Fantasy Football Week 8 Quarterback Thursday Who Should I Start? Justin Herbert, Jaxson Dart, and More

With Thursday Night Football upon us, Week 8 of the NFL season is about to get underway. That means fantasy football decisions are already starting, as two teams with plenty of viable fantasy players, the Minnesota Vikings and Los Angeles Chargers, are set to square off in LA.

Justin Herbert has been showing up all over our FantasySP start/sit tool. Herbert leads the league in passing yards for a team that started hot but has fallen off. There is a lot expected of the QB, with injuries piling up at running back and on the offensive line, so Herbert is likely to keep throwing the ball plenty.

Let's look at Herbert and four quarterbacks who he has been matched up with often on the start/sit tool. We'll do a head-to-head quick-hit exercise to determine the best starter in each situation. Most stats are from NFL.com.

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Justin Herbert, Los Angeles Chargers vs. Minnesota Vikings

On top of leading the league in passing yards, Herbert is also at the top in pass attempts, throwing the ball 12 more times than anyone else. He has been right in the middle in efficiency, averaging 7.1 yards per pass attempt.

He is also averaging 26.6 rushing yards per game, and while that's nothing huge, it adds a little bonus to his fantasy score each week. He hasn't scored on the ground, but Herbert has thrown 13 touchdowns to six interceptions, all coming together to put him at QB7.

The Vikings have allowed the 10th-most yards per pass attempt but the fifth-fewest fantasy points per game to quarterbacks. That positive fantasy performance comes because Minnesota has given up just eight touchdown passes and an average of 10.5 rushing yards per game to QBs.

Those rushing yards could be a little deceptive: Caleb Williams ran for 58 yards in Week 1, then the group of Michael Penix, Jake Browning, Aaron Rodgers, and Dillon Gabriel combined for just 15 yards over the next four games. Jalen Hurts had negative-10 rushing yards last week, but that had weird circumstances around it, including Hurts taking several big losses while attempting to run out the clock.

If Herbert can use his legs a little bit, as he usually does, and throw with the big volume that he has so far, he has a decent fantasy outlook that makes him a player worth considering.

Jaxson Dart, New York Giants @ Philadelphia Eagles

This matchup would usually point toward sitting Dart, but that has been the case most of his short career, and he keeps putting up big fantasy performances, so I'm done betting against him. Philadelphia has given up the ninth-fewest yards per pass attempt while sitting right in the middle in fantasy points per game given up to quarterbacks.

These teams played two weeks ago in New York; I recommended sitting Dart. He threw for nearly 200 yards on 7.8 yards per attempt with a touchdown and ran for 58 more yards and another score. That put him at QB3 for the week.

Dart hasn't thrown the ball as well, but he averaged more than 50 rushing yards per game during his first three starts. He gained just 11 rushing yards last week but scored a touchdown, his third on the ground.

Advice: Start Jaxson Dart over Justin Herbert. The matchup is just a little more in Dart's favor, and he has been a high-level fantasy player since taking over the starting job, making it hard to doubt him.

Daniel Jones, Indianapolis Colts vs. Tennessee Titans

Another matchup that took place earlier this season, Jones faced the Titans in Week 3 and threw for 228 yards on 9.1 per attempt with a touchdown, adding 27 rushing yards. He didn't have to do a lot on a day in which his team won 41-20.

That was one of Jones' lowest fantasy scores, but he showed the uber-efficiency he has had all season. There is likely to be a similar outcome in this one, as the Titans are one of the lowliest teams in the league, and Indianapolis keeps on rolling.

Tennessee has given up the eighth-most yards per pass attempt but the eighth-fewest fantasy points per week to quarterbacks. That difference comes from a lack of volume; teams don't have to throw much when they are beating up on the Titans. Tennessee has faced the 10th-fewest pass attempts per game, just three more than the team in last place.

Advice: Start Justin Herbert over Daniel Jones because Herbert is likely to get more volume.

Drake Maye, New England Patriots vs. Cleveland Browns

It's hard to pick any holes in Maye's game: he is fantasy QB4, he's averaging nearly 250 passing yards per game on 8.6 per attempt, and he has 12 touchdowns and just two interceptions. Maye is also averaging nearly 30 rushing yards per game and has scored twice on the ground.

The matchup is what could hamper him here, as the Browns are better than average in yards per pass attempt allowed and have given up the third-fewest fantasy points per game to QBs. That better fantasy matchup comes largely because Cleveland doesn't allow QB rushing yards, with just 6.7 per game with no touchdowns.

Advice: Start Justin Herbert over Drake Maye. Maye has the tougher matchup in this one, including facing a group that doesn't give up rushing. It could be a quieter week for the New England quarterback.

Baker Mayfield, Tampa Bay Buccaneers @ New Orleans Saints

Mayfield has played himself into weekly fantasy conciousness. We must take note every week of a guy who was a top-10 fantasy quarterback each of the past two seasons and is on pace to finish in the same range again. He throws and runs the ball, scoring fantasy points multiple ways.

The matchup is also in his favor in this one, as the Saints have allowed the ninth-most yards per pass attempt and the 10th-most fantasy points per week to quarterbacks. New Orleans is one of the worst teams in the league, and even a banged-up Bucs team is likely to find success against them.

Advice: Start Baker Mayfield over Justin Herbert because of his superior matchup.