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Who Should I Start for Week 8? Fantasy Football outlooks for Arian Smith, Ollie Gordon II, Allen Lazard, Kameron Johnson, Jaylen Wright, Van Jefferson, Jerome Ford, Luke McCaffrey, Samaje Perine, Calvin Austin III.
Who Should I Start? Who Should I Sit? Some of the most common Week 8 fantasy football lineup decisions involve players like Arian Smith, Ollie Gordon II, Allen Lazard, Kameron Johnson, Jaylen Wright, Van Jefferson, Jerome Ford, Luke McCaffrey, Samaje Perine, Calvin Austin III. 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:
Arian Smith, WR, New York Jets
New York Jets wide receiver Arian Smith should again see a substantial uptick in playing time when his team squares off with the hosting Cincinnati Bengals in Week 8. The rookie played a season-high in snap share (92%) last weekend, with fellow wideout Garrett Wilson (knee) tending to injury.
However, he failed to net positive yardage on 1-of-3 receiving. Smith will get another chance to make an impact this Sunday, although it's currently difficult to trust any of the Jets' skill position players with the offense failing to perform. Furthermore, head coach Aaron Glenn's refusal to name a starting quarterback muddies the situation further, adding an extra variable.
With Wilson set to miss another game, and Josh Reynolds (hip) questionable with an injury of his own, Smith will have a chance to lead New York's WR corps if both are inactive. Even still, he's nothing more than a long shot with New York's offense looking woefully outmatched.
Ollie Gordon II, RB, Miami Dolphins
Miami Dolphins running back Ollie Gordon II hasn't been able to break through yet in his rookie season, but he does continue to get some work each week. Coming into Week 8's game against the Falcons, Gordon has played around 25% of snaps over the last few weeks.
He has multiple carries in each of the last five weeks, dating back to his one game with a touchdown against the Bills. He has 25 carries over his last five games, but he has only been able to manage 58 rushing yards. He's added a few catches as well, but he only has seven receiving yards all year. Gordon's low volume and the fact that Jaylen Wright is rumored to be more involved this week make Gordon an extremely high-risk play this week.
He's the No. 48 RB in RotoBaller's rankings this week, meaning he shouldn't be a starter in most formats even though he does get some work.
Jerome Ford, RB, Cleveland Browns
Cleveland Browns running back Jerome Ford has been filling a backup role behind Quinshon Judkins in 2025. Ford logged just one carry and caught two passes for 10 yards in a 31-6 win over the Miami Dolphins in Week 7.
He will now head on the road to take on the New England Patriots in Week 8. The Patriots have been tough on running backs this season, allowing just the 27th-most fantasy points per game to the position.
Ford isn't involved enough in the offense to trust in fantasy outside of using him as a desperation flex/RB4 heading into Week 8. He most likely should remain on fantasy benches on Sunday.
Samaje Perine, RB, Cincinnati Bengals
Cincinnati Bengals running back Samaje Perine recorded a season-high seven carries in his team's Week 7 win over the Pittsburgh Steelers. The veteran back has been eating into the workload of Bengals RB1 Chase Brown in recent weeks, as Perine has logged at least 28 offensive snaps in three straight games for Cincinnati.
Perine's upside remains limited, as he's recorded just 123 yards from scrimmage on 28 touches across seven games so far this season. However, the Bengals get a favorable matchup in Week 8 against the New York Jets, which helps Perine's fantasy outlook.
Still, expectations for what Perine's upside should remain limited. He's currently ranked as RB45 by RotoBaller in half-PPR scoring heading into Week 8.
Calvin Austin III, WR, Pittsburgh Steelers
Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver Calvin Austin III (shoulder) has missed each of his team's last two games due to a shoulder injury. However, he's been able to log two full practices so far this week and appears to be trending towards returning to the field in Week 8 against the Green Bay Packers.
In four games before getting injured, Austin III recorded 10 catches for 139 yards and two touchdowns. Upon his return to the lineup, Austin III should slot in as Pittsburgh's WR2 alongside DK Metcalf. Steelers quarterback Aaron Rodgers has been productive this season, recording 1,270 passing yards and 14 touchdowns across six games.
If Rodgers has another big game this week against Green Bay, Austin III could be one of the beneficiaries. In Week 8, Austin III profiles as a low-end flex option for fantasy managers in deeper leagues.
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 - Arian Smith, Ollie Gordon II, Allen Lazard, Kameron Johnson, Jaylen Wright, Van Jefferson, Jerome Ford, Luke McCaffrey, Samaje Perine, Calvin Austin III. 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 Arian Smith, Ollie Gordon II, Allen Lazard, Kameron Johnson, Jaylen Wright, Van Jefferson, Jerome Ford, Luke McCaffrey, Samaje Perine, Calvin Austin III:
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