Fantasy Football Week 8 Starting Decisions: Jalen McMillan and Troy Franklin start

Quarterback

Start: Justin Herbert, Chargers

Throughout the first month of the season, the Chargers played close to their offense, posting a passer rating that was 10% higher than expected. During that stretch, Herbert averaged 22.8 pass attempts and 145 yards per game. The Chargers increased their PROE to +2% in Weeks 6 and 7.

Over the last two games, Herbert has completed 73 attempts for 586 yards but only one touchdown. Vegas anticipates getting back on track in terms of scoring and has awarded Los Angeles 24 total points.

Starter: Jared Goff, Lions

The Lions easily have the highest team total in the entire table at 28.25 points. They face a Titans defense that ranks 20th in EPA per sack allowed. Goff has been hitting his stride in recent weeks, throwing for 272 yards and 2.3 touchdowns per game over the last four contests. As of week three, he is QB1 in EPA per game and QB6 in fantasy points per game.

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Sitting: Dak Prescott, Cowboys

Prescott has taken a step back this year and ranks 24th in EPA per season downs, ranking second in that ranking. He is QB16 in fantasy points per game. The oddsmakers are now throwing in the towel on the Cowboys, at least for a week. They have an suggested team total of 21.25 and are competing against a top-10 team in EPA per pass allowed.

Sitting: Geno Smith, Seahawks

Under Ryan Grubb, Smith was a volume buyer, averaging a pedestrian 7.1 yards per attempt on the league’s highest rush volume (279). He faces a Buffalo defense that is allowing the eighth-fewest fantasy points to opposing quarterbacks this year. More important than the match is the defeat of DK Metcalf, who has not practiced since Friday morning and will probably not play on Sunday. Metcalf ranks 27th in yards per route. He is the only Seattle receiver ranked in the top 50.

Running back

Starter: Kareem Hunt, Chiefs

Hunt entered Kansas City’s lineup three games ago and has seen 65 percent of the team’s carries. He averaged 23 touches for 95 yards and one touchdown per game. The Chiefs’ passer rating has been negative since Hunt’s first start, and they are 9.5-point favorites over the Raiders this week.

Starter: Chase Brown, Bengals

Brown completed his takeover of Cincinnati’s backfield last week, defeating Zack Moss 15-6. He has seen 55 percent of the Bengals’ passes over the past four weeks and is averaging 15.3 touches per game over that span. Brown also performs well in terms of efficiency. He ranks third in touch per carry and fifth in run rate.

Sitting: Chuba Hubbard, Panthers

Bryce Young returns to the lineup this week as Andy Dalton recovers from a sprained thumb. This removes every Panthers player from the menu for fantasy purposes. In 18 career starts, Karolina averaged 13.8 points per game. The Panthers are 10.5-point underdogs this week and will face a Denver defense that ranks 10th in EPA per rushing attempt allowed.

Sitting: Alvin Kamara, Saints

Spencer Rattler’s offense is one that no fantasy value can escape. Rattler is last in the NFL in EPA per game (min. 100 losses). The Saints have three offensive touchdowns – one of which came from Jake Haener’s pass attempt in overtime – in Rattler’s two starts. They are seven points behind the Chargers this week. This year, the Bolts have given up the second fewest fantasy points to opponents.

Wide receiver

Starter: Troy Franklin, Broncos

Franklin, a fourth-round rookie, has seen his role skyrocket over the past two weeks. After missing the first game in Denver, he ran the route on 26 percent of the Broncos’ routes from Weeks 2 to 5. Since then, Franklin has seen 68% of Bo Nix’s returns. In Week 7, he had a 25% target share and a 30% air yard share. Even though the Panthers gave up the 12th most fantasy points to opposing wingers.

Starter: Jalen McMillan, Bucs

The runway is empty ahead of McMillan’s decisive match, which will see Chris Godwin retire for the season and Mike Evans struggling with a hamstring injury that has been going on for several weeks. These two players accounted for 46 percent of the Buks’ targets and 60 percent of their air yards. McMillan could also move into that spot after spending most of his time in Tampa Bay on the outside. Godwin dominated the Bucs’ targets as their leading slot receiver, and McMillan was primarily a slot holder in college. In his last two seasons as a Husky, he ran more than 90 percent of his routes from the slot.

Sitting: Diontae Johnson, Panthers

In addition to the obvious drop in quarterback efficiency, the Panthers’ unplanned QB change could also result in Johnson contributing less to available targets. It has a 28 percent target share and a 47 percent airyard share in Andy Dalton’s four launches. In Young’s two starts, those numbers were 23 percent and 24 percent. In those games, Johnson recorded six catches for 34 yards.

Sitting: Josh Downs, Colts

Every Colts receiver is a “Sit” with Anthony Richardson under center. Downs is averaging 9.6 PPR points in Richardson’s three career starts in which he has been active.

This already low number is almost entirely confirmed by the performance of 8/82/1, during which Richardson left the pitch with an injury after just four passing attempts. Both Downs and Pittman are ranked as WR4 until the Colts make a quarterback change or Richardson improves dramatically.

Tight end

Starter: Cade Otto, Bucks

When Evans went down early in Week 7, the Bucs leaned on Otto, scoring 10 targets. He caught eight of them for 100 yards, and in his first game since college he crossed the century mark. Otto scored 22 percent of the Bucs’ targets and air stations vs. Baltimore. Tampa Bay ranks ninth in the NFL in passer rating and third in pass completions. Otton, who now plays a much bigger role in this passing attack, is pushing for a TE1 ranking this week.

Starter: David Njoku, Browns

Njoku looked almost at his best, as we’ve seen throughout the season in Week 7. He ran the route defeating 84% of Browns tacklers who suffered turnovers and earned 28% of his target share. Njoku turned his 14 targets into 10 catches for 76 yards and a touchdown. Now, in Week 8, he will get a huge reinforcement at quarterback in the form of Jameis Winston.

Sitting: Tucker Kraft, Packers

When it comes to tight ends, there are worse options than Kraft, but he’s been uncompromisingly hot in both yards and touchdowns considering his modest role. Kraft ranks 14th in targets and 30th in air yards among tight ends, but is 10th in receiving yards. He has one end zone target and four touchdowns, good for second at his position. Kraft places his top five fantasy numbers, but based on his usage metrics, he looks more like a low-end TE1.

Seated: Zach Ertz, commanders

Jayden Daniels did not practice this week and it appears he will not play. That leaves Marcus Mariota as the starter against a Chicago defense that leads the NFL in draws allowed by the EPA. They rank 22nd in fantasy points allowed and have lost two TE1 games this year. Ertz’s involvement in Washington’s offense is good, but fantasy managers should wait until Daniels returns to consider him as a starting option.