Who Should I Start for Week 8? Fantasy Football outlooks for Omar Cooper Jr., Germie Bernard, Quinshon Judkins, Parker Washington, Omarion Hampton, Aaron Jones Sr., Courtland Sutton, Dylan Sampson.
Who Should I Start? Who Should I Sit? Some of the most common Week 8 fantasy football lineup decisions involve players like Omar Cooper Jr., Germie Bernard, Quinshon Judkins, Parker Washington, Omarion Hampton, Aaron Jones Sr., Courtland Sutton, and Dylan Sampson. 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 2026 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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Week 8 Fantasy Football 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:
Aaron Jones Sr., Minnesota Vikings
Running back Aaron Jones Sr. (knee) does not carry an injury designation for the Minnesota Vikings' Week 8 visit to Detroit, giving him some RB3/Flex appeal despite the lingering ailment. The Lions' primary struggles on defense have come against the pass, which plays into the veteran running back's skill set, though it's tough to predict how many snaps he'll be afforded after reaggravating his injury last week.
Now that fellow running back Jordan Mason is back, the Vikings are looking at a split that likely will favor Mason on clear rushing downs and Jones in passing situations. Jones practiced on Thursday and Friday, so he's set to play against the Lions, but volume could be an issue. As RotoBaller's No. 28 running back this week, Jones is playable in standard formats, but managers should consider the whole picture before setting their lineups.
Dylan Sampson, Cleveland Browns
Cleveland Browns running back Dylan Sampson made his return to the field during the Week 7 matchup against the Tennessee Titans. He made his return after missing the last five games due to a knee injury. Sampson rushed the ball six times for 45 yards and hauled in all three of his targets for 32 additional yards in the win over the Titans.
The 22-year-old is clearly the No. 2 back in Cleveland, but he has shown that he can be a solid contributor when healthy. The expectation is that his role will continue to grow as long as he keeps playing like this every week. Sampson is looking like an interesting stash option in 12-team formats ahead of the Week 8 matchup against the Pittsburgh Steelers.
Omar Cooper Jr., New York Jets
New York Jets wide receiver Omar Cooper Jr. is a must-add waiver target who warrants a claim in 10-team and deeper leagues and offers immediate WR3/flex appeal against the Las Vegas Raiders in Week 8, having produced 218 receiving yards and two touchdowns in two games since returning from an ankle injury. The rookie caught all five targets for 115 yards and a touchdown in Sunday's 28-25 loss to the Miami Dolphins, highlighted by explosive gains of 52 and 60 yards.
Those two receptions accounted for 112 of his 115 yards, demonstrating his big-play ability while raising some questions about the sustainability of his production on limited targets. Cooper also caught six of seven targets for 103 yards and a touchdown against the New England Patriots in Week 6.
Garrett Wilson, Mason Taylor, and Adonai Mitchell remain involved in New York's passing attack, but Cooper has quickly established himself as another dangerous receiving option for Geno Smith. He holds solid FLEX upside this weekend.
Germie Bernard, Pittsburgh Steelers
Pittsburgh Steelers rookie wide receiver Germie Bernard had a low-production day in a 16-10 Week 7 win over the New Orleans Saints. Bernard saw five targets in the passing game and recorded three receptions for 27 yards (9.0 yards per reception). He did not find the end zone.
After registering 21 catches for 167 receiving yards and a touchdown combined over the past two weeks, Bernard cooled off significantly. However, quarterback Aaron Rodgers only threw for 212 passing yards on the day, as the Steelers rushed for 148 yards in the ground game.
Wide receiver DK Metcalf led the Steelers in receiving yards against the Saints with 56, while running back Rico Dowdle led the team in receptions with six. Pittsburgh is dealing with multiple injuries in the wide receiver room, so expect Bernard to remain involved for the foreseeable future. He will look to bounce back in a Week 8 matchup against the Cleveland Browns.
Quinshon Judkins, Cleveland Browns
Cleveland Browns running back Quinshon Judkins is coming off of his best fantasy game in Week 7 against the Titans when he rushed 17 times for 96 rushing yards and two rushing touchdowns. Judkins shredded the Titans defense for 5.6 yards per carry and capitalized with multiple rushing touchdowns for the first time this season. Week 8's matchup against the Steelers should be a tough one for Judkins who will look to carry his momentum into Pittsburgh.
The Steelers rank No. 7 in rush defense, allowing just 91.0 rushing yards per game with just four rushing touchdowns allowed all season. Judkins performed pretty well in the first matchup between the Browns and Steelers, rushing 17 times for 53 yards and a rushing touchdown and catching six passes for 43 receiving yards.
Despite Judkins' tough matchup on the road, he holds good fantasy value and should be able to post some solid returns this week. Start Judkins with confidence as a high-end RB2.
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 - Omar Cooper Jr., Germie Bernard, Quinshon Judkins, Parker Washington, Omarion Hampton, Aaron Jones Sr., Courtland Sutton, Dylan Sampson. 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 (2026)? 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 Omar Cooper Jr., Germie Bernard, Quinshon Judkins, Parker Washington, Omarion Hampton, Aaron Jones Sr., Courtland Sutton, Dylan Sampson.
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