Tank Bigsby, Jalen McMillan, Darnell Mooney: Start ‘Em, Sit ‘Em Picks for Fantasy Football Week 8

Week 8 of the NFL season is upon us and it's time to make some crucial decisions about your starting lineup. With so many players dealing with injuries, there are plenty of fantasy gamers rolling with players they managed to add from the waiver wire.

Tank Bigsby, Jalen McMillan, and Darnell Mooney were not drafted in most redraft leagues but are worth considering at this point in this season. While all three have flashed potential for fantasy purposes, none have established themselves as truly reliable and consistent starting options.

Can you trust Bigsby, McMillan, or Mooney in Week 8? Let's dive in.

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Should I Start Tank Bigsby for Fantasy Football?

After an extremely underwhelming rookie campaign, Tank Bigsby's career outlook was bleak. The Jaguars stuck with him as the primary backup to Travis Etienne, though, and it didn't take long for him to shine in his second professional season.

Through seven weeks, Bigsby is one of the most efficient runners in the league, averaging an impressive 6.2 yards per tote. With Etienne inactive in Week 7, Bigsby was given an increased workload and turned it into 118 yards on the ground and two touchdowns. Etienne was listed as questionable this week but Bigsby appears to be primed for a second consecutive start.

#Jaguars RB Travis Etienne Jr., who is questionable with a hamstring injury, is a long-shot to play today, sources say. Another week of Tank Bigsby.

— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) October 27, 2024

The 22-year-old will face the Green Bay Packers, who have been mediocre against fantasy running backs in 2024. Bigsby's lack of utilization in the passing game could keep him off the field if Jacksonville finds itself trailing early, however.

With Green Bay favored to win on Sunday, it's a bit difficult to project a heavy dose of opportunities for Bigsby. Still, without Etienne, he should get the bulk of the work on the ground and can be started as a low-end RB2 or high-end flex play. He comes in as the RB25 in our half-PPR consensus staff rankings.

Should I Start Jalen McMillan for Fantasy Football?

Although they already had Mike Evans and Chris Godwin on their roster, the Buccaneers spent a third-round NFL Draft selection on Washington product Jalen McMillan earlier this year. After a catastrophic Week 7 in which both Evans and Godwin were injured, Tampa Bay is surely thankful they made that pick.

McMillan didn't accomplish much from a fantasy perspective in Week 7, but his underlying usage gives reason to be optimistic about his prospects moving forward.

All-22 of Jalen McMillan's 8 targets against the Baltimore Ravens.

🔥 17.8% Target Share
🔥 31 Routes
🔥 59.6% Route Participation Rate
🔥 100 Air Yards
🔥 12.5 ADOT

McMillan ran 24.2% of of his snaps in the slot. This equated to 3 balls caught for 15 yards. We just missed a… pic.twitter.com/FD4Zn31YB2

— Bruce Matson (@MetricScout) October 23, 2024

He should be expected to operate as the Bucs' primary slot receiver with Godwin now out for the remainder of the season. In Week 8, McMillan will take on the division-rival Atlanta Falcons, who have surrendered the 11th-most fantasy points per contest to wideouts this year.

We don't have a large enough sample to know who between McMillan, Sterling Shepard, and Trey Palmer will be Baker Mayfield's favorite target, but the rookie offers the most upside of the three. That said, he's a high-risk, high-reward flex option as the WR37 in our half-PPR consensus staff rankings.

Should I Start Darnell Mooney for Fantasy Football?

Back in Week 5, Darnell Mooney exploded for 105 yards and two scores against the Buccaneers. Can he repeat this success in the same matchup this week?

Unfortunately, we may not get the same thrilling game environment we were treated to three weeks ago. As previously mentioned, Mike Evans and Chris Godwin are injured, so it's reasonable to expect Tampa Bay to regress a bit offensively.

Regardless, Mooney has been productive more often than not this season and has a favorable matchup on tap.

The BEST WR Matchups for Week 8:

DJ Moore (Emmanuel Forbes)
George Pickens (Deonte Banks)
Drake London (Zyon McCollum)
Romeo Doubs (Tyson Campbell)
Darnell Mooney (Tyrek Funderburk)
Davante Adams (Christian Gonzalez)
Jaylen Waddle (Starling Thomas)
Jayden Reed (Jarrian Jones)

— Chris O'Brien (@17gamepace) October 25, 2024

Tampa Bay is allowing the sixth-most fantasy points per game to opposing receivers. As long as the Buccaneers, who are 1.5-point underdogs at home, can keep this one close, Mooney should be involved.

There's a lot to like about Mooney this week, which is why he projects to be a great flex play as the WR31 in our half-PPR consensus staff rankings.

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