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Who Should I Start for Week 8? Fantasy Football outlooks for Jacoby Brissett, Patrick Mahomes, Geno Smith, Caleb Williams, Jared Goff, Kirk Cousins, Aaron Rodgers, Joe Burrow, Justin Herbert.
Who Should I Start? Who Should I Sit? Some of the most common Week 8 fantasy football lineup decisions involve players like Jacoby Brissett, Patrick Mahomes, Geno Smith, Caleb Williams, Jared Goff, Kirk Cousins, Aaron Rodgers, Joe Burrow, and Justin Herbert. 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.
Justin Herbert, Los Angeles Chargers
Los Angeles Chargers quarterback Justin Herbert has provided little fantasy value during the team's 0-6 start, with his passing efficiency and touchdown production both falling sharply. After throwing 26 touchdowns and 13 interceptions in 16 games last season, Herbert has five touchdown passes and eight interceptions through six games in 2026.
His last three starts have produced just 514 passing yards, two touchdowns, and four interceptions, while he has been sacked 13 times across that stretch. Injuries to left tackle Rashawn Slater and center Tyler Biadasz have compounded the problems, and the Chargers rank last in offensive EPA per play (-0.190) while averaging 15 points per game. Los Angeles used its Week 7 bye to review the offense, although Mike McDaniel will remain the play-caller.
Herbert has averaged 10.4 fantasy points per game this season and sits at QB25 in Nick Mariano's RotoBaller Week 8 rankings ahead of Sunday's road matchup with the Rams. His production makes him a difficult starting option in conventional one-quarterback leagues.
Patrick Mahomes, Kansas City Chiefs
Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes struggled in Sunday's 20-3 loss to Seattle, throwing for just 165 yards, no touchdowns, and one interception. After throwing nine touchdowns in his first four games of the season, he has had zero touchdowns in his last two, adding just 437 passing yards and two interceptions in those outings.
This lack of production continues to show Mahomes is no longer the key cog in the Chiefs' offense. Instead, they now rely on Kenneth Walker and the ground game. With a depleted receiving room (Rashee Rice remains questionable for Week 8), don't expect those vintage Mahomes performances to return anytime soon.
Mahomes will still have weeks where he produces QB1 numbers, but with an offense no longer solely reliant on him and his production declining, he no longer warrants an automatic start tag. And with a Week 8 matchup against the Denver Broncos, he should remain on your bench.
Aaron Rodgers, Pittsburgh Steelers
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.
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, Patrick Mahomes, Geno Smith, Caleb Williams, Jared Goff, Kirk Cousins, Aaron Rodgers, Joe Burrow, Justin Herbert. 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, Patrick Mahomes, Geno Smith, Caleb Williams, Jared Goff, Kirk Cousins, Aaron Rodgers, Joe Burrow, Justin Herbert.
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