Who should you start and who should you sit in Week 8? The Lineup Cheat Sheet combines Fantasy analysis and game-flow predictions with a confidence scale to give you a definitive answer on your toughest lineup decisions.
It's pretty simple: The scale runs from 1-10. The higher the number next to a player's name, the more confident you should be to start him. The numbers are not a projection, just a confidence score to help you pick who to start. Every relevant player for Week 8 is here, so if a player isn't listed, don't start him.
To find a specific player, use your search function -- CTRL-F on PCs and Command-F on Macs. If neither of those are options, or if you're on a mobile device, you can scroll by game.
If you're still unsure, just send a note on Twitter (@daverichard) and I'll give it a look, time permitting. As the playoff chase heats up, here's how to approach every play for Week 8 in Non-PPR leagues — the PPR Cheat Sheet is right here.
More Week 8 help: QB Start 'Em & Sit 'Em | RB Start 'Em & Sit 'Em | Waiver Wire | Trade Values | Biggest Questions | QB Preview | RB Preview | WR Preview | TE Preview | Rest-of-Season Rankings | Cut List | Winners and Losers | Believe It or Not
All lines from William Hill Sportsbook.
The line wants us to believe: The Falcons are going to keep finding ways to lose. There can't be a lot of confidence out there on the Falcons, and the oddsmakers know it by making the Panthers a home favorite. Carolina's a solid team but their defense is overrated. I expect Matt Ryan's arm to be plenty busy.
| Matt Ryan | (7.6) | Teddy Bridgewater | (7.4) |
| Todd Gurley | (8.1) | Mike Davis | (9.2) |
| Calvin Ridley | (9.8) | D.J. Moore | (8.5) |
| Julio Jones | (9.2) | Robby Anderson | (8.3) |
| Russell Gage | (4.9) | Curtis Samuel | (3.0) |
| Hayden Hurst | (7.5) | Panthers DST | (4.1) |
| Falcons DST | (5.3) | | |
The line wants us to believe: The undefeated Steelers are overrated. If anything, the Steelers are savvy on offense and opportunistic on defense. Baltimore's run game will need a spark (J.K. Dobbins?) if they're to compete. Ben Roethlisberger's short-pass game should keep the Steelers close on the scoreboard (and keep the pass rush off his back). I'm kind of thinking the oddsmakers want you to take the Steelers and the points, but I genuinely feel that's the better way to lean.
| Ben Roethlisberger | (7.0) | Lamar Jackson | (8.6) |
| James Conner | (8.4) | Gus Edwards | (6.6) |
| Diontae Johnson | (7.8) | J.K. Dobbins | (6.3) |
| JuJu Smith-Schuster | (7.0) | Marquise Brown | (7.1) |
| Chase Claypool | (6.5) | Mark Andrews | (8.2) |
| James Washington | (3.8) | Ravens DST | (7.8) |
| Eric Ebron | (6.0) | | |
| Steelers DST | (7.3) | | |
The line wants us to believe: The Rams' win on Monday was meaningless. The key word there? Monday, as in the Rams played then, then practiced for a few days before flying to Miami. Not exactly the best scenario for a good but tired team against a well-rested and rejuvenated Dolphins squad with a shiny new quarterback. There's no chance the Dolphins would have made this move if Tua Tagovailoa wasn't ready. You're trapping yourself if you pick the Rams.
| Jared Goff | (6.6) | Tua Tagovailoa | (6.4) |
| Darrell Henderson | (7.5) | Myles Gaskin | (7.6) |
| Malcolm Brown | (6.1) | DeVante Parker | (6.7) |
| Robert Woods | (7.7) | Preston Williams | (5.8) |
| Cooper Kupp | (7.4) | Mike Gesicki | (6.1) |
| Josh Reynolds | (4.0) | Dolphins DST | (6.9) |
| Gerald Everett | (5.4) | | |
| Rams DST | (6.7) | | |
The line wants us to believe: That there's only one way to make this game interesting. The Jets have lost by 20 points three times this year, and only sloppy offenses have let them hang around. Kansas City's defense has started playing better and too many injuries for the Jets make it hard to believe they'll hit their 14.75 implied point total. So what the heck? Take the Chiefs.
