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USATSI

Tua Tagovailoa is expected to return in Week 8 from the concussion he suffered in Week 2 against Buffalo, and hopefully he stays healthy for the rest of the season. If he plays as expected then I would start him against the Cardinals at home.

Tagovailoa scored 20.6 Fantasy points in his lone full game this year against Jacksonville in Week 1, and we know he's capable of being a top-10 Fantasy quarterback when healthy. You know Tyreek Hill and Jaylen Waddle will be excited to get Tagovailoa back, and now Mike McDaniel can use his entire playbook.

The Cardinals allow an average of 21.4 Fantasy points per game to opposing quarterbacks, and Josh Allen, Jayden Daniels and Jordan Love all scored at least 26 Fantasy points against Arizona this season. I don't expect Tagovailoa to do that well, but over 20 Fantasy points is likely.

Ideally, we get a shootout between the Dolphins and Cardinals, and Kyler Murray should also be considered a low-end starting Fantasy quarterback. Miami is actually No. 1 in the fewest fantasy points allowed to oppose quarterbacks for the season, but Murray has done well recently against San Francisco in Week 5 (26.1 points) and the Chargers in Week 7 (22.2 points).

He ran for at least 64 yards and a touchdown against the 49ers and Chargers, and hopefully his rushing production can put him over the top against the Dolphins. I'd love to see Tagovailoa and Murray both finish as top-10 quarterbacks in Week 8.

