It is crazy to think, but we are nearly halfway through the 2025 NFL season. Week 8 is upon us, which means fantasy football leagues are beginning to take shape. This week, six NFL teams are on bye: the Detroit Lions, Las Vegas Raiders, Los Angeles Rams, Arizona Cardinals, Seattle Seahawks, and Jacksonville Jaguars.
That is leaving fantasy managers scrambling, with so many stars out of action. The Lions alone remove Jared Goff, Jahmyr Gibbs, David Montgomery, Amon-Ra St. Brown, Jameson Williams, and Sam LaPorta from lineups.
In this article, we will focus solely on quarterbacks. This season, there have been more undrafted fantasy quarterbacks making an unexpected splash than in years past.
Indianapolis Colts' QB Daniel Jones has come out of nowhere to rank QB8. Justin Herbert is one spot ahead of him. Drake Maye ranks third, with Matthew Stafford fifth. All four of those players were consistently drafted outside the top 12 at the position, if at all.
Meanwhile, Josh Allen is QB10. Yeah, that is the fantasy football world we are living in. It begs the question each week: Which ones do you want to start? Which signal-callers should you avoid?
So, let's get to it for Week 8 of the NFL season.
Start Packers QB Jordan Love
The Green Bay Packers are an interesting case study this year. On paper, they are cruising, holding the NFC's best record at 4-1-1. They have a ton of talent on both sides of the ball and at the skill positions.
Yet, when you look deeper, there are some cracks. They are surviving against poor competition, not thriving. That means they are not putting teams away early and solely running the football in the second half. Quarterback Jordan Love is quietly having a very good season.
Through six games, he has 10 passing touchdowns to just two interceptions. He has also added 110 yards on the ground.
In Week 8, the Packers play at Pittsburgh. Storylines galore drip from this matchup, with Aaron Rodgers facing his former team. But Love, who supplanted Rodgers, will be looking to prove the Packers right.
The Steelers have allowed the fifth-most fantasy points to opposing quarterbacks. So, the matchup is solid. But Pittsburgh's offense has been highly efficient this year, which means this should be a close game.
The Packers are favored by three points on Sunday Night Football. In what ought to be a nail-biter, Love should have plenty of success. Feel confident placing him into your starting lineup.
Start Broncos' Bo Nix
Fantasy football managers were excited to draft Denver Broncos quarterback Bo Nix this year. And why not? He broke onto the scene as a rookie and looked better and better as the season progressed. That prompted fantasy managers to draft him in the early-to-mid rounds, much of the time ahead of Patrick Mahomes.
As someone who drafted Mahomes three times after Nix was off the board, I am thrilled.
Nevertheless, Nix is a must-start in Week 8. The second-year pro will face the Dallas Cowboys and their 32nd-ranked pass defense. I know Dallas looked better last week against the Washington Commanders. But that was because their offense did whatever it wanted, building a large lead, allowing their pass rushers to tee off.
The Broncos' defense is far from the Commanders' defense.
Nix has been very inconsistent this year, especially throwing the football. His rushing prowess has given the former Oregon Duck a solid floor. But this week, look for a top-5 finish at the position.
Sit Bears QB Caleb Williams
Fantasy managers who drafted Chicago Bears QB Caleb Williams were likely excited to see what new head coach Ben Johnson could do for him. Thus far, the results are mixed.
On one hand, he has 11 total touchdowns to just three interceptions. But the rest of his metrics have remained rather poor. He is completing just 61 percent of his passes, worse than his rookie season of 62. These days in the NFL, most competent quarterbacks should be completing at least 65 percent.
Williams has the 20th-best QBR at 52.2.
The matchup this week is juicy. The Bears travel to Baltimore to face a banged-up Ravens secondary.
Baltimore has allowed the second-most fantasy points per game to opposing quarterbacks. Williams has shown the ability to have really big games. So, why sit him this week?
I simply do not trust him or this offense. The Ravens are coming off a bye and are a desperate football team. They are 1-5 and three games back of the Steelers in the AFC North.
Quarterback Lamar Jackson is back at practice and may suit up. That would change everything for this game and this defense. You should have safer options than Williams in Week 8.
Sit Jaxson Dart vs. Eagles
The New York Giants' season looked like a dumpster fire early on. Then they benched Russell Wilson for rookie QB Jaxson Dart. He immediately energized the team and the offense.
Dart is coming off the best game of his young career when he put up 34 fantasy points against the Broncos. That is pretty impressive. Now, he faces an Eagles team that he dominated two weeks ago.
Can he duplicate that feat? I doubt it. With so many better options likely available in fantasy football, I think you have to sit Dart in this spot at Lincoln Financial.
