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Who Should I Start for Week 8? Fantasy Football outlooks for Tony Pollard, Josh Downs, Chase Brown, Jakobi Meyers, Rico Dowdle, DeMario Douglas, Blake Corum, Jaylen Waddle, Rome Odunze.
Who Should I Start? Who Should I Sit? Some of the most common Week 8 fantasy football lineup decisions involve players like Tony Pollard, Josh Downs, Chase Brown, Jakobi Meyers, Rico Dowdle, DeMario Douglas, Blake Corum, Jaylen Waddle, Rome Odunze. 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:
Tony Pollard, Tennessee Titans
Tennessee Titans running back Tony Pollard is coming off one of the best games of his NFL career. After a slow start to his 2026 season, Pollard erupted in Week 7, with 25 carries for 129 yards and three touchdowns, and added three receptions for 26 yards in the 27-24 loss to the Cleveland Browns.
Despite the inept Titans offense, Pollard's monster game shows he still has enough talent to produce in fantasy leagues. Over the last two games, Pollard has taken over the backfield, playing 75% of the snaps, while Tyjae Spears and Michael Carter have played around 25%. The Titans offense is still expected to hinder Pollard and his fantasy value moving forward, but if he is traded before next Tuesday's deadline, his value could increase substantially if he is moved to an improved situation.
Chase Brown, Cincinnati Bengals
Cincinnati Bengals running back Chase Brown played 75% of the team's offensive snaps in Week 7, up from 60% in Week 5, but his rushing workload remains well below its early-season level. Brown opened the year with 16 and 20 carries in his first two games before totaling just 46 attempts across his next four outings. His efficiency has also slipped, falling from 4.4 yards per carry in 2025 to 3.5 through six games this season.
Brown managed only 39 rushing yards against both Miami in Week 5 and Baltimore in Week 7, while Samaje Perine outcarried him 14-13 against the Dolphins before receiving a one-yard touchdown carry against the Ravens. Brown has scored only once this season after producing 11 total touchdowns in 2025, although his 28 receptions for 143 yards have helped sustain his PPR value. He remains the Bengals' primary back and sits at RB16 in RotoBaller's Week 8 rankings, but his reduced rushing opportunities and Perine's involvement near the goal line make him a less reliable source of high-end fantasy production.
Jakobi Meyers, Jacksonville Jaguars
Jacksonville Jaguars wide receiver Jakobi Meyers is coming off his most involved game of the season and should continue to provide a usable fantasy floor moving forward. Before a Week 7 bye, Meyers saw 10 targets in a narrow loss to the Texans, his highest total since the mid-season trade that landed him in Jacksonville in 2025, while his 83 receiving yards were his second-most as a Jaguar.
Fourth-year player Parker Washington has emerged as the star of Jacksonville's passing offense, but Meyers remains one of the most consistent complementary pieces in the NFL, and he is RotoBaller's WR40 ahead of a Week 8 divisional matchup with the Colts.
Blake Corum, Los Angeles Rams
Los Angeles Rams running back Blake Corum recorded a team-high 17 carries and recorded 93 rushing yards (5.5 yards per carry) and a touchdown in a 35-21 win over the Las Vegas Raiders in Week 7. He also tallied one reception for eight yards. Corum posted season-highs in carries, rushing yards and offensive snaps played (32) in Week 7. It was the second week in a row in which Corum split carries pretty evenly with starting running back Kyren Williams.
Against the Raiders, Williams played 37 offensive snaps and tallied 16 rushing attempts for 99 yards (6.2 yards per carry) and a touchdown, while adding two receptions for 22 yards (11.0 yards per catch). However, Williams lost a fumble in the game. In an 18-16 Week 6 loss to the Arizona Cardinals, Williams saw 10 rushing attempts and made three receptions (13 total touches), while Corum earned nine carries and recorded two catches (11 total touches).
In seven games in 2026, Corum has amassed 64 rushes for 316 yards (4.9 yards per carry) and 10 receptions for 99 yards and an additional score. While Williams will remain the No. 1 tailback for the Rams, Corum is going to continue to see opportunities and has flex appeal, with RB2 upside.
Rico Dowdle, Pittsburgh Steelers
Pittsburgh Steelers running back Rico Dowdle carried the ball nine times for 41 yards (4.6 yards per carry), and caught all six of his targets for 45 receiving yards (7.5 yards per reception) in France during a 16-10 Week 7 win over the New Orleans Saints. He played 28 offensive snaps. Dowdle was fairly productive and heavily involved in the passing game, as he led the Steelers in receptions and tied for the team lead with wide receiver DK Metcalf in targets. However, it is evident that running back Jaylen Warren will remain the preferred option in the running game.
Warren played 40 offensive snaps and rushed 18 times for 101 yards (5.6 yards per carry). Warren added three receptions (on four targets) for 36 yards (12.0 yards per catch). Warren out-touched Dowdle 21-15, compiling 137 scrimmage yards compared to 86 total yards for Dowdle. The Steelers prefer to use a two-running back attack, and Dowdle will continue to get plenty of touches, but expect Warren to keep operating as the lead back as the 2026 season progresses.
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 - Tony Pollard, Josh Downs, Chase Brown, Jakobi Meyers, Rico Dowdle, DeMario Douglas, Blake Corum, Jaylen Waddle, Rome Odunze. 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 Tony Pollard, Josh Downs, Chase Brown, Jakobi Meyers, Rico Dowdle, DeMario Douglas, Blake Corum, Jaylen Waddle, Rome Odunze.
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