Week 8 of the 2026 NFL season has arrived! As the year continues, even more injuries continue to pile up around the league, setting the stage for tough lineup decisions for every fantasy manager. Let’s break down my fantasy football start/sit Week 8 picks for the 2026 season.
Week 8 Fantasy Football Start/Sit Picks
QB Start/Sit Week 8
Start: Jacoby Brissett at Cowboys
The age-old saying in fantasy football is that volume is king for running backs. Jacoby Brissett is living proof that said concept may apply to quarterbacks as well.
Brissett has virtually no rushing upside whatsoever, but that doesn’t matter when you throw as much as he does. The veteran leads the NFL in passing attempts, averaging over 40 per contest. That doesn’t always translate to production, but it generally garners a solid floor. Brissett has scored at least 16 fantasy points in four of his seven outings, which isn’t bad for a waiver-wire option.
In Week 8, Brissett and the Cardinals draw the Cowboys, who possess one of the league’s worst defenses. Jacoby should continue to sling it, putting him firmly in low-end QB1 range.
Sit: Jared Goff vs. Vikings
You do not mess with Brian Flores. I don’t know how much I’m going to have to pound the drum on this particular matchup, but I will continue to do so until people get the message.
Jared Goff has boasted an impressively high fantasy floor per usual as the most effective game manager in the sport, but no defense he’s faced so far this year can hold a candle to the Minnesota Vikings. Flores’ unit is terrorizing opposing offenses. The Vikings are the only team in the NFL that has held QBs to fewer than 10 fantasy points per contest.
Flores and his crew of madmen wreak havoc by sending endless pressure and mixing up their coverage in support, which is a recipe for disaster for Goff. Keep the veteran signal caller on your bench and target a more favorable matchup in Week 8.
WR Start/Sit Week 8
Start: Omar Cooper Jr. vs. Raiders
Garrett Wilson, take a seat. There’s a new sheriff in town. And by town, I mean the New York Jets’ receiving corps.
Omar Cooper Jr. has been stellar since his return from IR, racking up north of 22 PPR points in both Weeks 6 and 7. The speedy Cooper Jr. is a dynamic big-play threat, averaging 19 yards per reception. The rookie has put all of this production together with a relatively mundane target share as well, hauling in 11 of his 12 looks over the last couple of contests.
Cooper Jr. will look to keep the momentum rolling in Week 8 against a porous Raiders secondary. Las Vegas is allowing the fifth-most fantasy points to receivers, putting the rookie in WR2 territory for this outing.
Sit: Xavier Worthy at Broncos
The Xavier Worthy WR1 experience was fun while it lasted.
The speedster had been pretty productive in his prior two outings heading into a Sunday Night Football tilt with the Seahawks, where all of his momentum was abruptly halted. Worthy saw six targets as Patrick Mahomes’ No. 1 WR with Rashee Rice out, but he only managed to bring three of them in for a measly 11 yards.
Next up, Worthy will face off against a second consecutive elite secondary in Denver. The Broncos held the third-year wideout to a similar stat line in Week 1, giving fantasy managers reason for caution. Even if Rashee Rice (knee, hamstring) is unable to suit up, Worthy should stay on your bench for this matchup.
Find all of our Week 8 fantasy football advice and content here!
RB Start/Sit Week 8
Start: Blake Corum vs. Chargers
Both Kyren Williams fantasy managers and Williams himself are going to have to deal with the fact that Blake Corum isn’t going away. The third-year RB is proving to be more of an equal than a change-of-pace option to his backfield mate.
After a relatively slow start to the season, Corum has now put together three straight outings with at least 14 fantasy points. In L.A.’s Week 7 win over the Raiders, he out-carried Williams 17-16, racking up 93 yards and a touchdown. Corum will never be the elite receiving threat that Williams is, but he’s involved enough to produce RB2/FLEX numbers and should be started as such moving forward.
Sit: Broncos Running Backs vs. Chiefs
It’s the first appearance of one of my favorite running gimmicks, where I suggest sitting an entire backfield or receiving corps! This time around, the Broncos’ rushers get the negative nod.
Let me first declare that I believe all three of Denver’s backs are talented, which is part of the problem. J.K. Dobbins and RJ Harvey were able to coexist productively for the most part, but the re-introduction of talented rookie Jonah Coleman has only muddled the waters further.
Last week, the backfield split saw Coleman lead the way with 11 touches, Dobbins check in second with six and Harvey receive five. It’s safe to say Sean Payton is going to ride the hot hand on a game-to-game basis, making this situation a certified fantasy disaster. That should continue against the Chiefs, who boast a top-10 run defense. Keep all of these guys on your bench and hope the next few weeks provide some clarity.
TE Start/Sit Week 8
Start: T.J. Hockenson at Lions
It’s not exactly a revenge game, as some time has passed since Hockenson was traded from Detroit to Minnesota, but I still expect the former Lion to put on a show in his old stomping grounds on Sunday.
Kyler Murray hasn’t been the most proficient passer since arriving in Minnesota, but Hockenson has still found a path to fantasy productivity as of late. The veteran has racked up at least 13 fantasy points in two of his last three outings. That’s enough to put him in TE1 territory against an atrocious Lions pass defense. Detroit is surrendering by far the most fantasy points per contest to this position, so fire up Hockenson with confidence in Week 8.
Sit: Sam LaPorta vs. Vikings
We’re flipping to the other side of this matchup for my sit of the week at tight end. Heading into Week 7, Sam LaPorta had put together a strong bounce-back fantasy campaign but then produced his first real dud of the season against Green Bay.
LaPorta wasn’t really involved despite playing 97% of offensive snaps, catching one of just two targets for 18 yards. It was an outing that bore an uncomfortable resemblance to his 2025 campaign, which was infuriatingly inconsistent. This isn’t the momentum fantasy managers want LaPorta to be carrying into a daunting matchup with the Vikings, who are surrendering the fewest fantasy points per game to tight ends. It may be a bold move, but I’d bench LaPorta in favor of a better matchup in Week 8.
Those are my Week 8 fantasy football start ’em, sit ’em picks! Stay tuned for positional WR and RB 2026 Week 8 start/sit picks and advice later this week.
