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Who Should I Start for Week 8? Fantasy Football outlooks for Jaylen Waddle, Rico Dowdle, Isiah Pacheco, James Cook, Terry McLaurin, A.J. Brown, Derrick Henry, Rashee Rice, Keon Coleman, DeVonta Smith.
Who Should I Start? Who Should I Sit? Some of the most common Week 8 fantasy football lineup decisions involve players like Jaylen Waddle, Rico Dowdle, Isiah Pacheco, James Cook, Terry McLaurin, A.J. Brown, Derrick Henry, Rashee Rice, Keon Coleman, DeVonta Smith. 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.
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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:
Jaylen Waddle, WR, Miami Dolphins
Miami Dolphins wide receiver Jaylen Waddle (hamstring/rest) was limited at practice on Thursday, but does not have an injury designation coming into Week 8's matchup with the Falcons. The Falcons have allowed the second-fewest fantasy points to wide receivers this season, and the Dolphins' passing game has struggled badly under Tua Tagovailoa.
Waddle only had one catch for 15 yards in his worst showing of the season last week against the Browns, but before that, he did have two strong games after the season-ending injury to Tyreek Hill (knee). Waddle has upside as the team's top target, but he is a very shaky play with the matchup and his team's struggles.
Even with six teams on a bye week, Waddle is the No. 23 wide receiver in RotoBaller's rankings, making him a shaky start in most formats in this tough road matchup.
Rico Dowdle, RB, Carolina Panthers
Carolina Panthers running back Rico Dowdle is in line for a potentially favorable matchup in Week 8 against the Bills. Over the last four weeks, Buffalo ranked 30th in fantasy points per game allowed to running backs. The Bills have a vulnerable run defense, allowing 31.1 fantasy points per game to RBs during that span.
Expect Carolina to rely on their running game in Week 8 to stay in the game. Head coach Dave Canales mentioned that the workload between Dowdle and Chuba Hubbard will be split between the two running backs this week. Last week, Dowdle had a snap share of 46% compared to Hubbard, with 54%. Despite Hubbard having the advantage in snaps, Dowdle outrushed him 79 to 31 rushing yards.
If the Panthers don't fall far behind, the running game can be productive because of the matchup. With six teams on a bye in fantasy football Week 8, lock Dowdle in as an RB2 start.
Isiah Pacheco, RB, Kansas City Chiefs
Kansas City Chiefs running back Isiah Pacheco has had an underwhelming season so far in 2025, recording 314 yards from scrimmage and two touchdowns on 77 total touches through his first seven games. However, there may be reason to believe that the 26-year-old is trending upwards.
Pacheco has at least 12 carries and 51 rushing yards in each of his last two games. Additionally, the Chiefs' offense is getting healthier and has averaged 31.5 points per game over the last four weeks, which means Pacheco should see more red zone opportunities going forward. Kansas City will likely continue to split backfield work between Pacheco, Kareem Hunt, and Brashard Smith, which limits Pacheco's upside.
Still, Pacheco has been stealing early-down work away from Hunt in recent weeks and has a higher upside in both real life and fantasy. Pacheco could be a good buy-low candidate for fantasy managers and profiles as a low-end RB2 heading into a Week 8 matchup against the Washington Commanders.
Terry McLaurin, WR, Washington Commanders
Washington Commanders wide receiver Terry McLaurin (quad) was a full participant in practice for the second straight day. This is a good sign heading into the Week 8 matchup against the Kansas City Chiefs.
McLaurin will need to get through one more practice session, but it sounds like he'll be ready for this Monday night contest. McLaurin has missed the last four games due to a lingering quad issue.
The 30-year-old figures to have decreased value with quarterback Jayden Daniels (hamstring) sidelined. Fantasy managers will need to check back on Saturday for official word on McLaurin's status.
A.J. Brown, WR, Philadelphia Eagles
Philadelphia Eagles wide receiver A.J. Brown (hamstring) has been ruled out for Sunday's matchup against the New York Giants, according to Ari Meirov of the 33rd Team. Brown was unable to practice at all during the week, which typically puts a player's chance to play in doubt.
Head coach Nick Sirianni said that the star wide receiver is one of those players who can still play without practice reps, but the team ultimately decided to hold him out for this week. The 28-year-old wideout is coming off his best game of the season against the Vikings, catching four of six targets for 121 yards and two touchdowns.
A.J. Brown's absence will open up even more targets for DeVonta Smith and Dallas Goedert in Week 8 against the Giants, in addition to depth receivers Jahan Dotson and Xavier Gipson.
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 - Jaylen Waddle, Rico Dowdle, Isiah Pacheco, James Cook, Terry McLaurin, A.J. Brown, Derrick Henry, Rashee Rice, Keon Coleman, DeVonta Smith. 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 Jaylen Waddle, Rico Dowdle, Isiah Pacheco, James Cook, Terry McLaurin, A.J. Brown, Derrick Henry, Rashee Rice, Keon Coleman, DeVonta Smith:
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