Whether or not you carefully planned out your roster on a weekly basis before the season doesn’t matter. Sometimes the truth is harsh, and it just needs to be said. Unfortunately, what we thought was going to happen in the 2026 fantasy football season. Injuries and unexpected performances, both good and bad, lead to weekly roster turnover. That could leave you in an interesting situation when you are setting up your NFL Week 8 starting lineup, though. However, there’s no need to worry, as that’s what we are here for. Heading into Week 8 of the NFL season, let’s take a look at some of those fantasy football sneaky starts.
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Sneaky Starts for Week 8 of Fantasy Football
Geno Smith, QB, New York Jets
Somebody, please check on me. I think I’ve lost my mind and all semblance of reality. Recommend Smith as a sneaky starter? Take away my access.
Alright, now, let me explain.
Yes, there was no way in which the Jets should have lost last week to the previously winless Miami Dolphins. We also know that Garrett Wilson is one of the better receivers in the league, and he was targeted just three times in that game. He caught only two passes for 26 yards, but for the season, his 37 catches for 444 yards and three touchdowns could be worse. Once again, all the Jets talked about was the need to get Wilson the ball more. With the coaching staff on the hot seat, could this be the week it actually happens? We know Wilson is capable, and the good news is that the Las Vegas Raiders are a willing opponent.
Smith does get credit for rookie receiver Omar Cooper eclipsing the 100-yard mark in consecutive games. Mason Taylor was also impressive last week with two touchdowns. Then there’s the likely return of Breece Hall and the presence of Kenyon Sadiq.
There were weapons in abundance for Smith to work with, and he’s been a high-end QB2 this season. He faces a Raiders team that ranks around the top-5 in most fantasy points allowed to opposing quarterbacks this season. They also have to come east for a 10 AM PST start.
With 1,623 passing yards and 10 touchdowns, Smith has shown the ability to move the ball down the field. That should continue in Week 8.
Kyler Murray, QB, Minnesota Vikings
The Vikings are undefeated, and Murray isn’t receiving that much credit. He has one of the best weapons in the league, Justin Jefferson, but the stud receiver has yet to truly break out this season. What can make it all better?
Facing the Detroit Lions and their defense that is on the fringe of being the league’s worst. We should acknowledge that Brian Branch did return last week, but there are still questions with the Lions’ defense. The strength for the Vikings is their defense, but game flow should still support production through the air.
To this point, Murray has generally played not to lose. Now, he has to play to win. In essentially four games, Murray has 812 passing yards and three touchdowns with 25 carries for an additional 132 yards. This could be his best game of the season. Now, just get the ball to Jefferson.
Rachaad White, RB, Washington Commanders
With Jacory Croskey-Merritt on Injured Reserve with a groin injury, the backfield now belongs to White. The latter has four games with seven carries, while in one game, he had a season high with eight carries. It’s not especially surprising, as it was a joint backfield situation with White more of the receiving option.
It’s not like he can’t carry the ball, though, as he was averaging four yards per carry. That should establish the floor we can expect. With 14 catches for 83 yards and two touchdowns, that’s where White’s value truly stands. This week, it’s a solid matchup against the Philadelphia Eagles, who are allowing 119 rushing yards per game, and White should have the ball in his hands as much as he can handle. Coming back off Washington’s bye week, getting Jayden Daniels back should help as well.
Elijah Mitchell, RB, Philadelphia Eagles
Damien Pierce, we hardly knew you. At this point, what’s another injured Eagles running back? Pierce was placed on Injured Reserve heading into Week 8, and the health outlook for Saquon Barkley doesn’t generate much optimism.
Yes, we are, once again, in last man standing territory. However, we are greedy, and it’s playing time we are after. Based on that, Mitchell figures to be busy this week against the Washington Commanders. Mitchell really only entered late in the game, and he touched the ball for the first time this season.
Mitchel gained 11 yards on three carries, but more notably, he caught three passes for 23 yards. There’s value in that, and it’s also helpful as Tanner McKee now leads their offensive attack. From a matchup perspective, the Commanders are allowing 101 rushing yards per game, which puts them in the middle of the pack. Even if it’s by default, it’s Mitchell who’s slated to account for most, if not all, of them.
Tre Tucker, WR, Las Vegas Raiders
This shouldn’t be sneaky, but too many fantasy football managers are sleeping on Tucker. And that’s just wrong.
In Fantrax leagues, Tucker is now rostered in 88% of the league after seeing a six percent surge this week. What’s truly startling, though, is that Tucker is rostered in just 68.3% of ESPN leagues, after a 7.3% increase, and starting in only 39.2% of leagues. Starting Tucker isn’t something that should be sneaky, but here we are.
Yes, Tucker plays for the Raiders and has Kirk Cousins as his quarterback, but he’s a legit WR2 this season. Now, it’s time we treat him as such.
After catching five passes for 103 yards and his fifth touchdown, Tucker is on his way towards the best season of his career. Cousins looked his way 12 times last week, and Tucker has been targeted 47 times this season. He has 29 catches for 474 yards, and he’s the clear number one receiver; yes, I know Brock Bowers also has a large role in Las Vegas. In a solid matchup against the New York Jets in Week 8, I’d expect Tucker’s success to continue.
Caleb Douglas, WR, Miami Dolphins
Call it sneaky, call it a dart throw, or call it crazy. You can take your pick here, but Douglas does have my attention.
Full disclosure, it was really one play last week that caught my eye. Douglas exploded for a 63-yard touchdown catch and showed the full breadth of what he’s capable of. In just his third game of the season, Douglas showed that there shouldn’t be any lingering health concerns. Each of his receptions, he was only targeted, went for touchdowns.
Overall, Douglas has nine catches on 13 targets, for 183 yards and those two touchdowns. The Dolphins don’t look to pass often, but perhaps they should a little more. And when it does occur, it’s Douglas who should be on the receiving end. Miami should be trailing once again this week against the New England Patriots, so let’s turn Douglas loose. The Patriots are allowing 8.8 yards per target and there’s nothing wrong with trying to take advantage of it.
Brenton Strange, TE, Jacksonville Jaguars
Trevor Lawrence has proven capable of supporting multiple receivers, and there’s a chemistry with Strange. Prior to Jacksonville’s Week 7, Strange began to settle in and find his groove. He was targeted 23 times and came through with 19 receptions for 207 yards. This isn’t the first time we’ve seen Strange have success, so nothing about his recent performance should come as a surprise.
If you want to criticize Strange, you can based on the fact that he hasn’t caught a touchdown pass since Week 1. We can rejoice in the fact, though, that the Indianapolis Colts, this week’s opponent, have allowed five receiving touchdowns to tight ends so far this season.
Make sure to check out all of our Week 8 Fantasy Football Rankings and Analysis!
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