Who Should I Start for Week 8? Fantasy Football outlooks for Rome Odunze, Malik Washington, Bucky Irving, J.K. Dobbins, RJ Harvey, Samaje Perine, Ladd McConkey, Zach Charbonnet, Roschon Johnson.
Who Should I Start? Who Should I Sit? Some of the most common Week 8 fantasy football lineup decisions involve players like Rome Odunze, Malik Washington, Bucky Irving, J.K. Dobbins, RJ Harvey, Samaje Perine, Ladd McConkey, Zach Charbonnet, and Roschon Johnson. 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:
Ladd McConkey, Los Angeles Chargers
Los Angeles Chargers wide receiver Ladd McConkey (concussion) returned to the team's unofficial practice on Monday as they come out of their bye week, according to Noah Furtado of The Athletic. McConkey was in a non-contact jersey and was likely limited, but it is a good sign as he works his way through the league's concussion protocol after he suffered a head injury in the team's Week 6 loss to the division-rival Kansas City Chiefs.
We will not have a clearer picture of McConkey's status for a Week 8 contest against the Los Angeles Rams until the Chargers release their first official injury report of the week on Wednesday. The Bolts certainly need the 24-year-old former second-rounder back this weekend as they look to win their first game of the 2026 season.
Because of the Chargers' struggles in Mike McDaniel's offense this year, McConkey has become a hard-to-trust flex play in fantasy lineups, especially while dealing with injuries. He has recorded only 13 receptions on 18 targets for 200 yards and one touchdown in his first five games, with 82 of those yards and his only TD coming in the Week 1 loss to the Arizona Cardinals.
In his last two contests, McConkey has left fantasy managers out to dry, catching one of his three targets for 17 yards.
Zach Charbonnet, Seattle Seahawks
Seattle Seahawks running back Zach Charbonnet (knee) was recently activated from Injured Reserve but was ruled out of the team's Sunday night win over the Chiefs, and when asked about his status on Monday, head coach Mike Macdonald told reporters, "We are sticking with our plan," offering no update about his Week 8 availability.
Charbonnet has not played since tearing his ACL in a Divisional Round win over the 49ers, and it remains to be seen what type of workload he will inherit upon his return.
Seattle's first-round rookie Jadarian Price (chest) is also eligible to return after a four-game stint on Injured Reserve, and both could eventually find themselves in a timeshare with Emanuel Wilson, who topped 100 rushing yards for the first time on Sunday, while George Holani and Velus Jones Jr. add further uncertainty to a rushing attack that ranks 12th in the league through seven weeks.
Roschon Johnson, Chicago Bears
Chicago Bears running back Roschon Johnson managed just 13 yards on two carries in Thursday's Week 7 win over New England. That's a significant drop from the 85 scrimmage yards and touchdown he produced against Atlanta in Week 6.
The bigger concern, though, is his shrinking role. After playing roughly 40% of Chicago's offensive snaps in Weeks 5 and 6, Johnson saw the field for just 14% against New England, even as Kyle Monangai remained sidelined with toe and thumb injuries. Meanwhile, D'Andre Swift dominated usage in Week 7, handling 26 of 28 running back touches and playing 86% of the offensive snaps.
With Monangai likely returning in Week 8, and Swift entrenched as the starter, Johnson will revert back to a speculative end-of-the-bench stash in deeper leagues only. He offers absolutely no standalone value at this time.
Samaje Perine, Cincinnati Bengals
Cincinnati Bengals running back Samaje Perine scored again Sunday, but the touchdown hides a role that shrank sharply after the Week 6 bye. His one-yard fourth-quarter punch-in made it two consecutive games with a score in the 35-13 victory over the Baltimore Ravens, yet he finished with 16 rushing yards on four carries and no targets.
The snaps tell the story: Perine played 12 offensive snaps to Chase Brown's 40, down from Week 5, when he logged 14 carries for 68 yards and 33 snaps against the Miami Dolphins. Brown reclaimed the backfield with 11 carries for 39 yards and four catches for 19 more.
Perine has scored both a rushing and receiving touchdown in his past two appearances, but limited playing time leaves him without a reliable standalone fantasy role. Add him as a handcuff in 12-team leagues, particularly if you roster Brown, ahead of Cincinnati's Week 8 matchup with the Tennessee Titans.
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 - Rome Odunze, Malik Washington, Bucky Irving, J.K. Dobbins, RJ Harvey, Samaje Perine, Ladd McConkey, Zach Charbonnet, Roschon Johnson. 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 Rome Odunze, Malik Washington, Bucky Irving, J.K. Dobbins, RJ Harvey, Samaje Perine, Ladd McConkey, Zach Charbonnet, Roschon Johnson.
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