Zach will be the main man today, so fire off whatever questions you have and he’ll be sure to take good care of you. The next two Sunday, I’ll be holding down the fort with Zach off enjoying some family time.

In case you missed them, here are this week’s articles for your fantasy football Week 8 edification:

• Start em, Sit em Picks
• Player Rankings
• Waiver Wire Advice
• Stock Report
• Injury Report
• Last Minute Tips

And here is this week’s live chat:

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Here are some last minute tips on some players who could disappoint this week, as well as some others who are set up for success to help your fantasy team in Week 8.

Fantasy Football Week 8: Stars Who Could Disappoint

Michael Vick

Vick and the Eagles are looking to turn their season around against Dallas on Sunday Night Football. The Eagles are coming off of a win against Washington in which Vick only had one touchdown along with an interception.

Interceptions are something that are a sure thing for Vick each week, as he has thrown at least one in his last five games, which includes four against Buffalo in Week 5. Vick will certainly throw at least one against Dallas, if not more.

The Eagles are going to have to try and establish the run game with LeSean McCoy, so don’t look for Vick to put up any impressive numbers.

Frank Gore

This is going out on a limb, but I do not believe Gore will continue at his current pace today against the Browns. He has rushed for at least 125 yards in his last three games, but in the previous three his high was 59 yards.

The Browns defense is one of the top ranked in the league, along with the other three teams in the AFC North, and have only allowed two players to rush for 100 yards on them this year. (Cedric Benson and Chris Johnson were the two, but Johnson barely made the mark with 101 yards).

Gore should be able to reach close to 100 yards, but his projection as the top running back on ESPN.com may be too high this week.

Wes Welker

Welker and the Patriots are going up against Pittsburgh, who has the second-ranked pass defense in the NFL with just under 172 pass yards per game. Before the bye week last week, Welker had a mediocre game against Dallas in which he only had 6 catches for 45 yards.

This week, the Steelers secondary will keep a close eye on Welker, and he will likely see several defenders in his area. He should still get some receptions, but don’t look for a 100 yard, multi-touchdown game.

Fantasy Football Week 8: Under-the-Radar Players to Consider

Matt Hasselbeck

The Titans are coming off of an embarrassing 41-7 loss against Houston. Hasselbeck only threw for 104 yards, and Jake Locker even saw some playing time at the end of the game.

Things will be different this week for the Titans, as they go up against the Colts. The Colts are becoming the joke of the NFL without Peyton Manning, especially after their 62-7 loss last Sunday night. Hasselbeck and Chris Johnson will both have big games, as any player going up against the Colts is a safe bet.

Ryan Torain

Torain and the Redskins are going up against the terrible Buffalo defense, who have the 30th ranked rush defense in the NFL. The offense continues to bail out the defense, but that does not matter in fantasy football.

Torain is the main running back in Washington, now that Tim Hightower is out for the year with a torn ACL. Going up against the Bills, Torain should be able to have at least 100 yards, considering the fact that John Beck struggled to connect on any big passes last week against Carolina.

Michael Jenkins

Jenkins had his best game of the season last week, with 117 yards and a touchdown against Green Bay. Now that Christian Ponder is the starter in Minnesota, things are looking better for Jenkins. Even with only three receptions, Jenkins had more receiving yards last game than he had in any other game all year.

The Vikings are going up against the Panthers today, who are average in terms of passing defense. Jenkins will be targeted by Ponder all game, and should catch at least one touchdown.

Now for this week we have some interesting picks for you, but a lot of them are on the down side of the stock.  I had one person ask me how I could have DeMarco Murray down this week after his big game last week; easy.  Just look at Adrian Peterson’s stats after he set the NFL record for yards in a game.  Stay here: he scored 5 points.

We have a special treat for you in this installment of the stock report: kickers, tricks and more.

Fantasy Football Week 8 Stock Report: Stock Up

Ben Roethlisberger

Everyone knows how polarizing the Patriots offense and defense are, which fall into the lap of Big Ben this week.  This game seriously has potential for each team to get into the 30s and here is why: yes the Steelers defense is very good, but not against Tom Brady who is 6-1 against them with a 104 rating for his career…so a shootout looks probable.

Ryan Fitzpatrick

Are fantasy owners starting to shy away from the early season success story that is thee Ryan Fitzpatrick?  We are talking about the resurgence of the Jim Kelly-run no-huddle offense that had the Bills in four consecutive Super Bowls, in which Ryan Fitzpatrick will be directing!  All jokes aside, this is the time to see what the Bills are really made of, and if they are to play at a high level then Fitz will as well.

Ryan Torain

It looks like some fantasy owners are glad that their recent acquisition of Torain a few weeks ago is finally going to pay off with Tim Hightower going down for the season.  The Santana Moss injury puts more pressure on the RB, but also should get his more carries as John Beck is still the starter.  John Beck.

Jackie Battle

If anyone is in need of starting back, you had better at least get Battle on your roster while he is still available.  At this point in the season the Chiefs are at a crossroads.  After coming back to a respectable 3-3 record, the boys in KC are a game away from claiming the division lead.  Either way, Battle clearly gives them the best option at running back with Jamaal Charles out, though they still give everyone the ball.  They’ll take note of Battle’s 5.2 YPC average sooner or later.

Greg Little

5 catches for 31 yards and 3 points doesn’t exactly scream hope for a rookie in a dysfunctional offense that just lost two other starters not named Peyton Hillis.  And to tack onto the problems, the Browns are at San Francisco too.  Who cares!?  Little has the ability to hold his own in this league, and with two of those starters out being pass catchers, he’s going to be counted on heavily.

Braylon Edwards

Oh what do you know, Braylon Edwards facing his old team again, only this time with a new one.  This wild prediction hinges upon the fact that he actually plays this week against the Browns.  He has too much talent for this matchup to not inspire him to get back at a few old teammates during a home game in “his” house.  This league is so coincidental that I could see him having a big day just because…and I don’t know why.

Fred Davis

In the small pond that is the Washington Redskins offense, Fred Davis is the big fish by default.  If you ask why, just think of it this way; the offense went from a modest crew of Grossman, Moss, Hightower and Cooley to Beck, Gaffney, Torain and Davis.  We hope that Davis’ skills will help back that claim up.

Rob Bironas

Kicker Alert!  Kickers don’t get the love they should. Even though their success is often dependent on the offense they are on, that doesn’t mean they should be forgotten about.  Now, because this is a team game let’s look at who the Titans have on their schedule this week.  Oh yes the Colts, and everyone blows out the Colts right?

Fantasy Football Week 8 Stock Report: Stock Down

Cam Newton

The Panthers’ run defense is terrible to say it nicely, and going up against Adrian Peterson right now isn’t exactly a favorable matchup.  What does this mean for Killa Cam?  Minnesota wanting to play ball control in a winnable game leading to less possessions for Carolina and ultimately less points for the rookie.  Who knows, he could go off for 30+ this weekend, but he can’t be this good all the time can he?

DeMarco Murray

Just like the Dow Jones, this stock report will have guys up and down from week to week just because you need to know.  Murray will return to earth this week, as it’s hard to see the Eagles giving up such huge numbers to the rookie who put huge numbers against the lowly Rams.  Critics are looking for something big from teammate Tony Romo, so chances are Murray is going to take a backseat to his quarterback this time around.

BenJarvus Green-Ellis

Toe injuries are one of the worst for running backs because they are going to feel that sharp pain on every step.  If there is one thing that the Steelers are going to be able to take away from the Patriots offense it is the running game, and Green-Ellis won’t be 100% anyways.

Larry Fitzgerald

It is kind of sad how a stand up guy such as Fitzgerald could garner all of the hype any other great receiver in the NFL receives, but when his team is 1-5, all of that goes out of the door.  Sure the scouting report on Larry is that he has the best hands in the league, but going against the Ravens after a loss is a tough task, so temper expectations.

DeSean Jackson

Foolish as it is to say that Jackson’s stock is down, because of the simple fact that there is a chance he could score at anytime whether it is on offense or special teams, the two catch games become very frustrating and can boil the blood of even the coolest fantasy owner.  While he does perform at crunch time and loves the spotlight (night game versus Dallas) it would be nice to see a little bit of consistency going forward.

Heath Miller

Naturally, people have gravitated towards Miller due to his recent production over the last few games, but when he doesn’t score can you live with a 4 point game out of him?

Jacksonville D/ST

A fluke is what we would like to call Monday night’s effort against the Baltimore Ravens, holding them to only 7 points.  The game couldn’t have been set up any better for the Jags at home on MNF and these types of outcomes just happen from time to time, but if you are looking for a repeat performance, with a chance that Houston will get Andre Johnson back, you have to be kidding yourself.

Nick Novak

If we are going to give you the stock report for kickers poised to do well this week, then we have to let you know whose stock is down as well.  Regardless if the Chargers are playing on the road at Kansas City, Phillip Rivers should be poised to have a break out game after his sluggish start to the season.  At least he better have a break out game for a few of our sakes, and if he does, that would mean more touchdowns and less field goals for Novak.

If you all would prefer more than just a list, let me know and I can spice it up a bit!

Here are my Week 8 player rankings. Hope they help!

Post any questions in the comment section and I will be happy to answer. You can also ask on Twitter (@onceharby and @FantasyMSF), and come to the Sunday live chat for any last minute start/sit questions you have.

 Fantasy Football Week 8 Player Rankings

Remember that the following teams are on bye in Week 8:

• Falcons
• Bears
• Packers
• Jets
• Raiders
• Buccaneers

Also, don’t forget to check out Andy’s waiver wire pickups column and Jerod’s start ‘em, sit ‘em projections for Week 8.

All rankings done with standard scoring leagues in mind.

