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Who Should I Start for Week 8? Fantasy Football outlooks for Malik Willis, Sam Darnold, Kyler Murray, Baker Mayfield, Matthew Stafford, Drake Maye, Trevor Lawrence, Deshaun Watson, Tanner McKee.
Who Should I Start? Who Should I Sit? Some of the most common Week 8 fantasy football lineup decisions involve players like Malik Willis, Sam Darnold, Kyler Murray, Baker Mayfield, Matthew Stafford, Drake Maye, Trevor Lawrence, Deshaun Watson, and Tanner McKee. 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:
Deshaun Watson, Cleveland Browns
Cleveland Browns quarterback Deshaun Watson looks to be on the low end of starting quarterbacks for fantasy in his Week 8 matchup at the Pittsburgh Steelers. Watson has led the Browns to 5-2 overall record but his fantasy numbers leave something to be desired this season. Watson was 25-of-36 passing in Week 7's win over the Titans with 308 passing yards and an interception without a touchdown.
He did rush three times for 19 yards and a rushing touchdown. Although he didn't find the end zone passing the ball, it was one of Watson's better games through the air. He will likely find things tougher this week against the Steelers' defense, which ranks 11th against the pass allowing 212.7 passing yards per game with just seven passing touchdowns allowed this season.
In the first meeting against Pittsburgh at home, Watson finished with 268 passing yards, a touchdown, and an interception. Watson will hope to keep up his positive play in a key road matchup. Matching up with the likes of Jamel Dean, Asante Samuel Jr., and Jalen Ramsey, Watson looks like a bottom tier starting quarterback this week. If you have other options you may want to start them over Watson this week.
Baker Mayfield, Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Baker Mayfield is hopeful for better results this weekend after struggling to move the ball through the air last week. In Week 7, Mayfield completed 7-of-11 passing attempts for 64 passing yards with one touchdown and zero interceptions in the win over the Carolina Panthers. Mayfield wore a protective glove on his throwing hand, which might've impacted the Bucs offensive gameplan.
The Bucs were dominating on the ground, so they didn't ask Mayfield to do much. The hope is that Mayfield will do more damage through the air against the Atlanta Falcons this weekend. A defense that ranks 29th against the pass this season.
They've allowed an average of 255.6 passing yards per game and 11 passing touchdowns. The unknown about whether the dislocated thumb is still bothering Mayfield will keep him on the QB2 radar despite a great matchup. He's currently ranked as Rotoballer's QB19 for Week 8.
Kyler Murray, Minnesota Vikings
The Minnesota Vikings' season hasn't quite gone to plan for quarterback Kyler Murray, but the Minnesota offense certainly will have a chance for a statement against the division rival Detroit Lions.
The former Heisman winner missed most of the first two weeks with a concussion and hasn't finished higher than 15th among fantasy quarterbacks in any game this season, but a solid rushing floor and an enticing matchup have him on the fringes of being a QB1 option this week.
The Lions have allowed more fantasy points to quarterbacks than any other team, ranking 32nd in air yards allowed, tied for 32nd in passing first downs allowed, and 31st in passing touchdowns allowed.
Murray, to his credit, has rushed for 90 yards in the past two weeks and not committed a turnover in three straight games. As RotoBaller's No. 13 quarterback this week, Murray has potential for a big day, but managers in one-QB leagues may want to weigh their options.
Trevor Lawrence, Jacksonville Jaguars
Jacksonville Jaguars quarterback Trevor Lawrence has earned a firm spot in the QB1 conversation heading into Sunday's Week 8 matchup against the Indianapolis Colts, where RotoBaller ranks him fifth among quarterbacks for the week.
The Jacksonville Jaguars quarterback has paired impressive touchdown production with a notable jump in passing volume, averaging 26 attempts through his first four starts before throwing 39 passes against the Philadelphia Eagles in Week 5 and 41 against the Houston Texans in Week 6. Those two games produced 637 yards and six touchdowns, including a 306-yard, four-score performance against the Texans.
Lawrence has now thrown 14 touchdowns against four interceptions through six games without the rushing scores that helped his fantasy value in 2025, when he recorded nine rushing touchdowns. The passing volume of Weeks 5 and 6 may not continue at the same rate, but the production backs the case for treating him as a QB1.
Tanner McKee, Philadelphia Eagles
Tanner McKee remains the starting quarterback for the Philadelphia Eagles and will be under center once again for a matchup against the Washington Commanders on Sunday Night Football in Week 8. This marks the third start for McKee in 2026 since he took the reins from Jalen Hurts (blood clots), who is expected to miss the rest of the season after multiple blood clots were found in his lungs.
In a Week 6 loss to the Dallas Cowboys, McKee completed 23 out of 35 passing attempts (65.7%) for 211 yards, one touchdown and one interception. McKee was without his top-two wide receivers in DeVonta Smith (hamstring) and Dontayvion Wicks (ankle) against the Cowboys, but heavily targeted rookie wideout Makai Lemon (eight targets, seven receptions, 67 receiving yards and a touchdown) and tight end Dallas Goedert (seven targets, five receptions, 48 yards). He will be without Smith and Wicks again in Week 8.
Through two games as Philadelphia's starter, McKee has completed 49 out of 80 passes (61.3%) for 426 yards, two touchdowns and one interception. He has recorded a quarterback rating of 78.4 and is averaging 213 passing yards per game. According to RotoBaller, McKee is averaging 11.6 fantasy points per game. He has an ideal matchup with the Commanders this week, as Washington allows 254 passing yards per game, which ranks 27th in the NFL.
Additionally, Pro Football Reference notes that the Commanders give up 22.2 fantasy points per game, which is the third-most allowed in the league. However, McKee still appears to be finding his footing and rhythm in his new role and he has been thrown into a Philadelphia offense that has been depleted by injuries.
McKee ranks as RotoBaller's No. 26 quarterback for Week 8. He has a matchup rating of 105.1, and is projected to score 14.1 fantasy points. McKee is no more than a desperation stream play in Week 8, but fantasy managers can likely find more suitable quarterbacks.
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 - Malik Willis, Sam Darnold, Kyler Murray, Baker Mayfield, Matthew Stafford, Drake Maye, Trevor Lawrence, Deshaun Watson, Tanner McKee. 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 Malik Willis, Sam Darnold, Kyler Murray, Baker Mayfield, Matthew Stafford, Drake Maye, Trevor Lawrence, Deshaun Watson, Tanner McKee.
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