Soppe’s Fantasy Start ‘Em, Sit ‘Em Picks for Week 8: Jared Goff, Drake London, Calvin Ridley, and Others

Not all fantasy football decisions are easy. Sure, starting Los Angeles Rams WR Cooper Kupp is something you’re doing weekly, but those decisions at the top of the board aren’t usually the difference in your tight matchups. It’s the fantasy start ’em, sit ’em quandaries that have you waking up in cold sweat that ultimately make a big difference.

I know I can’t be the only person that happens to. Below are my thoughts on some players that have been oft-asked about within the PFN Fantasy Discord, as well as on Twitter. Let’s get to it!

Fantasy Start ‘Em Picks for Week 8

Jared Goff, QB, Detroit Lions (vs. LV)

You guys know the drill. Is Jared Goff playing at home? If yes, play him. If not, consult advanced data before blindly benching him, but lower your expectations.

Yes — this is a home game for Detroit after the beat down in Baltimore, a game in which Goff threw 53 passes without a score. I’m not counting on that to spill over to Week 8. Goff is averaging a TD pass once every 13.7 attempts at home this season and was even better last year.

Week 8 of the NFL season is here, and so are the fantasy QB rankings to help you make the right decisions. https://t.co/zYvGEjXgS1

— PFN Fantasy (@PFNFantasy) October 26, 2023

I have Goff ranked ahead of Trevor Lawrence, Week 7 superstar Kirk Cousins, and a rested Joe Burrow this week. He’s my QB7 and is worthy of your trust in all formats.

C.J. Stroud, QB, Houston Texans (at CAR)

The volume has been reeled in after a busy start to his career. C.J. Stroud started with 91 passes in his first two starts and has brought his average to 30.5 attempts per game since.

Still, he remains a viable fantasy option. Stroud has multiple touchdown passes in four of his past five games. While he’s yet to finish better than QB10 in a week this season, he’s been worse than QB13 just once since his NFL debut.

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Nothing about this matchup is scary. Without much promise in the run game, Stroud should continue to be a passable option that won’t be the reason you lose. He’s just as unlikely to be the reason you win, but the elevated floor holds value on the right fantasy roster.

Stroud should be rostered if for no other reason than he gets the “pass-funnel” Titans twice in December.

Gus Edwards, RB, Baltimore Ravens (at ARI)

Not only was Gus Edwards given the first carry of last week’s impressive win over the Lions but he was also featured throughout. Even better, he recorded an 80-yard reception. Let me say that again — 80 yards. Not bad for a player who, entering last week, averaged under 3.6 receiving yards per game for his career.

MORE: PFN Consensus Rankings

This isn’t a bell-cow situation. It’s one with specific roles, and Edwards just happened to run hot with the big play. For the game, he and Justice Hill each played 30 snaps, with Edwards holding a 10-carry edge and Hill running 14 more routes.

Drake London, WR, Atlanta Falcons (at TEN)

Don’t look now, but Drake London is starting to check some boxes, despite playing for an offense that isn’t built in a way for him to thrive. In the win over the Buccaneers last week, he saw an end-zone target, was tackled on the 1-yard line later, and caught 6+ passes for a third consecutive week (first four weeks: 2.8 catches per game).

In this game against a pass-funnel defense, London reappears in my top 30 wide receivers, owning favorable usage trends to bigger names like Jacksonville Jaguars WR Calvin Ridley and Cincinnati Bengals WR Tee Higgins.

No pass catcher in Arthur Smith’s world is going to ever see the word “safe” in his profile, but London is a worthwhile Flex option this week. That should be the case until we hit Thanksgiving, at the very least. He’ll have matchups against the Minnesota Vikings and the Arizona Cardinals.

Fantasy Sit ‘Em Picks for Week 8

Brian Robinson Jr., RB, Washington Commanders (vs. PHI)

Most days without a carry gaining more than six yards and zero receptions is a complete fantasy disaster. Brian Robinson Jr., of course, saved his Week 7 with a touchdown. That’s what he does.

Washington’s lead back (34-26 snap edge over Antonio Gibson) has scored in five of seven games this season, allowing us to overlook the fact that his 24 carries over the past three weeks have gained just 64 yards.

Robinson’s fantasy production has been greater than his usage deems sustainable, and that’s a concern, but what are your alternatives? He carries significant risk in a matchup like this, but his scoring equity keeps him in the low-end RB2 conversation. This makes Robinson a starter in most situations.

Marquise Brown, WR, Arizona Cardinals (vs. BAL)

After bringing in at least five catches in three straight games, Marquise Brown has failed to reach that number in each of his past three and has been held under 65 yards in six of seven games this season. We are learning now that not all offenses need to have a viable option in the passing game, and that’s how I have it ranked this week. Brown is my WR35.

Calvin Ridley, WR, Jacksonville Jaguars (at PIT)

It’s tough to properly illustrate just how bad Calvin Ridley has been. Frankly, it’s been painful. When a receiver like Buffalo’s Gabe Davis struggles, the impact is minimal because it’s unlikely that you played him for all of his bad games. With Ridley, though, you invested heavily in him this summer, and there have been no injuries to navigate, so you’re getting burned weekly.

How bad has it been? He’s had four finishes outside of the top 60, zero 30-yard receptions in the United States, and just two catches on his 10 contested targets.

MORE: Calvin Ridley’s Fantasy Value

Without any teams on a bye this week and any recent proof that Ridley is trending out of this slump, he’s not a must-start.

Now, the odds would have it that you drafted him early and felt good about your WR corps, and subsequently neglected depth at the position. So it’s possible you don’t have an option that is higher in our PFN Consensus Rankings. In that case, cross your fingers and join me in CRISIS.

Gerald Everett, TE, Los Angeles Chargers (vs. Bears)

Tight ends who wear a single-digit jersey number are 20% faster than those who don’t. OK, so that may not be true, but Gerald Everett has been producing well lately, with a touchdown in consecutive games, as the Bolts look to iron out their pass game without Mike Williams.

While the past two weeks have been useful, let’s not get carried away. TE Donald Parham remains a threat inside the red zone, and Everett really wasn’t featured last week. Sure, he was targeted on four of nine routes, but it’s the “nine routes” portion of that sentence that worries me.

As someone with a lot of Everett exposure, I’d love to tell you that he is trending straight up and ready to be locked into weekly lineups. In reality, he’s viewed as a high-end streaming option that is more of a bet on this offense as a whole than the role Everett currently holds.

Looking to make a trade in your fantasy league? Having trouble deciding who to start and who to sit? Setting DFS lineups? Check out PFN’s Free Fantasy Football Trade Analyzer, Start/Sit Optimizer, and DFS Lineup Optimizer to help you make the right decision!