| Sam Darnold | (4.8) | Patrick Mahomes | (9.3) |
| Lamical Perine | (6.2) | Clyde Edwards-Helaire | (8.0) |
| Frank Gore | (5.1) | Le'Veon Bell | (7.0) |
| Denzel Mims | (5.1) | Tyreek Hill | (9.3) |
| Braxton Berrios | (3.2) | Mecole Hardman | (5.6) |
| Jets DST | (1.0) | Travis Kelce | (9.0) |
| | | Chiefs DST | (8.8) |
The line wants us to believe: The Vikings will keep it close. Couldn't they have gotten away with minus-8 or minus-9 here? Minnesota's pass rush is tame and its secondary is beat up. Expect Aaron Rodgers to attack the flats and sidelines all game long as the Packers roll to a convincing win.
| Kirk Cousins | (6.7) | Aaron Rodgers | (9.4) |
| Dalvin Cook | (9.1) | Jamaal Williams | (8.3) |
| Adam Thielen | (9.1) | Davante Adams | (9.9) |
| Justin Jefferson | (8.0) | Marquez Valdes-Scantling | (4.1) |
| Irv Smith | (5.8) | Robert Tonyan | (4.2) |
| Vikings DST | (3.1) | Packers DST | (6.5) |
The line wants us to believe: Detroit's last two wins were flukes. Making the Lions underdogs at home is a bold strategy, Cotton. Let's see if it pays off for those people brave enough to take the Colts, whose defense should be healthy and whose offense should get back to basics with the run game. It's the side the oddsmakers don't want you on. Don't be surprised if Philip Rivers connects on a handful of deep throws.
| Philip Rivers | (4.6) | Matthew Stafford | (6.3) |
| Jonathan Taylor | (8.2) | D'Andre Swift | (7.4) |
| T.Y. Hilton | (5.2) | Adrian Peterson | (5.15) |
| Marcus Johnson | (4.4) | Kenny Golladay | (9.6) |
| Zach Pascal | (3.3) | Marvin Jones | (6.0) |
| Trey Burton | (6.6) | T.J. Hockenson | (7.0) |
| Jack Doyle | (3.4) | Lions DST | (6.1) |
| Colts DST | (8.3) | | |
The line wants us to believe: ... in Baker Mayfield. If not for his late heroics last week, the Raiders might be favored here. There's less to trust with the Raiders, especially considering how well the Browns run defense has been playing. I would expect Kareem Hunt, not Mayfield, to be the reason why Cleveland pulls away, but they will pull away.
| Derek Carr | (7.3) | Baker Mayfield | (6.5) |
| Josh Jacobs | (7.9) | Kareem Hunt | (9.0) |
| Nelson Agholor | (6.9) | Rashard Higgins | (6.3) |
| Henry Ruggs III | (3.8) | Jarvis Landry | (5.4) |
| Hunter Renfrow | (3.5) | Donovan Peoples-Jones | (3.7) |
| Darren Waller | (8.6) | Harrison Bryant | (6.3) |
| Raiders DST | (5.1) | David Njoku | (4.6) |
| | | Browns DST | (6.3) |
The line wants us to believe: Joe Burrow gives the Bengals a chance, even against tough competition. This Titans team is something else, down two scores last week and still running the ball -- and still making defenses pay. The Bengals have lost three good players from their D-line just in time for Derrick Henry to rumble 20 times. Maybe it's a sucker line because they're not giving Cincinnati more points, but the Titans should win, even if it's a higher-scoring game than they'd like it to be.
| Ryan Tannehill | (8.5) | Joe Burrow | (8.4) |
| Derrick Henry | (10.0) | Giovani Bernard | (7.7) |
| A.J. Brown | (9.5) | Tee Higgins | (8.4) |
| Corey Davis | (6.1) | Tyler Boyd | (7.9) |
| Adam Humphries | (2.9) | A.J. Green | (7.5) |
| Jonnu Smith | (8.0) | Bengals DST | (2.1) |
| Titans DST | (5.9) | | |
The line wants us to believe: Buffalo's offense really is in trouble. Maybe it is, but the Patriots' offense is in even bigger trouble. Both teams have quarterback and run game issues to start fixing, but the Bills' receiving corps has more playmaking potential. That's the side I want to be on, even in a projected low-scoring matchup.
| Cam Newton | (6.0) | Josh Allen | (7.7) |
| Damien Harris | (5.75) | Zack Moss | (6.5) |
| James White | (5.4) | Devin Singletary | (5.9) |
| Jakobi Meyers | (4.2) | Stefon Diggs | (8.1) |
| Damiere Byrd | (3.9) | Cole Beasley | (6.4) |
| Patriots DST | (7.1) | John Brown | (6.2) |
| | | Bills DST | (7.9) |
The line wants us to believe: Denver's not as bad as the score suggested last week. Wow, they sure want you to take the Chargers, don't they? Truth is, Drew Lock played erratically last week. If he does it again behind that offensive line against Joey Bosa and Melvin Ingram, there's no way the Broncos will be able to compete. I'm sure the oddsmakers are thinking Justin Herbert is due for a let-down, but he's been in tougher spots on the road and come through remarkably.
