Oronde Gadsden, Rhamondre Stevenson, And More

MIAMI GARDENS, FLORIDA – OCTOBER 12: Oronde Gadsden II #86 of the Los Angeles Chargers lines up before the snap during an NFL football game against the Miami Dolphins at Hard Rock Stadium on October 12, 2025 in Miami Gardens, Florida. (Photo by Perry Knotts/Getty Images)

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It’s that time of the year when start or sit decisions for your fantasy football teams are getting tough. Bye weeks and injuries are starting to really pile up.

You can find the full list of bye weeks and also my top 50 FLEX rankings for the week in the article below. Nevertheless, we have some new guidelines to go over.

ForbesFantasy Football Week 8: Flex Rankings (RB,WR,TE)By Steve Bradshaw

To accommodate bye weeks, only running backs and wide receivers ranked outside the Top 20 now are eligible for the must-start player of the week.

For tight ends, quarterbacks, and defenses, that number now drops to the Top 10. For the sit category, the opposite applies (running backs inside the Top 20, etc). The rankings we’ll be referring to are the Fantasy Pros Week 8 expert consensus rankings (PPR).

When talking about fantasy points allowed, those are referred to in 0.5 PPR scoring, (Fantasy Pros) but the overall concept is close enough to where we’ll be using it for this star or sit list, which uses the PPR rankings mentioned above.

Breakout Running Back: Rhamondre Stevenson (RB22 – Start)

Many people, including myself, had high hopes for TreVeyon Henderson coming into the year, but it’s time to throw in the white flag. Terrell Jennings, who hadn’t had a carry all year, just had five of them compared to Henderson with only two in Week 7 (per PFF).

Rhamondre Stevenson, on the other hand, had 18. Almost regardless of the matchup, Stevenson needs to be locked into your RB2 due to the fact that he’s getting a ton of volume on a great offense.

Now the New England Patriots are taking on the Cleveland Browns, who have allowed the 2nd fewest points per game to running backs this year. Nevertheless, Stevenson is a player that you just can’t bench going forward.

Running Back to Sit: Alvin Kamara (RB19 – Sit)

Alvin Kamara is a big-name player, but he hasn’t been productive this year. Kamara has 10.8 PPG (PPR) on the year, and he’s failed to crack 3.5 YPC in his last three games.

Again, this is another example of talent over situation, but just not as extreme. The New Orleans Saints take on the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, who have allowed the 7th most PPG to running backs this year.

Even so, Kamara has had two games with over 10 points after Week 2, and even with Kendre Miller out, it’s still hard to feel confident about playing him.

Breakout Wide Receiver: Romeo Doubs (WR26 – Start)

Romeo Doubs was talked about in our weekly FLEX rankings, but we’ll touch on him here quickly as well. Doubs has 13.1 PPG on the year with only two games under 10 points.

Now in Week 8, Doubs gets a great matchup against the Pittsburgh Steelers, who have allowed the 6th most fantasy PPG to wide receivers this year. Even if Doubs doesn’t have a massive game, he’s shown that his floor is fairly high on a weekly basis.

Wide Receiver to Sit: Stefon Diggs (WR18 – Sit)

Now this choice is tough because there aren’t too many options, but among the Top 20 wide receivers, Diggs is the one that it’s hard to feel great about.

Despite the Patriots’ offense looking good, Diggs hasn’t come close to those 12 targets he had in Week 5. After that big game, Diggs went down to just three targets (5.8 points), and then in Week 7, he had seven but caught all of them.

Diggs is a fine player, but he’s only had more than eight targets one time this year, which makes me a bit worried. Not only that, but Diggs takes on the Cleveland Browns, who have allowed the 15th least PPG to wide receivers this year.

Breakout Quarterback: Caleb Williams (QB11 – Start)

It’s hard to see why Caleb Williams is being ranked outside of the Top 10 for Week 8. Even after a rough 4.7 point Week 7, Williams has 17.8 PPG on the year, and he’s had over 19 points three times.

Now, Williams takes on the Baltimore Ravens, who are a phenomenal matchup. So far this year, the Ravens have allowed the 2nd most PPG to quarterbacks, putting Williams in a fantastic spot.

Quarterback to Sit: Justin Herbert (QB10 – Sit)

Even after being wrong on Justin Herbert last week, he’s the most logical option among the Top 10 quarterbacks for this list. Herbert is averaging 19.3 PPG on the year, but he has a really tough Week 8 matchup.

Herbert faces the Minnesota Vikings, who have allowed the 5th least PPG to quarterbacks this year. While Herbert has been a good start this year, the fact that he only has two games with over 19 points makes me a bit worried in a tough matchup.

Breakout Tight End: Evan Engram (TE14 – Start)

Evan Engram has had at least nine points in three straight weeks, and it’s hard to see that stopping. Despite not going over 50 yards yet, Engram just had eight targets, which was his best mark of the year.

Not only that, Engram has a good matchup this week against the Dallas Cowboys. Outside of the fact that Engram has been playing well, he now takes on the Cowboys, who have allowed the 11th most PPG to tight ends this year.

Tight End to Sit: Oronde Gadsden II (TE9 – Sit)

While Oronde Gadsden II is a great talent, it’s hard to throw him in your fantasy football lineups this week. Even though Gadsden had eight targets and over 11 points in each of the last two weeks, there are so many talented players on the Los Angeles Chargers.

Between Ladd McConkey, Quentin Johnston, and Keenan Allen, it’s hard to see Gadsden keeping this consistent role. The Vikings aren’t a great matchup for tight ends either, allowing the 11th least PPG to the position this year.

Breakout Defense: Cincinnati Bengals (D/ST 13 – Start)

Although the Cincinnati Bengals’ defense is averaging one PPG on the year, this start is all based on matchup. The Bengals take on the New York Jets, who have allowed the third most PPG to opposing defenses this year.

In the midst of chaos around whether Justin Fields will be the starter next week or not, the Bengals are a good start for Week 8.

Defense to Sit: Denver Broncos (D/ST6 – Sit)

Most weeks, these two defenses will be flipped. While the Bengals have had a rough year, the Denver Broncos’ defense has had a great one.

As of now, the Broncos are averaging 8.1 PPG, but that’s unlikely to continue into Week 8. They take on the Dallas Cowboys in Week 8, who have been unreal on offense.

So far this year, the Cowboys have allowed the 2nd least PPG to opposing defenses. To be exact, that’s just 1.1 PPG. If you’re deciding whether to start or sit the Broncos defense that has done well all year, this is the week to sit them.