Week 8 of the NFL season has arrived! Injuries have thrown a wrench into multiple receiving corps around the league, so it’s time to take a deep dive into the position.
Let’s break down my Week 8 start ’em, sit ’em fantasy football wide receiver picks.
Start ‘Em: Ricky Pearsall (49ers) vs. Cowboys
Pearsall made his NFL debut last week, returning in remarkable time after being shot on August 31. This is more than an inspirational story though, Kyle Shanahan expects his rookie to be a major piece of the offensive puzzle, and that will have to come sooner rather than later.
Brandon Aiyuk is done for the year with a torn ACL and MCL. Deebo Samuel is dealing with pneumonia. San Francisco needs someone to assume the No. 1 receiver role, and while it’s unreasonable to expect that from Pearsall immediately, he’s their most talented healthy option.
I expect him to see a significantly expanded role this week against an underwhelming Cowboys secondary.
Sit ‘Em: Marvin Harrison Jr. (Cardinals) at Dolphins
It hasn’t been pretty for the rookie as of late.
After racking up at least 15 PPR points in Weeks 2-4, Harrison Jr. has failed to score six in three straight outings. His target share has also dropped, as the Ohio State product hasn’t seen more than 7 throws come his way since Week 3.
It’s not a talent issue, but a result of Arizona’s struggles as a whole offensively. Kyler Murray and company have scored 17 or fewer points in three of their last four games. This week, they’ll take on a Dolphins secondary that allows the fewest fantasy points to receivers and passing yards in the league. Harrison Jr.’s bounce back will come, but I don’t expect it to happen on Sunday.
Check out my full Week 8 start/sit article with picks at each position here!
Start ‘Em: Jalen McMillan (Buccaneers) vs. Falcons
Another rookie stepping into a significantly expanded role.
McMillan has been an afterthought in Tampa Bay’s offense thus far — as is the case for most rookies — but that will no longer be the case. Chris Godwin suffered a season-ending injury against the Ravens and Mike Evans will almost certainly be sidelined for the foreseeable future after hurting his hamstring.
Suddenly, an elite Bucs passing attack has lost its two best weapons. McMillan saw eight targets against Baltimore after Evans went down early, and he should be featured heavily moving forward.
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Sit ‘Em: Wan’Dale Robinson (Giants) at Steelers
There was a time when Wan’Dale Robinson and Malik Nabers could co-exist as top 20 fantasy receivers.
That time, at least temporarily, has ended. After a surprisingly strong start to the year, the Giants’ offense looked as awful against Philly as most of us expected it to coming into the season. New York managed to score just three points, Daniel Jones was benched, and both Robinson and Nabers failed to get anything going.
For the immensely talented rookie, that should change regardless of the offense’s production. For Robinson, I’m not as optimistic. He’s now scored just 18.3 points across New York’s last two games, and will have to match up against a Steelers secondary that just bottled up Davante Adams and Garrett Wilson. Wait for Wan’Dale to bounce back before starting him again.
Start ‘Em: Amari Cooper (Bills) at Seahawks
The entire Buffalo receiving core ate against Tennesee, as Cooper, Khalil Shakir and Keon Coleman all produced.
That said, one of those players is in his own league compared to the others. Cooper played just 35% of offensive snaps in his Bills debut but still managed to rack up 16.6 PPR points, quickly establishing himself as the No. 1 option for Josh Allen. He should see double the snaps — at least — in Buffalo’s next game against Seattle, and has mid-range WR1 potential for the rest of the season.
Those are my start ’em, sit ’em Week 8 fantasy football wide receiver picks! Stay tuned for more fantasy advice later this week.
All views expressed are my own. I am an employee of DraftKings and am ineligible to play in public DFS or DKSB contests.
