Start fantasy football, sit down: Can the Bears’ Caleb Williams stay hot in Week 8?

We’ve reached the second half of the 2024 fantasy football regular season, and starting lineups will be even more difficult to determine after several key players suffered serious injuries in Week 7.

With that in mind, here’s what you need to know about the various flex options, release candidates, and other players you may be on the fence about joining your starting lineup in Week 8.

quarterbacks

Starter: Caleb Williams, Chicago Bears

Bears at Commanders / Sunday 4:25 PM ET

Williams appears to have found his footing in the NFL and has built a solid relationship with a talented group of pass catchers after a lackluster start to his career. The USC product had the seventh-most yards rushing (530) and the third-most touchdowns (six) among quarterbacks in his last two games. Even though Washington’s defense has been more effective this season than in years past, the unit still allowed the sixth-most passing touchdowns (12), setting Williams up for another strong performance.

Other starters: Bo Nix, Denver Broncos; Brock Purdy, San Francisco 49ers

Seating: Trevor Lawrence, Jacksonville Jaguars

Packers at Jaguars / Sunday at 1pm ET

The former No. 1 overall draft pick has begun to turn his season around, averaging the 10th-most fantasy points among quarterbacks since Week 5 (18.4). Although his recent performance has been encouraging and might convince some fantasy managers to release him, Lawrence is best off the bench in single-quarterback leagues.

After all, the Packers’ defense this season has been excellent against signaling opponents. In addition to holding Texans QB CJ Stroud to a career low 86 passing yards Last week the team threw an interception in five of seven games, which doesn’t bode well for turnover-prone Lawrence.

Other sits: Dak Prescott, Dallas Cowboys; Aaron RodgersNew York Jets

running back

Starter: JK Dobbins, Los Angeles Chargers

Saints at Chargers / Sunday 4:05 PM ET

After sorting RB4 general Dobbins hasn’t been all that impressive in recent weeks in his first two games and has recorded less than 10 PPR points in three of his last four games.

Fortunately for Dobbins and their fantastic manager, New Orleans has failed to contain opponents’ comebacks this season, especially of late. Last month the Saints gave up 31.98 Fantasy points per game at the position, third-most among teams and highest in the NFL 729 rushing yards. Start Dobbins with confidence this week, and if he has another 20-point performance, consider selling him high before he reaches a rough patch in his schedule.

Other starters: Alexander Mattison, Las Vegas Raiders; Javonte Williams, Denver Broncos

Seating: Tony Pollard, Tennessee Titans

Titans at Lions / Sunday 13:00 ET

Pollard is coming off his second-worst performance of the season despite taking on a sizable workload in Tennessee. Pollard had 8.5 PPR points in last week’s game. 34-10 There was a road loss to Buffalo, mostly because he carried the ball twice in the second half as the game turned into a blowout.

Considering Detroit’s defense has allowed the third-fewest fantasy points to tailbacks (81.7), combined with the fact that this matchup could quickly spiral out of control, it seems likely that Pollard will disappoint again in Week 8.

Other sits: Tampa Bay Buccaneers backfield; Rhamondre Stevenson, New England Patriots

Wide Receivers

Starter: Jaylen Waddle, Miami Dolphins

Cardinals at Dolphins / Sunday at 1pm ET

Like other Dolphins skill position players, Waddle hasn’t been able to start since QB Tua Tagovailoa suffered a concussion in Week 2. The 2021 first-round draft pick has averaged over his last five games. 6.2 His PPR points rank 80th highest among wideouts. Still, with Tagovailoa scheduled to return to the field for this week’s home contest against Arizona, Waddle is worth the risk as a flex play.

It’s impossible to say how Tagovailoa will perform in his first game in over a month and a half, but Miami needs to take advantage of the weak Cardinals defense and get the ball out often. Not only do the unit allow the seventh-most passes per game (247.29), but opposing wide receivers are also averaging the 10th-most fantasy points against Arizona (23.1).

Other starters: Jauan Jennings, San Francisco 49ers; Jayden Reed, Green Bay Packers

Seating: Marvin Harrison Jr., Arizona Cardinals

Cardinals at Dolphins / Sunday at 1pm ET

Looking at the other side of the Dolphins-Cardinals matchup, Harrison has been another frustrating player on a fantasy roster this season. The generational draft prospect did not meet expectations; WR31 general In PPR scoring formats.

But Harrison’s lackluster performance isn’t indicative of his talent. Instead, it’s because the Cardinals have an underwhelming average 190.1 passing yards per game, sixth-fewest among teams. This is not a promising development for Arizona, which is facing Miami’s situation. top pass defenseand it’s even worse for Harrison, where star CB Jalen Ramsey will run most of the game.

Other sits: Jerry Jeudy, Cleveland Browns; Xavier Legette, Carolina Panthers

Tight Ends

Starter: Hunter Henry, New England Patriots

Jets at Patriots / Sunday at 1pm ET

Henry recorded just 2.9 PPR points in New England’s Week 3 road loss to the Jets, but we should expect him to be much more productive this time around. The 29-year-old player was the one who benefited the most from the Patriots’ quarterback change. 11 It was one of 14 targets from rookie Drake Maye for 133 yards and a touchdown in the last two games. Considering New England will likely fall behind early, Henry should be loaded with targets throughout the contest en route to another double-digit fantasy outing.

Other starters: Sam LaPorta, Detroit Lions; Cade Otton, Tampa Bay Pirates

Seating: Mark Andrews, Baltimore Ravens

Ravens at Browns / Sunday at 1pm ET

Those who stuck with Andrews after his struggles to start the season were rewarded in his final two games; TE2 general during this interval. Even so, Andrews’ recent fantasy production has been largely dependent on touchdowns rather than volume, with three touchdowns on eight targets. The limited number of targets makes Andrews unreliable per game against the Browns defense, allowing the fifth-fewest fantasy points per game to tight ends (3.6).

Other sits: Kyle Pitts, Atlanta Falcons; Jonnu Smith, Miami Dolphins