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Who Should I Start for Week 8? Fantasy Football outlooks for Pat Freiermuth, Harold Fannin Jr., Tyler Warren, AJ Barner, Cade Otton, Mike Gesicki, Colby Parkinson, Eli Raridon, Jake Ferguson.
Who Should I Start? Who Should I Sit? Some of the most common Week 8 fantasy football lineup decisions involve players like Pat Freiermuth, Harold Fannin Jr., Tyler Warren, AJ Barner, Cade Otton, Mike Gesicki, Colby Parkinson, Eli Raridon, and Jake Ferguson. 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:
Pat Freiermuth, Pittsburgh Steelers
Pittsburgh Steelers tight end Pat Freiermuth is coming off another lousy performance, but he's still a decent fantasy option. Over the last two games, Freiermuth has hauled in four receptions for 31 yards. It has been a struggle for the big tight end, but he's still the TE11 at the moment despite some lackluster performances. He has seen four or more targets in every game but one this season.
He should continue to stay involved against the Cleveland Browns in Week 8. Fantasy managers looking for an option with their tight end on a bye week should consider snagging Freiermuth. He has a good track record despite some sluggish performances as of late. He holds mid-end TE2 upside this weekend.
Harold Fannin Jr., Cleveland Browns
Cleveland Browns tight end Harold Fannin Jr. saw a season-high nine targets in Week 7's win over the Titans and will look to stay involved in Week 8 at the Pittsburgh Steelers. Fannin Jr. caught six passes for 91 yards against the Titans last week but did not find the end zone. He has three touchdowns on the season including one receiving touchdown in the first meeting between the Browns and Steelers.
He caught three catches for 27 yards against the Steelers in Week 4. Fannin Jr.'s involvement in the passing game has been hit or miss this season and he has performed to some highs and lows so far.
He caught two touchdown passes against the Panthers in Week 3, but caught one pass against both the Jets and Ravens in Weeks 5 and 6 respectively. If Fannin Jr. can find some consistency, he should be one of the top fantasy tight end options. With the Steelers secondary potentially making things tough for Browns wide receivers, Fannin Jr. could find some room to make some plays this week.
Cade Otton, Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Tampa Bay Buccaneers tight end Cade Otton has made a minimal impact on the field lately. Otton has held without a catch during last week's win over the Carolina Panthers. Over the last three games, Otton has been held to four receptions for 29 receiving yards and zero touchdowns. It has been an ugly stretch of play for Otton, but he does draw a favorable matchup against the Atlanta Falcons in Week 8.
A defense that has struggled to contain tight ends this season. They've allowed over 60 receiving yards per game to tight ends and currently rank 29th against the pass in general. It's a juicy matchup for Otton, but fantasy managers have little reason to believe he's going to get more involved. He ranks as Rotoballer's TE29 and is a low-end TE2 for this upcoming NFC South matchup.
Tyler Warren, Indianapolis Colts
Indianapolis Colts tight end Tyler Warren (groin) is good to go for the Week 8 game on Sunday against the division-rival Jacksonville Jaguars, according to Mike Chappell of FOX 59. Warren will make his return this weekend from a groin injury that sidelined him for the team's last two games. It is great news for a struggling Colts offense that is still without receiver Alec Pierce (heel) for the foreseeable future, but they will still have their work cut out for them against the Jags.
The 24-year-old Warren has been a TE1 in fantasy football after he made the Pro Bowl as a rookie with a 76-817-4 line on 112 targets in 17 games in 2025. Through five games in 2026, he has caught 30 of his 36 targets for 213 yards and two touchdowns. Now that Warren is back for the Colts in Week 8, fantasy managers should be returning him to their starting lineups in all formats.
Mike Gesicki, Cincinnati Bengals
Cincinnati Bengals tight end Mike Gesicki will face the Tennessee Titans in Week 8. The veteran tight end has been a serviceable asset on the back of touchdowns this season. Gesicki has caught a touchdown in four straight games and has five total touchdowns this season. In each of his past two games, Gesicki has caught exactly one pass for a touchdown, giving him just enough to be worthy of a start at the tight end position.
There is very little guarantee that Gesicki will get any sort of volume, but given his role in the red zone, he's a threat to score every week. The big tight end will get another chance to score against a Titans defense that has not been tough to throw on this season.
Gesicki is ranked TE17 in our RotoBaller Week 8 PPR rankings, making him a TE2 with TE1 upside given his touchdown-scoring ability. Fantasy managers struggling at tight end may be able to turn to Gesicki this week.
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 - Pat Freiermuth, Harold Fannin Jr., Tyler Warren, AJ Barner, Cade Otton, Mike Gesicki, Colby Parkinson, Eli Raridon, Jake Ferguson. 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 Pat Freiermuth, Harold Fannin Jr., Tyler Warren, AJ Barner, Cade Otton, Mike Gesicki, Colby Parkinson, Eli Raridon, Jake Ferguson.
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