By MIKE HERNDON

Thursday night’s Cardinals-Packers game was painful to watch, especially if you had Kyler Murray or DeAndre Hopkins on any of your fantasy rosters (guilty, and guilty). If you were rolling with James Conner or Randall Cobb, congratulations.

Either way, forget about it. The week’s not over yet and your games aren’t yet won or lost. With that said, here are some suggestions for building the rest of a winning lineup in Week 8:

QB:

Starts:

Matt Ryan, Falcons: He’s thrown for 300-plus in each of his last two games, and it feels like Atlanta’s offense is just starting to find itself. Kyle Pitts has been unleashed; can Calvin Ridley be far behind? Carolina’s defense is not exactly scary. Fire him up.

Sits:

Tua Tagovailoa, Dolphins: He’s thrown for 300-plus in each of the last two games, serving as a big thumbs-up for the “start” recommendation I gave him last week. But this week, he’s facing the red-hot Bills defense and I am looking  elsewhere.

RB:

Starts:

Joe Mixon, Bengals: So maybe he’s not the workhorse we expected, with Samaje Perine stealing snaps. But the Bengals are playing a Jets team that’s missing its starting QB this week. Expect Mixon to eat.

Sits:

Leonard Fournette, Buccaneers: He’s taken over the Bucs’ backfield, relegating Ronald Jones to the waiver wire. Tampa faces the Saints this week, however, and the Saints have been salty against the run. The going looks a little tougher this week.

WR:

Starts:

D.K. Metcalf, Seahawks: So you’ve been worried about the Seahawks’ passing game with Geno Smith under center. I get it. But Metcalf still had 96 yards and a score last week against the Saints. This week, he’s facing the Jaguars. Fear not.

Sits:

Allen Robinson/Darrell Mooney, Chicago: It doesn’t really matter who the opponent is at this point. Until the Bears show us that they can be even marginally proficient as a passing offense, we can’t trust any of their receivers, even two as talented as Robinson and Mooney. It’s to the point where some are wondering whether Robinson, once thought QB-proof, is droppable. I’m not there yet, but he’s not startable at this point.

TE:

Starts:

Dallas Goedert, Eagles: Zach Ertz has been traded and Goedert now has the entire position to himself in Philadelphia. And look who’s next on the schedule: The Lions.

Sits:

Once again – and particularly with Darren Waller on bye and Dawson Knox still recovering from surgery – fire up anyone you can find who’s scoring any kind of points at all.

Categories: Fantasy Football