Who Should I Start for Week 8? Fantasy Football outlooks for George Pickens, Cooper Kupp, Calvin Ridley, Mike Washington Jr., Rashod Bateman, Austin Ekeler, Konata Mumpfield, Adonai Mitchell.
Who Should I Start? Who Should I Sit? Some of the most common Week 8 fantasy football lineup decisions involve players like George Pickens, Cooper Kupp, Calvin Ridley, Mike Washington Jr., Rashod Bateman, Austin Ekeler, Konata Mumpfield, and Adonai Mitchell. 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:
George Pickens, Dallas Cowboys
Dallas Cowboys wide receiver George Pickens (shoulder, hamstring) is listed as questionable for Sunday's game against the Arizona Cardinals in Week 8, but he is expected to play, according to Jon Machota of The Athletic.
Pickens was limited in practice all week with multiple injuries, but he should be available for fantasy managers this weekend in a plus matchup. Fantasy managers should check back on Sunday morning for confirmation that he is active, and if he is, he should be locked in as a starting wideout despite being overshadowed so far in 2026 by teammate CeeDee Lamb.
The 25-year-old former second-rounder from Georgia has just one 100-yard game so far this year, but he has found the end zone in two of the last three weeks, including in Monday night's win over the division-rival Philadelphia Eagles. RotoBaller has Pickens ranked as the No. 12 receiver for the week despite dealing with two injuries.
Austin Ekeler, Washington Commanders
Washington Commanders running back Austin Ekeler should have a larger role on offense following the team's Week 7 bye. Ekeler has yet to play more than 27% of the snaps in any of these three games with the Commanders so far this year, but that could change in Week 8 as he steps into a larger role with Jacory Croskey-Merritt (groin) officially landing on injured reserve.
The 31-year-old is particularly worth monitoring in PPR leagues, given his long track record of catching passes out of the backfield at the NFL level. While Washington already had Rachaad White in a similar role, we wouldn't be surprised to see the Commanders give White more of Croskey-Merritt's vacated carries, and then, in an effort to keep White's workload in check, give more receiving volume to Ekeler.
Whether it's enough to get him on the flex/RB3 radar remains to be seen, but at the very least, the veteran pass-catching back is on the streaming radar for the duration of Croskey-Merritt's absence.
Mike Washington Jr., Las Vegas Raiders
Las Vegas Raiders running back Mike Washington Jr. should continue his steady workload in Week 8 against the New York Jets. The 23-year-old rookie was questionable to play in Week 7 due to foot and back injuries, then managed six carries for just 27 yards. But Week 8 could be a different story against a Jets defense that is allowing 127.7 rushing yards per game and six rushing touchdowns through Week 7.
Washington has slowly taken on a heavier workload as de facto RB1 Ashton Jeanty struggles with efficiency in the ground game. That trend should continue as long as the Arkansas product stays healthy. He is a waiver-wire target and a solid streaming option against New York.
Calvin Ridley, Tennessee Titans
Tennessee Titans wide receiver Calvin Ridley (hip) holds a questionable tag ahead of the Week 8 matchup against the Cincinnati Bengals. Despite getting in a full practice session on Friday, Ridley will get slapped with a questionable tag for this weekend. The veteran wideout sat out during last week's loss to the Cleveland Browns. When healthy, Ridley hasn't been much of a fantasy option this season anyway.
Heading into Week 8, Ridley has five receptions for 81 yards and zero touchdowns. He ranks as Rotoballer's WR89 and is barely on the fantasy radar right now. His absence would mean an expanded role for Elic Ayomanor, who saw seven targets last weekend. He might be able to offer deep league flex appeal if Ridley is unable to play.
Konata Mumpfield, Los Angeles Rams
Los Angeles Rams wide receiver Konata Mumpfield finished with just one catch for 15 yards on two targets in his team's Week 8 win in Las Vegas. With Davante Adams (hamstring) on IR, Mumpfield saw an increase in snaps and routes as he served as the team's second WR. However, in this matchup, his increase in opportunity didn't result in an increase in production, as QB Matthew Stafford relied on tight ends Colby Parkinson and Davis Allen to complement top receiver Puka Nacua.
Despite his disappointing totals, Mumpfield played ahead of Tutu Atwell and Jordan Whittington, who were not targeted at all, and he seems to be ready to lock down the second receiver role for the next several weeks without Adams.
He flashed upside earlier this year while filling in for Nacua, and in a different matchup, he has enough potential to remain on the radar in deep leagues. He's not a must-start, for sure, but he is still worth watching to see if he can make the most of his expanded role in the coming weeks.
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 - George Pickens, Cooper Kupp, Calvin Ridley, Mike Washington Jr., Rashod Bateman, Austin Ekeler, Konata Mumpfield, Adonai Mitchell. 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 George Pickens, Cooper Kupp, Calvin Ridley, Mike Washington Jr., Rashod Bateman, Austin Ekeler, Konata Mumpfield, Adonai Mitchell.
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