Week eight of the NFL schedule swiftly approaches. Happily, there aren’t nearly the teams on bye this week with only two teams out of action. Of course, this means there is a much larger pool of players to place into the lineup than was the case in week seven. Even so, there are many players who deserve to start and there are those who should be left on the pine. Every week, we here at Belly Up scan rosters and determine who should be on the field and who should just stay in the locker room. Let’s get right down to business with this fantasy football week eight starts/sits edition.

Starts

Running Backs

Darrell Henderson, Los Angeles Rams

It seems difficult to believe, but Darrell Henderson was virtually invisible this past Sunday against a terrible Detroit defense. In fact, Henderson only finished with eight fantasy points as he rushed 15 times for just 45 yards. In addition, he caught three passes for a paltry 19 yards. Fantasy managers had every reason to expect much more from Henderson than what he delivered.

Despite the above, I am going right back to the well and recommending rolling out Henderson into lineups in week eight. Any offensive player going up against the Houston Texans needs to be a starter throughout the land until further notice. In his previous game against the Giants, Henderson scored 23 fantasy points, his best mark of the season. Expect a similar output against the Texans and make certain Henderson is in your fantasy lineup this Sunday.

Zach Moss, Buffalo Bills

Fantasy managers had every reason to ignore Zack Moss the past two weeks. Moss only scored five fantasy points against Tennessee in week six and the Bills were on their bye the next game. However, with the Miami Dolphins up next, it is time to reexamine Moss and get him into fantasy lineups in week eight.

The reason for such a seemingly crazy prophecy? It is all about the opponent. The Dolphins defense is in free fall, as they are last in team defense and only 10 teams have allowed more rushing yards this season. Moss faced Miami in week two and scored two touchdowns. The floor for fantasy production for Moss this week seems to be right around 18-20 points. Unless there are better options, get him into your starting lineup.

Wide Receivers

Russell Gage, Atlanta Falcons

After disappearing completely from the fantasy consciousness the past four weeks, Russell Gage looks ready to produce some quality stats going forward. Gage returned to the Falcons’ lineup this past Sunday against the Dolphins and produced his strongest numbers of the season. Gage was targeted six times, resulting in four catches for 67 yards and his first touchdown of the year.

For the game, Gage finished with a solid 17 fantasy points. Now that he is healthy, QB Matt Ryan will get real comfortable with his wide receiver quickly and those 17 points might just be his floor the rest of the way. Gage is clearly worthy of being in the starting lineup this Sunday against Carolina, even with the Panthers listed as a good defense. That team has fallen apart in recent weeks, however. Gage certainly belongs on this fantasy football week eight starts/sits edition.

Kalif Raymond, Detroit Lions

On the surface, this may look like a strange start recommendation. After all, we are talking about a player on the worst team in the league. However, many factors should be taken into consideration when determining who to start in a fantasy lineup. This week, the signs are there to get Kalif Raymond off the bench and get him into at least a flex role.

Last week against the Rams, Raymond exploded on the scene with 115 receiving yards on six catches. That averages out to an outstanding 19.2 yards per reception. Raymond was targeted eight times, the most since week three. Best of all, he finished with 19 fantasy points, second most on the season behind the 21 he scored against Chicago in week four. Raymond has shown the ability to produce against some of the best defenses in the NFL. Philadelphia is a middle of the road unit, which provides a nice fantasy floor for Raymond. Get him into the lineup this week.

Tight End

Mike Gesicki, Miami Dolphins

Without doubt, when it comes to the tight end position, there aren’t many quality options available. It is because of this reason that Mike Gesicki get a start recommendation in week eight. To be sure, going up against the Bills defense isn’t a recommended strategy most weeks. However, with the tight end well pretty much dry, if Gesicki is on the roster, he has to start.

