RADIO
Who Should I Start for Week 8? Fantasy Football outlooks for Jacoby Brissett, Jayden Daniels, Geno Smith, Jared Goff, Bo Nix, Kirk Cousins, Michael Penix Jr., Aaron Rodgers, Dak Prescott.
Who Should I Start? Who Should I Sit? Some of the most common Week 8 fantasy football lineup decisions involve players like Jacoby Brissett, Jayden Daniels, Geno Smith, Jared Goff, Bo Nix, Kirk Cousins, Michael Penix Jr., Aaron Rodgers, and Dak Prescott. 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.
Compare up to four players and we'll tell you who to start...
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.
Bo Nix, Denver Broncos
Denver Broncos quarterback Bo Nix completed 15 of his 29 pass attempts for 222 passing yards, one passing touchdown, and zero interceptions during Sunday's Week 7 win over the Arizona Cardinals. He also rushed for 73 yards and one rushing touchdown on seven rushing attempts.
Nix's turnover-free outing was useful for fantasy football, but he really elevated his fantasy output with an explosive 62-yard rushing touchdown to break a 6-6 tie in the second quarter. Nix posted a new season-high fantasy total in many leagues.
Although his 52% completion rate remains quite frustrating, his rushing success and ability to limit turnovers are both incredibly impactful. To his credit, Nix has now strung together four consecutive games without a turnover.
He'll rank as a fringe top-12 fantasy quarterback heading into a tough matchup against the Kansas City Chiefs. The last time he faced Kansas City, he had just 131 passing yards, one touchdown, one interception, three fumbles, one fumble lost, and four sacks.
Aaron Rodgers, Pittsburgh Steelers
Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Aaron Rodgers disappointed for fantasy purposes last week but will look to get back on track in a divisional bout with the Cleveland Browns in Week 8. While the Browns are surrendering the seventh-fewest fantasy points to opposing quarterbacks, Rodgers managed 299 passing yards and three touchdowns despite throwing two interceptions against Cleveland back in Week 4.
This is a pivotal matchup with both AFC North teams sitting at 5-2 heading into Sunday, so Rodgers should be locked in for what projects to be a competitive game. That said, plenty of other fantasy options have more favorable matchups at the position. Fantasy managers can turn to Rodgers in a pinch, but he should be viewed as a low-end QB2 with some streaming appeal.
Kirk Cousins, Las Vegas Raiders
Las Vegas Raiders quarterback Kirk Cousins remains a strong weekly fantasy play as his team prepares to face the host New York Jets. The 38-year-old completed just 59% of his passes for 295 yards and two touchdowns in a Week 7 loss to the Los Angeles Rams, Vegas' fourth straight defeat. Still, head coach Klint Kubiak maintains that Cousins is the Raiders' de facto starter, as the veteran leads the league with 16 touchdown passes.
Plus, Cousins' 1,877 passing yards through seven games rank third behind only Rams QB Matthew Stafford and Packers starter Jordan Love. The Week 8 matchup will be interesting: the Jets' defense has allowed just 187.7 average passing yards per game, but it also allowed Drake Maye and Malik Willis to pass for over 200 yards over the last two games. Cousins is a solid QB2 for Week 8.
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.
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, Jayden Daniels, Geno Smith, Jared Goff, Bo Nix, Kirk Cousins, Michael Penix Jr., Aaron Rodgers, Dak Prescott. 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, Jayden Daniels, Geno Smith, Jared Goff, Bo Nix, Kirk Cousins, Michael Penix Jr., Aaron Rodgers, Dak Prescott.
More Fantasy Football Analysis
Download Our Free News & Alerts Mobile App
Like what you see? Download our updated fantasy football app for iPhone and Android with 24x7 player news, injury alerts, rankings, starts/sits & more. All free!
