New on Sports Illustrated: Fantasy Football Start 'Em, Sit 'Em: Week 8 Quarterbacks - Sleepers, Fades, Matchups, DFS Bargains

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Start 'em and sit 'em quarterbacks for Week 8 from senior fantasy football expert Michael Fabiano.

Week 8 Start ‘Em: Quarterbacks

Byes: Cardinals, Football Team, Jaguars, Texans

Start of the Week

Tom Brady at Giants (MNF)

Brady has been like a roller coaster for fantasy fans this season, scoring 20-plus points four times while also failing to hit the 15-point mark three times. He's likely to hit that former mark this week, as the G.O.A.T. travels to New Jersey to face the Giants. While their defense has allowed fewer than 18 fantasy points per game to quarterbacks, both Carson Wentz and Ben Roethlisberger scored 22-plus against them. What's more, Big Blue has faced Nick Mullens, Kyle Allen, and Mitchell Trubisky. Start Brady with confidence.

Week 8 Start 'Em, Sit 'Em

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Start ‘Em

Carson Wentz vs. Cowboys (SNF): Wentz has had his ups and downs this season, but he’s been pretty solid in the world of fantasy football. He’s scored at least 21.4 points in four of his last five games, during which time he’s averaged 23.5 points. He’s in a great spot this week, as the Eagles will host the hapless Cowboys. Dallas fields the league’s worst defense, and quarterbacks have averaged nearly 21 fantasy points per game against it. In fact, three signal-callers have scored at least 28.5 points against them in their first seven contests of 2020.

Justin Herbert at Broncos: Herbert has been an absolute godsend for fantasy fans. He scored nearly 40 points in last week’s win over the Jaguars and ranks fourth among quarterbacks in points per game average (25.2 PPG) since Week 2. He should continue to find success this week as Herbert and the Chargers head to Denver to face the Broncos. Their defense has struggled against enemy quarterbacks, allowing an average of 20.4 fantasy points per game. What's more, five signal-callers have scored 18-plus points against them.

Teddy Bridgewater vs. Falcons (TNF): Bridgewater put up another solid line last week, scoring 19.2 fantasy points in a loss to the Saints. The veteran has now scored 19-plus points in three of his last four games, including a Week 5 game against the Falcons, where he put up 20.8 points. Teddy B gets Atlanta again this week, so he’s back in the streaming mix at the position. The Falcons have allowed the most points (27.6 PPG) to the position, and every field general to play a full game against them has finished with at least 18.4 fantasy points.

Joe Burrow vs. Titans: Some might suggest I’m chasing the fantasy points, but this week’s matchup against the Titans is a positive one. While this unit did hold Ben Roethlisberger to a gross 12.6 fantasy points last week, Tennessee has also surrendered over 19 points to the likes of Kirk Cousins and Gardner Minshew. In all, quarterbacks have averaged nearly 20 points per game against their defense. DK Sportsbook has this game listed with an over/under of 54.5, so it should be a shootout. Burrow is a low-end fantasy starter.

More Starts

  • Aaron Rodgers vs. Vikings
  • Ryan Tannehill at Bengals
  • Baker Mayfield vs. Raiders

DFS Bargains

  • Baker Mayfield vs. Raiders (DraftKings: $6,100)
  • Derek Carr at Browns (DraftKings: $5,500)
  • Jimmy Garoppolo at Seahawks (DraftKings: $5,400)
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Week 8 Sit ‘Em: Quarterbacks

Sit of the Week

Cam Newton at Bills: Newton looked fantastic to start the season, but the bloom is now off his fantasy rose. He simply hasn’t looked like the same player lately, and that was evident last week when he threw three interceptions, scored -0.18 fantasy points, and was benched in favor of Jarrett Stidham. This week's matchup in Buffalo isn't terrible, but Newton can't be trusted to exploit even the most vulnerable defenses. He's also done very little as a passer, averaging 193.8 yards per game through the air. Newton is a hard fade.

Sit ‘Em

Drew Brees at Bears: I was dead wrong about Brees last week, as he scored 23.7 fantasy points despite a bad matchup and without Michael Thomas and Emmanuel Sanders. Regardless of if he gets them back or not, this week’s matchup in Chicago is a tough one. The Bears have allowed a mere six touchdown passes, and the second-fewest fantasy points to quarterbacks. What's more, they've held Tom Brady, Matt Ryan, Jared Goff, Matthew Stafford, and Teddy Bridgewater to fewer than 17 fantasy points this season.

Matthew Stafford vs. Colts: Stafford hasn’t put up huge numbers for fantasy fans this season, but he has been a viable matchup-based starter. Unfortunately, this week’s matchup against the Colts isn't all that favorable. Their defense has been tough on quarterbacks, allowing just seven touchdown passes and the fewest fantasy points (11.7 PPG). Not a single signal-caller has scored more than 16.7 points against them since Week 2. This game could morph into a shootout, but the numbers suggest Stafford is a sit ‘em.

Ben Roethlisberger at Ravens: I'm on the fence about Roethlisberger this week. On the one hand, the Ravens have allowed over 20 fantasy points a game to opposing field generals. However, Patrick Mahomes and Carson Wentz are the lone players to produce more than 18.8 points against them. On the flip side, Big Ben has averaged 233 yards and 14.9 points in his last three games. He's also scored fewer than 15 fantasy points in eight of 11 career games against the Ravens in Baltimore. At best, he’s a risk-reward, low-end starter.

Jared Goff at Dolphins: Goff’s numbers haven’t been great this season, as he’s scored fewer than 17 fantasy points in three of his last four games. That’s due in part to the fact that the Rams have become a ground and pound offense, as L.A. is fourth in the league in run percentage. The Dolphins have also been tough against quarterbacks, allowing just seven touchdown passes and fewer than 17 fantasy points per game to the position. With a seemingly low ceiling in this game, I’d keep Goff on the sidelines this weekend.

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More Sits

  • Matt Ryan at Panthers (TNF)
  • Daniel Jones vs. Buccaneers (MNF)
  • Philip Rivers at Lions

DFS Fades

  • Ben Roethlisberger at Ravens (DraftKings: $6,600)
  • Jared Goff at Dolphins (DraftKings: $6,500)
  • Matthew Stafford vs. Colts (DraftKings: $6,400)

Michael Fabiano is an award-winning fantasy football analyst on Sports Illustrated and a member of the Fantasy Sports Writers Association (FSWA) Hall of Fame. You can follow Michael on Twitter, Facebook, YouTube, and Instagram for the latest news and analysis!

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