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Who Should I Start for Week 8? Fantasy Football outlooks for Rico Dowdle, Romeo Doubs, Darnell Mooney, Alec Pierce, Xavier Worthy, Xavier Legette, Breece Hall, Josh Downs, Sterling Shepard, Jalen Coker.
Who Should I Start? Who Should I Sit? Some of the most common Week 8 fantasy football lineup decisions involve players like Rico Dowdle, Romeo Doubs, Darnell Mooney, Alec Pierce, Xavier Worthy, Xavier Legette, Breece Hall, Josh Downs, Sterling Shepard, Jalen Coker. However, don't worry, we are here to help you make these decisions and build winning lineups in Week 8. Set your optimal fantasy football lineups for Week 8 of the 2025 NFL season. Our free Who Should I Start? tool will help make your fantasy football lineup decisions. Compare up to four NFL players, and we tell you who to start... all free! Get your winning lineups set, and make the right decisions.
Compare up to four players and we'll tell you who to start...
Fantasy Football Matchup Outlooks
Below are some fantasy football outlooks written by our NFL team here at RotoBaller, bringing you their fantasy football analysis and advice on which players to consider starting in Week 8:
Xavier Legette, WR, Carolina Panthers
Carolina Panthers quarterback Andy Dalton appears to be trending toward a Week 8 start against the Buffalo Bills, with starter Bryce Young sidelined by a high-ankle sprain. The veteran is expected to step in for his seventh start as a Panther. Across his six previous starts with Carolina, Dalton has averaged 225 passing yards per game, throwing nine touchdowns and six interceptions.
When Dalton entered the game last week in New York, Xavier Legette immediately benefited, hauling in four of five targets for 60 yards and serving as the only Panthers wideout to record a reception from Dalton. The chemistry between the two could carry over into this week's matchup against a struggling Bills defense that has given up big performances to Drake London and Stefon Diggs in back-to-back weeks.
While Dalton remains a risky fantasy start in both 1-QB and Superflex formats, his presence should boost the fantasy outlooks of playmakers like Tetairoa McMillan and Legette, both of whom are strong starting options in Week 8.
Sterling Shepard, WR, Tampa Bay Buccaneers
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers have been among the most injury-impacted teams in the league so far this season, which should keep the door open for receiver Sterling Shepard. Coming off a seven-catch performance against Detroit, the veteran looks in line for similar work in future weeks. The Bucs had to put Mike Evans (concussion) back on injured reserve, which will sideline him for at least a month, while Chris Godwin (leg) and Jalen McMillan (neck) have yet to play this season.
Emeka Egbuka (hamstring) is also dealing with an injury and didn't practice on Wednesday, leaving Shepard, for the time being, as one of the team's top options along with tight end Cade Otton. Managers in deeper formats or facing bye-week roster crunches should consider Shepard as a capable option under these circumstances.
Josh Downs, WR, Indianapolis Colts
Indianapolis Colts wide receiver Josh Downs (concussion) has upgraded out of the red non-contact jersey that he wore during practice on Wednesday, according to Jake Arthur of Locked on Colts. Downs suffered a concussion in Week 6 and was inactive in last week's win over the Los Angeles Chargers. However, the 24-year-old was limited in the first practice of the week on Wednesday and is trending in the right direction to gain clearance from the league's concussion protocol by the weekend.
Downs is still up in the air to play in Week 8 against the division-rival Tennessee Titans, but if he continues to make progress, he could return on Sunday. Before his head injury, Downs was on an upward trajectory as the Colts' WR2, catching 12 of his 15 targets for 96 yards and a touchdown in his last two games. If he returns against the Titans, it will be bad news for fantasy managers looking to stream Alec Pierce in Week 8.
Breece Hall, RB, New York Jets
New York Jets running back Breece Hall (knee) was limited in practice on Thursday for the second straight day this week while he manages a knee injury, according to Rich Cimini of ESPN. Head coach Aaron Glenn called Hall day-to-day earlier this week, but he could come down with a questionable tag for this weekend's game against the Cincinnati Bengals on Sunday if he is unable to upgrade to a full practice on Friday.
Ultimately, Hall should play in Week 8, but his status is worth monitoring going into Friday. The Jets' offense has been a mess in 2025, which has torpedoed the 24-year-old's fantasy value. Veteran quarterback Tyrod Taylor could make the start over Justin Fields against the Bengals this weekend, but the Jets are trending towards missing receiver Garrett Wilson (knee) for a second straight game.
At this point, a trade out of New York might be the only thing to save Hall's fantasy value this season.
Darnell Mooney, WR, Atlanta Falcons
Atlanta Falcons wide receiver Darnell Mooney led the team in receiving yards in Week 7's loss to San Francisco, his first game action since Week 4 after missing time with a hamstring injury. Mooney caught three of his five targets for 68 yards, but was fourth on the team in targets behind Drake London, Kyle Pitts Sr., and Bijan Robinson. Mooney should continue to see more opportunities as he works his way back from injury.
He draws a favorable Week 8 matchup against a Dolphins defense that has allowed the third-most points in the league through seven games.
Who Should I Start Tool
You can also see the Who Should I Start tool here.
Week 8 Player Decisions. Today's focus is on specific players - Rico Dowdle, Romeo Doubs, Darnell Mooney, Alec Pierce, Xavier Worthy, Xavier Legette, Breece Hall, Josh Downs, Sterling Shepard, Jalen Coker. These are some of the most common searches for fantasy football lineups in Week 8.
Using The Tool. This is a simple tool but very powerful. The first step is to enter the player names that you want to compare. In the first box, search for the first player name. In the second box, search for the second player name. Compare up to four NFL players at once, and then click the Who To Start? button to see who the recommended starts are based on weekly fantasy football matchups.
Improvements For Who Should I Start? You may have noticed that our 'Who Should I Start?' tool has gotten an overhaul. We've added lots of great features for you to give you as much information as possible to win your fantasy football matchups each week. You'll see NFL player tiles with headshots and bye weeks, stats, projections, strength of schedule, players news, and enhanced search results with data to compare with a slick new interface. We hope you enjoy!
How It Works. Each week our RotoBaller staff puts together their weekly fantasy football rankings and projections based on their research. That information is the core data that is powering the decision-making in this tool. When you search for player names, you will only see those players who are ranked. If someone is out for the week, they will not appear in the search results.
Scoring Formats. Fantasy football managers play in various types of leagues, and this tool allows you to choose whether it's PPR scoring, Half-PPR scoring, or Standard (Non-PPR) scoring. The second thing you want to do, is to select the scoring format. There are three small radio buttons (small circle), so click on the scoring format you prefer. The results may vary based on the scoring format you select.
Popular Week 8 Searches. Curious to see some tough lineup decisions for Week 8 (2025)? Below you will find a list of some popular Who Should I Start? searches that RotoBaller readers are looking at this week. Click any of the links to see the result and recommendation.
Popular Week 8 Searches - Start/Sit Player Comparisons
Below are some popular searches and comparisons from our Who To Start tool for Week 8 for Rico Dowdle, Romeo Doubs, Darnell Mooney, Alec Pierce, Xavier Worthy, Xavier Legette, Breece Hall, Josh Downs, Sterling Shepard, Jalen Coker:
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