Liz Loza analyzes the facts that inform her feelings on key fantasy football players for Week 8. Remember Goldilocks? That naughty little girl who had the audacity to explore moderation? She would not have done well in the modern era. We want more, and we want it to the hilt. Bryce Young still struggles against pressure. Tee Higgins would be a No. 1 WR on any other team. And Tony Pollard suited up for 102 games before managing a hat trick. Whether you cashed out or crashed out in Week 7, give yourself a beat to either bask in the glory or get back to grind. The game marches on. But try not to let it leave you breathless.
Week 8 Start-Sit Decisions
Jared Goff, QB, Detroit Lions
Speaking of slowing the roll, Brian Flores intends to do just that to the 4-2 Lions. Rather astonishingly, Goff ranks second at quarterback in fantasy points per game, averaging a succinct 22.2 per outing. He's been wildly prolific through the air, leading the league in passing yards per game (298) while managing a robust 2.3 passing scores per contest. The Vikings' defense, however, figures to be his biggest test of the season thus far. Goff has been strong against the blitz, completing 72.7% of his passes against it, but this isn't just any blitz. The Vikings have been in full-on berserker mode, rushing with an extra man on nearly 70% of snaps. And it's worked. Minnesota's defense allows a measly 12.3 points per game and just 7.6 fantasy points per game to quarterbacks. In fact, no other NFL team surrenders fewer than 10 FPPG to the position, and only Seattle joins the Vikings in giving up fewer than 12 FPPG. Moreover, of the six quarterbacks Minnesota has faced -- Jordan Love, Caleb Williams, Baker Mayfield, Malik Willis, Tyler Shough and Daniel Jones -- only Love has reached 12 fantasy points. Interestingly, the other six quarterbacks have each averaged 16.7 FPPG against non-Vikings opponents this season. Since Goff lacks the rushing upside to bail him out against Coach Flo's elite unit, managers are better off pivoting to an alternative option this week.
Braelon Allen, RB, New York Jets
Chase Brown, RB, Cincinnati Luther Burden III, WR, St. Louis Cardinals Ja'Kobi Lane, WR, Houston Hunter Henry, TE, New England Patriots
Source: ESPN NFL · Summarized by HeadlinesBriefing