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Who Should I Start for Week 8? Fantasy Football outlooks for Jacoby Brissett, Geno Smith, Aaron Rodgers, Kirk Cousins, Baker Mayfield, Jared Goff, Malik Willis, Michael Penix Jr., Sam Darnold.
Who Should I Start? Who Should I Sit? Some of the most common Week 8 fantasy football lineup decisions involve players like Jacoby Brissett, Geno Smith, Aaron Rodgers, Kirk Cousins, Baker Mayfield, Jared Goff, Malik Willis, Michael Penix Jr., Sam Darnold. 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:
Jacoby Brissett, Arizona Cardinals
Arizona Cardinals veteran quarterback Jacoby Brissett has had two straight down performances against the Los Angeles Rams and Denver Broncos after throwing for a season-high 292 yards and three touchdowns in the loss to the Detroit Lions in Week 5. However, the 33-year-old should be back in waiver-wire consideration for fantasy managers who need a bye-week replacement as he gets ready to face the Dallas Cowboys at home in Week 8 this Sunday.
Much like he was last season, Brissett has been a strong QB2 option in superflex fantasy leagues, throwing for 1,600 yards, 10 touchdowns, and six interceptions through his first seven starts in 2026. He will be just a one-week option, though, as the Cardinals will have another difficult matchup in Week 9 against the division-rival Seattle Seahawks.
Dallas' defense tightened up on Monday night against the Philadelphia Eagles and backup QB Tanner McKee, but Brissett could easily put up numbers against a Cowboys defense that has allowed 228 passing yards per game. Brissett has attempted at least 40 passes in 10 of his 19 starts for Arizona, dating back to last year, so the volume has been there.
Geno Smith, New York Jets
New York Jets quarterback Geno Smith is a Week 8 streamer in leagues with at least 14 teams, and the matchup is the whole case. He threw three touchdown passes for the second time this season in Sunday's 28-25 loss to the Miami Dolphins, completing 23 of 30 attempts for 287 yards and one interception, with two touchdowns to Mason Taylor and one to Omar Cooper Jr. The rookie receiver has now surpassed 100 yards in consecutive games, giving Smith another productive weapon alongside Garrett Wilson.
However, Smith threw just one touchdown in each of the three games between his three-score performances against the Detroit Lions and Miami, and his 42 rushing yards through seven starts offer little additional fantasy production. The Jets host a Las Vegas Raiders defense that has surrendered 16 passing touchdowns, tied for the second-most in the NFL, and the Kansas City Chiefs and Buffalo Bills await New York in the following two weeks, so add him.
Kirk Cousins, Las Vegas Raiders
One of the most surprisingly consistent fantasy producers of the 2026 season, Las Vegas Raiders quarterback Kirk Cousins has reached at least 19.5 fantasy points in six of his last seven outings, including a usable Week 7 performance in which he threw for 295 yards and two touchdowns in a loss to the Rams. While outside rumblings are growing louder about the eventual debut of first overall pick Fernando Mendoza, head coach Klint Kubiak has maintained that Cousins is his starting quarterback, and until that change is imminent, he remains a strong weekly play.
Las Vegas faces the New York Jets in Week 8, fresh off a loss to the Dolphins in which quarterback Malik Willis posted one of the highest QBRs of the season on his way to a QB4 finish. While Cousins doesn't offer the same rushing floor, he still leads the NFL with 16 passing touchdowns, and his 1,877 passing yards through seven weeks trail only Matthew Stafford and Jordan Love.
Aaron Rodgers, Green Bay Packers
Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Aaron Rodgers is not a worthwhile bet as a fantasy contributor in Week 8 and beyond in a typical single-QB league. However, if you are in a 2-QB league or are pressed to find a bye week fill-in, Rodgers can be a useful fantasy asset. Rodgers has strung together a solid start to the season, throwing for 13 touchdowns in seven games (1.86 TDs/game), and has accumulated almost 1,700 passing yards. He is currently slotted in as QB18 in fantasy points per game headed into a Week 8 matchup against the Cleveland Browns.
The Browns' Defense comes in with the eighth-fewest fantasy points allowed to opposing QBs per game, only allowing 15.5 per game. This is notable for fantasy managers looking to stream a QB as a bye week replacement in Week 8, as they may want to look elsewhere.
Better times should be ahead for Rodgers, though, if wide receivers Roman Wilson and Michael Pittman Jr. can return from the injured reserve and strengthen the Steelers' shallow receiving corps. For now, Rodgers remains an average QB2 and a desperate bye-week/injury replacement without much upside.
Malik Willis, Miami Dolphins
In leading the Miami Dolphins to their first win of the season, quarterback Malik Willis joined a short list of players with 1,000 passing yards and 200 rushing yards through seven weeks, and he has now sandwiched consecutive 20+ point fantasy outings around the team's Week 6 bye.
Miami faces a tough challenge in Week 8 with the New England Patriots coming to town, but Willis is capable of providing a usable fantasy floor, having run for over 100 yards and two touchdowns in his last two games while turning in one of the season's highest QB ratings in that Week 7 win. With rookie Caleb Douglas (ankle) returning from a three-game absence and posting 70 yards and two touchdowns against the Jets, Willis appears to have a legitimate outside threat back in tow, and he is RotoBaller's QB23 for the 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 - Jacoby Brissett, Geno Smith, Aaron Rodgers, Kirk Cousins, Baker Mayfield, Jared Goff, Malik Willis, Michael Penix Jr., Sam Darnold. 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 Jacoby Brissett, Geno Smith, Aaron Rodgers, Kirk Cousins, Baker Mayfield, Jared Goff, Malik Willis, Michael Penix Jr., Sam Darnold.
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