Gesicki has played well the past two games, scoring 21 fantasy points each. However, that was against inferior defenses in Jacksonville and Atlanta. When he played against the Bills in week two, Gesicki scored just seven fantasy points. The main reason for that was he only had six targets in that game. Gesicki has topped that total in each of the last three games and four of five. As stated, with a limited number of options, who else at the position is better on most rosters? Stop fretting and just plug him in. Hold your nose if necessary, but start Gesicki.

Quarterbacks

Kirk Cousins, Minnesota Vikings

With Minnesota on their bye last week, the name of Kirk Cousins may not be at the front of most fantasy manager’s minds this week. That would be a huge mistake, however, as Cousins has had some huge games this season. None were bigger than week six against Carolina as Cousins passed for 373 yards and three touchdowns. Cousins finished with a massive 52.5 fantasy points.

While there is no guarantee of that kind of performance against Dallas, Cousins has one of the safest fantasy floors in the position. He has scored 44 or more fantasy points four times this season and has only two games where he has scored less than 30. In addition, Cousins has thrown for two or more TDs four times this year. The Cowboys are a better defensive team than last season, but it is reasonable to conclude the Vikings will move the ball against them. That being the case, Cousins leads the way on this fantasy football week eight starts/sits edition.

Trevor Lawrence, Jacksonville Jaguars

There hasn’t been much to write home about so far for the Jacksonville franchise or Trevor Lawrence. At the very least, though, the Jaguars got up off the deck against Miami in week six and won their first game of the season. Jacksonville was on bye last week and Lawrence has had extra time to get ready for the next game, which is this Sunday in Seattle.

In the two weeks before the bye, Lawrence threw two touchdown passes while also also scoring a TD on the ground. A running ability was a part of Lawrence’s game that was clearly evident in college. Best of all, Lawrence averaged right around 33 fantasy points in those two games. Playing against a terrible Seahawk defense should make 33 points Lawrence’s fantasy floor. With that in mind, Lawrence has a place in starting lineups this weekend.

Sits

Running Backs

Mike Davis, Atlanta Falcons

Without doubt, Mike Davis is one of the most disappointing players in all of fantasy this season. Davis was drafted with the idea that he would fit in well with the Atlanta offense. Six games into 2021, it is conclusive that Davis isn’t worthy of a roster spot, let alone being in the starting lineup of anyone’s fantasy roster. For the year, Davis has only 214 rushing yards and a single touchdown.

His 3.2 yards per carry is one of the worst averages in the NFL. His receiving stats aren’t much better, either, as he has 18 catches for 88 yards and another score. Even more disastrous than that is the fact that Davis has just four catches in his last three games. The next opponent, Carolina, is on a free fall since their first three games of the year. Still, there is absolutely no reason to have Davis on any starting lists this week. Without doubt, Davis belongs on the bench on this fantasy football week eight starts/sits edition.

Miles Sanders, Philadelphia Eagles

Like Davis, Miles Sanders came into this season with the expectation by many to be a great fantasy running back. However, 2021 has collapsed with a thud on Sanders and those who drafted him. Thus far, Sanders has had 11 or more carries in a game only three times, and only once in his last five. Only in week one has he scored more than nine fantasy points. Even worse, Sanders has no touchdowns on the season.

His fantasy points have fallen every week since the fifth game, bottoming out this past Sunday with only four points. Even though the Lions are probably the worst team in the NFL, fantasy managers can’t trust Sanders enough to take advantage of the match up. On top of everything else, Sanders isn’t fully healthy, suffering an ankle injury in the first quarter against the Raiders. He is questionable as of this writing. Even if Sanders is active, it is best to leave him on the bench until he proves himself worthy of being a fantasy starter.

Update:

It was revealed Friday that Sanders would not be active for this Sunday’s game and quite possibly could miss more time. Sanders certainly has no place in lineups this weekend. With the way the Eagles offense has been playing in recent weeks, I’m not sure I would trust Kenneth Gainwell, either.

Wide Receivers

Allen Robinson, Chicago Bears

Coming into the season, Allen Robinson was understandably viewed as an top of the line wide receiver. He was taken high in drafts, just as he has been for the past two years. However, things have gone horribly wrong on the midway for Robinson this season. No matter who the quarterback is, they haven’t been able to get him the ball on any kind of consistent basis. Robinson has three games so far with just two total receptions, something that no one could have predicted.

