Week 8's fantasy football playbook
The latest fantasy football news, rankings, start/sit advice, and more to help you avoid misery on Sunday.
Thanks again for being a loyal reader and subscriber! Keep reading for the latest fantasy football rankings, news, and analysis from the 5th Down Fantasy team and around the web. Best of luck in Week 8!
📰 Week 8 news you can use
Who is trending up and down heading into Sunday’s action, courtesy of our friends at FantasyPros.
🤞 49ers QB Brock Purdy (concussion) practiced for the second straight day and is on pace to be cleared from the protocol Saturday. If Purdy is cleared, he will start for the 49ers on Sunday and would be the first player to clear the protocol in the same week they were diagnosed with a concussion.
🙌 Bears RB Roschon Johnson (concussion) has no injury designation for Sunday’s game against the Chargers. Fantasy managers should expect that Johnson will split time with D’Onta Foreman, who has impressed over the last two weeks, in his return Sunday.
🟥 Despite Justin Fields progressing in his recovery, he will miss another game due to his thumb injury. Undrafted rookie QB Tyson Bagnet will get the start with Fields sidelined.
🙌 Dolphins RB Raheem Mostert (ankle) stated that he will play Sunday against New England. He suffered a minor ankle injury that caused him to miss practice Wednesday. Mostert was able to return to practice Thursday and Friday and should be started in all formats heading into Week 8.
🤞 Trevor Lawrence was limited in each practice session this week ahead of Sunday’s game. The good news is Lawrence has had extra recovery time after playing last Thursday. Fantasy managers should expect Lawrence to play, but will want to check the inactives to ensure he does not suffer a setback before game time.
View the latest FantasyPros player news on 5thDownFantasy.com.
📋 Week 8 rankings update
🚨 Our Week 8 fantasy football rankings for PPR, Half-PPR, and Standard scoring formats will update frequently up until kickoff on Sunday.
Insights on key fantasy matchups from the 5th Down team and some of my favorite experts from around the web.
📈 3 guys up
George Kittle (SF vs. CIN) — “In [the] middle of the field, George Kittle is set up for a big day as linebackers Logan Wilson and Germaine Pratt handle many of the box coverage looks for the Bengals’ defense. Kittle will be asking these two to cover him further down the field than they are used to, and both Wilson and Pratt concede receptions on 80%(PFF) of their targets. Kittle should have the catches to spike out of TE slots in most leagues and will have chances to beat Wilson and Pratt inside the 20. ” — Gavin Babbit, 5th Down Fantasy
C.J. Stroud (HOU at CAR) — “Carolina has allowed two quarterbacks in a row in Jared Goff and Tua Tagovailoa to score at least 26.1 Fantasy points. Those quarterbacks combined for 498 passing yards, seven total touchdowns and one interception. The Panthers also just placed safety Jeremy Chinn (quadriceps) and pass rusher Yetur Gross-Matos (hamstring) on injured reserve this week. Stroud should put on a show with Nico Collins, Dell and Dalton Schultz.” — Jamey Eisenberg, CBS Sports
Kareem Hunt (CLE at SEA) — “Hunt was sitting on most waiver wires last week, but he needs to enter your starting lineup this week. He was already splitting work with Jerome Ford, but with Ford getting injured in Week 7, Hunt should get all the work he can handle here. That’s awesome since Hunt has 15 and 16 fantasy points in his two most recent outings while generating a 20-point average as a starter in the past. The matchup with Seattle isn’t too shabby either, with Seattle surrendering 18 fantasy points per game to opposing backs.” — Joel Bartilotta, FantasyPros.com
📉 3 guys down
Alexander Mattison (MIN at GB) — “Mattison has a good matchup facing a Green Bay defense allowing the third-most fantasy points to running backs and the most rushing attempts per game. But his volume is a big question after Cam Akers had more carries last week. Akers had 10 to Mattison’s three after the game’s first two drives and was the more productive receiver on six fewer routes. It’s tough to trust Mattison this week, when game script won’t necessarily be favorable with Minnesota traveling during a short week (and the Packers desperate).” — Dalton Del Don, Yahoo Sports
Puka Nacua (LAR at DAL) — “Nacua is playing most often to the right of Matthew Stafford; if this pattern holds, he will be seeing the veteran Stephon Gilmore for most of the day, who will give him issues. Gilmore will keep Nacua in front of him with a deeper aDoT, and is not giving up YAC (84 total in six starts), a category in which Nacua remains a league leader with 277 yards (PFF).” — Gavin Babbit, 5th Down Fantasy
Derrick Henry (TEN vs. ATL) — “He's … a trade candidate, plus the defense will focus their entire attention on him as they have been so far in 2023. He's faced eight-plus defenders in the box on a league-leading 44.9% of his rushing attempts. On top of that, Tyjae Spears continues to eat into his workload and Atlanta is already one of the more stout defenses in the NFL. It's tough to recommend benching Henry, but he's not a must-start by any means.” — Josh Constantinou, RotoBaller.com
💸 Wanna bet?
Here are two lineups I’m going with in Week 8 DraftKings based on some of my favorite matchups.
