Fantasy football start/sit advice, Week 8 Quarterbacks

Week 8 of the fantasy football season is here, and we’re back with another crop of start/sit options. We have a nice set of data from each team and can make informed decisions on good plays and traps. With that in mind, we’ll pick quarterbacks who should exceed expectations in Week 8, along with three you should probably sit.

The Patriots’ defense was dealt a crippling blow this week with Dont’a Hightower lost for the season due to a torn pectoral muscle. It’s hard to overstate the impact of this loss on the defense as a whole. With Hightower out earlier in the season, the Pats were gashed through the air by the Chiefs, Saints, and Texans. Rivers should have a field day here, even playing on the East Coast, where he’s struggled historically. He dropped 26 fantasy points on a much better Giants defense in New Jersey just a few weeks ago.

The Buccaneers are among the most giving defenses in the league for opposing quarterbacks, and Newton is due for a good game after throwing five picks over the previous two. This is the very definition of a get-well spot, so don’t be afraid to use him after his two-week stumble.

The Colts are right there with the Bucs in terms of generously handing out points to opposing quarterbacks. Dalton gets a full dose of John Ross this week, giving him yet another vertical weapon to pair with A.J. Green. The Colts lost one of their best players in the secondary when free safety Malik Hooker injured his knee last week, so a bad Colts pass defense is actually much worse this week. Expect a big day from the Bengals offense as a whole this week.

When last we saw Stafford, he was being pick-sixed every other play by the Saints. New Orleans is not exactly a shut-down defense — the Steelers are. Stafford hasn’t topped 20 fantasy points since Week 1, and it’s hard to see that happening this week with Golden Tate playing hurt (if he plays) and Kenny Golladay out again.

This was already going to be a brutal road test for the rookie. Now there’s a whole new element thrown into the mix with the team furious with its owner over disparaging comments he made about the players. It sounds like there was a nearly a full-scale walkout on Friday, and DeAndre Hopkins did boycott practice. This team is clearly in a bad mental place right now, making a trip to play at hostile CenturyLink Field all the more daunting for the rookie.

Big Ben is on the road this week, and that is never a good sign, as he routinely struggles away from Heinz Field. His past three road games this season produced fantasy totals of 12, 13 and 14 points.