NFL 2025 Week 8 Fantasy Football Best Starts By Position

Welcome to Week 8 of the NFL season. It is also Bye-Apocalypse week. There are six teams on a bye this week, including the Arizona Cardinals, the Detroit Lions, the Jacksonville Jaguars, the Las Vegas Raiders, the Los Angeles Rams, and the Seattle Seahawks. Combine the byes with the murder row of injuries, and well, your season-long fantasy team could be reeling.

So let’s switch it up a little, because with the quantity of players that are missing from lineups this week, all we want is some good news. Like, what is the best start in each position?

Let’s find that out.

Best Quarterback Start

Bo Nix, Denver Broncos v Dallas Cowboys, Broncos -2.5

In reality either quarterback in this matchup is a great start. This game has the second highest total for the week, and while statistically Nix is going up against a weaker secondary, Dak Prescott has proven he is matchup proof.

Back to Nix, it hasn’t looked pretty but somehow he manages to put up the fantasy points in the end. Nix is averaging 20.2 fantasy points per game. In his last three games he has scored 40, 13.4 and 17.9 fantasy points. And now this week he gets the Dallas Cowboys in Denver.

The Cowboys are giving up the most fantasy points per game (25.5) and the most passing yards per game (260.3) to the quarterback position. Oh, and they are also allowing the most rushing yards to the quarterback. That should solidify Nix’s floor as he is trailing only Josh Allen and Justin Fields in rushing yards per game.

AVOID

Tua Tagovailoa, Miami Dolphins @ Atlanta Falcons

This (hopefully) isn’t news but the Dolphins are a dumpster fire right now. Last week Tagovailoa finished with -1.4 fantasy points!! For the season he has thrown 11 touchdowns and 10 interceptions (six coming in his last two games). Now he gets the Falcons whose defense is giving up the second fewest fantasy points to the quarterback position (13.3) while allowing the fewest passing yards per game (141.2).

Best Running Back Start

D’Andre Swift, Chicago Bears @ Baltimore Ravens

Swift has a complicated relationship with the fantasy community. It’s just that there is very little trust between the two. Now might be the time to rethink our part in the fracture. Under Ben Johnson’s scheme, the Bears have the eighth highest run percentage (41%) and since coming out of their bye week have the third highest rate (50%).

The Bears also use an outside zone scheme at the third highest rate. Swift is third in the NFL in yards on outside zone runs averaging 5.7 yards per carry on them.

It also helps that the Ravens are allowing the fifth most fantasy points per game (26.5) to the running back position.

SLEEPER ALERT

Kyle Monangai, Chicago Bears @ Baltimore Ravens

Monangai, carried the ball 13 times last week averaging 6.2 yards per carry and finished with 81 yards, three targets and a touchdown.

This is starting to look alot like Johnson’s use of Jahymr Gibbs and David Montgomery.

Best Wide Receiver Start

Tee Higgins, Cincinnati Bengals, Cincinnati Bengals v New York Jets, Bengals -4.5

The caveat here is if Sauce Gardner passes concussion protocol and is playing. If Gardner plays then he will shadow Ja’Marr Chase, that will leave Brandon Stephens on the other side. Stephens has allowed 19 receptions on 29 targets and has given up three touchdowns in coverage.

This is also about the Bengals upgrade to quarterback Joe Flacco. In his last two games with Flacco, Higgins has amassed 158 yards and a touchdown. In the five games before Flacco, Higgins had 158 receiving yards and two touchdowns (IN FIVE GAMES)!

Now if Gardner is out, Higgins gets a slight downgrade as Chase is commanding a 38% target share with Flacco and has out targeted Higgins 35-18.

Both are viable, Higgins just looks a little better when Gardner is draped on Chase.

I’M NOT SAYING…

Don’t play Chase. He is always in play. Just saying if Gardner is up and ready temper those expectations.

Best Tight End Start

Hunter Henry, New England Patriots, New England Patriots v Cleveland Browns, Patriots -7.5

I am personally a big fan of Henry. It has mostly to do with his 30.4% red zone target share and his 81.7% snap share. Henry has an 80.1% route participation and a 22.7% first read target share.

This week the Patriots go up against a formidable Myles Garrett and the Cleveland Browns defense. The Browns defense is third is passing yards allowed per game (173.7). But they are allowing 213 passing yards when they are on the road (121.3 at home) and they are meh against the tight end position. The Browns are giving up 10.6 fantasy points per game to the position and have allowed four touchdowns to tight ends.

CIRCUMSTANTIALLY BETTER?

Cade Otton, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Tampa Bay Buccaneers @ New Orleans Saints, Buccaneers -6.5

Mike Evans is out, Chris Godwin is out and Baker Mayfield throws the ball on average 37 times a game.

He is familiar with Otton and the ball has to go somewhere.

Fish or Cut Bait

It is Week 8 of your NFL fantasy football season. We have the stats, we have the trends and we have the absolutely ridiculous plays (yes, I’m looking at you Denver Broncos https://youtu.be/r0SV6Cq4Mcc?si=fwhkhPnlkFd1uo-Q).

The only thing we know is the unpredictability is going to happen. Remember the wise words of @LordReebs, “The most likely outcome is one of an infinite number of outcomes.” So play on, play nice and good luck.