Fantasy Football Week 8 Player Rankings: Quarterback

1. Drew Brees

2. Cam Newton

3. Michael Vick

4. Matthew Stafford

5. Tom Brady

6. Ben Roethlisberger

7. Eli Manning

8. Tony Romo

9. Philip Rivers

10. Matt Schaub

11. Joe Flacco

12. Matt Hasselbeck

13. Tim Tebow

14. Ryan Fitzpatrick

15. John Beck

16. Matt Cassel

17. Andy Dalton

18. Christian Ponder

19. Alex Smith

20. Colt McCoy

21. Kevin Kolb

22. Curtis Painter

23. Matt Moore

24. Blaine Gabbert

Fantasy Football Week 8 Player Rankings: Running Back

1. Arian Foster

2. Adrian Peterson

3. Ray Rice

4. Frank Gore

5. Fred Jackson

6. LeSean McCoy

7. Ahmad Bradshaw

8. Maurice Jones-Drew

9. Ryan Mathews

10. DeMarco Murry

11. Darren Sproles

12. Rashard Mendenhall

13. Steven Jackson

14. BenJarvus Green-Ellis

15. Chris Johnson

16. Daniel Thomas

17. Jackie Battle

18. Ryan Torain

19. Mike Tolbert

20. Pierre Thomas

21. Delone Carter

22. Maurice Morris

23. Jonathan Stewart

24. Bernard Scott

25. Montario Hardesty

26. Knowshon Moreno

27. Brandon Jacobs

28. Leon Washington

29. DeAngelo Williams

30. Javon Ringer

Fantasy Football Week 8 Player Rankings: Wide Receiver

1. Calvin Johnson

2. Mike Wallace

3. Steve Smith

4. Hakeem Nicks

5. Wes Welker

6. Andre Johnson

7. Marques Colston

8. Dwayne Bowe

9. Dez Bryant

10. Vincent Jackson

11. Larry Fitzgerald

12. Brandon Marshall

13. DeSean Jackson

14. A.J. Green

15. Anquan Boldin

16. Nate Washington

17. Steve Johnson

18. Jeremy Maclin

19. Miles Austin

20. Brandon Lloyd

21. Pierre Garcon

22. Sidney Rice

23. Demaryius Thomas

24. Mario Manningham

25. Deion Branch

26. Greg Little

27. Steve Breaston

28. Jabar Gaffney

29. Reggie Wayne

30. Michael Jenkins

Fantasy Football Week 8 Player Rankings: Tight End

1. Jimmy Graham

2. Jason Witten

3. Antonio Gates

4. Brandon Pettigrew

5. Vernon Davis

6. Fred Davis

7. Aaron Hernandez

8. Owen Daniels

9. Rob Gronkowski

10. Jermaine Gresham

11. Greg Olsen

12. Visanthe Shiancoe

13. Jared Cook

14. Dallas Clark

15. Jake Ballard

16. Heath Miller

17. Brent Celek

18. Daniel Fells

19. Ed Dickson

20. Evan Moore

21. Alex Smith

22. Leonard Pope

23. Jeremy Shockey

24. Marcedes Lewis

25. Lance Kendricks

Fantasy Football Week 8 Player Rankings: Defense/Special Teams

1. Baltimore Ravens

2. New Orleans Saints

3. New York Giants

4. San Francisco 49ers

5. Houston Texans

6. Cincinnati Bengals

7. Detroit Lions

8. Tennessee Titans

9. Philadelphia Eagles

10. Buffalo Bills

11. Dallas Cowboys

12. San Diego Chargers

13. Seattle Seahawks

14. Minnesota Vikings

15. New England Patriots

16. KC Chiefs

17. Carolina Panthers

18. Miami Dolphins

19. Pittsburgh Steelers

20. Washington Redskins

21. Denver Broncos

22. Cleveland Browns

23. Indianapolis Colts

24. Arizona Cardinals

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Follow me on Twitter @onceharby 

Did you miss me?

Jon has himself a busy schedule this week, so he texted me this morning and asked if I’d be up for reprising my role as the author of our weekly Start/Sit column here at MSF. I have to admit, as soon as I saw his text I was pretty pumped.

Doing these posts every week, week after week, can admittedly be a bit of a grind, as I learned over the last couple of years; so I was happy to let Jon take it over this year and focus my efforts in other areas. But I’ve missed the weekly challenge of poring over matchups and stats and trends to figure out which players to recommend to you as starts and sits.

So it’s good to be back in the saddle.

Anyway, It’s not like I’ve been totally absent. I still offer commentary on Jon’s posts, answer questions in the comment sections, and monitor the @FantasyMSF Twitter account. So I haven’t really given you a chance to miss me even if you wanted to. Now though, for the first time all year, I have to go on record with start and sit picks.

I’m ready. Let’s roll.

First up, let’s take a quick old school look back at how Jon did with his top-line start/sit picks last week:

• Start ‘em hits: Ben Roethlisberger, Dwayne Bowe, Fred Davis
• Start ‘em misses: Ryan Torain
• Sit ‘em hits: Vincent Jackson, Willis McGahee, Dustin Keller
• Sit ‘em misses: Cam Newton

Other suggestions he was slam-dunk correct on: sit Philip Rivers and Kevin Kolb; sit Larry Fitgerald and Brandon Lloyd

Other suggestions he was dead wrong on: start Matt Hasselbeck; sit Mark Sanchez; sit Jonathan Stewart; that Visanthe Shiancoe would be the “worst” tight end

Overall, a decent week for Jon. His top-line picks were solid, but some of his bolder “other” suggestions went awry. Jon has had a very strong track record this season though, so the bar is high for my relief appearance.

Here are my thoughts on who you should start and who you should sit in Week 8.

Fantasy Football Week 8 Start Em, Sit Em
Lineup Advice and Projections

Remember that the following teams are on bye in Week 8:

• Falcons
• Bears
• Packers
• Jets
• Raiders
• Buccaneers

Several startable QBs are out this week (Rodgers, Ryan, Freeman), as are some RBs that teams have come to count on (Turner, Forte, DMC), and some top flight WRs (R. White and the Packers crew, among many others). That means that not only do you need to bone up on your waiver wire knowledge, you need to be prepared to make the key start/sit decisions at the fringes of your roster that will be the difference between winning and losing.

Lucky for you, that’s why we’re here.

Fantasy Football Week 8 Start Em, Sit Em Picks: Quarterbacks

Start ‘Em QB: Joe Flacco, Baltimore (v Arizona)

Know that I am currently writing this at 6:23 pm Central time on Monday evening. So the Monday night game between Baltimore and Jacksonville hasn’t even started. Thus, there is a chance that Flacco throws up one of his patented stinkers tonight against Jacksonville’s better-than-you-think pass defense (210 yards per game, 9 TDs heading into week 7).

Even if he does, I don’t care. You start him against Arizona and expect top 5 stats.

Here are some numbers:

• Cam Newton: 422 yards
• Rex Grossman: 291 yards
• Eli Manning: 321 yards
• Ben Roethlisberger: 361 yards

These are the yardage numbers that four of the Cardinals’ opponents have hung on their pass D this year. The two I left out were Minnesota and Seattle, because neither team had competent quarterbacking when they faced the Cardinals. Joe Flacco may not be a superstar, but he is certainly competent, and he has been a guy in the past who has put up huge numbers against inferior defenses. Consider his performance against St. Louis earlier this year, one of the few pass defenses that could be considered as bad as Arizona’s: 389 yards, 3 TDs for Flacco.

Flacco’s overall numbers are somewhat depressed by some tough matchups early in the season (Jets, Texans, Titans when they were actually trying), but don’t forget that this is a guy who has tossed at least 21 TD passes the last two seasons and who tends to get them in bunches when they come. This week will be one of those weeks when they come in bunches. Start Flacco.

Joe Flacco fantasy football Week 8 projection: 275 yards, 3 TDs

Other start ‘em QBs for Week Eight:

• Eli Manning isn’t sexy from a fantasy perspective, but you can win with him. And you can certainly win with him when he has tasty matchups like the one he has this week against Miami.
• You realize Cam Newton is a top 10 option at QB now, right? Okay, just checking. Make sure he’s in your lineup.

Sit ‘Em QB: Tim Tebow, Denver (v Detroit)

Yep, I’m going to throw some cold water on Tebowmania.

Despite finishing with respectable fantasy numbers in Week 7 (2 TDs, 200+ total yards), you really have to have watched the full game to put those numbers into context. Through 55 minutes, Tebow was hovering around negative fantasy points when you take into account his fumble, but then he led a furious five minute comeback that included most of his passing yards and both of his TDs.

A few things to keep in mind as you analyze Tebow’s chances against Detroit:

• Miami has given up 12 TD passes and picked off only two through six games, so the matchup was very favorable. Detroit, on the other hand, gives up barely 200 passing yards per game, has picked off opposing QBs ten times, and has allowed only 8 TD passes in 7 games. This matchup is not favorable.
• Miami only had eight sacks coming into Week 7 before amassing seven against on Tebow. Detroit has 17 sacks in 7 games thanks to a ferocious defensive line that makes indecisive quarterbacks pay. Tebow looked very indecisive in Week 7, which will not bode well at all for him against Suh, Avril, and Co.

I do like Tebow as a solid fantasy backup this season. He’ll be able to produce decent fantasy stats when the matchup is favorable. This one absolutely is not. In fact, it’s just about the worst matchup for Tebow at this stage in his career, especially with Willis McGahee being out and removing the Broncos’ only consistent rushing threat.

Stay far, far away…this week at least.

Tim Tebow fantasy football Week 8 projection: 125 yards passing, 45 yards rushing, 0 TDs, 2 INTs

Other sit ‘em QBs for Week Eight:

• What the hell is wrong with Philip Rivers? I know Jon is as baffled as anyone. He thought Rivers would be the best fantasy QB this year, but Rivers has just 7 TDs through six games to go along with 9 INTs. He now has to face a Kansas City secondary that picked Oakland QBs off six times last week (I know it was Boller & Palmer, but still) and who Rivers hasn’t lit up historically (only 17 TDs in 12 career games). Plus the game is at Arrowhead, always a tough place to play. I can’t believe I’m saying this, but I think if you have a reasonable alternative, it’s time make Rivers (and by extension Antonio Gates and Vincent Jackson) prove that he’s the Rivers of old before you start him with confidence.
• Be wary of Ryan Fitzpatrick this week, despite what Cam Newton did against the Redskins last week. Washington has problems, but pass defense hasn’t been one of them. The ‘Skins, now desperate after another loss, have given up only five TD passes all season long. Fitzy doesn’t pose the running threat that Cam did, so Washington should have an easier job containing him.

Jon’s thoughts:

I really don’t have much to disagree with here…although I would say I am even higher on Eli Manning than Jerod is.  He should absolutely light up the Miami secondary.

One other guy I would definitely look at starting would be Matt Hasselbeck…he will be playing against the Colts.  All I really need to say here is, “62-7.”

One more under-the-radar guy I would look at is Andy Dalton.  The Seattle secondary is nearly as bad as Arizona’s, and at this point, it looks like the Red Rifle might just be good.  Plus, he has the Rookie of the Year Runner-Up (AJ Green) on his team.  You all know how much I love him…start the Red Rifle if your guy is on a bye.

Fantasy Football Week 8 Start Em, Sit Em Picks: Running Backs

Start ‘Em RB: Chris Johnson, Tennessee (v Indianapolis)

Longtime readers know that when I do these start/sit posts, I try to never make my top-line picks obvious ones. Why would I tell you to start Adrian Peterson or Aaron Rodgers? That offers no one any value. So how crazy is it that in Week 8, former fantasy super-duperstar Chris Johnson warrants mention in the start ‘em category?

What’s even crazier is that some of you may think I’m crazy for trusting CJ268 (his actual rushing total this year) as my start ‘em RB!

But there is plenty of reason to expect the long-awaited CJ breakout this week, and it has everything to do with the matchup: Indianapolis. The Colts make every opposing running back look like Gale Sayers. Through seven games this year Indy is allowing 150.9 rushing yards per game and has allowed 9 touchdowns. If CJ can’t have a fantasy-relevant day against them then the Titans need to sue him for fraud immediately. I’m only half joking.

With that said, keep this in mind: just because Johnson torches Indy’s run D (which I expect), it doesn’t mean he’s “back”. It just means he has a pulse. On the bright side, there are some tasty matchups upcoming on the schedule (Carolina, Tampa Bay, Indy again, Buffalo, all in the bottom third in the league in run D), so feel free to enjoy a bit of optimism if the old CJ returns on Sunday.

