FantasyPros Staff | Fri, Oct 24th 2025, 7:11am EDT

Fantasy Football Start/Sit: Chimere Dike, Jonnu Smith, Chase Brown

Week 8 brings the chaos every fantasy football manager dreads: Bye-mageddon. Six teams are on bye, benches are bare, and you’re debating whether starting a backup tight end with one career touchdown is a good idea. Don’t panic — our Featured Pros are here to help you navigate the carnage. From sneaky upside plays to avoid-at-all-cost duds, they’ve got the insight you need to survive the bye-week apocalypse and keep your fantasy season afloat.

Fantasy Football Week 8 Start/Sit Advice

Sleepers

Which player outside of the top 100 in the FantasyPros Flex rankings is a good sleeper start, and why do you think he has upside this week?

Chimere Dike (WR – TEN)

“Chimere Dike was the Titans’ best wide receiver last week against the New England Patriots. The rookie caught all four of his targets for 70 receiving yards, a touchdown and 16.9 PPR fantasy points, setting career highs in receptions, yards, touchdowns and fantasy points. Tennessee might be without Calvin Ridley for the second consecutive week because of a hamstring injury. More importantly, Dike has seen an increase in playing time lately, playing at least 56% of the snaps in back-to-back games. Meanwhile, he faces an Indianapolis Colts defense that has surrendered 40.9 fantasy points per game to wide receivers this year, the most in the NFL. They have given up 213.5 receiving yards, 1.5 touchdowns and 47.8 fantasy points per game to wide receivers since their last matchup against the Titans. Dike is a solid high-upside Flex option if Ridley misses his second consecutive game.”
– Mike Fanelli (FantasyPros)

“Welcome to bye-mageddon, folks, glad to have you here. After last week’s impressive outing, Chimere Dike could be an interesting start this week as the Titans face the Colts at home. Dike hauled in all four of his targets for 70 yards and a score last week versus New England. He now faces a Colts team that is conceding the most points to the receiver position heading into Week 8. If Calvin Ridley remains out of the lineup, Dike could be worth consideration for this week despite the Titans’ — and we will avoid using how Cam Ward described the team —overall ineptitudes.”
– Ed Birdsall (Talking Points Sports)

Jonnu Smith (TE – PIT)

“Jonnu Smith, tight end for the Pittsburgh Steelers, is a good fantasy football sleeper start this week. If you’re in a deep league or need a “boom” Flex play (hoping for upside rather than safe floor), then, yes, Jonnu Smith is worth considering. The matchup is good, his usage is creeping up and fantasy managers could exploit a scenario where he finds the end zone. However, in a typical league (10-12 teams, start one tight end, safe floor preferred), I’d treat him as a low-floor, moderate-upside option — someone you’d start only if your usual tight-end is injured, on a bye week or you’re chasing upside.”
– Jeff Boggis (Fantasy Football Empire)

Duds

Which player inside the top 40 in the FantasyPros Flex rankings is likely to disappoint fantasy managers this week?

Chase Brown (RB – CIN)

“Last week, Chase Brown finished as the RB19, scoring 12 PPR fantasy points, totaling 11 rushing attempts for 108 yards against the Pittsburgh Steelers. Unfortunately, the 12 fantasy points were his highest total since having 13.1 in Week 1 with Joe Burrow under center. He has averaged 9.6 fantasy points per game since Week 1, scoring single-digits in half the contests. More importantly, Brown’s role in the passing game has disappeared, totaling only four receptions for -1 receiving yard with Joe Flacco under center. Meanwhile, he faces a New York Jets defense that has slowed down opposing rushing attacks lately. The Jets have held running backs to 97.2 rushing yards, 0.6 touchdowns, and 18.6 fantasy points per game over the past five weeks, allowing 18.1 or fewer in all but one contest. There is no way I’m trusting Brown as a top-20 running back this week, despite six teams being on bye.”
– Mike Fanelli (FantasyPros)

“Chase Brown gave reason for optimism in Week 7’s game vs Pittsburgh, gaining 108 rushing yards on 11 carries (with a long of 37). The issue, however, was his continued lack of volume – he is averaging 10 carries and three targets since Flacco’s arrival in Cincinnati, which is only slightly more than Samaje Perine (6.5 carries, 1.5 targets). This week, he faces a Jets defense that FantasyPoints ranks 4th against RBs in fantasy points vs expectation. The offensive improvements under Flacco are encouraging, but if you have other options, I would likely wait to see a little more from Brown before putting him back into my starting lineup.”
– Charlie Sisian (The Fantasy DC)

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