QBs to Start
Projections powered by Sportsline
DET Detroit • #16
Age: 30 • Experience: 9 yrs.
Weekly Breakdown
MATCHUP
vs TEN DET -11 O/U 45.5
OPP VS QB
15th
PROJ PTS
21.8
QB RNK
10th
YTD Stats
PAYDS
1610
RUYDS
17
TD
11
INT
4
FPTS/G
21
Goff is dialed in right now, scoring at least 22.8 Fantasy points in three games in a row, with at least 280 passing yards and two touchdowns in each outing. The Titans pass defense has improved this season but just allowed Josh Allen to pass for 323 yards and two touchdowns in Week 7. Standout cornerback L'Jarius Sneed (thigh) missed the Bills game, but even if he returns in Week 8, I still like Goff as a top-10 Fantasy quarterback in all leagues.
DAL Dallas • #4
Age: 31 • Experience: 9 yrs.
Weekly Breakdown
MATCHUP
@ SF SF -4.5 O/U 46.5
OPP VS QB
13th
PROJ PTS
19.2
QB RNK
9th
YTD Stats
PAYDS
1602
RUYDS
25
TD
9
INT
6
FPTS/G
17.7
Prescott is awesome after his bye week, and I hope history holds true in Week 8 against the 49ers. In seven career games after a bye, Prescott is averaging 28.1 Fantasy points, and he only has one outing over that span with fewer than 22.3 points. The last time we saw Prescott he was awful against Detroit with 3.2 Fantasy points, but he scored at least 20.4 points in each of his three games prior to Week 6. San Francisco isn't an easy matchup, allowing just 17.0 Fantasy points per game to opposing quarterbacks, but I'll take my chances with Prescott this week since he's coming off his bye.
CHI Chicago • #18
Age: 23 • Experience: Rookie
Weekly Breakdown
MATCHUP
@ WAS CHI -1.5 O/U 43.5
OPP VS QB
21st
PROJ PTS
18.9
QB RNK
8th
YTD Stats
PAYDS
1317
RUYDS
169
TD
9
INT
5
FPTS/G
18.9
I hope the bye in Week 7 doesn't slow down Williams, who scored at least 27.6 Fantasy points in each of his past two starts against Carolina and Jacksonville. Those were two favorable matchups, but the Commanders have also allowed four quarterbacks this season to score at least 20.9 Fantasy points. Williams has top-10 upside this week, and it's great to see him using all of his weapons. That should continue against Washington on the road.
ATL Atlanta • #18
Age: 36 • Experience: 13 yrs.
Weekly Breakdown
MATCHUP
@ TB ATL -2.5 O/U 46
OPP VS QB
31st
PROJ PTS
19.1
QB RNK
14th
YTD Stats
PAYDS
1830
RUYDS
-8
TD
10
INT
7
FPTS/G
16.7
Cousins was a bust as the Start of the Week in Week 7 against Seattle with 9.2 Fantasy points, but I'll go right back to him again in Week 8 against Tampa Bay. We all remember the last time he faced the Buccaneers in Week 5 when he scored 42.4 Fantasy points with 509 passing yards, four touchdowns and one interception, and he should have the chance to be productive again in the rematch. Tampa Bay just allowed Lamar Jackson to pass for 281 yards and five touchdowns in Week 7, and hopefully Cousins can get back on track against this secondary.
NYJ N.Y. Jets • #8
Age: 41 • Experience: 20 yrs.
Weekly Breakdown
MATCHUP
@ NE NYJ -7.5 O/U 41.5
OPP VS QB
11th
PROJ PTS
16.5
QB RNK
12th
YTD Stats
PAYDS
1663
RUYDS
44
TD
10
INT
7
FPTS/G
17
The last time Rodgers faced the Patriots he scored a season-high 25 Fantasy points, and he didn't have Davante Adams for that Week 3 game. Adams didn't help Rodgers in Week 7 at Pittsburgh since he scored just 15 Fantasy points, but the Steelers pass defense is tough. I'm counting on Rodgers and Adams to have more success this week at New England, and I would use Rodgers as a low-end No. 1 quarterback in Week 8.
Sleepers (Start/Sit)
Projections powered by Sportsline
SEA Seattle • #7
Age: 34 • Experience: 12 yrs.
We don't know if Seattle will have DK Metcalf (knee) for this game, but Smith is still worth using as a starter in deeper leagues even if Metcalf is out. Smith leads the NFL in passing yards and has scored at least 21.8 Fantasy points in three of his past four games. He's also averaging 39.9 pass attempts a game for the season, so there should be a lot of volume here against the Bills in a potential shootout.
DEN Denver • #10
Age: 24 • Experience: Rookie
Nix is worth starting in deeper leagues in Week 8 against the Panthers, who are No. 4 in most Fantasy points allowed to opposing quarterbacks. Nix has emerged as one of the better running quarterbacks this season, and he has at least 61 rushing yards in each of his past two games against the Chargers and Saints. He also scored at least 19.3 Fantasy points in three of his past five games. Only two quarterbacks this season have failed to score at least 20 Fantasy points against Carolina's defense.
PIT Pittsburgh • #3
Age: 36 • Experience: 13 yrs.
Let's see if Wilson can cook again in Week 8 against the Giants after he just scored 28.9 Fantasy points against the Jets in Week 7 in his Steelers debut. The Giants allow an average of 20.4 Fantasy points to opposing quarterbacks this season, and five quarterbacks in a row have scored at least 19.8 Fantasy points against New York coming into Week 8. I like Wilson as a starting Fantasy option in deeper leagues given this matchup.
QBs to Sit
Projections powered by Sportsline
KC Kansas City • #15
Age: 29 • Experience: 8 yrs.
Weekly Breakdown
MATCHUP
@ LV KC -10 O/U 41.5
OPP VS QB
20th
PROJ PTS
22.5
QB RNK
21st
YTD Stats
PAYDS
1389
RUYDS
122
TD
7
INT
8
FPTS/G
15.8
Things are looking up for Mahomes after the Chiefs traded for DeAndre Hopkins from the Titans on Wednesday, but we don't know if Hopkins will play in Week 8 against the Raiders. Mahomes needs help from his receivers since he's failed to throw a touchdown in consecutive games against the Saints and 49ers, and he now has more interceptions (eight) than touchdown passes (six) on the season. At some point, Mahomes will hopefully start producing at a high level, but until we see it, keep him reserved for Superflex and two-quarterback leagues only.
NE New England • #10
Age: 22 • Experience: Rookie
Weekly Breakdown
MATCHUP
vs NYJ NYJ -7.5 O/U 41.5
OPP VS QB
5th
PROJ PTS
13.3
QB RNK
23rd
YTD Stats
PAYDS
541
RUYDS
68
TD
5
INT
2
FPTS/G
17.4
I love what Maye has done in his first two NFL starts against the Texans and Jaguars, scoring at least 24.8 Fantasy points in each outing. But I expect a little regression to kick in against the Jets, who should get a boost in their pass rush with Haason Reddick ready to make his 2024 debut. Now, Josh Allen and Russell Wilson have each scored at least 28.4 Fantasy points against the Jets in consecutive games, but I'm not expecting that from Maye. He's only worth starting in Superflex and two-quarterback leagues.
IND Indianapolis • #5
Age: 22 • Experience: 2 yrs.
Weekly Breakdown
MATCHUP
@ HOU HOU -5.5 O/U 46
OPP VS QB
28th
PROJ PTS
18.1
QB RNK
22nd
YTD Stats
PAYDS
783
RUYDS
197
TD
4
INT
6
FPTS/G
12.1
Richardson scored 30.1 Fantasy points in Week 1 against Houston. Since then he's combined for 34.6 Fantasy points in three healthy games. He's looking like a bust heading into a Week 8 rematch with the Texans, and he's only worth starting in Superflex and two-quarterback leagues. I hope I'm wrong about Richardson, and he can turn his season around. But we need to see it first, and scoring fewer than 12 Fantasy points a week isn't going to inspire much confidence from Fantasy managers.
Bust Alert (Start/Sit)
Projections powered by Sportsline
TB Tampa Bay • #6
Age: 29 • Experience: 7 yrs.
Weekly Breakdown
MATCHUP
vs ATL ATL -2.5 O/U 46
OPP VS QB
22nd
PROJ PTS
19.8
QB RNK
16th
YTD Stats
PAYDS
1859
RUYDS
158
TD
20
INT
7
FPTS/G
28.3
Mayfield won't have Chris Godwin (ankle) for the rest of the season or Mike Evans (hamstring) until Week 12 at the earliest. That makes him tough to trust as a starter in one-quarterback leagues, which stinks because he's the No. 2 quarterback for the season behind only Lamar Jackson. I'm hopeful Cade Otton, Jalen McMillan, Sterling Shepard and Trey Palmer can help elevate Mayfield, along with the running backs out of the backfield. But losing Godwin and Evans is crushing, and I would only start Mayfield in Superflex and two-quarterback leagues until we see the other guys step up in place of Tampa Bay's top two receivers.