Chris Johnson fantasy football Week 8 projection: 140 yards rushing, 2 TDs, 5 receptions, 45 yards

Other start ‘em RBs for Week 8:

• Mark Ingram and Darren Sproles are both definite starts this week, and in deeper leagues or on teams especially decimated by injury or bye weeks Pierre Thomas has some value as well. It all comes down to the matchup. New Orleans faces St. Louis in Week 8, the team with by far the worst run defense in the NFL. Last week the Saints faced the team with the second-worst run D in the NFL, Indiacrapolis, and all three of these guys put up solid fantasy numbers. Sure, it’d be great if there was one guy racking up all the fantasy goodness that Sean Payton and Drew Brees create, but come 6-team bye weeks like this one, just be thankful that the Saints will give opportunities to three running backs against a team like the Rams. 
• I can’t believe I’m doing this, but Ryan Torain is probably a top 20 back in Week 8. Despite two straight awful outings after his supposed breakout a few weeks back, Torain has a) a good matchup (Buffalo, 30th against the run) and b) the starting role with Tim Hightower injured and Roy Helu apparently not yet in good enough graces with Mike Shanahan to warrant the starting nod. We’ve seen Torain produce before in Shanahan’s system when given the chance, so you can start him with some measure of confidence…but don’t come blaming me if he ends up getting five carries and doing nothing. You and I both know we’re playing with fire talking about starting a Shanny RB, but the circumstances do seem to make the risk worth the potential reward in this case.
• I probably don’t need to tell you to start DeMarco Murray after his performance last week, but just in case you were worried that he only succeeded because of the matchup, his matchup is pretty good in Week 8 too. Philly gives up 123.8 rushing yards and a TD per game. With Felix Jones expected to still be out, Murray should get the lion’s share of the work. But take note: if you can, now isn’t a bad time to try to sell high on Murray’s inflated value.

Sit ‘Em RB: Peyton Hillis and Montario Hardesty, Cleveland (at San Francisco)

I don’t care who is healthy, who starts, or even if Cleveland signs Jim Brown for the week to come play. San Francisco has the best front 7 in football right now. Yes, I’m serious…watch them. Remember how we all used to look at Pittsburgh, and still do with Baltimore, and consider sitting even our studs against them? If you’re not thinking of San Fran in that light now, you’re mistaken. Just trust me. I’ve watched every minute of every one of their games this year. They are legit.

Plus, even when healthy Hillis has been far from a stud this year. Not only is he not nearly as effective this year as he was for much of last year, the Browns offense has regressed, leading to very few scoring opportunities for the backs. The ceiling for Cleveland’s RBs right now is quite likely what Montario Hardesty put up in Week 7: 122 total yards on 35 touches with no TDs. And that was against Seattle, a decent but not great run D. The 49ers are giving up just 74.7 rushing yards per game and have not allowed a running TD all season. Yikes.

Unless Cleveland signs the young Jim Brown to play on Sunday, sit whoever is carrying the ball for them. And against this 49ers run D, rested after the bye, even a young Jim Brown might have trouble finding holes.

Peyton Hillis and Montario Hardesty combined fantasy football projection for Week 8: 65 rushing yards, 40 receiving yards, 0 TDs

Other sit ‘em RBs for Week 8:

• Willis McGahee is out, which will lead some people to get excited about Knowshon Moreno, as will the matchup against Detroit’s less than stellar run D. I disagree. Granted, he’s not a terrible option if your lineup is decimated, but I’m waiting until he does something positive to trust him with a starting slot. Detroit will be able to stack the box against Tebow, which will make the going tough for Knowshon.
• That’s it. I’m off the DeAngelo Williams train. I’ve given him plenty of chances, and he always seems to repay me with flaming piles of turd like his 10-carry, 35-yard performance in Week 7, which was made even more frustrating by the fact that Cam Newton and Jonathan Stewart ran wild against the Redskins. Make this guy have two straight solid weeks before you trust him. (And for the record, I’m not all that high on Jonathan Stewart either this week. Minnesota is good against the run.)
• Don’t get too excited about Bernard Scott, who will be filling in for the suspended Cedric Benson this week. Not only is Seattle decent against the run (105 yards per game, 5 TDs allowed) but Brian Leonard is there to siphon carries. Plus, offensive coordinator Jay Gruden clearly has confidence in Andy Dalton, AJ Green, et al, and he won’t hesitate to keep airing it out.

Jon’s thoughts:

I LOVE LOVE LOVE Ryan Torain this week.  Start him with confidence!

Also, let me pass along a quick story for all of you Knowshon Moreno lovers (I am one by the way…but this may make you wary of him as an NFL back).  Allegedly, the kid had never even played football until one day, his high school coach saw him playing tag with a bunch of kids and nobody could touch him.  He thought to himself, “Wow…that kid would make a great running back.”  The legend was born.  Anyway, Know (I have it on very good authority that this is what all of his friends call him) began torching people in high school, and even excelled in college because of his shear athletic ability.  However, he doesn’t really LOVE football like a lot of these guys, and he has never been a guy that people would describe as a “workout warrior.”  Now that he’s in the NFL, he can’t beat people just based off of his talent anymore.  Really, he’s a lot like Julio Jones.  Add all of this to the fact that the Broncos aren’t very good, and a 30-year-old with a blown apart knee has been BETTER than him all season…and I would stay away from Knowshon…maybe forever.

As for the Panthers’ running backs, I’m actually much higher on Jonathan Stewart (and not just because I own him in my league).  Minnesota is great against the run, so Williams will be neutralized.  However, Cam Newton LOVES throwing to Stewart out of the flat, and with Minnesota’s pass rush, I expect Newton to make a lot of quick, short throws to his tight ends and Stewart.  Stewart may not have a lot of yards on the ground, but I could see him approaching triple digits through the air.

Fantasy Football Week 8 Start Em, Sit Em Picks: Wide Receivers

Start ‘Em WR: Brandon Lloyd, St. Louis (v New Orleans)

Regardless of whether Sam Bradford plays or not, I like Lloyd this week. In his first start with his new team last week, he compiled 6 receptions for 74 yards with A.J. Feeley at QB. That was in a blowout against Dallas. Clearly the potential for a blowout is there this week with the awful Rams going up against the juggernaut that just obliterated Indy to the tune of 62 points.

It is safe to assume that St. Louis will be passing a lot to try to keep with Brees and Co, and if they are, either St. Louis QB will surely continue to target their new toy. Plus, the Saints have given up 12 TD passes in 7 games, so they can be had through the air.

Lloyd proved last year that he’s a top flight wide receiver in Josh McDaniels’ system. He’s back with McD now, and I think he’s a possible top 10 WR from here on out, especially when you consider that St. Louis’ schedule eases up in the second half.

Brandon Lloyd fantasy football Week 8 projection: 7 receptions, 90 yards, 1 TD

Other start ‘em WRs for Week Eight:

• After two very subpar weeks, Antonio Brown took advantage of a favorable matchup against Arizona to bust out with 7 catches and 102 yards. He has another favorable matchup against New England in Week 8. Seeing as how Bill Belichick likes to take out the other team’s #1 offensive option, the focus of the Patriots D will likely be Mike Wallace. That should provide opportunities for Brown to make a few big plays, which he’s proven he can make.
• Michael Crabtree is quickly becoming Alex Smith’s go-to guy. He had his best game of the season in Week 6 when he snared 9 passes for 77 yards. With Braylon Edwards expected to return and stretch the defense, Crabtree should have even more room to do his Cris Carter impression. Cleveland’s pass defense stats are pretty solid from a yardage perspective, but they have given up 8 passing TDs in 6 games. I have a suspicion Crabtree makes his first venture into the end zone in Week 8.
• I haven’t been very complimentary of Steve Breaston over the past few weeks, but he is starting to win me over with his consistency. Breaston has at least 50 yards in four straight games and scored two TDs against Indy in Game 5. He faces a San Diego defense in Week 8 that allowed three TD passes to the Jets’ #2 receiver, Plaxico Burress. Though Dwayne Bowe will always be the top red zone option for Matt Cassel, the QB is clearly gaining trust in Breaston, so it’s time I do too. (Take note: just because Breaston is listed doesn’t mean I consider him a slam dunk start, but as a guy that may be on your waiver wire he offers some value for those desperate with six teams on bye.)

Sit ‘Em WR: Deion Branch, New England (at Pittsburgh)

I had a really, really hard time coming up with a sit ‘em WR for this week. With six teams on bye, it’s hard to say that any top 40 WR is a sit, especially in leagues where three wide receivers start. But I didn’t want to tell you to sit someone obvious or from a crappy offense, so I’m going to step out on a limb with Branch.

I’ll give you my reasons for suggesting Branch as a sit candidate so you can see if you agree with my thinking or not:

• Pittsburgh is #1 in the NFL against the pass this year, giving up just 171.9 yards per game and only 8 TDs in 7 games.
• Branch is the fourth option in the New England passing attack behind Wes Welker, Aaron Hernandez, and Rob Gronkowski.
• Despite his ballyhooed rapport with Tom Brady, Branch has one game with zero receptions this year, another with one reception, and another with three catches. Yes, he’s had at least 69 yards receiving in four of his six games, and he’s caught two TDs, but there is a lot of inconsistency here.
• In his career, Branch averages just over 5 catches and 61.5 yards per game and against Pittsburgh, which is decent, but he’s only hit paydirt once.

I would not be shocked at all if Branch ends up having a good or even great game on Sunday. Such is the nature of New England’s offense. But I think there are plenty of reasons to think this will be another of Branch’s off weeks, so if you’re blessed with four or five good options this week despite all the byes, consider those options strongly.

Deion Branch fantasy football Week 8 projection: 4 receptions, 45 yards, 0 TDs

Other sit ‘em WRs for Week Eight:

• Tim Tebow is my sit ‘em QB, so clearly I don’t have much confidence in the Denver passing game. Thus, stick Eric Decker and Demaryius Thomas on your benches. If you have to play one of them, Thomas is the guy I’d want based on what I saw in Week 7. 
• Reggie Wayne is really struggling. He hasn’t eclipsed 77 yards or scored a touchdown since Week 1. Tennessee may or may not be a good matchup, it just depends on which Titans team shows up, but Pierre Garcon remains the Colts WR to start right now anyway, and I’m waiting until Wayne can string together a few solid weeks in a row before thinking of him as a must-start WR again.
• Sidney Rice had a stellar 8-catch, 109-yard performance in Week 3, but his numbers have gotten steadily worse in every week since. Seeing as how he is no longer playing with his Viking buddy Tarvaris Jackson, and how not every pass D is as friendly to opposing WRs as Arizona’s is, it’s not a surprise. As long as Charlie Whitehurst is playing QB and the opponent is halfway competent against the pass, sit all Seahawks WRs unless you’re desperate.

Jon’s thoughts:

How are you not starting Steve Smith?  After watching Greg Jennings run all over the field against the Vikings, I am supremely confident that Steve Smith (a guy who plays very similarly to Greg Jennings, but is even more explosive) will have a MASSIVE day.  Steve Smith has been carrying terrible quarterbacks for…well…for forever, and now that he has someone that is better than competent, he is better than ever.  Most people probably don’t realize this, but Smith is the #4 WR in fantasy this year…yet he STILL ISN’T OWNED IN EVERY LEAGUE IN YAHOO!!!  This is unacceptable.  Start Smith with confidence this week…he could very well have the best week of anyone not named Megatron.

Jerod’s rebuttal thoughts:

Excuse me, but where did I say I’m not starting Steve Smith? Of course you start Steve Smith. I don’t want to patronize our readers, so I assume they can make obvious decisions like that. Although your note about him not being owned in all Yahoo leagues is concerning and ridiculous, so I’m glad you pointed Smith’s greatness out for the few who are unaware. But believe me, Smith is starting on any team I have.

Fantasy Football Week 8 Start Em, Sit Em Picks: Tight Ends

Start ‘Em TE: Jake Ballard, New York Giants (v Miami)

Do you realize that Jake Ballard has caught 11 balls for nearly 200 yards and two touchdowns over the Giants’ last three games? It’s true. Many were lamenting the fact that Kevin Boss left for Oakland, and the effect it would have on Eli Manning’s stats, but Manning seems to have found a nice rapport with the Boss-like Ballard.

