The quarterback position is in a pretty fun spot heading into Week 8 of Fantasy Football. There aren't many major injuries at the position right now — Dallas is the only team missing their starting QB right now — and Kyler Murray and Deshaun Watson are the only bye week guys you'll miss. So you should have plenty of options to choose from for your starting spot. And there are some very interesting options.
You could go with Teddy Bridgewater, who gets the Falcons Thursday, or Kirk Cousins against the Packers, Carson Wentz against the Cowboys, or Jimmy Garoppolo. There's also upside with Justin Herbert and Joe Burrow, who look every bit the part of future Fantasy superstars - plus we get the first start for Tua Tagovailoa this week, and he might be better than either of them.
Whether you're planning on going with any of those players or have other options to consider, Jamey Eisenberg's Start 'Em & Sit 'Em calls for quarterback is here to help you make those tough lineup decisions.
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Quarterbacks
Herbert was a big boom in Week 7 as the Start of the Week against Jacksonville, and he should remain in your lineup in Week 8 as well. He had 43 Fantasy points against the Jaguars and has now scored at least 23 Fantasy points in four of five starts this season. The Broncos have limited Sam Darnold, Cam Newton and, surprisingly, Patrick Mahomes in the past three games, although I'm not counting last week as a win for Denver's defense in stopping the Chiefs. Prior to that, Ryan Tannehill, Ben Roethlisberger and Tom Brady all scored at least 22 Fantasy points against the Broncos, and Herbert will be in that category this week.
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I liked Burrow a lot last week against the Browns, and he finished with his best Fantasy performance of the season with 39 points. He's now passed for at least 300 yards in five of his past six games, including over 400 yards against Cleveland, and he has three outings with at least 24 Fantasy points over that span. The Titans have allowed multiple touchdowns to five quarterbacks in a row, and Burrow is clicking right now with Tyler Boyd, Tee Higgins and A.J. Green. He's a top-10 quarterback again in Week 8.
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After a slow start, Wentz is rolling with at least 21 Fantasy points in five games in a row, including the past two with at least 31 points. He could be getting reinforcements this week with Dallas Goedert (ankle) and Jalen Reagor (thumb) coming back to join Travis Fulgham and Greg Ward, but Wentz has proven he can succeed with almost anyone in the right matchup. He's also rushing at a high level with five touchdowns on the ground in the past six games. This week, Wentz should love playing the Cowboys, who have allowed multiple touchdowns to five of their past six opposing quarterbacks.
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Bridgewater just played the Falcons in Week 5, and he scored 24 Fantasy points against this defense. That's part of a nice stretch for Bridgewater coming into Week 8 where he's scored at least 23 Fantasy points in three of his past four games. Last week was the first time all season the Falcons didn't allow multiple touchdowns to a quarterback when Matthew Stafford only had one, but he still had 340 passing yards. Bridgewater should be considered a low-end starter in all leagues.
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Carr has been a solid Fantasy quarterback of late and should stay hot against the Browns. He comes into this matchup with at least 22 Fantasy points in four of his past five games, and his worst outing over that stretch was 19 points in Week 3 at New England. The Browns pass defense is miserable, and four quarterbacks this season have already had three-touchdown games against Cleveland, including Burrow last week. Carr should be considered a borderline starter in all leagues.
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Mayfield just had the best Fantasy game of his career in Week 7 against Cincinnati with 39 Fantasy points, and he did that with Odell Beckham (ACL) hurt, Austin Hooper (appendix) out and Jarvis Landry limited to five catches for 48 yards. He doesn't have Beckham or Hooper again this week, but it shouldn't matter against the Raiders, who have allowed 997 passing yards, 11 total touchdowns with just two interceptions in their past three games against Josh Allen, Patrick Mahomes and Tom Brady.
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Garoppolo should be considered a low-end starter this week against the Seahawks, who allow the most Fantasy points to opposing quarterbacks. Five of six quarterbacks against Seattle have at least 315 passing yards and three have at least three touchdowns. In two of three complete games this year, Garoppolo has scored at least 22 Fantasy points.
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I'm hoping the Cousins we got prior to Minnesota's bye in Week 7 shows up again this week from the standpoint of his pass attempts. He had at least 36 pass attempts in consecutive games against Seattle and Atlanta, and he had 29 Fantasy points against the Falcons. Cousins also had 25 Fantasy points against Green Bay in Week 1, and the Packers have allowed multiple touchdowns to opposing quarterbacks in all but one game this year.
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I'm still hopeful Newton will turn things around and start playing like a star Fantasy quarterback again, but it's hard to trust him given his recent performances. In his past three games, he's scored a combined 27 Fantasy points, and he's been bad in two outings since coming off the reserve/COVID-19 list with 15 Fantasy points the past two weeks against Denver and San Francisco at home. Buffalo's defense hasn't been tough on opposing quarterbacks this year aside from two games against Sam Darnold, so there's a chance for a bounceback game for Newton in Week 8. But it's hard to trust him given his recent level of play, so keep him reserved in all leagues for now.
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The Bears allowed multiple touchdowns to an opposing quarterback in Week 7 for the first time all season when Jared Goff had two Monday night, but he still scored fewer than 20 Fantasy points. No quarterback has scored 20 Fantasy points against the Bears, including matchups with Matthew Stafford, Matt Ryan and Tom Brady. Brees does have at least 23 Fantasy points in consecutive games, but both have come at home against the Chargers and Panthers. In two road games this year at Las Vegas and Detroit, Brees is averaging just 17.5 Fantasy points per game. We'll see what happens with Michael Thomas (hamstring) and Emmanuel Sanders (illness) this week, but I would still sit Brees if you can.
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Tagovailoa will make his first NFL start this week against the Rams, and I would only use him in two-quarterback and Superflex leagues. The Rams have only allowed two quarterbacks to score multiple touchdowns against them this season with Josh Allen in Week 3 and Garoppolo in Week 6, including matchups with Dak Prescott and Wentz. Tagovailoa will have plenty of big games this year and in the future, but I don't want to start him in Fantasy this week, especially given the opponent.
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Goff has scored 20 Fantasy points or less in three of his past four games, and I expect him to have another down game this week against the Dolphins. Miami's defense has played well aside from two big outings from Josh Allen and Russell Wilson, and the Dolphins have allowed just seven passing touchdowns compared to five interceptions on the season. Coming off a bye week, I expect Miami's defense to be ready for this matchup, and Goff should be considered a low-end starter in deeper leagues at best.
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This is for Fantasy managers in two-quarterback and Superflex leagues, and I wouldn't start Jones in those formats this week. He's been that bad, and this matchup with the Buccaneers is that tough. While Tampa Bay did allow Carr to score 22 Fantasy points in Week 7, and three quarterbacks have multiple touchdowns against the Buccaneers (Brees, Herbert and Carr), I don't see Jones having much success. It doesn't help that he has two games with at least 21 Fantasy points on the season compared to four games with nine points or less. Stay away from Jones in two-quarterback and Superflex leagues this week.
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Roethlisberger comes into Week 8 with two down Fantasy outings against Cleveland and Tennessee where he's combined for just 28 points. He has three touchdowns and three interceptions over that span, and he should struggle against the Ravens, who are coming off their bye. A lot has changed since the last time Roethlisberger faced the Ravens in 2018, but he doesn't have a good history of playing in Baltimore. In his five previous trips there he averages just 237.4 passing yards a game with six total touchdowns and five interceptions. I would avoid Roethlisberger in all leagues if you can in Week 8.
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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.