Fantasy football owners may get some reinforcements at quarterback in Week 8. Miami Dolphins starter Tua Tagovailoa may make his first start since suffering a concussion in Week 2 against the Buffalo Bills, so that will add another potential QB1 to fantasy football rankings lists.
Week 8 is also a rare midseason week that sees zero teams on bye, so fantasy football managers will have a full complement of quarterbacks from which to choose.
Of course, there are still some big injury question marks. Many are wondering whether Jameis Winston will get a chance to start for the Cleveland Browns after Deshaun Watson suffered a season-ending Achilles tear. There are also questions about whether the New Orleans Saints will use Spencer Rattler or Jake Haener with their starter Derek Carr out another week.
Those players aren’t likely to be staples of any start/sit decisions in standard fantasy lineups, but those in SuperFlex leagues will want to pay close attention to their statuses. Meanwhile, those streaming quarterbacks will look for some higher-end options on a waiver wire that should be full of suitable starters.
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Here’s a breakdown of the quarterbacks to trust and fade in Week 8 of the fantasy football season.
At this point in the season, any quality quarterback facing the Jaguars should be considered a “must start” in fantasy football. Love qualifies, as he is averaging 270.2 passing yards and three touchdowns per game this season. Meanwhile, the Jaguars have allowed the second-most passing yards (1,996) and most touchdown passes (16) to quarterbacks this year and just allowed Drake Maye to look good against them.
Cousins threw for 509 yards and five touchdowns the last time he played the Buccaneers. He may not post that type of production during their rematch, but he should be able to throw well against a Tampa Bay secondary that just gave up five passing touchdowns to Lamar Jackson and is allowing the second-most fantasy points per game to quarterbacks this season (22.0).
Williams is coming off a bye week and is playing a Washington defense that has allowed 12 passing touchdowns to quarterbacks in 2024, good for the fifth-most in the NFL. Williams has recorded multiple touchdowns in three of his last five games and should be able to continue his success against the Commanders. Washington’s offense may not be as potent if Jayden Daniels (ribs) is sidelined, so Williams may get better field position and more scoring opportunities than usual in Week 8.
Nix has an appealing matchup against the Panthers in Week 8. Carolina has allowed multiple passing touchdowns in all but one of its games during the 2024 NFL season. The Panthers have also allowed the 10th-most passing yards to quarterbacks, giving Nix a higher ceiling than usual. Add in that he has back-to-back games with at least 61 yards rushing and he looks like a sneaky-good DFS play or a quality QB2 in SuperFlex leagues.
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Mahomes is still a top-tier quarterback, but he can’t be trusted in fantasy right now. He hasn’t thrown for a touchdown since Week 4 against the Los Angeles Chargers and is facing a tough Raiders defense in Week 8. Las Vegas hasn’t allowed a passing touchdown since Week 5 and has held its last three opponents to 180 passing yards or less.
Mahomes may want to avenge Kansas City’s Week 16 loss to the Raiders last season, but it’s hard to trust him to do that while posting big numbers without Rashee Rice (knee), Hollywood Brown (shoulder) and JuJu Smith-Schuster (hamstring) at his disposal.
Tagovailoa’s status for Week 8 remains unclear, but he has a chance to return from his latest concussion against the Cardinals. While Arizona is allowing the fifth-most fantasy points per game to quarterbacks (18.5), their defense has allowed one or less passing touchdown in four of seven games this season. The Dolphins may also want to ease Tagovailoa back into action, so they could decide to use a run-heavy game plan to beat the Cardinals.
Tagovailoa also may be rusty, so it may be best to stash him on the bench for a week just to see how he looks after his injury. He’s a high-ceiling but low-floor option in Week 8.
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Like Tagovailoa, Purdy has a good matchup in Week 8 against a Cowboys defense that allows the sixth-most fantasy points per game to quarterbacks (18.4). That will make him look like an appealing starter to some, but it’s worth remembering that he will be without Brandon Aiyuk (knee) and potentially Deebo Samuel (illness) in Week 8. That will thin out his arsenal of weapons with Christian McCaffrey (calf) still out and both George Kittle (foot) and Jauan Jennings (hip) also banged up.
Purdy could still have a solid game, but he has generated one touchdown or less in four of his seven starts this season. His floor is too low in this matchup, which could end up being more of a defensive struggle than most are anticipating.
Looking for more fantasy football advice? USA TODAY Sports has you covered:
→ A good running back makes all the difference. A bad running back can cost you a lot of points. Here’s who to start and who to sit in Week 8.
→ The wide receiver position has been decimated this season. Protect yourself in Week 8 with start ’em, sit ’em advice for wideouts.
→ Tight ends can be the perfect X-factor for any fantasy team. Here’s who you should start and sit in Week 8.
→ A good defense can shut down your fantasy opponent’s offense. Here are some D/ST options to start and sit for Week 8.
→ Kickers are people, too: Here are some of the most clutch kickers to have on your fantasy team in Week 8.