Fortuitously, Ballard’s Week 8 matchup is solid. Miami is one of the worst defenses in the league in terms of points given up to opposing tight ends. Add it all up, and Ballard is an outstanding start candidate this week.

Jake Ballard fantasy football Week 8 projection: 4 receptions, 55 yards, 1 TD

Other start ‘em TEs for Week Eight:

• The Browns are also very bad at containing opposing tight ends. That means Vernon Davis needs to be playing on all rosters who have him. 
• The Cowboys are another teams that has given up a decent amount of fantasy points to opposing tight ends this year. With Brent Celek coming off of his first good game of the year (4 catches, TD) he is a sneaky start if you’re desperate.
• By now, you shouldn’t need me to tell you to get Fred Davis in your lineups…do you? If so, get him in your lineups.

Sit ‘Em TE: Dallas Clark, Indianapolis (at Tennessee)

Clark did not record a catch on Sunday night after having his first Clark-like game of the season in Week 6 (6 catches, 53 yards). Tennessee is a middle-of-the-pack team in terms of holding down opposing tight ends, but this selection is more based on lack of faith in the Colts offense than any confidence in the Jekyll and Hide Titans.

Clark has only scored two TDs this year and has only one game with more than four catches or 46 yards. The safer bet this season has been to take the under on those numbers, which is just about the floor for being considered a solid start option in a standard fantasy league. Let someone else pretend Dallas Clark is still the Clark of old. Don’t you make that mistake.

Dallas Clark fantasy football Week 8 projection: 3 catches 35 yards, 0 TD

Other sit ‘em TEs for Week Eight:

• Heath Miller‘s production has been steadily increasing, but I’m a bit worried about him in Week 8. New England is pretty good against opposing tight ends, and Miller has to score TDs to have value, as his yardage totals rarely will get you excited.
• Scott Chandler has four TDs this season, which looks really good when you’re sorting your waiver wire in desperate need of a fill-in. Don’t be fooled. Chandler hasn’t scored since Week 3 and and he has a grand total of 1 yard receiving over the last two games.

Jon’s thoughts:

It’s very hard to find tight ends who are going to have bad games from week to week, however I would consider sitting Owen Daniels as well.  Jacksonville’s defense has been very good (even though the rest of their team is awful), and even though Houston has been very good this year, Schaub hasn’t necessarily been lighting anybody up through the air.  He’s been good, but not great every week, and he’s only thrown 12 touchdown passes.  With all of that said, there may not be a better option than Owen Daniels…but I think he will have a down week on Sunday.

Fantasy Football Week 8 Start Em, Sit Em Picks: Defense/Special Teams

Start ‘Em D/ST: Detroit Lions (at Denver)

If you want a full explanation for why I’m recommending Detroit’s D this week, just scroll up and read what I wrote about Tim Tebow. I like him, I’m rooting for him, but this is just a great matchup for Detroit’s defense in terms of what they do well.

You beat Detroit on the ground, and the Broncos will struggle to run with McGahee out. That means Tebow will have to try to win the game through the air and, well, Ndamukong Suh and Co could have a lot of fun.

Detroit Lions D/ST fantasy football Week 8 projection: 13 or fewer points, 5+ sacks, 1 turnover

Other start ‘em D/ST units for Week Eight:

• Houston’s defense continues to surprise me with how well it’s playing under new coordinator Wade Philliips. Jacksonville and rookie QB Blaine Gabbert, who will be coming off of a Monday night game, should be a tasty matchup.
• Cincinnati’s D will be a popular choice this week going up against Seattle, and it’s a good choice. Just be wary of those tricky Seahawks at home. They will often surprise teams that are traveling over a couple of time zones to play them in their very loud stadium. That said, Charlie Whitehurst is Charlie Whitehurst.

Sit ‘Em D/ST: Pittsburgh Steelers (v New England)

The Steelers’ defense is starting to play better as of late, but they are far from the dominating unit we’re used to. Wheras a Pittsburgh-New England game might once have been a battle of top defenses, it is now a meeting of two of the top passing attacks in football.

Between Tom Brady, Big Ben, Mike Wallace, Wes Welker, et al, this should be a fun game to watch…so long as you’re not starting either defense.

Pittsburgh Steelers D/ST fantasy football Week 8 projection: 27 or more points, 2 sacks, 1 turnover

Other sit ‘em D/ST units for Week Eight:

• Don’t get too excited about Kansas City’s defense after what they did to Oakland. Kyle Boller and Carson Palmer were predictably awful and the Chiefs took advantage, but I expect more out of Philip Rivers and a Chargers team smarting after a tough, embarrassing loss to the Jets. It may not be enough to make Rivers a sure-fire start (as I mentioned above), but I do think the balance of the Chargers’ offense should allow them to put up points against KC.
• Minnesota’s defense is still pretty good against the run, but they are getting torched through the air. And after what Cam Newton was able to do against a very good Washington defense last week, the whole “play any D going against a rookie QB” adage does not work when he’s involved. In fact, it’s becoming start to avoid defenses that are going up against the amazing Cam.

Jon’s thoughts:

I would start the NY Giants this week.  While it’s true that they are not the Giants’ defense of old, they have an unbelievably favorable matchup against the Dolphins…who barely scored 15 points against Denver last week.

Don’t be depressed by their lack of production so far…they could have a 3 or 4 turnover week in Week 8.

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There they are. My Week 8 start/sit picks are in the books and on the record. That was fun! My thanks to Jon for ceding his start/sit saddle this week and giving me the opportunity to give it another go.

Now hopefully all of these picks work out for everyone who visits this week.

As usual, we’ll be answering your questions all week. So drop them below, and then stay tuned to the site for the rest of the week as we post new fantasy content every day.

As always, players listed here are owned in fewer than 50 percent of Yahoo! leagues.

Fantasy Football Week 8 Waiver Wire Pickups: Quarterback

Carson Palmer (40%), Oakland (bye)

With three interceptions in less than a half, I haven’t seen Palmer play this poorly since, well, last year.  Is he an upgrade over Kyle Boller?  Of course, but then again Jeff George would be too.  Many will chalk this debacle up to rust or a lack of familiarity with his receivers, and while that played a role, it’s not as if Palmer was lighting up opposing secondaries last season.  The matchup against Denver following this week’s bye looks tempting, but nothing I saw yesterday gives me confidence in the newly unretired Palmer.

Sam Bradford (37%), St. Louis

Perhaps Sunday’s performance from A.J. Feeley will give people a new appreciation for Bradford’s talents and willingness to take a beating behind a woeful offensive line.  His ankle injury is a concern, but as I mentioned last week, there are plenty of good fantasy matchups left on the St. Louis schedule, particularly now that Brand Lloyd is in the mix.

Alex Smith (22%), San Francisco

Smith entered San Fran’s bye with six passing touchdowns in his last three games.  The 49ers face Cleveland in Week Eight, but don’t read too much into the Browns’ gaudy numbers against opposing quarterbacks.  Their opponents haven’t exactly been a who’s who of prolific signal callers.

Andy Dalton (20%), Cincinnati

I’ve listed Dalton in each of the last two columns, and I still like his matchup against the Seahawks this week.  Their pass defense isn’t as good as the numbers indicated against Cleveland, and their tough run defense, coupled with the absence of the suspended Cedric Benson, should give the “Red Rifle” opportunities to air it out.

John Beck (9%), Washington

In his first start of the season, Beck ran for one touchdown and threw for another while racking up 279 passing yards.  That’s now two straight weeks with a rushing score, and his ability to move around and extend plays stood out.  Next up for Beck is a Buffalo pass defense who has allowed at least 292 passing yards in each of the last five games.  That said, the loss of Santana Moss to a hand injury is a potential red flag.

Fantasy Football Week 8 Waiver Wire Pickups: Running Back

Knowshon Moreno (46%), Denver

With Willis McGahee’s broken hand almost certain to keep him out of action this week, Moreno is sure to be a hot waiver wire target.  He rushed for 28 yards on seven carries in relief of McGahee this week, but he has failed to show any ability to live up to his lofty draft status over the course of his brief career.  The Broncos take on Detroit next week, who has been victimized on the ground the last few weeks, but I have a hard time recommending Moreno outside of PPR leagues.  It’s also worth noting that Lance Ball and Tim Tebow are more likely options around the goal line.

Ben Tate (42%), Houston

Obviously Arian Foster looks as healthy as ever, but Tate’s 104-yard performance on Sunday proved his value as a handcuff should Foster suffer any setbacks.  Keep in mind that the Texans face Carolina and Indianapolis in Weeks 15 and 16, giving Tate even more value.

Montario Hardesty (36%), Cleveland

The good news is that Hardesty held up under a heavy workload on Sunday and compiled 122 total yards against a solid Seattle defensive front.  The bad news is that he averaged fewer than three yards per carry and had just one run of over eight yards.  If Peyton Hillis misses next week’s game against San Francisco, Hardesty would still be a flex option based on the workload despite a tough matchup, but that’s about it.

Maurice Morris (35%)/Keiland Williams (3%), Detroit

Morris and Williams essentially split the backfield touches with Jahvid Best out on Sunday.  Morris got 31 of his 50 rushing yards on one play, but he was more involved in the passing game.  Williams also looked decent on the ground and looks like the better short yardage option.  Given the rumors about Best potentially missing the rest of the year, it’s worth stashing one of these guys just in case.  Those rumors have obviously been denied, but you have to acknowledge Best’s lengthy injury history.  Next week’s matchup with Denver isn’t quite as good as it may seem since the Broncos have yet to allow an opposing running back to rush for a score.

Delone Carter (19%), Indianapolis

With Joseph Addai aggravating his hamsting injury, Carter stepped in and ran for 89 yards and a TD on 10 carries while the Colts were being dismantled by New Orleans.  The game was already out of hand when Addai was injured (yes, I know it was only the first quarter), so the severity of the injury is unclear.  However, the Colts face a Tennessee defense that was just shredded on the ground and has allowed a 100-yard rusher in each of their last two games.

Bernard Scott (9%), Cincinnati

With Cedric Benson serving his suspension this week, Scott will get the start against Seattle.  I like Scott’s skill set, but the Seahawks have been tough on opposing runners this year.  Based on his workload, Scott becomes a decent flex option as a bye week fill-in.

Alfonso Smith (1%), Arizona

Stop me if you’ve heard this one before, but Beanie Wells got dinged up this week.  With Wells on the sideline, Smith stepped in and rushed for a score against the Steelers.  He finished with 17 rushing yards on five carries, and he also filled in for Wells in Week Three with 75 total yards.  Wells has typically been a slow healer, but Smith isn’t a particularly attractive option with the Ravens up next on the schedule.  LaRod Stephens-Howling will also take over on passing downs, further limiting Smith’s value.

Kregg Lumpkin (1%), Tampa Bay (bye)

Early reports are that Earnest Graham has a torn Achilles, which would end his season.  The Bucs have the bye week for LeGarrette Blount’s knee to get healthy, but if that isn’t enough time, Lumpkin would be the de facto starter.  He struggled on the ground against the Bears, tallying just 15 yards on eight carries.  Lumpkin did catch six balls for 37 yards, which makes him far more intriguing in PPR leagues should Blount remain out.

