Fantasy football start/sit advice, Week 8: Bears vs. Patriots

The New England Patriots had their rough patch early in the year, before righting the ship to get to 5-2. The Chicago Bears are going through their own rough patch, having lost three of four to drop to 3-4 on the season. Sunday, the teams play one another.

Chicago tight end Martellus Bennett appeared on the injury report this week with a hamstring injury, but he appears to be fully ready for Sunday's game. The Patriots are even healthier from a fantasy perspective, with only quarterback Tom Brady on the injury report, and he's always there; he'll be fine.

Start 'em: That's three straight games of 20-plus fantasy points for Matt Forte, and four straight of 16-plus. He's right at the top of all rankings. ... There have been some worries about Alshon Jeffery and Brandon Marshall lately, but they are still WR2's at worst. ... Martellus Bennett is one of the top handful of tight ends, even if he's not scoring as much as he did early in the season.

Start 'em?: Last week went pretty terribly for Jay Cutler, who still profiles as a decent QB2, but his stock is down from where it had been. ... The Bears' defense has been decent; you don't like a defense against the recent version of the Patriots' offense, but Chicago has potential.

Sit 'em: You like Robbie Gould's kicking ability, but he's only reached double-digit fantasy points once all year, and event hat was only 10 points.

Start 'em: Hey, remember when Tom Brady was "done?" That was a fun couple of weeks. ... Shane Vereen has a big game in his first one after Stevan Ridley's injury; the Patriots are always unpredictable in their use of running backs, but you do like Vereen for now. ... Julian Edelman's targets have stayed high, even as his production hasn't. Still, he's a fine WR2. ... Rob Gronkowski remains one of the top two or three tight ends in the game. ... You always want Stephen Gostkowski kicking for you. ... The Patriots' defense is a back-end starting unit.

Start 'em?: We've seen moderate production out of Brandon LaFell, though he has a lot of work to do to be a sure starter. He's a low-end flex.

Sit 'em: Until we see something out of them, none of Brandon Bolden, Jonas Gray or James White can be used, though all of them could do something and should be monitored just for theoretical value. ... Tim Wright had exactly one game that was actually productive before fading back again.

Start in every league: Matt Forte, Alshon Jeffery, Brandon Marshall, Martellus Bennett, Tom Brady, Shane Vereen, Julian Edelman, Rob Gronkowski, Stephen Gostkowski, New England defense
Start if you're desperate: Jay Cutler, Chicago defense, Brandon LaFell
Bench: Robbie Gould, Brandon Bolden, Jonas Gray, James White