Who Should I Start for Week 8? Fantasy Football outlooks for D'Andre Swift, Devonta Smith, Chuba Hubbard, George Pickens, Chris Olave, Tee Higgins, Javonte Williams, J.K. Dobbins, DK Metcalf, Alvin Kamara.
Who Should I Start? Who Should I Sit? Some of the most common Week 8 fantasy football lineup decisions involve players like D'Andre Swift, DeVonta Smith, Chuba Hubbard, George Pickens, Chris Olave, Tee Higgins, Javonte Williams, J.K. Dobbins, DK Metcalf, Alvin Kamara. 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.
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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:
D'Andre Swift, RB, Chicago Bears
Chicago Bears running back D'Andre Swift (groin) did not participate in Wednesday's practice, according to the team. Swift was limited in practice last week due to the injury, but still managed a season-high 19 carries for 124 yards and a touchdown, along with one reception for 14 yards in Week 7 against the Saints.
The 26-year-old has maintained a consistent workload in Chicago's backfield with at least 15 touches in every game and has been surging of late, becoming the fourth running back this season to rush for over 100 yards in consecutive games after his last two games.
His injury status will be updated throughout the week, and if he is unable to play on Sunday, rookie Kyle Monangai would likely handle the majority of the touches.
Chuba Hubbard, RB, Carolina Panthers
Carolina Panthers head coach Dave Canales told reporters on Monday that he anticipates a continued workload split between his two running backs, Chuba Hubbard and Rico Dowdle. In the two games that Hubbard missed with an injured calf, Dowdle saw a total of 61 opportunities, which he converted into an unreal 470 yards and two scores.
In Hubbard's first game back, the two saw a nearly 50/50 workload split, with Hubbard on the field for five more snaps than Dowdle, but Dowdle seeing 18 opportunities to Hubbard's 16. Dowdle was also the more efficient back on the day, averaging 5.3 yards per touch to Hubbard's 3.4, and managing a usable fantasy performance with his 96 yards.
For fantasy managers who had feasted on his last two games, it was surely a disappointment, but in the right matchup, both backs should provide enough of a floor to help navigate bye weeks and injuries from the flex spot, especially as Hubbard continues to knock off the rust.
George Pickens, WR, Dallas Cowboys
Dallas Cowboys wide receiver George Pickens is having an excellent first season in Dallas, and the Cowboys could be considering an extension for him. "Any and everything about George Pickens has crossed our minds. ... Certainly he's a topic of interest and discussions because of the success he's having," owner Jerry Jones said on Tuesday on 105.3 The Fan.
The 24-year-old currently has 36 receptions on 54 targets for 607 yards and a career-high six touchdowns through the first seven weeks of the 2025 campaign. Those numbers have been good enough to place Pickens as the No. 4 fantasy wideout in half-PPR scoring.
It helped that fellow wideout CeeDee Lamb missed three games due to a high-ankle sprain, but Pickens was still productive with four catches and 82 yards in Week 7 after Lamb returned. He should continue to remain heavily involved in Dallas' pass-heavy attack along Lamb, making him a weekly must-start in fantasy.
Chris Olave, WR, New Orleans Saints
New Orleans Saints wide receiver Chris Olave (ankle) missed practice on Wednesday with an ankle injury that he suffered in Sunday's loss to the Chicago Bears, a source told Nick Underhill of NewOrleans.Football. However, he's expected to play on Sunday when the team hosts the visiting Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
Olave apparently injured his ankle in last Sunday's loss but still managed to play 84% of the offensive snaps while dominating for fantasy managers with five catches for 98 yards and two touchdowns on seven targets. The 25-year-old former first-rounder is getting a maintenance day on Wednesday and should return to practice later this week and be fine to suit up against the division-rival Bucs this weekend.
Olave has exactly 98 yards in each of the last two weeks and has been a must-start in fantasy lineups despite working with quarterback Spencer Rattler this year.
Alvin Kamara, RB, New Orleans Saints
New Orleans Saints running back Alvin Kamara (ankle) remains on the team's injury report heading into a Week 8 clash with the division-rival Tampa Bay Buccaneers this Sunday and was listed as limited in Wednesday's practice, according to Luke Johnson of the New Orleans Times-Picayune.
Kamara was a DNP last Wednesday with his ankle injury, but he ended up returning to practice and was cleared from the final injury report. The 30-year-old five-time Pro Bowler ended up handling 11 carries for only 28 yards while catching all three of his targets for just one yard in the Week 7 loss to the Chicago Bears.
However, Kamara did play a season-high 84% of the offensive snaps due to Kendre Miller (knee) suffering a torn ACL. Rookie Devin Neal will spell Kamara going forward. Kamara is still the Saints' lead back, but he's averaging a career-low 3.6 yards per carry and is showing signs of his age in his ninth NFL season.
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 - D'Andre Swift, Devonta Smith, Chuba Hubbard, George Pickens, Chris Olave, Tee Higgins, Javonte Williams, J.K. Dobbins, DK Metcalf, Alvin Kamara. 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 D'Andre Swift, Devonta Smith, Chuba Hubbard, George Pickens, Chris Olave, Tee Higgins, Javonte Williams, J.K. Dobbins, DK Metcalf, Alvin Kamara:
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