Fantasy Football Week 8 Start ‘Em & Sit ‘Em: C.J. Stroud joins QB1 ranks, plus more lineup calls

The 49ers are a mess right now due to injuries heading into Week 8 against Cincinnati. Several key players are likely out against the Bengals.

On Wednesday, quarterback Brock Purdy was placed in the concussion protocol, and he’s likely out. Receiver Deebo Samuel (shoulder) was already expected to miss this game, and left tackle Trent Williams (ankle) missed practice Wednesday after sitting out Week 7 at Minnesota.

Kyle Shanahan said Williams could practice Thursday and still has the chance to play, but if he does then he’ll be protecting Sam Darnold. And with Darnold starting, there are questions now regarding the main Fantasy options for the 49ers.

Thankfully, Christian McCaffrey is fine and remains a must-start Fantasy running back in all leagues. Darnold starting isn’t going to negatively impact McCaffrey — or so we hope.

I also expect Brandon Aiyuk and George Kittle to do well with Darnold. You’re likely not going to have a tight end better than Kittle on your bench or on the waiver wire, and Kittle has been excellent every time Aiyuk or Samuel have been out. Kittle had 16 PPR points in Week 3 against the Giants when Aiyuk was absent, and Kittle had 13 PPR points at Minnesota in Week 7 with Samuel sidelined.

The Bengals have allowed three tight ends to score at least 10.6 PPR points this season, and four tight ends have scored against Cincinnati. Kittle still has top-five upside in all leagues, even with Darnold.

Aiyuk is a little tougher to trust for a couple of reasons. First off, he’s scored 11.6 PPR points or less in three games in a row against Dallas, Cleveland and Minnesota. And with Samuel out against the Vikings, Aiyuk only had five catches for 57 yards on six targets. He also hasn’t scored a touchdown since Week 1.

The Bengals secondary is also solid, and only one No. 1 receiver has scored a touchdown against Cincinnati, which was Marquise Brown in Week 5 when he had 16.1 PPR points. Amari Cooper (6.7 PPR points), Zay Flowers (10.8 PPR points), Puka Nacua (12.2 PPR points), DeAndre Hopkins (10.3 PPR points) and DK Metcalf (10.9 PPR points) all had mediocre games against the Bengals, and Aiyuk might not have a standout outing.

I still like Aiyuk as a borderline starter in all leagues, and he’s a definite starter in three-receiver leagues. Darnold shouldn’t hinder Aiyuk from still posting a quality stat line, and you shouldn’t downgrade Aiyuk because of the quarterback change.

Shanahan should get the best out of Darnold, who will hopefully bring the best out of McCaffrey, Aiyuk and Kittle. Without Purdy, we hope all the main 49ers will be fine, especially if Williams is able to secure the offensive line.

There’s a lot to like about C.J. Stroud in Week 8 at Carolina. He should be fresh coming off the bye. He might get Nathaniel Dell (concussion) back after he was out in Week 6. And Stroud should be motivated to show the Panthers what they missed by not selecting him at No. 1 overall.

Carolina chose Bryce Young with the top selection ahead of Stroud, but Stroud has been the better quarterback so far — in Fantasy and reality. As a Fantasy quarterback, Stroud has scored at least 18.2 Fantasy points in four of his past five games, including three outings with at least 24.6 points. And he should add to his resume against the Panthers.

Carolina has allowed two quarterbacks in a row in Jared Goff and Tua Tagovailoa to score at least 26.1 Fantasy points. Those quarterbacks combined for 498 passing yards, seven total touchdowns and one interception. The Panthers also just placed safety Jeremy Chinn (quadriceps) and pass rusher Yetur Gross-Matos (hamstring) on injured reserve this week.

Stroud should put on a show with Nico Collins, Dell and Dalton Schultz. I like him as a top-10 Fantasy quarterback in all leagues, and he will hopefully prove to the Panthers what they missed by drafting Young with the No. 1 overall pick.

I have some more start/sit recommendations below, but if you’re having trouble deciding between two specific players, check out Heath Cummings’ full Week 8 Fantasy Football projections for multiple formats available at SportsLine.

Seahawks (vs. CLE)

P.J. Walker is starting for the Browns with Deshaun Watson (shoulder) hurt, and that’s a good thing for the Seattle defense. Walker has three interceptions and four sacks in his past two outings, and he should struggle again on the road. Jerome Ford (ankle) is also hurt, and the Seahawks DST should take advantage of the battered Browns offense.

• Lions (vs. LV)
• Texans (at CAR)
• Jets (vs. NYG)
• Falcons (at TEN)

Commanders (vs. PHI)

I liked the Commanders DST in Week 7 at the Giants, and the unit delivered a quality stat line with four sacks, two fumbles and just 14 points allowed. Washington now has at least three sacks in four games in a row, including Week 4 at Philadelphia. But the Commanders also allowed 34 points against the Eagles with no turnovers, and this defense should get shredded this week by Jalen Hurts and Co., even at home.