There is not a lot left to say introduction wise. We are nearly halfway through the NFL season and the fantasy playoffs are fast approaching. Each lineup decision is vital as the season winds down. Every week we do the heavy lifting and put together some IDP players that can help teams get to the promised land.

Lets’ take a look at the Week 8 Start/Sit options. Keep in mind Baltimore and Dallas are on their bye weeks.

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Start

Frank Clark (DL – KC)
It’s taken a while for him to get going, but Clark is beginning to look like the edge-rushing force he was last season. He had a huge Week 7, putting up five solo tackles, two sacks, and a forced fumble. In the past two games, he has been a big-play machine. In that time he has two sacks, two forced fumbles, and a fumble recovery. He is currently putting up high top-15 defensive linemen production in standard scoring formats.

Justin Houston (DL – IND)
The veteran seemed in a bit of a rut from Weeks 2-4 but appears to have put things back on track. Last week, he put up three solo tackles and two sacks. He now has three sacks in the past two games. The return of Jabaal Sheard lining up opposite him seems to have revitalized Houston. The matchup against Denver is a positive one as they just allowed nine sacks to the Chiefs’ defense last week, with defensive linemen accounting for five.

Kwon Alexander (LB – SF)
It has not been the best start to the 2019 season for Alexander in his first year in San Francisco. He has not produced as most IDP pundits (myself included) expected he would through his first six games. He has 30 total tackles and 2.5 big plays. He currently sits outside the top-45 in linebacker scoring in most balanced scoring formats. If there was ever a matchup to jump-start his season this is it. The Panthers’ offense has allowed the third-most points to the linebacker position in this season. They have allowed 147 total tackles along with 22 plays to opposing linebackers.

Benardrick McKinney (LB – HOU)
Through the first seven weeks, McKinney is actually outperforming teammate Zach Cunningham, which is a bit surprising. On the season, he has put up 53 total tackles, half a sack, one forced fumble, and two recovered fumbles. Those are top-20 linebacker totals in most standard scoring formats. The matchup this week is a good one. In the past two games, Oakland has allowed 61 total tackles and three big plays to the linebacker position. Last week, Green Bay linebacker Blake Martinez had 16 total tackles against the Raiders’ offense.

Kevin Byard (DB – TEN)
Byard has been one of the hottest defensive backs in the league over the last three games. In that time, he has put up 17 total tackles, four passes defended, and two interceptions. The interceptions are especially encouraging because he has mainly been a big-play producer over the years. On the season, he has three interceptions and is currently a top-15 defensive back in balanced scoring formats. The matchup this week is a positive one. In the past three weeks, the Buccaneers’ offense has been a top-15 unit in allowing production to opposing defensive backs.

Shawn Williams (DB – CIN)
Despite dealing with a thigh injury, Williams had a very nice Week 7. He finished with seven solo and eight total tackles, which was the fourth time he has reached at least eight tackles in a game this season. On the season, he is putting up top-15 defensive back numbers in balanced scoring formats. He now has tallied 55 total tackles but has yet to register a big play. It’s only a matter of time until he sprinkles in some big-play production. In his career, he has put up 17 big plays, including a defensive touchdown.

Sit

Trey Flowers (DE – DET)
Things continue to trend in the wrong direction for Flowers. Through the first six games, he has posted just 22 total tackles, one sack, and three forced fumbles. The Lions are one of the worst teams in pressuring the quarterback, and he has not been helping matters. On the season he has been credited with just three quarterback hits. He cannot be trusted to bring fantasy value until he strings together a couple of big games. Best to avoid him in Week 8.

Ezekiel Ansah (DE – SEA)
Here we go again. After sitting out practice early last week with an ankle issue, Ansah did get in a limited session late in the week. Then, in news that will surprise no one, he was declared inactive on Sunday. He had managed to play four games in a row and had eight total tackles along with three big plays. Then it’s the same old story. The latest news out of Seattle is that he is considered day-to-day. It’s simply too hard to trust a player that is injury prone at this crucial point in the fantasy season. It’s time to move on from Ansah.

Preston Brown (LB – CIN)
Once a consistent triple-digit tackle producer on a yearly basis, Brown looks like a shell of himself this year. The veteran simply isn’t getting it done this season. Through the first seven games, he has just 43 total tackles and a pair of big plays. Those are not good numbers playing on a defense that sees the field a lot. In recent weeks he has been outplayed by rookie Germaine Pratt, and it feels like just a matter of time until he replaces Brown in the lineup.

Von Miller (LB – DEN)
It may be time to move on from Miller in all but the deepest big-play scoring leagues. Perhaps the loss of Bradley Chubb (ACL) for the season is effecting his game as teams can scheme to simply shut down Miller as the Broncos’ only edge-rushing threat. He’s had one big game, against Jacksonville, in which he posted a pair of sacks. Outside of that, he has been very pedestrian. On the season he has put up just 20 total tackles and 2.5 sacks. Even more concerning is that he has been credited with just seven quarterback hurries through seven weeks.

Quandre Diggs (DB – SEA)
In a bit of a surprise move, the Lions traded Diggs to the Seahawks earlier this week. There are now quite a few questions regarding the Seahawks’ secondary. Is Bradley McDougald’s back injury worse than expected? Are they concerned that Marquise Blair, who played 100% of the snaps last week, isn’t ready for a full-time role? Let’s take a wait and see approach until we see how the Seahawks’ defense intends to utilize Diggs. He has proven to be a solid fantasy producer in the past.

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Walton Spurlin is a featured writer at FantasyPros. For more from Walton, check out his archive and follow him @waltonspurlin.