Fantasy Football Week 8 Waiver Wire Pickups: Wide Receiver

Michael Crabtree (38%), San Francisco

I’ve been on the Crabtree bandwagon for a couple weeks, and even with Joe Haden looming on Sunday, his ownership percentage is way too low.  It’s probably a week where you think twice about starting him, but his foot seems healthy and there are a number of great matchups left on the San Francisco schedule.

Steve Breaston (29%), Kansas City

With five catches and 64 yards on Sunday, Breaston has at least 50 yards in four straight games.  One of those games was against the Chargers, who just gave up three scores to a number two wideout and travel to Arrowhead on Sunday.

Antonio Brown (29%), Pittsburgh

Brown had a career day with seven catches for 102 yards against the woeful Arizona secondary.  With Hines Ward banged up, Brown seized the opportunity as the Steelers went to more wide open offensive sets.  The Steelers continue to struggle at establishing the run game (as my fellow Rashard Mendenhall owners can attest), which could mean more big games from Ben Roethlisberger and the Pittsburgh passing attack.

Greg Little (29%), Cleveland

The rookie receiver now has at least five catches in three straight games and led the Browns with seven targets on Sunday.  The yardage was disappointing, but he’s emerging as a strong PPR league option and remains a solid red zone target.  Beware this week, as the 49ers have given up just one TD to an opposing wideout since Week Two.  Still, the Browns are sure to force feed Little the ball either way.

Jabar Gaffney (19%), Washington

With Santana Moss out with a hand injury, Gaffney will be asked to step up as the number one wideout.  He has significantly more value in PPR leagues, but with the exception of a matchup with the 49ers, there are some decent matchups on Washington’s schedule over the next month or so.  Terrence Austin has also showed some chemistry with Beck, so keep an eye on him as well.

Demaryius Thomas (9%), Denver

The numbers, three catches for 27 yards and a score, don’t necessarily stand out.  But the 10 targets do.  Thomas did have a couple drops, but he’s sure to be a huge part of the Denver passing game with Brandon Lloyd now in St. Louis.  He’s worth adding in any format.

Michael Jenkins (7%), Minnesota

As I said four weeks ago, the numbers might be tempting, but don’t go pick him up.  Sometimes old advice is the best advice, like never eat yellow snow.

Fantasy Football Week 8 Waiver Wire Pickups: Tight End

Jermaine Gresham (42%), Cincinnati

As I mentioned above, I think the Bengals will be forced to throw it a decent amount against Seattle.  While that is good news for Gresham in and of itself, it’s worth noting that the Seahawks have given up a touchdown to an opposing tight end in two of the last three games.

Heath Miller (31%), Pittsburgh

Always one of Roethlisberger’s favorite red zone targets, Miller now has touchdowns in two of the last three weeks.  The Patriots have given up a couple big games to opposing tight ends, making Miller a decent bye week fill-in.

Visanthe Shiancoe (19%), Minnesota

A solid tight end can be a young quarterback’s best friend, which could help Shiancoe re-emerge as a fantasy factor over the remainder of the year.  Next week Minnesota takes on a Carolina defense that just got lit up by Fred Davis, which makes Shiancoe a reasonable option if you’re desperate.

Streaming Defense(s) of the Week

Cincinnati (24%) at Seattle

The Bengals have been a terrific fantasy defense this season, and words can’t do justice to the ineptitude of the Seattle offense on Sunday.  Charlie Whitehurst actually made Seattle fans pine for Tarvaris Jackson, maybe even Dan McGwire from the early 90s.  That Seahawks-Browns game could have single-handedly killed any interest for football in London.  Hell, it almost killed interest in my own home.

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Have any questions or feedback?  Leave them in the comments below or hit me up on Twitter (@andybottoms).

* – Okay, so I didn’t see 253 yards coming; no one did. But considering the amount of good RBs on bye, the matchup, Felix Jones’ injury, and the Cowboys’ lack of trust in Tashard Choice, the writing was on the wall for Murray to put forth a startable performance. Boy did he ever.

Murray was only started in 42% of Yahoo leagues yesterday, and he is owned in only 58% of leagues. The latter figure will preclude Murray from being mentioned in Andy Bottoms’ weekly Waiver Wire Pickups column (due to be posted later this afternoon), which is why I wanted to take a few minutes to write about Murray this morning, who will undoubtedly be in high demand on waiver wires where he remains over the next 48 hours, and with good reason.

But here is a side of the Murray fury that is sure to be overlooked: if you already have Murray, or if you are awarded him on waivers come Wednesday morning, you may be best served by selling high on him immediately. It’s possible his value it at its absolute highest right now.

The Positives

There are many reasons to be excited about DeMarco Murray and why you should absolutely use a #1 waiver priority on him:

• 253 f’ing yards.
• He plays for an explosive offense, meaning opposing defenses can’t stack the box to stop him.
• The #1 running back in Dallas is the oft-injured Felix Jones.
• Murray’ competition for carries when Jones is out is the untrusted Choice and and some other no-name rookie who gobbled up some garbage yards against the Rams.
• The Cowboys’ bye has already passed, so no weeks off from here on out

It should go without saying that if he’s on waivers, no matter your waiver position, you go after him. And if you’re in an FAAB league, don’t be shy about bidding a pretty penny for his services. Every year there are unsung backs who emerge from the woodwork midseason or later and carry teams to the playoffs. Murray could well be that guy this year.

Reasons To Sell High

But Murray also is a guy you should consider selling high, especially if you have depth at running back and can find a team that is desperate for RB help.

For example, let’s say that you have Adrian Peterson  and Fred Jackson, a reasonable RB combo for a team to have, and you also have Darren Sproles, Jackie Battle, and Mike Tolbert on your bench. You have tremendous RB depth, to the point that Murray is far from an automatic start for you even with Felix Jones injured. If you can find a team that needs a second (or even a first) running back, and they have a QB or wide receiver who would immediately improve your starting lineup, be bold and offer Murray to them.

The fantasy football community’s general opinion on a player can change from week to week. We all know that. Murray is the current flavor of the week, and nothing gets fantasy football owners excited like a young running back coming on midseason who is available to acquire. We are also at the crunch time point in the season where people with teams on the brink are willing to make bold moves to fortify their lineups for the stretch run. But it’s important to act quickly if you want to get maximum return on Murray, because there are plenty of reasons to be skeptical that he can be a top 20 running back from this point until the end of the season.

Among the reasons for skepticism:

• The Rams are the worst defense against the run in the NFL. The worst. Ryan Torain gashed them for 100+ years several weeks ago and hasn’t done a damn thing since. Granted, 253 yards is impressive against anyone, but it’s not like he did it against the Ravens. Let’s have some perspective.
• The Cowboys’ offensive line cannot be trusted to run block against good competition, as the team’s rushing yards per game average before Week 7 proved. Not only are they are starting a lot of young guys who haven’t played a full season together, they are dealing with injuries to those guys.
• The Cowboys’ red zone offense leaves a lot to be desired. Sure, red zone proficiency doesn’t mean much when you can take one to the house from 91 yards away, but big plays like that are hard to predict and typically few and far between. Running backs who produce fantasy points consistently usually a) get carries inside the red zone and b) convert them with relative efficiency. Murray and the Cowboys’ offense have not proven they can do either this year.
• Though injury-prove, Felix Jones is not out for the season. He was supposedly out 2-4 weeks as of mid last week, meaning Murry should have one or a couple games as the Cowboys’ feature back before Jones returns to steal touches.

As you can see, there is good reason to have a balanced opinion on the future of DeMarco Murray. A 253-yard performance against any defense is not to be taken lightly, and Murray has proven that he has significant potential to help fantasy owners for the rest of the season; but there are also numerous objective reasons to have healthy skepticism about his ability to top, maintain, or even come close to what he did in Week 7 from here on out.

The final verdict is this:

• First, get DeMarco Murray off waivers if you can. He’s worth up to a #1 waiver wire priority and/or a large chunk of your remaining FAAB budget.
• Second, target teams in your league that are a) still in contention and b) in need of a running back who would immediately enter their starting lineup.
• Third, shoot for the moon. The idea here is to sell high, not just sell. Treat Murray like a top 10-15 running back in your own mind and ask for a player in return of commensurate value. The goal is to find another owner who agrees with that inflated (at least in my opinion) value and nets you a more proven stud at another position of need.
• Fourth, don’t be upset if you can’t get a king’s ransom in return for Murray…and only trade him if you can. If you can’t, just be happy that you’ve go another source of running back depth with the potential to be a second half stud.

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* – DeMarco Murray image credit: Layne Murdoch/Getty Images via ESPN.com

Register below and we’ll send you an email you Sunday morning to remind you.

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Make sure you join us for our Sunday morning live chat to get all of your last minute start/sit questions answered. Also check out this week’s start ‘em, sit ‘em post and my Week 8 waiver wire pickups if you still need more info as you set your Week 8 lineups.

Fantasy Football Week 8 Rankings

Note: The Falcons, Ravens, Bears, Browns, Giants, Eagles are on bye, and thus players from these teams are not ranked.

Remember, these rankings are general. They are a guide for how I view players in relationship to one another, but could and would vary based on your league’s scoring settings. Also, the specifics of your roster could dictate whether one player plays over another. So use this is as a guide and feel free to ask specific questions below.

And a lot can still change between now and kickoff Sunday. Follow us on Twitter for all the latest player updates and late breaking fantasy-relevant news.

Fantasy Football Week 8 Rankings: Quarterback

Not ranked due to injury uncertainty: None

1. Peyton Manning (v HOU)
2. Philip Rivers (v TEN)
3. Aaron Rodgers (at NYJ)
4. Drew Brees (v PIT)
5. Ben Roethlisberger (at NO)
6. Kyle Orton (v San Francisco in London)
7. Tom Brady (v MIN)
8. Donovan McNabb (at DET)
9. Chad Henne (at CIN)
10. Carson Palmer (v MIA)
11. Ryan Fitzpatrick (at KC)
12. Matt Cassel (v BUF)
13. Matt Schaub (at IND)
14. Jon Kitna (v JAX)
15. Mark Sanchez (v GB)
16. Sam Bradford (v CAR)
17. Vince Young / Kerry Collins (at SD)
18. Josh Freeman (at ARI)
19. Matthew Stafford (v WAS)
20. Matt Hasselbeck (at OAK)
21. Brett Favre (at NE) – have to give him the benefit of the doubt that he’ll play, don’t we?
22. David Garrard (at DAL)
23. Troy Smith (vs Denver in London)
24. Matt Moore (at STL)
25. Max Hall/Derek Anderson (v TB)
26. Tarvaris Jackson (at NE)

Fantasy Football Week 8 Rankings: Running Back

Not ranked due to injury uncertainty: DeAngelo Williams (at STL), Joseph Addai (v HOU), Dexter McCluster (v BUF)

1. Adrian Peterson (at NE)
2. Arian Foster (at IND)
3. Chris Johnson (at SD)
4. Frank Gore (v DEN in London)
5. Rashard Mendenhall (at NO)
6. Maurice Jones-Drew (at DAL)
7. Steven Jackson (v CAR) – Just make sure he plays!!!
8. Darren McFadden (v SEA)
9. Ryan Torain (at DET)
10. Thomas Jones (v BUF)

Head over to MSF Fantasy Sports to see how high Jonathan Stewart moved up the rankings once it became known that teammate DeAngelo Williams would likely miss Week 8. Also, see the rest of my RB rankings and the complete rankings at WR, TE, and Defense.

