Bengals vs Redskins: Fantasy football starts and sits for NFL Week 8

The Week 8 matchup between the Bengals and Redskins not only costs the Bengals a home game, but it will cost them a number of fans who either can’t get up that early (6:30 a.m. PT) or won’t skip church (9:30 ET) for a football game. Another thing the game will miss is a chance for the Bengals to see Josh Doctson (who’s now on Injured Reserve), who many fans hoped would fall to the team in the 2016 NFL Draft. But what the game will feature is a bunch of other guys, so let’s evaluate them for fantasy football purposes - it’s what we do. Who should you sit and who should you start on your fantasy team in this early morning Week 8 affair?

ABSOLUTELY START THESE PLAYERS

A.J. Green (Bengals WR) - for the eight time in eight weeks, Green is headlining this ‘must start’ category. He is first in the NFL in receptions, and second in yards. Every week, the advice will be the same: start Green.

FAVORABLE MATCHUP

Kirk Cousins (Redskins QB) - is sixth in passing yards in the NFL, while his 10 touchdowns only rank 11th. Despite the Bengals’ solid showing against the Browns’ fifth string quarterback, the Bengals still have a susceptible passing defense when facing actual first string and second string NFL quarterbacks.

Jordan Reed / Vernon Davis (Redskins TE) face a Bengals’ defense that is the fifth worst in stopping opposing tight ends in fantasy football scoring. If Reed is healthy (he was questionable as of Saturday), he could have a Gronk type of day against the Bengals’ safeties. Keep an eye on inactives list, which will come out at 8:00 a.m. ET.

Jeremy Hill/Giovani Bernard (Bengals RB) get to face off against one of the league’s worst running defenses. The Bengals seem willing to run enough that each could benefit. Both are good starts in Week 8 in London.

MEH, IF YOU MUST

DeSean Jackson/Pierre Garcon/Jamison Crowder (Redskins WR) - They are solid enough receivers in and of themselves, but the Redskins spread the ball between all three of them, plus their tight ends, and running backs. The balance is good for real football, but not so good for trying to pick which player will bring you fantasy success on a weekly basis. Both Crowder and Jackson were dealing with injuries and limited in practice this week. Jackson and Garcon both have just 1 touchdown on the year, while Crowder has 3. None are WR1s Jackson is probably the best bet with Crowder closely behind him. It's best to sit Garcon though who has 329 yards so far this year, the least among the trio.

Chris Thompson (Redskins RB) - The Bengals’ rushing defense has been susceptible this year (118 yards allowed per game), but the Redskins don’t have a dedicated back to take advantage of this. Even though Matt Jones is out for the game, Thompson reportedly won’t be the starter as rookie Rob Kelly is supposedly getting the nod. Though he adds pass catching, and has been more productive of late, it would be a risk to start Thompson. If the Redskins were more of a dedicated running team, this could work, but as it is, it’s a gamble.

UNFAVORABLE MATCHUP

Tyler Eifert (Bengals TE) - The Redskins have only given up one touchdown to a tight end all season, and have prevented any opposing tight ends from reaching 60 receiving yards. Eifert will be the best tight end they have faced all year, but he may not be back at 100 percent.

Andy Dalton (Bengals QB) - Amazingly, the Redskins have only allowed seven passing touchdowns all season. While they haven’t faced a great quarterback yet, that’s still a small number. They only have four interceptions, but if the Bengals can get the running game going, Dalton won’t need to throw much.

SIT

Matt Jones (Redskins RB) - Jones was ruled out on Friday so don’t try to play him while he deals with a knee injury.