The byes weeks aren't as plentiful as Week 7 -- with only two teams on bye -- but it happens to be two of the best quarterbacks in football that we'll be without. Patrick Mahomes and Justin Herbert will not play this week due to bye weeks for the Kansas City Chiefs and Los Angeles Chargers.
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START 'EM & SIT 'EM
Quarterbacks
QBs to Start
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The good news for Tagovailoa in Week 7 against Pittsburgh was that he returned from his two-game absence with a concussion and didn't have any setbacks. The bad news was he scored just 17 Fantasy points, and he could have thrown four interceptions in the game. He now has one game with more than 17 Fantasy points on the season, so hopefully some big performances are on the horizon, starting this week against the Lions. Detroit has allowed an average of 22.7 Fantasy points per game to opposing quarterbacks this year, and four quarterbacks have scored at least 22 points against the Lions in six games.
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Cousins has a favorable track record coming off a bye with at least 20 Fantasy points in four of his past six games after a break. He should have another quality outing in this scenario against the Cardinals. Arizona allows an average of 22.3 Fantasy points per game to opposing quarterbacks, and two of the past three quarterbacks against the Cardinals (Jalen Hurts in Week 5 and Andy Dalton in Week 7) have scored at least 27 Fantasy points. Cousins also has scored at least 21 Fantasy points in four of six games this year.
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Carr played well in Week 7 against Houston with 241 passing yards and one touchdown, but he scored just 15 Fantasy points in a 38-20 victory. He should have a better performance this week against the Saints. In his past two road games, Carr is averaging 22.0 Fantasy points per game. And New Orleans has allowed an average of 28.7 Fantasy points per game to the past three opposing quarterbacks in Geno Smith, Joe Burrow and Kyler Murray. It would be great for Carr to get Darren Waller (hamstring) back for this matchup, but I still like Carr as a low-end starter in all leagues even if Waller is out.
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I'm going to start Prescott again this week against Chicago despite a down game for him against Detroit in Week 7 when he scored just 14 Fantasy points. That was his first game after a five-game layoff with his thumb injury, and hopefully he shook off the rust. Now, the concern would be that Prescott played just like Cooper Rush, his backup, and leaned on the Cowboys run game and defense against the Lions to win 24-6. The same formula for success could happen against the Bears. But I'll still use Prescott as a low-end starter in all leagues, and Chicago has allowed three of the past six opposing quarterbacks (Aaron Rodgers in Week 2, Daniel Jones in Week 4 and Kirk Cousins in Week 5) to score at least 20 Fantasy points. The three under that threshold were Davis Mills in Week 3, Carson Wentz with a broken finger in Week 6 and the combination of Mac Jones and Bailey Zappe last week. I hope Prescott is better than the latter group this week.
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Goff has been awful the past two games against the Patriots and Cowboys, combining for just six Fantasy points over that span. I'm hoping that the reason for those woes was playing on the road and not having a healthy Amon-Ra St. Brown. Goff is back at home this week, and St. Brown should be ready to go. And this is a favorable matchup against the Dolphins, who allow an average of 21.7 Fantasy points to opposing quarterbacks. Four quarterbacks have scored at least 21 Fantasy points against the Dolphins (Lamar Jackson in Week 2, Josh Allen in Week 3, Joe Burrow in Week 4 and Kirk Cousins in Week 6), and the three who struggled were Mac Jones in Week 1, Zach Wilson in Week 5 and Kenny Pickett in Week 7. I expect Goff to rebound this week and score more than 20 Fantasy points, and he's averaging 31.0 Fantasy points per game in three home games this year.
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Sleepers (Start/Sit)
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I'm hoping Wan'Dale Robinson (undisclosed) is healthy for this matchup because Jones needs some playmakers in the passing game. But the reason to like Jones this week is his matchup with the Seahawks, and his ability to run. He has at least 37 rushing yards in four of his past five games, including three games with at least 68 yards. And he has three rushing touchdowns over that span. The Seahawks allow an average of 20.7 Fantasy points per game to opposing quarterbacks, and three quarterbacks (Jimmy Garoppolo, Marcus Mariota and Kyler Murray) have scored at least six Fantasy points with just their rushing stats alone. If you include what Taysom Hill did taking snaps for the Saints in Week 5, Seattle has allowed 263 rushing yards and five touchdowns to opposing quarterbacks, which is easily the most in the NFL. Jones could be a difference-maker for Fantasy managers this week with his rushing prowess in this matchup.
