Fantasy Football Week 8 Advice: Sit/Start Projections For QBs

The week eight byes include Atlanta, Chicago, Green Bay, Oakland, the NY Jets and Tampa Bay. That puts Aaron Rodgers, Matt Ryan, Jay Cutler, Josh Freeman and Mark Sanchez on the sidelines. Although Sanchez gets a lot of criticism, he has put together a fairly decent fantasy season and will be missed by some fantasy teams. When you put this many starters on the shelf, fantasy football owners will be looking for some sleepers to get them through the week.

Christian Ponder: The Vikings rookie QB made his starting debut against the Green Bay Packers and threw for 219 yards, two touchdowns and two interceptions. It was not pretty, but it was a solid performance that allowed the Vikings to hang in there with the defending champs. He gets a crack at the Carolina Panthers who have struggled to contain a variety of quarterbacks. It is a deeper sleeper option, but if you don't have a quality backup, it might be worth a roll of the dice.

Curtis Painter: This is the deep, deep sleeper, so don't think I'm completely crazy. The Titans were thrashed by the Houston Texans passing and rushing attack. The Colts were also destroyed, so I suppose it's not a particularly opportunity for either team. Painter is not remotely ideal as your fantasy starting QB, but I do think there is some upside in this matchup.

Tim Tebow: While some folks may not be a fan of Tim Tebow's QB skills, his scrambling ability more than makes up for his sometimes questionable passing. When you can get a point per ten yards instead of every 25 for passing yards, he can roll up some points fairly quickly. He is likely owned in your league, but if you are the owner, he is worth a start if you need a bye week fill-in.