Who should I start in Fantasy Football? NFL Week 8 roster recommendations by position

We’re getting closer to the halfway point of the NFL season, and some of the stars we were counting on have proven to be disappointments in the fantasy world. Not to mention, the amount of serious injuries that have occurred so far have thrown us into chaos. After a Week 7 that saw Brandon Aiyuk go down with a potentially season-ending ACL tear, Patrick Mahomes do just enough to succeed but not enough to make a fantasy impact, and Tank Dell record zero catches…let’s take a look forward to Week 8.

Here are my fantasy recommendations for NFL Week 8 at each position.

NFL Week 8 Fantasy Football Starts

Quarterbacks:

Caleb Williams, Chicago Bears (@ Commanders)

Williams may be one of the easier QBs to snatch up after coming off a bye week. The rookie struggled early in the season, but has since scored two straight 23-point games. He has an extremely favorable matchup against the Washington Commanders, whose defense has allowed four different quarterbacks to get 18+ points. They were able to hold Andy Dalton to no touchdowns last week, but that was a first for them, and Williams has thrown nine touchdowns in his last four games, so I’d take the risk there.

Bo Nix, Denver Broncos (vs Panthers)

Nix is a start this week thanks mostly to the Broncos’ opponent, the Panthers. The Panthers defense has allowed the seventh-most fantasy points per game to QBs this season and the most rushing yards in the league (162). That last stat bodes well for Nix, who has rushed for 136 yards in his last two games and has three rushing touchdowns on the season. Last week, the Panthers gave up 19.6 points to backup quarterback Marcus Mariota.

Joe Burrow, Cincinnati Bengals (vs Eagles)

Although the Eagles defense has done well against quarterbacks this season, the quarterbacks themselves haven’t been the most impressive (Deshaun Watson, Daniel Jones, Derek Carr…). Burrow, on the other hand, has been playing well, throwing for multiple touchdowns in five of his last six games and putting up 17+ fantasy points in four of his last six.

Running Backs

D’Andre Swift, Chicago Bears (@ Commanders)

Before the Bears’ bye week last week, Swift had three consecutive games scoring 20+ points. Like Williams, this week, he has a favorable matchup against the Commanders, who have given up 14+ points to five RBs, 18+ to three RBs, and 20+ to two RBs this season.

James Conner, Arizona Cardinals (vs Dolphins)

Last week, Conner surpassed 150 yards and put up 17.2 fantasy points in the Cardinals win over the Chargers. He has put up at least 100 all-purpose yards in three of his last four games. This week, he is up against a Dolphins defense that has allowed four different RBs to score 18+ points.

Kareem Hunt, Kansas City Chiefs (vs Raiders)

With Pacheco still out, Hunt is a must-start. He’s averaged 17.2 fantasy points through three games and is seeing 40% of touches in the backfield. He has a favorable matchup against the Raiders, who have allowed 15+ points to seven RBs this season and 20+ to three.

Javonte Williams, Denver Broncos (vs Panthers)

Just as fantasy managers moved Williams to the bench, he had a game against the Saints in which he had two touchdowns and 26.1 fantasy points. That makes two games in a row in which he’s scored 17+ points. A matchup against the Panthers defense is reason enough to start Williams this week.

Wide Receivers

Jauan Jennings, San Francisco 49ers (vs Cowboys)

With Brandon Aiyuk out and Deebo Samuel’s health still in question, Jennings will likely see a good amount of targets in Week 8. It helps that they are playing the Cowboys this week, who are dealing with a depleted defense who have given up the seventh-most points per game to perimeter receivers. Jennings missed last week’s game with an injury and is still listed as questionable though, so make sure to monitor his status before starting him.

George Pickens, Pittsburgh Steelers (vs Giants)

Now that Russell Wilson is in at quarterback for the Steelers, Pickens is much more likely to be catching deep balls and is also much more likely to be the main target. Against a Giants defense that’s given up the sixth-most points per game to perimeter receivers this season, Pickens is a safe start for Week 8.

DeVonta Smith, Philadelphia Eagles (@ Bengals)

The Bengals defense gave up 150 yards and at least a touchdown to opposing wide receivers for three weeks straight before facing the Giants and Browns, which doesn’t say much. Despite a disappointing Week 7, Smith should perform better against Cincinnati.

Tight Ends

David Njoku, Cleveland Browns (vs Ravens)

Now that Amari Cooper has left, Njoku has become the top target for the Browns, even with Jameis Winston in at QB instead of Deshaun Watson. He’s up against a Ravens defense that has allowed at least 9.7 points to five tight ends and 15+ points to three.

Cade Otton, Tampa Bay Buccaneers (vs Falcons)

Otton had his best game of the season last week, catching eight passes for 100 yards against the Ravens. He’s been receiving more targets recently and with Mike Evans out, that looks set to be the case this week as well.

Kyle Pitts, Atlanta Falcons (@ Buccaneers)

Pitts has developed a connection with quarterback Kirk Cousins that’s led to double-digit points in the last three games. This week, he’s up against a Bucs defense that has allowed three TEs to put up 13+ points. Oh yeah, and one of those was Pitts himself. When the Falcons played the Buccaneers in Week 5, Pitts put up 15.8 points against them and there’s no reason he shouldn’t do so again this week.