Note: comment are turned off here, but head over to MSF Fantasy Sports to ask your lineup-specific questions.

What? You hadn’t heard yet? Yeah, he’s got a bum ankle. He’s been in a walking boot all week. Hasn’t practiced. The streak – the streak – is in jeopardy.

Look, let’s just get the Brett Favre portion of this injury update out of the way right off the bat. I will believe that Brett Favre is not going to start on Sunday when Tarvaris Jackson is under center and has taken the first snap of the game. Until then, I don’t care if practices or doesn’t practice. I don’t care if he says he’s going to play or not. I don’t care if Brad Childress says Favre will play or not.

If we’ve learned one thing from all of the Favre nonsense over the past few years, it’s this: no matter what, when the issue is Brett Favre playing football, expect him to play. That’s it, it’s that simple.

When you can find me one, just one, example of the opposite being true, then we’ll talk. Until then, you simply have to assume he’ll play – the only debate is over how well he’ll play. For the record, I have Favre ranked #21 in this week’s player rankings.

So there’s your Brett Favre injury update. Now onto all of the other Week 8 injury updates for all fantasy-relevant offensive players.

Joseph Addai remains out for the Colts with a neck injury. He could miss a few weeks. Similarly, Austin Collie is out after have surgery on his hand. He will also likely miss a few weeks.

Stepping in for Addai will be, well, we’re not quite sure yet. Donald Brown is supposed to be the guy, but he continues to be slowed by a hamstring injury and still hasn’t practiced. WTF Donald!? The problem here is that the Colts play Monday night, so you need to know who is starting for them Sunday or use an alternative. The best case would be for you to snatch up Mike Hart and then just start whoever ends up playing. At this point, Hart is a decent guy to have with the inability of Addai and Brown to stay healthy.

Stepping in for Austin Collie could be Anthony Gonzalez, another guy who hasn’t been able to stay healthy. Gonzo has practiced all week and should play. How well? Who knows. We haven’t seen him on the field in a while.

Concerning me as I go through the injury report is that Reggie Wayne and Pierre Garcon, my top two WRs for Week 8 thanks to the matchup versus the Texans, are both on there with hamstring injuries. Garcon did not practice Thursday. Wayne practiced some. Both are expected to play, so I wouldn’t worry about it too much. With the injuries the Colts have had, look for Peyton Manning to lean on these two guys heavily against a Texans’ pass D that is simply awful.

Carson Palmer has not been practicing because of a hip issue. He is expected to play Sunday against the Dolphins, and should have another solid day. He’ll be throwing to Terrell Owens who is on the injury report but also expected to play.

Dexter McCluster has the dreaded high ankle sprain and will likely be out a few weeks. Bench him for now, if you were planning to play him at all anyway.

Head over to MSF Fantasy Sports to see the rest of the Week 8 injury updates, including Antonio Gates, Malcom Floyd, Steven Jackson, DeAngelo Williams, and many more.

The Week 8 Rankings have been updated. Click to view.

If it’s Tuesday you know it means two things here at MSF Fantasy Sports: the start em sit em projections go up and I take my first stab at ranking all of the fantasy-relevant players for the week.

Here is attempt #1, with updates to come as the week progresses.

Fantasy Football Week 8 Rankings

Note: The Falcons, Ravens, Bears, Browns, Giants, Eagles are on bye, and thus players from these teams are not ranked.

Remember, these rankings are general. They are a guide for how I view players in relationship to one another, but could and would vary based on your league’s scoring settings. Also, the specifics of your roster could dictate whether one player plays over another. So use this is as a guide and feel free to ask specific questions below.

And a lot can still change between now and Sunday. I will update these rankings at least once between now and kickoff, probably twice. Follow us on Twitter for all the latest player updates and late breaking fantasy-relevant news.

Fantasy Football Week 8 Rankings: Quarterback

Not ranked due to injury uncertainty: Vince Young (at SD), Brett Favre (at NE), David Garrard (at DAL), Max Hall (v TB), Alex Smith (v DEN in London)

1. Peyton Manning (v HOU)
2. Kyle Orton (v San Francisco in London)
3. Philip Rivers (v TEN)
4. Aaron Rodgers (at NYJ)
5. Drew Brees (v PIT)
6. Ben Roethlisberger (at NO)
7. Tom Brady (v MIN)
8. Donovan McNabb (at DET)
9. Chad Henne (at CIN)
10. Carson Palmer (v MIA)
11. Ryan Fitzpatrick (at KC)
12. Matt Cassel (v BUF)
13. Sam Bradford (v CAR)
14. Matt Schaub (at IND)
15. Jon Kitna (v JAX)
16. Mark Sanchez (v GB)
17. Kerry Collins (at SD)
18. Josh Freeman (at ARI)
19. Matthew Stafford (v WAS)
20. Matt Hasselbeck (at OAK)
21. Matt Moore (at STL)
22. Tarvaris Jackson (at NE)
23. Derek Anderson (v TB)
24. David Carr (v San Francisco in London)

Fantasy Football Week 8 Rankings: Running Back

Not ranked due to injury uncertainty: Steven Jackson (STL), DeAngelo Williams (at STL), Joseph Addai (v HOU), Dexter McCluster (v BUF)

1. Arian Foster (at IND)
2. Adrian Peterson (at NE)
3. Chris Johnson (at SD)
4. Frank Gore (v DEN in London)
5. Rashard Mendenhall (at NO)
6. Darren McFadden (v SEA)
7. Maurice Jones-Drew (at DAL)
8. Ryan Torain (at DET)
9. Thomas Jones (v BUF)
10. LaDainian Tomlinson (v GB)

Head over to MSF Fantasy Sports to see the rest of our Week 8 RB rankings, as well as every fantasy-relevant WR, TE, and Defense ranked for Week 8.

Note that comments are turned off for this post, but you can ask all lineup-specific questions over in the comment section of any post at MSF Fantasy Sports.

Making this especially exciting is that in one of my leagues, the P&G-sponsored Blogger Fantasy Football League*, the stakes are a trip to the Super Bowl for the winner. Those are the highest stakes I’ve ever played for. Add in the potential for bragging rights among my blogging buddies, and you can undoubtedly understand why I spend so much time attempting to optimize my lineup each week.

Speaking of the Super Bowl, do yourself a favor and check out the Text It To The House promotion. It’s a fun, easy weekly game you should be taking part in where you pick the five players who will have longest plays from scrimmage this week (Pierre Garcon! Pierre Garcon!).

Anyway, so far in BFL2010, despite making a few boneheaded decisions (dropping Thomas Jones) and losing one of my top WRs before the season even started (Sidney Rice), I’m sitting in a three-way tie for the best record in the league. Please, if you would, do me a favor and knock on some wood.

All of this early season success, of course, has me terrified.

Success in fantasy football is oftentimes as much about injuries and the whims of head-to-head matchups as it is about making good lineup choices. Oh sure, you have to know what you’re doing to have a chance to win, but you could also finish second in your league in points every week…and still never win a game, through no fault of your own.

So how will I deal with this unprecedented success? Work harder to make sure I am leaving no stone unturned on the waiver wire or with regard to my lineups. I have a legitimate chance to make the playoffs in every league, and there is no time for resting on laurels. Now is the time to up the ante and increase the focus. That way, once the whims of injuries and head-to-head decide to make me their target, I can at least be in the best possible position to overcome them.

So let’s turn our attention to our Week 8 lineups with this week’s Start ‘em, Sit em recommendations.

First, as always, here is how I did in Week 7 with the top-line picks:

• Start ‘em hits: Joe Flacco, Knowshon Moreno, Seattle Seahawks
• Start ‘em misses: Jeremy Maclin, Heath Miller,
• Sit ‘em hits: Jay Cutler, Ronnie Brown & Ricky Williams, Deion Branch, Dallas Cowboys
• Sit ‘em misses: Zach Miller

Fantasy Football Week 8 Start / Sit Projections and Q&A

Note: the Falcons, Ravens, Bears, Browns, Giants, and Eagles are on bye in Week 8.

Remember when reading this post that everything is relative. Just because I say “sit Player X” doesn’t mean I’d sit him in all cases. It just means that, in comparison to the general opinion of that player, who likely is not a consensus must-start (because that is who I try to pick for these columns, so that they are useful), I either like him or dislike him more than others.

If you want specific player-to-player comparisons, I’ll be posting my rankings later in this week, which will give you a more clear indication of how I view one guy versus another. This post is meant to provide general guidance on borderline starters and whether I think, generally, they should be in lineups or not.

Fantasy Football Week 8 Start ‘em QB: Drew Brees, New Orleans (vs Pittsburgh)

You might think that this is an obvious choice – it’s Drew Brees! - but I guarantee that if you troll the comments and Twitter questions this week, lots of people will be questioning Brees after his 4-INT performance against the Browns. That’s just the nature of the beast. We are all prone to overreacting; my job is to tell you when such a reaction is warranted and when it’s not.

I had Brees as my #1 overall QB last, so no one was more disappointed or surprised by his Week 7 performance than I was. But Brees still has thrown a TD in every game this year, and two or more in five out of seven games. So while he’s not Brees vintage 2009, he’s still a guy you need to have in your lineups every single week.

The other reason I feel compelled to list Brees here is that when you look at his matchup and see Pittsburgh, you might be intimidated. If you have Chris Ivory or Pierre Thomas? Yes, be intimidated. But the fact that the Steelers shut down every running game means that teams will throw on them. If Chad Henne could have a productive day against Pittsburgh, Brees certainly can as well. The Steelers don’t give up a lot of passing TDs, but they do give up a lot of yards.

I think the pride of Drew Brees and the Saints was wounded against the Browns. This team is too talented and too experienced to not bounce back with a vengeance. Being at home only helps the cause. I like Drew Brees a lot in Week 7, and you’ll regret it immeasurably if you sit him.

Drew Brees fantasy football week 8 projection: 300 yards passing, 3 TDs, 1 INT

Other start ‘em QBs for Week 8:

• I like all of the guys I highlighted in our Week 8 sleepers post: Sam Bradford, Matthew Stafford, Matt Cassel, and Ryan Fitzpatrick.
• If you have Donovan McNabb, he’s not a bad start this week against Detroit.

Fantasy Football Week 8 Sit ‘em QB: Matt Schaub, Houston (at Indianapolis)

I have recommended Matt Schaub consistently this season. Because of the emergence of Arian Foster, and injuries to his receiving corps, Schaub has rewarded me with some decent games but also some clunkers.

Week 1 against the Colts – perhaps the biggest win in the Texans’ history – was one of Schaub’s clunkers. He completed just 9 passes for 107 yards and only 1 TD. Granted, Arian Foster ran wild…but he just might run wild against Indy in Week 8 as well. Remember that the Colts are terrible against the run, but they are pretty solid against the pass (206 yards per game, 7 TDs total).

In his career, Schaub has started four games against the Colts and has thrown just 5 TDs against 7 INTs against the Colts. That’s a decent sample size. Add in the fact that the game is in Indy, and there are are lots of QBs who are usually backups who have great matchups this week, and this is a good week to sit Matt Schaub on your bench.

Matt Schaub fantasy football Week 8 projection: 205 yards passing, 1 TD, 1 INT

Other sit ‘em QBs for Week 8:

• I don’t like whoever starts for Tennessee, whether it’s Vince Young or Kerry Collins. The San Diego Chargers entered Week 7 #1 in the NFL against the pass and then held Tom Brady to just 159 yards and 1 TD. Plus, the Chargers’ D plays its best at home.