| Justin Herbert | (9.0) | Drew Lock | (4.4) |
| Justin Jackson | (6.4) | Melvin Gordon | (7.3) |
| Joshua Kelley | (5.7) | Royce Freeman | (4.4) |
| Keenan Allen | (9.0) | Jerry Jeudy | (4.8) |
| Jalen Guyton | (4.3) | Noah Fant | (7.4) |
| Mike Williams | (4.6) | Albert Okwuegbunam | (5.0) |
| Hunter Henry | (7.3) | Broncos DST | (4.9) |
| Chargers DST | (7.6) | | |
The line wants us to believe: That previous games don't matter when these teams meet. Honestly, how in blazes is Seattle favored by less than a field goal?! I can't figure it out, which is the first sign of a trap line. But I can't see the 49ers staying within less than three points against Russell Wilson and their bitter rival. If it's a trap, I'm falling in.
| Jimmy Garoppolo | (7.1) | Russell Wilson | (9.5) |
| Tevin Coleman | (5.8) | DeeJay Dallas | (5.3) |
| JaMycal Hasty | (5.2) | Tyler Lockett | (9.7) |
| Jerick McKinnon | (4.3) | DK Metcalf | (9.4) |
| Brandon Aiyuk | (7.6) | Seahawks DST | (5.5) |
| George Kittle | (9.1) | | |
| 49ers DST | (5.7) | | |
The line wants us to believe: The Bears loss on Monday was a blip on the radar. Why else would they only get four points against the Saints? The Saints defense nearly blew it last week against the Panthers and the offense is down to Alvin Kamara, Jared Cook, Tre'Quan Smith and scraps for Drew Brees to throw to. With or without Allen Robinson, this is a bounce-back game for the Bears.
| Drew Brees | (6.8) | Nick Foles | (4.2) |
| Alvin Kamara | (9.5) | David Montgomery | (6.8) |
| Latavius Murray | (4.9) | Allen Robinson | (8.6) |
| Deonte Harris | (5.15) | Darnell Mooney | (2.9) |
| Tre'Quan Smith | (5.3) | Jimmy Graham | (6.8) |
| Jared Cook | (7.2) | Bears DST | (7.4) |
| Saints DST | (7.0) | | |
The line wants us to believe: Dallas can find some points this week. The Cowboys just got their doors blown off by Washington and the Eagles have been very competitive for the past several weeks. Even with Dallas' reinforcements on the O-line, the Eagles' defense should be primed to keep them out of the end zone.
| Ben DiNucci | (4.9) | Carson Wentz | (8.3) |
| Ezekiel Elliott | (8.5) | Boston Scott | (7.8) |
| CeeDee Lamb | (5.5) | Travis Fulgham | (8.2) |
| Amari Cooper | (7.2) | Greg Ward | (5.0) |
| Michael Gallup | (5.95) | Dallas Goedert | (7.9) |
| Dalton Schultz | (4.9) | Eagles DST | (8.2) |
| Cowboys DST | (2.6) | | |
The line wants us to believe: The Giants are pushovers. It's not true -- they've hung tough in each of their past four games and were a dropped pass away from winning last week. Tampa Bay's offense might be down Chris Godwin, but the defense should be in a spot to turn over Daniel Jones a couple of times. Four of Tampa Bay's five wins have been by 14-plus points, but something tells me the Giants find a way to lose by 9 or 10.
| Tom Brady | (8.2) | Daniel Jones | (5.9) |
| Ronald Jones | (7.2) | Wayne Gallman | (5.5) |
| Leonard Fournette | (6.9) | Darius Slayton | (6.6) |
| Mike Evans | (8.7) | Sterling Shepard | (5.9) |
| Scott Miller | (6.8) | Golden Tate | (3.6) |
| Tyler Johnson | (4.5) | Evan Engram | (6.7) |
| Rob Gronkowski | (7.8) | Giants DST | (4.2) |
| Buccaneers DST | (9.0) | | |
So who should you start and sit this week? And which surprising quarterback could lead you to victory? Visit SportsLine now to get Week 8 rankings for every position, plus see which QB is going to come out of nowhere to crack the top 10, all from the model that out-performed experts big-time last season.
