Quarterback Starts/Sits for Week 8 - QB vs. Pass Rush Matchups for Lineup Decisions

Week 8 of the NFL season is here, and the teams are starting to flesh themselves a little bit more with each passing week. There are still going to be results that surprise everyone, looking at you Chicago, but the teams at the top of the pyramid have slowly started to create a gap between themselves and the field. For the teams that are still hoping to compete for a Super Bowl title, they need to get themselves figured out sooner rather than later.

We had a tough go of things last week. All three of the sit of the week quarterbacks finished as QB13 or better while two of the three starts of the week finished as QB18 or worse. Fixtures of NFL success have struggled this year, and it’s made it more and more difficult to accurately predict who’s going to be successful outside of the top few names at the position. As of right now, you’re hoping your chalky quarterback at the top of the league is healthy and carrying your team on a week-to-week basis.

There's only two quarterbacks that got the week off. Unfortunately, those two quarterbacks are Patrick Mahomes of the Kansas City Chiefs and Justin Herbert of the Los Angeles Chargers. For most people that drafted those guys in single quarterback leagues, you don't have a backup option. Hopefully, one of the guys we discuss this week is available to you to give you someone to fill into your lineups.

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Here Comes Trouble - QB vs. Pass Rush Matchups

Dallas Cowboys Pass Rush vs. Justin Fields

I’m well aware that I’m writing this less than one week after Chicago Bears quarterback Justin Fields just scored more than 20 fantasy points for only the second time in his career against the New England Patriots, and I don’t really care. Fields and the Bears were able to run on the Pats, but I don’t think they’ll have the same level of success against the Dallas Cowboys. 

The Patriots rank 28th in the NFL by DVOA against the run while Dallas is all the way up at 12th. Additionally, Dallas ranks 1st by DVOA against the pass and 2nd overall. This defensive unit has been fantastic all season. The top fantasy outing they’ve allowed to a quarterback in regular scoring was 16.9 to Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts. Their ability to get after the passer takes advantage of guys that like to hold onto the ball, and, through his first two seasons, we’ve seen Fields stand in the pocket a bit too long at times.

Verdict: Sit 'Em

San Francisco 49ers Pass Rush vs. Matthew Stafford

10.9. That is the average number of fantasy points that Los Angeles Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford is scoring per week as of right now. He has yet to score more than 19 points in a game. Last year, through six games, he had already racked up three performances of 20 or more points. Between issues on the offensive line and a lack of weapons outside of wideout Cooper Kupp, it has been a struggle for Stafford on a weekly basis.

Through six games, 10 offensive linemen have taken at least one snap for them, and that number is likely to increase this season with after tackle Joe Noteboom (achilles) was lost for the season. Now, they get a matchup that was one of the toughest for them all season. The San Francisco 49ers sacked Stafford seven times in their Week 4 win. They also registered 11 quarterback hits in the game. This matchup doesn’t figure to be in Stafford’s favor.

Verdict: Sit ‘Em

Jacksonville Jaguars Pass Rush vs. Russell Wilson

The Jacksonville Jaguars defense has lacked teeth the last month of the season, but I’m not trying to back Denver Broncos quarterback Russell Wilson in his first game back from injury. The guy was doing high knees and stretches on the flight to London. Russ has scored more than 20 points just once this season. Meanwhile, he has scored fewer than 14 points in four of his six games played. The Broncos currently rank 22nd in adjusted sack rate, and Russ figures to be even less mobile than he has been this year with his injured hamstring.

The Jags have struggled to generate sacks, as they’re tied for the 3rd-fewest on the year, but they’ve gotten close a good amount thus far. They’re in the top half of the league in hurry and pressure rate, and they’re sixth in knockdown rate. Against a quarterback with limited mobility like Russ, they should have an even better chance of getting after him for a sack or two on the day.

Verdict: Sit ‘Em

Easy on Sunday Morning - QB vs. Pass Rush Matchups

Miami Dolphins Pass Rush vs. Jared Goff

I’m not sure what happened ahead of the New England Patriots game, but something broke the Detroit Lions and quarterback Jared Goff. After scoring 24 or more points in each of the first four games and 35 or more in three out of those four, they’ve scored a combined six points in their last two games. They get a bounceback spot here. He was sacked seven times across those two games, and he’s only been sacked 11 total times on the season.

The Miami Dolphins defense is loaded with talent, but they’re dealing with a ton of injuries. They also aren’t loaded with pass rushers. Their adjusted sack rate is 6.4 percent which puts them just below the middle of the league. I know it sounds crazy, but I’m willing to give Goff the benefit of the doubt on this one. Running back D’Andre Swift is likely to return this week, and wideout Amon-Ra St. Brown should be back in the lineup as well. I think Goff is in a nice spot at home in this one.

Verdict: Start 'Em

Seattle Seahawks Pass Rush vs. Daniel Jones

I’m not 100 percent certain that this isn’t a fever dream of some kind, but New York Giants quarterback Daniel Jones has been serviceable in fantasy this year. He has thrown just two interceptions and only fumbled twice. Last season, in 11 games, he had 14 combined interceptions and lost fumbles. As far as this week goes, the Seattle Seahawks have been one of the league’s worst defenses to start the year, and I don’t see that changing.

Seattle has given up the 11th-most fantasy points per game to opposing QBs. They’ve inflated their sack numbers with strong performances the last couple of weeks as they’ve racked up nine sacks in their last two games after totaling just eight over their first five weeks. This Giants’ team runs the ball a lot which limits the pass rush opportunities for Seattle, but they keep Jones on the move which gives him more of a floor than your average run-heavy team.

Verdict: Start ‘Em

New York Giants Pass Rush vs. Geno Smith

To complete the Week 8 fever dream of starting quarterbacks, we have Seahawks quarterback Geno Smith. Geno is entering the week as QB7. He finds himself ahead of stars such as Justin Herbert, Tom Brady and Aaron Rodgers. A contributing factor to his success has been the offensive line. His adjusted sack rate is 8.7 percent, which is on the higher side of the league, but he’s still only been sacked 16 times with five of those sacks coming against the Arizona Cardinals.

The Giants have been scraping by for wins thanks to a strong running game and the knack for pulling the right strings at the right times. It largely hasn’t been due to their pass rush though. The Giants have the fifth-worst adjusted sack rate at five percent with 13 sacks on the year. They’ve made additions to this front, but they just aren’t built to rush the passer yet. I think Geno can have a solid performance this week.

Verdict: Start 'Em

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