Honestly, it’s hard to find other guys to tell you to sit that you wouldn’t be sitting anyway. You either have studs playing good defenses, so you’ll play them anyway, or lower-tier guys with good matchups. Looks like an advantageous week for six teams to be on bye.

Fantasy Football Week 8 Start ‘em RB: Ryan Torain, Washington (at Detroit)

Here is the first positive stat about Ryan Torain: he has carried the ball at least 16 times in four straight games.

Here is the second positive stat about Ryan Torain: he has rushed for 100+ yards in two straight games.

Here is the third positive stat about Ryan Torain: in Week 8 the Redskins play the Lions, and the Lions give up nearly 140 yards per game on the ground.

Add all of that up, plus the fact that six running backs who usually start are on bye, and Ryan Torain is an absolute must start in Week 8.

Ryan Torain fantasy football Week 8 projection: 125 yards, 1 TD, 1 reception, 10 yards

Other start ‘em RBs for Week 8:

• Wow Darren McFadden. Wow. Uhh, start him. He’s healthy again. And if you needed me to tell you that, just quit right now.
• Beanie Wells showed signs of life in Week 7. He ran for 54 yards and a TD on only 14 carries against Seattle’s very good run D. In Week 8, Wells gets to face a Tampa Bay run defense that has been good this year. This is the week to play Beanie.
• BenJarvus Green-Ellis has scored TDs in four straight weeks. Granted, his yardage has dipped a lot in the last two weeks, but TDs are TDs, and I think the Patriots will score a few in Week 8. In a week with this many bye weeks, a guy who gets goalline carries for a good offense is valuable. Play The Lawfirm.

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Head over to MSF Fantasy Sports to see which RBs we recommend you sit Week 8, as well as start/sit projections at WR, TE, and Defense.

Note than commenting is disabled on this post, but you can ask any and all lineup questions over in the comment section at MSF Fantasy Sports.

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* – The P&G Blogger Fantasy League (BFL) is a group of 12 digital sports influencers competing on the NFL.com fantasy platform for the chance to win P&G product, a donation to a local charity, and a trip to Super Bowl XLV, all furnished by P&G. The NFL Entities have not offered or sponsored the sweepstakes in any way.

That means the player pool is two teams smaller than it typically is during the mid-part of the season and that people will be scrambling for fill-ins during the early part of the week.

Get a head start on your competition by knowing who the Week 8 diamonds in the rough are. Everyone in this post should help you in a pinch this week.

Fantasy Football Week 8 Waiver Wire Sleepers

The following teams are on by in Week 8:

• Falcons
• Ravens
• Bears
• Browns
• Giants
• Eagles

Remember, the rules for this post are that a player must be owned in less than 50% of Yahoo leagues to be included. And I focus on guys who are playing in Week 8, although I’ll recommend players on bye if they especially stand out as valuable long-term acquisitions.

Fantasy Football Week 8 Waiver Wire Sleepers at QB

Chad Henne, Miami Dolphins (at Cincinnati, 41%)

Henne is not spectacular, not by any means. He is, however, a productive fantasy quarterback. He has thrown a TD pass in every week but Week 1 this season, and he faces a Cincinnati defense that allowed Matt Ryan and Roddy White to torch it for 299 yards and 3 TDs last week.

With Brandon Marshall and Davone Bess, Henne has two very solid targets to throw to. Also, the Miami running game continues to struggle, meaning that Henne’s streak of four straight games with 36 or more pass attempts could continue.

Matthew Stafford, Detroit Lions (vs Washington, 30%)

Don’t sleep on Matthew Stafford just because he hasn’t played in a while. Shaun Hill threw 9 TDs while filling in for Stafford, and Stafford is the better QB. He had a great preseason and was well on his way to a solid regular season before getting hurt in Week 1.

Helping Stafford out in Week 8 is the matchup: Washington. The Redskins picked off Jay Cutler 4 times in Week 7, but they also allowed 280 yards passing and a TD…and that’s one of their best performances of the year. Washington was 31st in the league against the pass coming into Week 7. With Calvin Johnson to help ease his transition back, Stafford will be able to take advantage.

Matt Cassel, Kansas City Chiefs (vs Buffalo, 40%)

I have been down on Cassel two straight weeks despite really good matchups. What has Cassel done? Make me look like a fool by throwing for 5 TDs and no INTs. While the Bills were good against the pass last year, they’ve given up 14 TDs and 1 INT in 2010. I still don’t trust Cassel long term, but he’s proven he can take advantage of good matchups. This qualifies.

Others to watch:

• Sam Bradford (42% owned) is always a solid option, even against the decent pass D of Carolina.
• Ryan Fitzpatrick is barely a sleeper now that he has 11 TDs in four games, but he’s still only owned in 9% of leagues. I’m not crazy about his matchup against Kansas City, but he’s produced against the Jets and Ravens, so why not the Chiefs too?

Fantasy Football Week 8 Waiver Wire Sleepers at RB

Fred Jackson, Buffalo Bills (at Kansas City, 46%)

The guy I call FJax certainly isn’t on this list because of matchup, as Kansas City’s D is very good this year against the run. Rather, he is on this list because of opportunity.

Jackson is a guy who produced very well last year in a platoon with Marshawn Lynch. Now that Lynch is gone, Jackson is the guy. He’s not going to explode, and he only scores TDs rarely, but he did get 23 carries in Week 7 and will catch passes out of the backfield. In yardage leagues, he’s a solid piece of winning lineup.

When you’re looking for fill-in RBs, look for expected touches over anything else; you won’t find anyone expected to get more than Fred Jackson.

Head over to MSF Fantasy Sports to see our other RB sleepers, as well as Week 8 sleepers at WR, TE, and Defense.

Note that commenting is disabled on this post, but you can ask your lineup-specific questions over at MSF Fantasy Sports.

This post is from 2009!

Go to MSF Fantasy Sports for the 2010 Fantasy Football Week 8 Start Sit Projections.

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First of all, my apologies to anyone who asked questions in the comment section last week from Friday afternoon on. I was hoping I’d have time to get some of those answered once I got to Cleveland, but I did not.

I don’t have any more trips planned between now and the NFL playoffs, so that should not be a problem again.

Secondly, my apologies to anyone who started Jay Cutler and Greg Olsen last week. I really miscalculated how the Bears-Bengals game would go — as did most everybody — and had to take my medicine on that one.

Otherwise, Week 7 was relatively prosperous. The good: Laurence Maroney, Austin Collie, and the Patriots D/ST as starts; Donovan McNabb, Jerome Harrison, Zach Miller, and Steve Smith (Carolina…if you needed a TD) as sits. The bad: Cutler and Olsen obviously, and the Pittsburgh D as a sit.

Now let’s look forward and gaze into the crystal ball for Week 8. A little bit different format this week; hopefully you like it.

Fantasy Football

Week 8 Start ‘Em, Sit ‘Em Lineup Advice

Week 8 Start ‘Em, Sit ‘Em Quarterbacks

Start ‘em: Kyle Orton, Denver Broncos (at Baltimore Ravens)

Did you know that Baltimore is 23rd in the NFL against the pass and has surrendered nine touchdown passes on the season? And that Kyle Orton has throw two TDs in the each of the Broncos’ last three games? Denver is going to be able to score against Balitmore. Take advantage.

Kyle Orton Week 8 fantasy projection: 245 yards, 2 TDs, 1 INT

Other start ‘em QBs for Week 8:

• David Garrard is facing Tennessee’s 32nd ranked pass defense (19 passing TDs allowed).
• Matt Hasselbeck should be fresh coming off a bye, more in sync with his WRs, and is facing Dallas’ 22nd ranked pass defense (10 passing TDs allowed).
• Matt Ryan and the Falcons face New Orleans, a team that has given up only five passing TDs this season and has picked off a whopping 13 passes. However, we know that the Falcons will have to throw a lot to stay in this game, especially with their struggling run game, and Ryan is good enough to find some success.

Sit ‘em: Eli Manning, New York Giants (at Philadelphia Eagles)

What the hell happened to Eli? He and his WRs came out of the gates like gangbusters but have really struggled since. Manning has barely over 400 yards to go with two TDs and four INTs over the last two weeks.

This week, he and the Giants face an Eagles’ D that is 9th against the pass. There are better options and I’d sit Manning until he proves he can play effectively against good defenses with his foot injury.

Eli Manning Week 8 fantasy projection: 195 yards, 1 TD, 2 INT

Other sit ‘em QBs for Week 8:

• Alex Smith the new starter in San Fran and threw three TDs in the second half last week. The Colts are sixth in the NFL against the pass and have only given up two TDs. Yes, Smith will be passing a lot, but I’d only start him in an emergency.
• Donovan McNabb has only one TD pass over his last two games. The Giants’ secondary has been struggling, so make sure you have a good alternative, but I wouldn’t rate McNabb among the top 10 QBs for this week.
• Joe Flacco is having a terrific season so far, but Denver is 8th against the pass and has given up only three TD passes all year. You can do better (I hope).

Week 8 Start ‘Em, Sit ‘Em Running Backs

Start ‘em: Matt Forte, Chicago Bears (vs Cleveland Browns)

Matt Forte owners, I know how pissed and upset you are. I am in your boat and I feel your pain. Forte was drafted in the first round by many of us and has rewarded our faith in him by recording all of one TD this year. Whoopdie-f’ing-do.

However, you have to start him this week against the awful Browns. And if you don’t believe me, ask frustrated Ryan Grant owners how last week worked out. (I’m one of those too! And it worked out great: 148 yards and a TD). The Browns give up 170.6 yards per game on the ground and have given up 10 TDs this year.

‘Nuff said.

Matt Forte Week 8 fantasy projection: 120 yards rushing, TD; 5 rec, 45 yards, TD

Other start ‘em RBs for Week 8:

• LaDainian Tomlinson is another Forte-like guy who has disappointed fantasy owners. LT gets Oakland’s 30th ranked run defense this week though, and should be a great start.
• If you drafted Beanie Wells and have hung onto him this long, this is a week to start him. Beanie is coming off his best game of the season and faces Carolina’s 26th ranked run D.
• Ricky Williams has to be an every-week start for you right now. He had 138 total yards earlier this year against the Jets and is coming off of a three-TD performance against New Orleans.
• Lots of people are saying sit Ryan Grant this week against Minnesota. I disagree. He has a career 5.3 yard average against the Vikings and had over 100 total yards against them earlier this year.

Sit ‘em: Jonathan Stewart, Carolina Panthers (at Arizona Cardinals)

I’ve been touting Stewart’s virtues in this column over the past few weeks. It worked out two weeks ago but did not work out last week. One thing I have said about Stewart is that he is a matchup play who has the potential for very productive weeks.

This week presents one of those matchups for which I would sit Stewart. The Panthers play Arizona’s #1 ranked run D (67.5 yards per game, three TDs allowed) and any production Stewart gets will have to be stolen away from DeAngelo Williams.

Jonathan Stewart Week 8 fantasy projection: 35 yards rushing, 0 TDs

Other sit ‘em RBs for Week 8:

• LenDale White isn’t scoring TDs this year (only one) and Jacksonville actually has a decent run defense that has surrendered only three rushing TDs all year.
• Tashard Choice has to be a sit now. His burst of production was nice while it lasted, but until the Cowboys’ coaching staff shows that it will treat Choice like more than a #3 back when Barber and Jones are healthy, you can’t take the chance.
• Willis McGahee is done. Stick a fork in him. I just didn’t want anyone to forget over the bye week. He has 13 carries for 12 yards over the last three weeks. Ouch.
• Donald Brown needs to sit as well until he starts getting more touches. Look at the last four weeks: 15, 10, 8, 2. That’s not a good trend, especially with Joseph Addai being more productive.

