Start or Sit These Players on Monday Night to Win Week 8 Fantasy

Sully brings you his Start or Sit These Players on Monday Night to Win Week 6 Fantasy

Start or Sit These Players on Monday Night to Win Week 8 Fantasy

I will be with you every step of the way with recommendations on who to start and who to sit for every Monday Night Football matchup. With out further ado, let’s make the moves required to wrap up your Week 7 victory.

Quarterback

Start or Sit These Players on Monday Night to Win Week 8 Fantasy

Daniel Jones – New York Giants

Through four weeks of the 2021 season, it appeared that Daniel Jones was taking the next step towards becoming a dependable Fantasy Football starting QB. Jones was sitting at QB6 overall, and in three of his four contests he topped 20 points. The reason for his success, he was running the football, and not running it over. In this quartet of games, Jones ran for 188 yards, (47/game), and a pair of scores, which throwing one pick and losing one fumble. Entering 2021, Jones had averaged 27 rushing yards per game and had turned the ball over 40 times in 26 starts, (1.54/game).

In Week 5 he was concussed and finished with 4.82 points. Jones followed that one up with a 7.08 point outing. He bounced back in Week 7 posting 17.52 points in the win over Carolina. Week 6 Jones threw three picks and lost a fumble, in a game that I don’t believe he should have been active for. Week 7 was clean and he added 28 rushing yards.

Its a rather obvious statement to make, but Daniel Jones is best when he isn’t turning over the football. In other news water is wet, and fire is hot.

Each week this season we have been forced to wait (sometimes until game time), to determine who is suiting up as Jones’ weapons. Week 8 is no different. So after all that I suggest you start Daniel Jones this week. KC has yielded 24.4 points per game to opposing QBs this season including 34 yards rushing and 4 total QB rushing scores.

Patrick Mahomes – Kansas City Chiefs

Start Patrick Mahomes, wash, rinse, and repeat. When the Chiefs take the field and Mahomes is active, you start him period.

I understand that Patrick Mahomes Fantasy Managers have a bad taste in their mouth after last week’s 8.74 point outing. His owners likely are not overly thrilled with his current QB5 standing either. The reality is that Mahomes is struggling this season to maintain the expectations he has set for himself with his play in previous seasons. Before we go totally off the rails here it is important to note he is averaging 24.31 points per game in 4pt/passing TD scoring leagues.

The concern if there can be any is, his offensive line is terrible, and he is throwing interceptions at a rate never seen before. Adding to this his defense is one of the worst in the league. To say Mahomes is pressing in order to try to offset his accommodating defense is an understatement. In his three full seasons as the Chiefs starting QB, Mahomes has averaged 2.53 touchdowns, .51 interceptions, and 1.44 sacks a game. In 7 games this season, his numbers are 2.57 touchdowns, 1.28 picks, and 2 sacks a game. Mahomes is on pace for 44 touchdowns, 22 picks and 34 sacks.

The good news is Mahomes’ offensive line has forced him to run more this season, (often for his life). In his three full seasons he averaged 18 rushing yards a game. In 2021 he is rushing on average 31 yards a game. Mahomes after seven weeks is 89 yards shy of his career high of 308 set last season. Start Patrick Mahomes with as much confidence as one can have, the 8.74 point outings are not happening again anytime soon

Running Back

Start or Sit These Players on Monday Night to Win Week 8 Fantasy

Devontae Booker – New York Giants

Saquon Barkley a one time must start RB has caused some hairs on his Fantasy Managers heads to turn grey this season. Barkley started with a controlled workload this season as expected coming back from his 2020 torn ACL. During the first two weeks of the season he totaled 6.30 PPR points and was RB48. He began seeing his typical workload in Week 3 and in week’s three and four combined he totaled 51 PPR points and was the RB2. In Week 5 he stepped on some random dudes foot spraining his ankle and finishing his day with .9 points.

The injury forced him out of weeks 6 &7, and on Saturday, Saquon Barkley was once again ruled out. The Chiefs are the tenth worst fantasy defense against the RB, allowing on average of 26 points a game to the position. In addition they have surrendered 6 total touchdowns in 6 games. As I was preparing this article, my thought process was if Barkley was active you start him and if he was ruled out you start Devontae Booker. Fortunately the questionable status of Barkley didn’t linger into Sunday with this being a Monday game.

Start Booker this week now that we have clarity. Booker starting in Saquon’s absence delivered a respectable total of 25.50 points and a RB17 spot in the standings. I have moved Booker up to RB19 from 26th.

