Fantasy Football Week 8 Quarterback Start/Sit: Dak Prescott, Caleb Williams, and More
Three quarterbacks to start and three to sit in Week 8 of the NFL season.
Week 8 has more teams on bye (six) than any other week of the season. The quarterbacks sitting out include Kyler Murray, Jared Goff, Matthew Stafford, and Sam Darnold (we'll give less attention to Geno Smith and Trevor Lawrence).
With fewer options overall and several fantasy starters/rotation guys out, there is more demand and less supply this week than any other. For those in deep leagues or just stretched thin, it could be tough to find a suitable QB.
Let's look at three quarterbacks to start and three to sit in Week 8 of the NFL season. There won't be any obvious names, like Josh Allen; instead, we have six guys below who are worthy fantasy starters some weeks but better left on the bench other weeks. Most stats are from NFL.com.
Use FantasySP's weekly projections to identify the players expected to have the biggest performances and help make all your lineup decisions!
Start
Bo Nix, Denver Broncos vs. Dallas Cowboys
Nix had a huge fantasy line last week, throwing for 279 yards with two touchdowns and no interceptions while adding 48 yards and two more scores on the ground. That made him by far QB1 for Week 7 and was his best performance of the season, also by a wide margin.
Nix hasn't been great in real football, averaging just 6.1 yards per pass attempt and completing 62.5% of his passes, both numbers way down from last season. He is on pace to essentially match his passing and rushing yardage totals from last year, and he has already scored three rushing touchdowns after four TDs in 2024.
He is more of a matchup-dependent player right now, and the matchup couldn't be much better in Week 8. The Cowboys have allowed the second-most yards per pass attempt and the most fantasy points per game to quarterbacks.
Most notably, Dallas has given up 16 touchdown passes with just three interceptions; only the Bengals have allowed more TDs. They haven't been beaten up too bad on the ground, but mobile QBs in Jalen Hurts and the Jayden Daniels/Marcus Mariota combo each went over 60 rushing yards.
This is likely to be a game that matches volume and efficiency, something Nix hasn't done much this year. He'll give that extra boost with his legs as well, making Nix a strong fantasy QB in Week 8.
Michael Penix, Atlanta Falcons vs. Miami Dolphins
Penix has been dealing with a bone bruise on his ankle, but he expects to play this week against Miami. That's good news for fantasy owners, as the Dolphins are one of the worst defensive teams in football. They have given up the fourth-most yards per pass attempt and the sixth-most fantasy points per game to QBs.
Penix has mostly been below average this year. He had two good games in Weeks 4 and 6 (around the Week 5 bye), combining for 563 passing yards on 9.7 per attempt, but his season-long numbers are all middling or worse. He doesn't put up a lot of fantasy points, with just five passing touchdowns, 43 rushing yards, and one score on the ground in six games.
This is a case of a low-level passer and fantasy player with a fantastic matchup. Penix has shown more than the worst quarterbacks (Bryce Young and Dillon Gabriel come to mind), and he has good skill players around him who can help when they do get the ball, so there is some reason for hope.
With such a great matchup, Penix is a low-to-mid-level streamer in Week 8. He will likely find volume against the porous Dolphins, and he might even find more efficiency after mostly struggling in that department. If Penix were to sit out, Kirk Cousins would be a feasible fantasy player.
Caleb Williams, Chicago Bears @ Baltimore Ravens
Williams is QB14, and he has already had his bye. Putting in his weekly average for that bye spot would put him right around QB10, a successful outcome so far for a guy who disappointed wildly last season.
He is throwing for a full yard per attempt more than last season (7.3 versus 6.3) and is on pace to add 5.5 passing touchdowns from 2024. While his rushing volume is down, Williams has already scored twice on the ground after not finding the end zone last season, another fantasy boon.
The matchup sets Williams up for another good week. Baltimore has allowed just the 14th-most yards per pass attempt but the second-most fantasy points per game to quarterbacks. That weak fantasy performance comes from volume and touchdowns: opposing QBs are averaging 255.3 passing yards per game with 14 TDs to just one interception.
While they haven't given up much quarterback rushing, the matchups have been part of that. Both Josh Allen and C.J. Stroud had 30-plus yards on the ground against the Ravens, but Joe Flacco, Jared Goff, Patrick Mahomes, and Matthew Stafford combined for only 17 rushing yards. A more mobile player in Williams could find some room to run.
Sit
Mac Jones or Brock Purdy, San Francisco 49ers @ Houston Texans
It's unclear whether Purdy will be cleared for Week 8. He has missed three straight games and five overall, and Purdy's status moving forward is murky. No matter who starts this week, though, they are probably better left on the bench in fantasy.
Houston has allowed the fourth-fewest yards per pass attempt and the fewest fantasy points per week to quarterbacks. On top of not allowing many yards, Houston has given up just four passing touchdowns and has six interceptions. Quarterbacks have only run for 63 yards in six games against the Texans.
Jones has filled in admirably, averaging 280.8 passing yards per game at 7.2 per attempt while completing 67% of his passes. Over his career, Purdy is at 240.6 yards per game on 8.8 per attempt with a 67.4% completion percentage, more efficient than Jones, but that's why Jones is the backup. He's still a serviceable fantasy streamer.
This is the wrong matchup in which to trust Jones, though (or Purdy, for that matter). The Texans are tough on everyone, and either a backup or a guy returning from a multi-week absence won't line up well for big fantasy production.
Dak Prescott, Dallas Cowboys @ Denver Broncos
It's tough to bench Prescott in fantasy. He is second in the league in passing yards (on a very average 7.3 yards per attempt) and second in touchdown passes (16, with just three interceptions). Much of that came without top receiver CeeDee Lamb on the field.
Lamb is now back, bringing the passing game to full strength. It has been a story of volume more than efficiency, as Prescott is tied for the second-most pass attempts. He is on pace for 629 throws after never reaching 600 previously.
The matchup is the issue here, as the Broncos have given up the eighth-fewest yards per pass attempt and the fourth-fewest fantasy points per week to quarterbacks. Two weeks ago, Denver held the Jets to negative-10 net passing yards including sack yardage. This is one of the best defensive units in the league (though they have been beaten at times).
Prescott is likely to throw the ball a lot in what could end up being a high-scoring game even with Denver's prowess on defense. He could still compete for the top 10 in fantasy, but it's going to be a tough go against the Broncos, leaving fantasy owners better off looking elsewhere if possible (though some won't have a better option).
Tua Tagovailoa, Miami Dolphins @ Atlanta Falcons
We talked a bit about Miami's flailing defense above, and the offense isn't doing much better. They have scored 20 points per game, the eighth fewest in the league. Without Tyreek Hill for the rest of the season, it's hard to tell where the Dolphins are going to find a reprieve.
That poor play extends to Tagovailoa, who is outside the top 20 fantasy QBs while putting up career-worst numbers in most areas. He doesn't run the ball, so when Tua is averaging just 6.4 yards per pass attempt, he's not doing a lot to help the offense.
Atlanta has been one of the best pass defenses so far, allowing the second-fewest yards per pass attempt and the second-fewest fantasy points per game to quarterbacks. They have faced some weaker passers, but the Falcons held Josh Allen to 180 yards, Baker Mayfield to 176, and San Francisco's Jones to 152 last week when he has otherwise averaged 313 per game.
With the Dolphins falling apart all over, Tua won't be a strong fantasy play often. That is truest against the toughest defenses, like Atlanta. Tagovailoa is a must-sit player in Week 8.
