3 WRs to start and 3 WRs to fade in Week 8 fantasy football

We have made it through ‘BYEmageddon’ and there are only two teams on bye this week in the Las Vegas Raiders and the Baltimore Ravens. Luckily, for most of you, this will only eliminate star wide receiver Marquise Brown from contention. Even so, looking at matchups there are definitely some wide receivers you need to start and some others you should fade as we approach Week 8 fantasy football matchups.

Wide Receiver Starts in Week 8

Michael Pittman Jr, Indianapolis Colts vs. Tennessee Titans

My start of the week this week is going to be Colts wide receiver Michael Pittman Jr. Teammate Parris Campbell was put on IR and Pittman seems to be the Colts receiver to roster. TY Hilton is going to be coming back from injury, but Pittman is riding the momentum of a good performance. He leads the Colts in receptions, targets and receiving yards through the first seven games of the season. The Titans are giving up the most fantasy points per game to opposing wide receivers, so Pittman is a definite start this week.

Courtland Sutton, Denver Broncos vs. Washington Football Team

The Washington Football Team is giving up the second-most fantasy points per game to opposing wide receivers. Enter Courtland Sutton and the Broncos. Yes, teammate Jerry Jeudy is expected to play this weekend, but if he is anything less than 100% this gives the edge to Sutton and Jeudy can just be a distraction. Sutton has 38 receptions on 58 targets for 539 yards through seven games this season.

Emmanuel Sanders, Buffalo Bills vs. Miami Dolphins

Sanders has turned into a solid free agent signing for the Bills. Through six games, he is third on the team in receptions and targets, but he is second on the team in both receiving yards and receiving touchdowns. This week, he and the Bills are coming off their bye week and taking on the Dolphins. The Dolphins are giving up the third-most fantasy points per game to opposing wide receivers. Sanders has usage and a good matchup which can’t be beaten when making lineup decisions.

Wide Receiver Sits in Week 8

Tee Higgins, Cincinnati Bengals vs. New York Jets

Higgins has been a slight disappointment for the Bengals, but that is largely due to the emergence of rookie teammate Ja’Marr Chase. When Chase was selected with the fifth overall pick in the 2021 NFL Draft you knew he was going to be involved, but it wasn’t expected that he was going to overshadow Higgins. Higgins has missed two games this year and trails Chase by only 10 receptions, but he trails by 498 receiving yards. Higgins and the Bengals take on the Jets who are actually giving up only the third-fewest fantasy points per game to opposing wide receivers. With mixed involvement and a tough matchup, sit Higgins this week.

Robert Woods, Los Angeles Rams vs. Houston Texans

In another example of a former stud having a new star teammate, we have Robert Woods on the Rams. Teammate Cooper Kupp has been absurd so far this year for fantasy football and Woods has been left in the dust. Sure, he had one big game that helped him jump up some ranks, but overall he has been a disappointment. This week, he and the Rams take on the Houston Texans. While the team the Rams are facing is very bad, the Texans are actually fairly good at limiting opposing wide receivers. They are giving up only the sixth-fewest fantasy points per game to wide receivers. Tough matchup overall, but Kupp is the golden child in quarterback Matthew Stafford’s eye so avoid Robert Woods.

Tyler Lockett, Seattle Seahawks vs. Jacksonville Jaguars

This selection has less to do with the Jaguars being able to limit fantasy wide receivers (they don’t) and much more about the struggles of the Seahawks offense without quarterback Russell Wilson. Backup quarterback Geno Smith obviously isn’t as good as Wilson, and that is starting to affect the positional players around him. Tyler Lockett was the most recent casualty as in the team’s last game he caught two of three targets for a total of 12 yards. Since Week 3, Lockett hasn’t found the endzone and he hasn’t had more than 57 yards receiving in a game.