Fantasy Football Start And Sit Week 8: With Kerryon Johnson Out, Matt Stafford Will Carry Lions Offense
(CBS Local/CBS Detroit)- Heading into Week 8 of the NFL season already? Amazing how quickly time flies by. At this point, your fantasy team is over the halfway mark and gearing up for a playoff run.
With that in mind, as every week, we brought in the guys from Fantasy Football Today to weigh in on the best matchups of the week. Jamey Eisenberg, Dave Richard and Heath Cummings are here to help as you set your lineup to pull out the win on Sunday.
The top player that the guys have in mind for the must-start role this week? Detroit Lions quarterback Matthew Stafford whose team hosts the New York Giants. Stafford has regularly been a fairly reliable option fantasy wise, but this week there is extra reason to get him in your starting lineup. The team placed running back Kerryon Johnson on injured reserve, meaning that rookie Ty Johnson will be the lead back.
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Johnson (Ty) has averaged just 3.6 yards per carry on 23 rushes so far this season, so it's likely that the bulk of the offensive load is going to be placed back on Matthew Stafford's shoulders. Luckily, the team is facing the New York Giants who are allowing opposing quarterbacks to post 18.7 fantasy points per game on average so far this season. For the most part, quarterbacks have found the Giants to be a welcoming opponent in allowing plenty of yards through the air. Stafford is the guys' must-start at quarterback.
As for who to sit? Well, that one is easy based on the matchup. Baker Mayfield of the Cleveland Browns. At this point, anybody starting against the New England defense should be avoided. The Patriots have shown throughout the year that they will prey on any mistakes made, and Mayfield (11 interceptions) has already shown himself more than likely to make them this season. For the guys' picks for RB and WR, check out the list below and hear the reasons why in the video at the top of the post.
You can watch Fantasy Football Today daily beginning at 12 p.m. Eastern Time on CBS Sports HQ.
Dave Richard
Start
QB: Matthew Stafford, Detroit Lions vs. New York Giants
WR: Corey Davis, Tennessee Titans vs. Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Sit
RB: Joe Mixon, Cincinnati Bengals @ Los Angeles Rams
Heath Cummings
Start
RB: Royce Freeman, Denver Broncos @ Indianapolis Colts
WR: Marquez Valdez-Scantling, Green Bay Packers @ Kansas City Chiefs
Sit
QB: Baker Mayfield, Cleveland Browns @ New England Patriots