Darrel Williams – Kansas City Chiefs

There is a lot more clarity in Kansas City. Clyde Edwards-Helaire is on IR, and Darrell Williams in the lead back for the Chiefs. On the surface, Williams has been a nice fill in as he is RB19 in the two weeks that CEH has been out. Reality is Week 6 Williams dropped 23.9 points and was the RB7. The following week, he cratered to 8 points and was RB33.

The matchup against the Giants is a decent one, they are 12th worst giving up 25.6 points per game. Start Williams with RB2 expectations this week. I have him ranked at RB15.

Wide Receiver

Start or Sit These Players on Monday Night to Win Week 8 Fantasy

Sterling Shepard / Kadarius Toney / Darius Slayton/ Dante Pettis / John Ross – New York Giants

The New York Giants have a look of options at WR. One option (Kenny Golladay), was ruled out on Saturday, giving us a little more clarity. Sterling Shepard and Kadarius Toney remain questionable. The lone area in which the Kansas City Chiefs defense isn’t terrible is against opposition WRs. Kansas City is the 8th best fantasy fantasy defense against the opposition wide receivers. The Chiefs have limited the other team’s WRs to 156.3 yards and 33.9 PPR points per game.

If Shepard and Toney start I suggest starting them as well. I currently have Shepard ranked 29th and Toney ranked 91st. Should Toney look like he is playing I will move him onto my top-36, Shepard would move up into my top-15. As for Slayton (WR38), Pettis (WR63), and John Ross (WR94), I suggest doing your best to hang on before finalizing your rosters. If you need to start anyone here its Pettis and Slayton, as I fully expect them both to play. Once we find out the status of Shepard and Toney, I will re-rank Pettis and Slayton. John Ross is on the bench regardless.

Tyreek Hill / Mecole Hardman / Byron Pringle / Demarcus Robinson/ – Kansas City Chiefs

Tyreek Hill is one of those players that you start without hesitation each and every week. He currently sits at WR2 with 150.40 PPR points. His 21.49 points per game average is a little misleading, as he has a pair of games this season under 10 points and a game with 47.6 points. The 46.7 points games are why you never sit him, he is capable of that ceiling each time he steps on the field.

Mecole Hardman, Pringle, and Robinson however require some thought. Tyreek Hill as expected has seen the most targets of the WRs with 72. Hardman is next with 40, followed by Pringle’s 23 and Robinson’s 20. Most weeks I am starting Hill, considering Hardman and sitting the other two, and that is exactly what I am doing here. I have Hardman ranked as a flex, (WR45), and Robinson and Pringle at WR85 & WR71, respectively.

The Giants are not great against the WR, they have given up 172.9 yards per game and 40 fantasy points to the position this season. That looks good on paper but Tyreek could do that on his own.

Tight End

Start or Sit These Players on Monday Night to Win Week 8 Fantasy

Evan Engram / Kyle Rudolph – New York Giants

Kyle Rudolph is a sit we will get that out of the way early. His only chance of fantasy relevance is by scoring a TD. It is certainly possible, but not something I want to bank on. Evan Engram is far from a slam dunk himself, but situation and matchup propel him into my starting lineup this week.

KC is giving up the 4th most fantasy points to the TE position this season. In addition, with all the injuries in New York’s passing game, Engram becomes a relevant component of the passing attack. Engram since retuning from injury in Week 4, has put up 32.70 PPR points and is the TE19, nothing special. Kansas City gives up 82 yards a week to the TE, and have surrendered 4 touchdowns in 7 games.

Engram a week ago with a similar Giants passing attach posted his first double digit game of the season. I like Engram to score this week and top 15 points for the first time this year.

Travis Kelce – Kansas City Chiefs

There are three must start components to the Chiefs offense; Patrick Mahomes, Tyreek Hill, and Travis Kelce. Mahomes has thrown 277passes this season, and has completed 187 of them. 137 of his targets, (49%), and 97, (52%), of his completions went to Kelce and Hill. On top if those numbers 9 of Mahomes 18 TD passes have gone to these gentlemen as well.

The Giants give up 48.7 yards and 13.6 PPR points a game to the opposing TE, I don’t see a scenario where Kelce doesn’t blow those totals away. You don’t need me to tell you to start Travis Kelce, but I will anyway.

Thank you for reading Start or Sit These Players on Monday Night to Win Week 8 Fantasy.

For all your start/sit questions be sure to reach out to me on Twitter @RotoHeatSully.

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