Welcome to Fantasy Life’s Start/Sit column, where John Laghezza and Gene Clemons dig deep with non-obvious, outside-the-box lineup advice. John is a numbers guy, Gene is a literal football coach – what more could you want?

Dive deep into the data behind your biggest start/sit dilemmas with our Start/Sit Tool!

Laghezza’s Week 8 RBs to Start: Streaming Austin Ekeler and Jamaal Williams

Using a weighted mix of more than a dozen different advanced stats on each side of the ball, I’ve put every defense in the league on an inverse power rankings, all to help fantasy gamers of every league size get into the right starting/ sit answers.

1. Commanders (against giants) — The Giants continue to develop into the perfect weekly RB magnet and that trend continues on Sunday. Not only is Big Blue dead last in yards/rush (6.2), yards before contact/rush (2.7) and +20-yard carry (8), the offense stinks. Easily a bottom 5 unit, Daniel Jones’ inability to sustain drives doesn’t allow an already struggling defense to get enough rest between shots. Brian Robinson has a ‘start of the week’ feel to him, but I’m in line too Austin Ekeler as a FLEX game, when otherwise he might have been on the bench.

2. Saints (vs. panthers) – Oh, Carolina, just shut it down. Bad gets worst for the now historically bad Panthers, who simply lost whatever talent was left after injuries and trades. Put all your fantasy players against the Panthers, ranking last in rushing success rate (48.1%) and rushing TDs allowed (8). No one is even considering using auto-smash Alvin Kamarabut there may be another secret path here less trodden. Kendre Miller left last weekend’s game injured (again), so I’m bragging Jamal Williams like a deep-league stream with a real chance of finding the end zone.

Laghezza’s Week 8 QBs/WRs/TEs to Start: Meet Grant Calcaterra

1. Eagles (vs. Jaguars) – Philadelphia got healthy at the WR position overnight and reeled off three straight wins with a very leaky Jaguars secondary in their sights. Jacksonville sports the worst pass defense in the NFL, ranking 30th or worse in EPA/dropback (-0.30), opponent passer rating (111.8), passing yards/game (271.1 ), +20-yard completions (34) and passing TDs (17). The best part for fantasy managers? JAX found some swagger on offense as of late, providing the opportunity for maximum returns by pushing this game into shootout territory. Start the obvious 1-2 WR push AJ Brown And DeVonta Smith with a green light on for tight end Grant Calcaterra.

2. Chiefs (vs. buccaneers) — If the pirate shoe fits, wear it. I’ve been using pass catchers all season against tuberculosis – my favorite pass catcher. Check out the average QB line against this Buccaneers defense over the past month: 26 completions, 306 passing yards and 3.5 TD per game with an opponent passer rating of 119 and 19 total +20-yard completions. That’s three top-3 positions in four weeks! Start with your chefs. Travis Kelce should never ride fantasy pine, but make sure you don’t miss any potential games DeAndre Hopkins and most importantly Xavier Waard.

Gene’s Bold Prediction: Start Ray-Ray McCloud, WR, Falcons

This is certainly a deep cut – but I don’t need to tell you to start Mark Andrews, right? The truth is this: If you had better options, you wouldn’t need a bold prediction.

McCloud has played well in his role for the Falcons this season. He has become the team’s de facto WR3 and has as many targets (42) and catches (29) as Kyle Pitts. He’s also good for a few carries, which is surprising considering who Atlanta has at running back, but that’s how good McCloud is with the ball in his hands. The Cowboys offer an intriguing matchup as they have really struggled to stop the ‘others’ in coverage. Two weeks ago, Tim Patrick had three receptions for 68 yards in the Cowboys’ loss to the Lions. Last week, Ricky Pearsall had four catches on four targets. Ray-Ray can reap the benefits of a defense that doesn’t have him as a first or second priority. If you’re looking for someone off the radar, this is a perfect fit.

Laghezza’s week 8 RBs to sit: Benches…James Cook?