In fact, since catching six balls in week one, Robinson has totaled only 17 in the six weeks since. Week seven was the bottom of the barrel, though, as he caught just two passes for a paltry 16 yards and scored three fantasy points. With one of the better defenses in the 49ers upcoming, it would be a very good idea for managers to find another option if at all possible. Of course, the same can be said for all Bears offensive players. It is painful to say this about a player with Robinson’s talent, but he definitely belongs on the bench on this fantasy football week eight starts/sits list.

Tim Patrick, Denver Broncos

Clearly, the bloom is off the rose now up in Denver. The Broncos started 3-0 and the skies in the Mile High city were sunny as far as the eye can see. That is no longer the case as there are only wickedly black clouds surrounding this team. Denver hasn’t won a game since and quarterback Teddy Bridgewater‘s play has taken a deep dive. Add it all up and Tim Patrick absolutely belongs on this week’s sit list.

Patrick’s receptions have gone down every game since week five. This past Sunday, Patrick had just two catches in five targets for 16 yards. He finished with a grand total of three fantasy points. As will be seen below, no one on the Bronco’s offense can be trusted at all and Patrick is big time on that list. Don’t place him anywhere near a starting lineup unless a full emergency occurs.

Tight End

Noah Fant, Denver Broncos

It should come as no surprise that another Bronco makes the sit portion of this fantasy football week eight starts/sits edition. As was made clear above, no Bronco offensive player should be in a starting lineup right now. That certainly applies to Noah Fant as well. One week after catching nine huge passes for 97 yards and a touchdown against the Raiders, Fant was barely heard from in week seven against Washington.

Fant was targeted seven times, resulting in five catches for only 39 yards Sunday. He finished with just eight fantasy points. That was the third time Fant has finished a game with less than 10 fantasy points. While it can be argued that Patrick deserves to hit the waiver wire, no such recommendation can be reasonably made regarding Fant. He should be on a roster, not just in starting lineups this weekend.

Quarterbacks

Sam Darnold, Carolina Panthers

Much like Denver, the Carolina Panthers came out blazing the first three games of the season and have been hibernating ever since. That is especially true for quarterback Sam Darnold. He began the season with three touchdown passes while also scoring three times on the ground. Carolina lost their fourth game to Dallas, but Darnold scored 51 fantasy points. No doubt, he was added to rosters throughout the land.

Unfortunately, the days have been dark for Darnold since then. In the three games since playing the Cowboys, Darnold has a combined fantasy score of 53 points. That is not getting it done, folks. Darnold completely bottomed out against the Giants this past Sunday, throwing for only 112 yards and scoring 10 fantasy points. There is simply no reason for Darnold to be on single quarterback leagues at this point. In superflex leagues, he can be on the roster, but try everything possible to find another starter until further notice.

Tua Tagovailoa, Miami Dolphins

After missing three games earlier in the season, managers had every right to forget Tua Tagovailoa even existed. However, that changed in a hurry in week as he threw for 329 yards and two TDs against Jacksonville. Tagovailoa followed that up with his best professional performance, throwing for four touchdowns against the Dolphins. Tua finished that game with an outstanding 49 fantasy points.

While that all sounds great (and it was) the reality that is the Buffalo defense is on deck for Tagovailoa and Miami this week. Even worse, the game is on the road. The Texans come to town in week nine, but this week it is advisable to keep Tua on the bench unless no other options are available. With only two teams on bye this week, that shouldn’t be the case. Bench Tua this Sunday.

The Final Word

Thank you for joining me for this fantasy football week eight starts/sits edition! As always, I welcome input and suggestions from all of my readers. Follow me on twitter @kevin62wilsea, and be sure to turn to Belly Up Sports and Belly Up Fantasy Sports & Picks for all the latest NFL and sports news!

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