Fantasy Football Start or Sit, Week 8: Start Carson Wentz vs. Cowboys

Fantasy football starts and sits for Week 8 of the 2020 NFL season.

Though we avoided any NFL games being canceled in Week 7, we still had a few COVID-19 scares with the Las Vegas Raiders whole offensive line being put on the COVID list during the week. Thus, we have to continue to monitor the fantasy football outlook for each week as it comes.

Looking at the recommended starts and sits of last week, we saw Antonio Gibson and T.J. Hockenson come through with solid games, albeit Hockenson’s touchdown came on the last play of the game. We also saw Le’Veon Bell disappoint in his debut and Julian Edelman fall into droppable territory with a 13-yard performance.

There were also some unexpected performances with Matthew Stafford and Matt Ryan both putting up underwhelming games, each throwing only one touchdown and finishing as the QB15 and QB20 respectively.

Looking ahead to Week 8, the Arizona Cardinals, Washington Football Team, Jacksonville Jaguars and Houston Texans are all on bye. That means your fantasy team will be without star players like Kyler Murray, Deandre Hopkins, Deshaun Watson, David Johnson, Will Fuller V, James Robinson and Terry McLaurin.

Here are players that you should feel confident will exceed their projections and put up a great week along with players who should take a seat on the bench in Week 8.

Note: All fantasy stats info via Fantasy Pros.

Fantasy Football Starts for Week 8

QB Carson Wentz, Philadelphia (vs. Dallas)

After his weak start, Wentz has strung together five solid games in a row and currently sits as the QB7 on the year. Now he gets his easiest matchup of the year against a Dallas team that is falling apart.

Wentz deserves much more credit than he is being given for his performances against tough defenses with the worst receiving core in the league. All this considered, Wentz should absolutely be in your lineup in Week 8.

Projection: 317 yards, 2 touchdowns, 1 interception, 38 rushing yards, 1 rushing touchdown, 29.5 fantasy points. 

QB Ryan Tannehill, Tennessee (vs. Cincinnati)

Speaking of quarterbacks that don’t get enough credit, Tannehill has been as solid as they come and even managed a serviceable two-touchdown game against a tough Pittsburgh defense. Now he gets to face an average Cincinnati pass defense that just got torched by Baker Mayfield for five touchdowns.

Tannehill is no longer the definition of mediocrity that he was in Miami and should be viewed as a matchup-proof QB1 for the rest of the season.

Projection: 324 yards, 3 touchdowns, 14 rushing yards, 26.4 fantasy points. 

RB Boston Scott, Philadelphia (vs. Dallas)

With Miles Sanders looking to be on the wrong side of questionable for Week 8, Boston Scott should continue to handle a majority of the workload as he did in Week 7, where he turned 15 touches into 92 yards and a touchdown.

Now, he gets to face a Dallas defense that has given Kenyan Drake and Antonio Gibson their best games of the season the past two weeks. If Sanders sits, find a way to fire up Scott as a top-15 back.

Projection: 97 total yards, 4 receptions, 1 touchdown, 17.7 fantasy points. 

WR Justin Jefferson, Minnesota (vs. Green Bay)

Before his Week 7 bye, Jefferson finished as the WR1 in Week 6, marking his second big game of the season. Now he draws a tough divisional matchup against Green Bay, who has been a top ten defense against wide receivers. However, much of this ranking can be attributed to Jaire Alexander, who continues to shut down opposing team’s wide receivers week in and week out.

With Alexander likely to be shadowing Thielen, Jefferson could be in line for a big game. His insane talent and big-play upside makes him a weekly start, though he has shown that he has a very low floor.

Projection: 7 receptions, 116 yards, 1 touchdown, 21.1 fantasy points.   

TE Jonnu Smith, Tennessee (vs. Cincinnati)

Smith has now had two lackluster weeks in a row, though his performance two weeks ago can be attributed to leaving early with an injury. However, his first four games where he went for at least 61 yards or a touchdown in every game can not be forgotten.

With the current tight end landscape, the touchdown upside and talent that Smith possesses makes him a top-five option almost every week, especially against Cincinnati, the third-worst defense against opposing tight ends.

Projection: 5 receptions, 63 yards, 1 touchdown, 14.8 fantasy points. 

Fantasy Football Sits for Week 8

QB Matthew Stafford, Detroit (vs. Indianapolis)

Stafford managed to salvage his Week 7 performance with a last-second touchdown but still did not manage to crack the top 12 against the worst defense in the NFL. Stafford is not necessarily to blame as he has looked solid, but the Lions offense is committed to the run.

Now he gets a matchup with Indianapolis, the second-best defense against opposing quarterbacks. After blowing this recent string of matchups, Stafford can be safely dropped in most formats.

Projection: 258 yards, 2 touchdowns, 2 interceptions, 16.3 fantasy points. 

RB Devin Singletary, Buffalo (vs. New England)

Singletary has been a huge disappointment in 2020 thus far, and it is not even related to Zach Moss. The run game in Buffalo has just not gotten going, with Singletary and Moss averaging 3.8 and 3.6 yards per carry respectively.

Even though New England just gave up a huge three-touchdown game on the ground to Jeff Wilson Jr, Singletary can not be trusted until he gets a heavier workload or shows he can turn his limited work into more production, he has to remain on your bench.

Projection: 53 total yards, 3 receptions, 6.8 fantasy points.  

RB Jerick McKinnon, San Fransisco (vs. Seattle)

McKinnon has slowly fallen down the 49ers depth chart, but with injuries to Raheem Mostert and Jeff Wilson Jr, it only makes sense that McKinnon would be the next man up. However, JaMycal Hasty was the one to fill in for Wilson Jr when he went down in Week 7.

With Tevin Coleman looking to return this week, McKinnon could very well be the third running back on this depth chart, with his four-game touchdown streak to start the season merely a flash in the pan.

Projection: 24 total yards, 2 receptions, 3.4 fantasy points. 

WR DeVante Parker, Miami (vs. Los Angeles)

Parker has been another relatively disappointing fantasy option, with only one real big game to date. Even though he is the top wideout on what has been a strong offense, with Tua Tagovailoa set to make his debut and Parker likely to be shadowed by shutdown corner Jalen Ramsey, there is too much uncertainty to warrant starting Parker as anything more than a low-end flex option.

Projection: 4 receptions, 51 yards, 7.1 fantasy points. 

TE Dalton Schultz, Dallas (vs. Philadelphia)

With Dallas in a downward spiral, the only fantasy pieces you want to play are Amari Cooper and Ezekiel Elliot, and even their values are only a fraction of what they were two weeks ago.

After showing his potential with Dak Prescott under center, he has now become the fourth target of an Andy Dalton/Ben DiNucci-led offense, making him unstartable regardless of his juicy matchup.

Projection: 2 receptions, 31 yards, 4.1 fantasy points.