Who Should I Start for Fantasy Football Week 8? Lamar Jackson, Dak Prescott, Michael Penix Jr., Tyrod Taylor, Carson Wentz, Josh Allen, Spencer Rattler, Jayden Daniels, Tua Tagovailoa, Dillon Gabriel

Baltimore Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson (hamstring) was seen on the practice field on Wednesday in the portion of practice open to the media, according to Jeff Zrebiec of The Athletic. It was Jackson's first appearance at practice since straining his hamstring on Sept. 28 against the Kansas City Chiefs.

He "mostly did warmup throws" with the media watch but did also "run around a little bit." The 28-year-old two-time MVP missed Weeks 5 and 6 with his hamstring strain and had last week's bye to heal up. The Ravens have been optimistic that he will return to play in Week 8 against the Chicago Bears, but nothing is set in stone just yet.

We'll check back on Jackson's official practice status later on Wednesday, but he might need to practice in full by Friday to be cleared to suit up this Sunday. If Jackson is active against Chicago, he needs to be returned to all starting fantasy lineups. UPDATE: Jackson was officially limited in Wednesday's practice.

Dallas Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott played a clean game in his team's 44-22 Week 7 win over the Washington Commanders, completing 21 of 30 pass attempts for 264 yards, three touchdowns, and zero interceptions.

Prescott's Cowboys are now averaging 31.7 points per game so far this season. Through seven games, Prescott has thrown for 1,881 yards and 16 touchdowns. He will face perhaps his toughest test so far this season in Week 8 when Dallas travels to Denver to take on the Broncos.

Still, Prescott is playing at a high level and will be difficult for fantasy managers to go away from, even in a difficult matchup.

Atlanta Falcons head coach Raheem Morris said that quarterback Michael Penix Jr. (foot) is still day-to-day and will be limited in practice on Wednesday, according to Marc Raimondi of ESPN. Penix suffered a bone bruise in his foot in the Week 7 loss to the San Francisco 49ers on Sunday night, putting his availability for a Week 8 tilt against the Miami Dolphins this Sunday somewhat in question.

The 25-year-old second-year QB's injury doesn't sound too serious, but it's enough to keep him out of a full practice in the first session of the week. Morris is optimistic about Penix playing this weekend, but fantasy managers will want to monitor the left-hander's status the rest of the week.

If he can practice in full on Thursday or Friday, he should be just fine to play against Miami, where he'll have clear QB1 upside against the Dolphins' weak defense. If Penix cannot go, veteran Kirk Cousins would see his first action of the year and would immediately be on the streaming radar in fantasy leagues.

The Minnesota Vikings will give Carson Wentz (shoulder) another start at the Los Angeles Chargers on Thursday, during which fantasy managers should view him as a volatile superflex option. At this point in his career, managers should know what they're getting with the veteran quarterback.

Wentz could lead a surgical game-winning drive like Week 5, throw a horrific pick-six (Week 7), be a low-volume game manager (Week 3), or chuck it for 300-plus yards (Weeks 4 and 7). The suddenly struggling Chargers are middle of the pack against fantasy quarterbacks, presenting a decent matchup, though it should be mentioned that Wentz was openly grimacing last week due to the lingering injury to his non-throwing shoulder.

He is still throwing to receivers Justin Jefferson and Jordan Addison against a defense that has had its fair share of issues, however, so there is a reasonable chance for a big fantasy game. Ultimately, managers will have to gauge their risk tolerance for a gunslinging backup on a short week.

Washington Commanders quarterback Jayden Daniels (hamstring), who suffered a low-grade hamstring strain on Sunday in the loss to the Dallas Cowboys, will not play on Monday night in Week 8 against the Kansas City Chiefs, sources tell Ian Rapoport of NFL Network.

Veteran Marcus Mariota will make his third start of the season. Fantasy managers will have to go in another direction this week, but hopefully the second-year signal-caller can make it back to play in the Week 9 contest against the Seattle Seahawks. After a phenomenal rookie season in 2024 in which he nearly led the Commanders to the Super Bowl, the 24-year-old QB will now miss his third game of his second season due to an injury after previously sitting out Weeks 3 and 4 with a knee sprain.

Mariota can still use his legs to pick up yards and could be getting both receivers Terry McLaurin (quadriceps) and Deebo Samuel Sr. (heel) back from injuries, but he'll be a tough QB2 sell in fantasy against a stout Chiefs defense on the road.