Week 8 Start ‘Em, Sit ‘Em Wide Receivers

Start ‘em: Miles Austin, Dallas Cowboys (vs Seattle Seahakws)

How can I put anyone else in this space?

I admit, I was skeptical of Austin’s breakout performance against Kansas City. However, he then went out and did it again against Atlanta, and not one bit of it has seemed fluky.

Plus, did you know that Austin is 6’3, 214 pounds? I always thought he was smaller. And did you know that he’s in his fourth season in the NFL, when many young WRs break out?  Well you do know.

And you also know to start him.

He can’t possibly keep up his current pace, but he’s clearly earned the trust of Tony Romo and will continue to be a solid player this season. Also, if you needed any more reason to believe in Austin for Week 8, Seattle has a middle-of-the-pack pass D (16th, 220.3 yards per game, 7 TDs allowed).

Miles Austin Week 8 fantasy projection: 5 catches, 95 yards, 1 TD

Other start ‘em WRs for Week 8:

• Vincent Jackson is having a great season that is going under the radar. He has four TDs total and has scored in back-to-back games. He’s a solid play against Oakland.
• Lee Evans has quietly caught at least four passes and a TD in his last two games. Houston does not have a great secondary. Evans is a solid #3 WR this week.
• Over the last two weeks, Nate Burleson has been on bye and had a forgettable 2 rec, 40-yard performance against Arizona. But don’t forget about him. He still leads SEA in catches, and has Matt Hasselbeck back. Plus, Dallas’ pass defense is not great (238.5 yards per game, 10 TDs).

Sit ‘em: Kevin Walter, Houston Texans (at Buffalo Bills)

This guy has really disappointed me this year. After a breakout 60-catch, 8-TD season in 2008 I was hoping that big things were in store for Walter this year. But he battled injuries early in the season and has not have more than 40 yards receiving since his solid debut against the Jags in Week 3.

This week Houston faces Buffalo, which gives up only 190.4 yards through the air and has picked off twice as many passes as they’ve allowed TDs. I think this will be a great game for Steve Slaton, but not so much for Walter.

Caveat: If Andre Johnson cannot play and Walter becomes the #1 WR, obviously his value increases. But Johnson appears ready to go for Sunday.

Kevin Walter Week 8 fantasy projection: 3 catches, 33 yards

Other sit ‘em WRs for Week 8:

• Ted Ginn Jr. continues to drop big passes in key spots. Miami’s coaching staff is about fed up with him and you should be too.
• I know that Michael Crabtree had a solid debut last weekend, but the Colts’ secondary is much better than the Texans’. I want to see Alex Smith successfully lead the 49ers offense for more than a half, and see Crabtree for more than one game, before I buy into any hype.
• All Cleveland WRs. I don’t know why I thought starting Mohamed Massaquoi would be a good choice last week (yes I do…because I was going to the game and — like an idiot — thought it would be fun to have someone starting in the actual game starting on my fantasy roster), but I did it in two leagues. Never again. Don’t start any Cleveland WR unless they have two consecutive good weeks. And good luck waiting for that to happen.

Week 8 Start ‘Em, Sit ‘Em Tight Ends

Start ‘em: Greg Olsen, Chicago Bears (at Cleveland Browns)

Yes, I’m going back to Greg Olsen. Before last week he’d caught TDs in three straight games, and he still had four catches against Cincinnati, so the opportunities were there. The Browns’ linebackers are not good in coverage and I think Olsen will be able to have a very strong game.

Greg Olsen Week 8 fantasy projection: 5 catches, 69 yards, TD

Other start ‘em TEs for Week 8:

• Vernon Davis is a must start. I told you about him before the season started and I hope you listened. He is awesome.
• Visanthe Shiancoe is still a guy I like too, despite being down on him early in the year. He scored against the Green Bay earlier this year and has 5 TDs total. Plus, he’s consistent: four catches in each of the last three games.

Sit ‘em: Brent Celek, Philadelphia Eagles (vs New York Giants)

This one honestly pisses me off a little bit. Celek was terrific earlier this year and appeared poised to become a weekly starter. Then Donovan McNabb came back from his injury and forgot about his emerging weapon at TE. It hit rock bottom with last week’s three reception, eight yard performance, for which I blame Andy Reid and McNabb more than Celek.

The ability is there, but I’m holding Celek out of the lineup until I see him become a more integrated part of the Philly offense again.

Brent Celek Week 8 fantasy projection: 4 catches, 21 yards

Other sit ‘em TEs for Week 8:

• John Carlson faces a Cowboys D that did a nice job against Tony Gonzalez last week and that struggles more against the deep ball than against underneath and/or over-the-middle passing. Plus, Carlson has had to block more recently.
• Zach Miller is a sit for me as long as JaMarcus Russell is the QB. Miller may flash his ability every once in a while (like he did two weeks ago), but I don’t want to deal with the games where he does nothing (like last week, as I predicted).

Week 8 Start ‘Em, Sit ‘Em Defense / Special Teams Units

Start ‘em: Chicago Bears D/ST (vs Cleveland Browns)

You should be noticing a theme here: START YOUR BEARS! Or, to be more apt, start whoever is playing the Browns!

The Bears defense has not been great this year, but the matchup could not be better. Until the Browns show some competence on offense, opposing defenses will be solid starts on a weekly basis.

Chicago Bears D/ST Week 8 fantasy projection: 13 points or less given up, 3 sacks, 1 INT

Other start ‘em D/ST units for Week 8:

• Arizona’s defense is an underrated unit that faces the Panthers this week. Starting at QB for Carolina will be either INT machine Jake Delhomme or who-the-hell-is-he Matt Moore. Good matchup either way.
• The Chargers’ D has been up and down this year, but matchups for defenses don’t get much better than Oakland and JaMarcus Russell at home.

Sit ‘em: New York Giants D/ST (at Philadelphia Eagles)

What happened to the Giants? The team with the greatest defensive line in the league (or so we thought) has only 16 sacks for the season. The Giants are also a mind-boggling 18th in the league in scoring defense, despite playing no one good through their first four games.

New Orleans and Arizona have exposed the Giants’ D as being very suspect, and now the Giants have to face another explosive offense on the road in Philadelphia. I wouldn’t drop the Giants’ D, but I am taking a wait and see approach right now.

New York Giants D/ST Week 8 fantasy projection: 24 or more points given up, 2 sacks

Other sit ‘em D/ST units for Week 8:

• The Browns. Haha…just saying this for shits and giggles. If you were thinking of starting them in the first place, you’re an idiot.
• Baltimore is a D/ST unit that I’d consider sitting this week. I’m wary of sitting them at home, where they can be extra fired up and intimidating, but the Ravens are giving up a lot of yards and points this year and are playing a Denver team that is very sound . The Broncos do not make the type of mistakes guys like Ed Reed can take the other way for seven points. It’s a toss-up for me, so if you have a solid alternative, I’d take it.
• You have to sit San Francisco’s D against Indy and I wouldn’t talk you out of dropping them. The 49ers are improved, but may have become overrated as a fantasy defense early in the year.

Thanks for reading and for your continued support of our fantasy coverage here at MSF. The comment section is yours for questions and I will do my best to answer them all as promptly as I can. Please report any issues (i.e. comment not showing up, not getting a reply, etc) to me via email: jerod [at] midwestsportsfans [dot] com).

And for more fantasy reading, check out Fraschetti’s columns from earlier this week:

• Week 8 Sleepers and Waiver Wire Steals
• Week 8 Play Em / Bench Em

Good luck in Week 8 everyone. In my six leagues I am 6-1, 5-2, and then 4-3 in four of them, so it’s a pivotal week for me just as it is for you. I’ll post a few more times this week with other interesting start/sit or pick-up recommendations I find.

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* – Matt Forte photo credit: Sports Maven

* – Miles Austin photo credit: crazylilsportslady at PhotoBucket

Week 7 was also a week of blowouts. Six NFL teams lost this weekend by 28 points or more, and one of those teams was the Bears…at the hands of the Bengals! Unbelievable.

Most of this we all saw coming (Week 7 Start Em or Sit Em), but the Bears game was a shocker.

Let’s break down the fantasy football landscape for Week 8, including which players you should play and which players you should bench. (By the way, week 8 is a bye week for the Bengals, Chiefs, Patriots, Steelers, Buccaneers and Redskins.)

As a side note: My ban on starting any Bills, Browns or Raiders offensive players has not been lifted! This rule is still in effect.

Play Em / Bench Em Quarterbacks

Play Em

Matt Schaub – Texans – Schaub will be facing the Bills, who allowed Jake Delhomme a 300 plus yard game last week.

Jay Cutler -Bears – The Bears are coming off of a horrible game against the Bengals should mean sit em, right? Not when you draw the Cleveland Browns this week, at home!

Philip Rivers -Chargers – Rivers had a good game against the Chiefs, and plays Oakland this week; ’nuff said.

Bench Em

Matt Hasselbeck -Seahawks – Matt will be facing a Cowboys defense that held Matt Ryan t0 nine fantasy points last week. That, combined with Hasselbeck’s last appearance of 111 yards with 2 turnovers versus the Cardinals, makes me want to avoid Hasselbeck.

Mark Sanchez -Jets – The Jets are playing the Dolphins, who gave a win away last week to the Saints. Sanchez did not look great against Oakland, and I see the Jets relying on the running game again this week.

Jake Delhomme -Panthers – Yes, Jake went over 300 yards last week but he threw three more picks. This week he faces the Cardinals, who gave Eli Manning all he could handle on Sunday, as they picked off Manning three times and held him to under 250 yards passing and 1 touchdown. The only factor here that could change is the health of the Cardinals secondary.

Play Em / Bench Em Running Backs

Play Em

Steven Jackson -Rams – I know Jackson owners have been dying to hear this. Jackson just had a 134-yard game and will play the Lions this week, which means that he could actually get into the endzone. There are not too many weeks where you will see Steven Jackson above the bench em print, but this week is one of those weeks.

Brandon Jacobs – Giants – Jacobs had a good game against the Cardinals, and in my opinion was not used nearly enough. Jacobs had a couple big gains, and looked good attacking the holes. I look for the Giants to go to Jacobs more this week against the Eagles.

Matt Forte -Bears – See Jay Cutler! (Hint: it has to do with their opponent…the Browns.)

Bench Em

Ryan Grant – Packers – I know that Grant just had 143 rushing yards last week, but that was against the Browns. The Minnesota Vikings this week will not be as generous with the rushing yardage.

Julius Jones – Seahawks – Jones has had a horrible last three games, with a total of 64 yards rushing over that period. The Cowboys will not help his stock rise this week.

Joseph Addai -Colts – Addai does not have over 64 yards rushing in a game this year. The 49ers D will not be as forgiving at the Rams, who gave Addai his season high in yardage.

• For ProFootballinsight’s Play Em or Bench Em Receivers, Tight Ends and Defenses, Click Here!
• Got questions, we have answers. Need a Sleeper or a Waiver Wire Steal, click this link for more!

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* – Jay Cutler photo credit: Bleacher Report

Kurt Fraschetti / ProFootballinsight