than 20 fantasy points in his five starts this season. I would keep him active for the Green Bay passing attack this week against the Jaguars in what could be a high-scoring game. Their defense has allowed six quarterbacks to beat them by more than 19 points after seven weeks, a list that includes rookie Drake Maye this past weekend.

Start them

Joe Burrow vs. Eagles (1 p.m. ET, CBS): Burrow has been playing well lately, scoring more than 17 points in four of his last six games. He’s also thrown for multiple touchdowns in five of his last six starts, and a matchup against the Eagles gets him off to a good start. Their defense may be tough against quarterbacks on paper, but that’s not the case…they’ve faced some bad QBs in Deshaun Watson, Derek Carr, and Daniel Jones. Start Burrow with confidence.

Caleb Williams on Commanders (4:25 p.m. ET, CBS): Williams was one of the hottest quarterbacks in fantasy football before the bye, scoring 23-plus points in two straight games. I would also keep him active this week as the rookie faces a Commanders defense that allows four different quarterbacks, including Daniel Jones, to beat them for 18+ fantasy points. What could be a barnburner, Williams is a solid option.

Bo Nix vs. Panthers (4:25 p.m. ET, CBS): Did you know that Nix is ​​averaging more fantasy points than Mahomes this season? It’s wild, but it’s true. He also had a good matchup in Week 8, going up against a Panthers defense that allowed just 19.6 points to a backup in Marcus Mariota. In total, Carolina gave up more than 16 points to four different field generals, including three who scored more than 19 points. That’s good for nothing.

Patrick Mahomes on Raiders (4:25 p.m. ET, CBS): Mahomes has been a terrible player for fantasy managers for most of the season, making him little more than a matchup-based starter. The good news is that he will next face the Raiders, who have allowed three quarterbacks to score more than 23 points this season. This quarterback trio features a rookie in Bo Nix, a journeyman in Andy Dalton and a current backup in Justin Fields.

QBs with good matchups

Seat of the week

Dak Prescott at the 49ers (8:20 p.m. ET, NBC): Prescott has been a disappointment for fantasy fans this year, scoring under 17 points in all but one game. In fact, his only good game was against the Ravens when he had to throw the ball 51 times because the boys were down in the second half. He next faces the 49ers, who have allowed quarterbacks an average of less than 15 fantasy points per game this season. Be careful, Dak.

Set them

Trevor Lawrence vs. Packers (1 p.m. ET, Fox): Lawrence has been slightly better in recent weeks, scoring more than 17 points in two of his last three games. Still, he only averaged 14.6 points on the season, and a game against the Packers will send him into obscurity. Their defense has only allowed one quarterback to beat them by more than 16.4 points, including Jalen Hurts, Kyler Murray, Antony Richardson and CJ Stroud last week.

Anthony Richardson at Texans (1 p.m. ET, CBS): Unfortunately, Richardson has been a disappointment in fantasy leagues so far this season. After scoring 26.1 points in Week 1, he has totaled 29 points in his last four games. So despite facing the Texans, who he beat by 26.1 points, it’s hard to start Richardson with any confidence. At best, he’ll be a low-risk, low-risk starter this weekend.

Geno Smith vs. Bills (4:05 p.m. ET, Fox): Smith is having a strong season, averaging 17.3 points per game. He’s also on pace to throw for more than 4,800 yards. Regardless, I would watch him in a tough matchup against the Bills. Their defense has allowed an opposing quarterback (Lamar Jackson) to beat them by more than 17.8 points, and only two have had more than 15.9 points. That makes Smith a superflex option this week alone.

Drake Maye vs. Jets (1 p.m. ET, CBS): Maye was great in his first two NFL starts, scoring a combined 40.4 fantasy points. That’s made him a popular waiver-wire add, but the rookie should be on the bench against the Jets. New York is desperate for a win and their defense has allowed quarterbacks the fifth-fewest fantasy points per game this season. Maye is worth a look in Superflex leagues, but I would use him in traditional formats.

QBs with bad matchups