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Should I start Cade Otton, Harold Fannin Jr., Mark Andrews for Week 8? Fantasy football start 'em, sit 'em picks and recommendations for the 2025 NFL season.
We've reached the busiest bye week of the NFL season, and in Week 8, you might have to get creative to fill your starting lineup with players you can be confident in. Tight end is an especially tricky spot with big names on bye weeks and some important injuries as well. There are a few very strong options on the fringe, though, who are strong starting options this week.
In this article, we will see if Cade Otton, Harold Fannin Jr., and Mark Andrews should be started in fantasy in Week 8. All three tight ends have some upside, but also come with their own risk factors to factor in the equation.
So, should fantasy managers start Otton, Fannin, and Andrews in Week 8? Let's dive in and find out.
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Should I Start Cade Otton for Fantasy Football?
Otton started the season very slowly, with just three catches in his first three games. When the Buccaneers started losing receivers to injury, though, he started to work his way into a bigger role.
In the last four weeks, Otton has had at least three catches every week, and he set new season highs with seven catches on nine targets last week against the Lions for 65 receiving yards.
In Week 8 against the Saints, the Bucs will be without wide receivers Mike Evans (collarbone), Chris Godwin Jr. (fibula), or Jalen McMillan (neck). Emeka Egbuka will also be playing through a hamstring issue that limited him last week and in practice this week. Missing so many options at receiver, Baker Mayfield will lean heavily on his veteran tight end, which sets up Otton for a good week.
Otton has helped cover for recent absences with double-digit fantasy points in each of the last three games. He's still looking for his first touchdown of the season, but after seven catches last week, he has both a high ceiling and a high floor against the Saints.
The Saints have allowed over 50 receiving yards per game to tight ends this season and rank 27th in yards per target to the position.
With all those factors figured into the equation, Otton lands at the No. 13 spot in RotoBaller's tight end rankings for Week 8.
Should I Start Harold Fannin Jr. for Fantasy Football?
The Browns have struggled on offense this season, but they have some exciting young players in the mix as well.
One of their top rookies this season has been tight end Harold Fannin Jr., who made a splash right away by catching 12 passes for 111 yards in the first two weeks of the season. He slowed down a little in Week 3 and Week 4, but he found the end zone for the first time in London in Week 5, when the Browns moved to rookie Dillon Gabriel at quarterback.
a beauty of a drive!#MINvsCLE on NFL Network and NFL+ pic.twitter.com/dI3Vn8fzOG
— Cleveland Browns (@Browns) October 5, 2025
Fannin dropped a massive, seven-catch game on the Steelers in Week 6 for 81 yards on a season-high 10 targets. David Njoku (knee) was injured in Week 6 and missed Week 7, allowing Fannin to post another solid day with four catches on five targets for 36 yards. That performance wasn't outstanding, but in the windy and rainy conditions, he did lead the team in receiving yards in the run-heavy game script.
With Njoku questionable for week 8, Fannin could be set up for another huge workload as the Browns visit the Patriots. New England has allowed the fifth-most fantasy points to tight ends, allowing 62.1 yards per game to the position and three total tight ends to the position on the year.
Gabriel is locked in on Fannin, and his upside makes him the No. 11 tight end in RotoBaller's rankings this week. He could be an even better option if Njoku is ruled out.
Should I Start Mark Andrews for Fantasy Football?
Mark Andrews is another option worth considering this week, although it looks like he won't get Lamar Jackson back at quarterback like originally expected. Instead, he'll be working with Tyler Huntley, who was just signed to the active roster on Friday. Huntley has filled in for the Ravens in the past and also started for a few weeks for the Dolphins last season.
Andrews has been stepping back into a more involved role for the Ravens after a slow start to the year. He only had a single catch in each of the first two games of the season, but has had at least four catches in three of his last four games, dating back to a monster game with 91 yards and two touchdowns against the Lions in Week 3.
Jackson. Andrews. TD! @Ravens lead
DETvsBAL on ESPN/ABC
Stream on @NFLPlus and ESPN App pic.twitter.com/LVDt1GrLgI— NFL (@NFL) September 23, 2025
He had seven catches for 30 yards in Week 4 against the Chiefs, two catches for 22 yards against the Texans, and then four catches for 24 yards against the Rams.
Andrews has a good matchup this week against the Bears, but it's fair to wonder how solid he'll be with Huntley instead of Jackson. He is the No. 16 tight end in the RotoBaller rankings for Week 8, making him a fringe starter who is a higher risk since Jackson isn't quite ready to return. With Jackson, Andrews would have ranked higher and been even closer to the other two options in this post. Of the three tight ends, Otton is probably the safest play, but Fannin has a higher ceiling and is the highest ranked of the three in RotoBaller's rankings.
Who Should I Start Tool
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Who Should I Start? Who Should I Sit? Some common Week 8 fantasy football lineup decisions are regarding players like Cade Otton, Harold Fannin Jr., Mark Andrews. But not to worry, we are here to help 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.
Week 8 Player Decisions. Today's focus is on specific players - Cade Otton, Harold Fannin Jr., Mark Andrews. 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's name. In the second box, search for the second player's 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, enhanced search results with data to compare, and 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 circles), 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 Week 8 searches and comparisons from our 'Who To Start' tool for Cade Otton, Harold Fannin Jr., Mark Andrews compared to others:
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