Darrell Henderson Jr., Cam Akers, Emari Demercado: Start ‘Em, Sit ‘Em Picks for Fantasy Football Week 8

Should I start Darrell Henderson, Cam Akers or Emari Demercado for Week 8? Fantasy football start em, sit em picks and recommendations for the 2024 NFL season.

The bulk of the Week 8 NFL slate is finally here, meaning it's time for fantasy managers to make tough, last-minute start 'em, sit 'em decisions. Darrell Henderson Jr., Cam Akers, and Emari Demercado are all hot names ahead of Sunday's games.

All three players are coming off strong showings in Week 7. Can they keep the momentum going this week?

Should you start Henderson, Akers, or Demercado in Week 8? Let's dive in.

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Should I Start Darrell Henderson Jr. for Fantasy Football?

In his first game of the season for the Rams after being signed to the practice squad on Oct. 17, Los Angeles Rams running back Darrell Henderson Jr. had 18 carries for 61 yards and a touchdown while also catching a five-yard pass.

Despite just signing with the team, he saw six more carries and two more targets than Royce Freeman. With Kyren Williams on Injured Reserve, fantasy managers who picked up Henderson can expect him to lead this backfield again in Week 8 against the Dallas Cowboys. He's a high-end RB3 play this week.

He is the RB27 in our half-PPR consensus staff rankings.

Should I Start Cam Akers for Fantasy Football?

Minnesota Vikings running back Cam Akers saw his most carries since joining the team in the team's Week 7 win over the San Francisco 49ers, carrying the ball 10 times for 31 yards. He was also targeted three times, catching two passes for 30 yards.

His production came with Alexander Mattison missing some time during the first half of the game after he was banged up, but Mattison returned for the second half. Akers saw 10 carries, but half of those, plus one of his targets, came on the same second-quarter drive. The other five all came on one fourth-quarter drive.

Mattison is not on the injury report this week, so fantasy managers shouldn't expect to see heavy usage for Akers. Our recommendation is to sit him.

He is the RB50 in our half-PPR consensus staff rankings.

Should I Start Emari Demercado for Fantasy Football?

Arizona Cardinals running back Emari Demercado saw 13 carries for 58 yards in the team's Week 7 loss to the Seattle Seahawks. He was also targeted five times, catching four of those for 17 yards.

With James Conner on IR, Demercado should lead this backfield once again. He should be considered a solid fantasy RB3 when the team faces the Baltimore Ravens on Sunday afternoon.

He is the RB36 in our half-PPR consensus staff rankings.

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