1. Broncos (vs. Ravens) – First week in a while not to mention the Ravens’ tendencies above as a true pass funnel. You could base your RBs on season stats alone: ​​82 yards/game, 3.5 yards/rush, 2.3 YAContact/Rush, 5% explosive rush rate and 0, you heard right, 0 +20 yard carry. And as well as this Broncos’ D played at points, no one has solved the Todd Monken-Lamar Jackson partnership this year. If and when Baltimore secures a lead, it’s anyone’s guess where the DEN backfield work goes. Sit the whole bunch, from Javonte Williams Unpleasant Jaleel McLaughlin – all the way down the line.

2. Bills (vs. Dolphins) – The hardest sit risks a big egg on your face, but fortune favors the bold. Wherever I can muster a viable replacement, I’ll put last week’s generic RB1 to the test James Cook (gulp). For starters, this Miami D didn’t get the credit he deserved while carrying the carcass of a Tim Boyle/Tyler Huntley-led offense for a month. Getting healthy during the bye week of week 6 didn’t hurt either; the fins have allowed less than 4 yards/carry since the break. Tua under center should keep it close and shift the Bills’ carry share to Ray Davis – similar to what we saw against the Ravens.

Laghezza’s Week 8 QBs and WR/TEs to sit: Davante Adams rides Pine

1. Jets (vs. Texans) — As a lifelong Jets fan, I want to say… sigh. When is it our turn? Why do we do this to ourselves every year? I don’t know the answer, but here we are again. Apparently the more talent NYJ adds, the worse they get – so feel free to fade at will.

To get serious for a moment, Thursday night’s tilt between the Texans and Jets is all about a molasses-paced rock fight. The Jets in particular move incredibly slowly on offense. It’s a terrible matchup across the board for NYJ pass catchers, facing a top-tier Texans passing defense, allowing just 16.1 completions per game at an absurd 53% completion rate. I know he’s a borderline first-rounder and understand that he and Aaron Rodgers are best friends forever – sit Davante Adams.

2. Patriots (vs. Titans) – I used up all my courage searching Devante Adams for better options, none of which play for the Patriots. Drake Maye brought life to the New England offense before suffering a serious concussion and ceding snaps to Jacoby Brissett. I’m not sure it will make a difference who is under center against the Titans. They suppressed the opposition for eight weeks. Only Josh Allen threw for more than 201 yards, while Keon Coleman remains the only WR to log more than 67 yards in a game. The Pats don’t carry the unflattering honor of having the lowest implied team total this weekend (17) for nothing.

Gene’s Bold Prediction: Sit Javonte Williams, RB, Broncos

As John said above, I would normally tell you to bench a member of the Ravens because of how good this Broncos team has been, but this Ravens offense is different and Lamar Jackson is in control. Denver will have to prove it to me. But this Raven defense has proven to be a legitimate running back flu on a weekly basis – but is that because the run defense is good… or because the pass defense is suspect? Whatever the reason, running backs have struggled to have good games against Baltimore. Nick Chubb, stupid. Ekeler, dude. Chase Brown scored a touchdown on a pass play at the goal line, but it still wasn’t a great day. Cook, man. Dowdle, dude. Zamir, stupid. Pacheco? Reasonable. This Ravens defense knows how to bottle up a running back. Besides the fact that the Ravens defense understands how to bottle up an offense, the Broncos can give Bo Nix a goal-line carry or two because they made him the focal point of the offense. That’s not a good sign for Williams.

John’s parting thought: Let’s go to the circus

Simply put, winning weekly fantasy matchups is all about committing to the highest scoring games. Take a look at this beauty (you might have to zoom in a bit):

When I’m in a pinch, this is my go-to image when I need a thousand words. If all else fails, head towards circus music. I’ve mapped out the entire league’s points with points allowed as a simple reference tool:

Gene’s parting thought: It’s trading season

We are in the middle of ‘trading season’. Either you are satisfied with your team and want to strengthen the reserves, or you urgently need help. We’re halfway through a fantasy season, so it’s not ridiculous to hit the panic button — but what if you didn’t? That would be a much wiser move. Look for the other desperate fantasy managers and know that they think like you, but may not be as ready. Here’s how to turn your team around in the middle of a subpar season. Happy hunting and good luck to everyone’s team!