Fantasy football advice, Week 8: Who to start/sit for Jets vs. Raiders

The New York Jets and Oakland Raiders are two of the league’s bigger surprises this year. The Jets sit at 4-2, currently in line for the AFC’s first Wild Card berth, while the Raiders are 3-3 and only a half-game out of the second Wild Card. Sunday, they play each other, with the winner looking strong going forward.

The Jets will be without running back Bilal Powell with a lingering ankle injury. Running back Chris Ivory should be fine, despite aggravating an injury in Week 7. Wide receiver Eric Decker is expected to play as well despite a knee injury. On the Oakland side, the team doesn’t have any of its fantasy contributors on the weekly injury report.

New York travels west for Sunday’s game in Oakland. Kickoff is scheduled for 4:05 p.m. ET. Here’s a look at the fantasy names to consider:

Start ‘em: Thanks to his touchdown, Chris Ivory’s Week 7 wasn’t an outright disaster, but his injury kept him in check. He should be fine for Sunday, though, and in all lineups. ... Brandon Marshall and Eric Decker continue to be one of the league’s top 1-2 punches at wide receiver. ... Nick Folk has been a strong kicker all year long. ... The Jets’ defense has been good-to-great in every game this year other than the one against the New England Patriots. Oakland isn’t New England.

Start ‘em?: Of the middle tier of fantasy quarterbacks, Ryan Fitzpatrick appears to have the highest floor, with at least 13 fantasy points in all six games.

Sit ‘em: If you’re digging super deep, maybe you can justify using Jeff Cumberland against an Oakland team that struggles to stop tight ends, but first you’d have to have Cumberland on your roster, and who would do that?

RAIDERS
Start ‘em: The Jets have a strong run defense, making Latavius Murray risky, but he still has top-flight upside. ... Amari Cooper is likely to be shadowed by Darrelle Revis Sunday, which could limit him, but he’s done enough to be matchup-proof for fantasy.

Start ‘em?: If Revis does shut down Cooper, Michael Crabtree stands to benefit, and is a flex play with significant upside. ... Sebastian Janikowski has at least nine fantasy points in four of six games. He’s good, not great.

Sit ‘em: Against a strong defense, this is not the week to get cute with Derek Carr. ... Mychal Rivera still hasn’t done anything, and appears to have been supplanted by Clive Walford, who scored in Week 7. Still, Walford doesn’t have more than two targets in a game all season. ... The New York offense is good enough to scare you away from the Raiders’ defense.

Start in every league: Chris Ivory, Brandon Marshall, Eric Decker, Nick Folk, New York defense, Latavius Murray, Amari Cooper
Start if you’re desperate: Ryan Fitzpatrick, Michael Crabtree, Sebastian Janikowski
Bench: Jeff Cumberland, Derek Carr, Mychal Rivera, Clive Walford, Oakland defense