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This will either be Dalton or a placeholder for Jameis Wintson because whoever starts for the Saints should have the chance for a quality performance this week against the Raiders. Las Vegas has allowed every quarterback this season to score at least 20 Fantasy points, and the Raiders allow an average of 27.8 points per game to the position. Dalton just had a season-high 34 Fantasy points against the Cardinals in Week 7, and either him or Winston would have the chance for 20-plus points this week, especially if Michael Thomas (foot) or Jarvis Landry (ankle) could get healthy to help Chris Olave. Keep an eye on who starts for the Saints this week, and that quarterback would be a good streamer in all leagues.
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Mills just had his best Fantasy performance of the season in Week 7 at Las Vegas with 22 points, and he will hopefully build on that this week against the Titans. Tennessee has allowed an average of 22.7 Fantasy points per game to opposing quarterbacks this year, and four quarterbacks (Josh Allen in Week 2, Derek Carr in Week 3, Matt Ryan in Week 4 and Carson Wentz in Week 5) have scored at least 22 points against the Titans. The best Fantasy game of Mills' career also came against Tennessee in Week 18 last year when he scored 33 points.
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QBs to Sit
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Rodgers has yet to score more than 20 Fantasy points in any game this season and is averaging just 16 Fantasy points per game in his past two outings against the Jets and Commanders. He should have another down game at Buffalo, especially with the Bills coming off a bye. Patrick Mahomes is the lone quarterback with more than 14 Fantasy points against Buffalo, and the Bills have allowed five passing touchdowns and 10 interceptions to opposing quarterbacks this year.
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Stafford has not fared well against the 49ers in three career meetings in the regular season with the Rams. Over that span, he's averaging 245 passing yards with four touchdowns, five interceptions and a lost fumble, and he was sacked 14 times. He's also averaging just 13.3 Fantasy points per game, including Week 4 at San Francisco when he scored just six Fantasy points. Only two quarterbacks have scored more than 16 Fantasy points against the 49ers, which were Marcus Mariota (who had 11 of his 28 points with his rushing totals) in Week 6 and Patrick Mahomes last week. I don't expect Stafford to solve his woes in this matchup.
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It's too bad the Broncos offense has been a disaster this season because the defense has been amazing, especially against opposing quarterbacks. Geno Smith in Week 1 scored 20 Fantasy points, but the past six quarterbacks against Denver have combined for just 48 points, including matchups with Justin Herbert and Derek Carr. For the season, the Broncos have allowed just three total touchdowns to quarterbacks, and Smith had two of them in the opener. Lawrence isn't likely to have a big game this week.
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Garoppolo is on a nice roll with at least 20 Fantasy points in three games in a row. The last time he failed to score at least 20 Fantasy points was in Week 4 against the Rams when he passed for 239 yards and one touchdown. In seven career meetings with Los Angeles in the regular season, Garoppolo has just one with more than 19 Fantasy points, and he's averaging just 16.7 points per game over that span. The Rams allowed Josh Allen to score 36 Fantasy points in Week 1, but the five other quarterbacks against Los Angeles have scored 16 points or less. And the Rams have allowed one touchdown to a quarterback since Week 2.
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Fields has started to come around as a Fantasy quarterback after a slow start, and he just had his best game of the season in Week 7 at New England with 25 Fantasy points. He's doing a great job with his legs, rushing for at least 47 yards in five games in a row, including consecutive outings with at least 82 yards. But this should be a tough game against the Cowboys, who haven't allowed a quarterback to score more than 20 Fantasy points this season and allow an average of just 12.3 points per game, including matchups with Tom Brady, Joe Burrow and Jalen Hurts. And Hurts only had 27 rushing yards against Dallas, which might not bode well for Fields. I want to stash Fields for his upcoming schedule after Week 8 (Miami, Detroit and Atlanta), but I'm going to sit him this week.
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QBs Bust Alert
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I'll remove Smith from this post if DK Metcalf (knee) is able to play, but I would shy away from starting Smith if Metcalf is out. Smith has been an amazing story this season and a quality Fantasy quarterback with four games of at least 20 Fantasy points in seven games. But he's been held to 16 Fantasy points or less in consecutive outings against the Cardinals and Chargers, and the Giants have been a tough defense against opposing quarterbacks all year. Ryan Tannehill (22 Fantasy points) and Aaron Rodgers (20 points) are the only quarterbacks with more than 18 points against the Giants this season, and they allow just 16.0 points per game to the position. Without Metcalf, I'd be concerned about Smith having a big game this week.
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