Fantasy Football Start/Sit: Garrett Wilson, Jaylin Noel, A.J. 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?

Jaylin Noel (WR – HOU)

“Jaylin Noel is currently ranked way outside of the top 100. With Nico Collins likely to miss this week’s game, his role should increase. This team looked to him on Monday when Collins went down, and that should continue. He showed up big with a career-high 77 yards, catching four of his seven targets. Most of this came after Collins went down.”
– David Heilman (Sports Gambling Podcast Network)

“Nico Collins is currently in the concussion protocol after a hard hit to the turf. If he misses any period of time, another wide receiver needs to step up. That receiver will be rookie Jaylin Noel. He had been unproductive this season until the Monday night game against Seattle, where he was given more snaps due to Christian Kirk‘s injury and Collins’ aforementioned concussion. He ended the game with four receptions for 77 yards. With the uncertainty at wide receiver in Houston, Noel could step into a prominent role. When Collins returns, Noel could serve as a flexible WR2 for the Texans and C.J. Stroud.”
– Adam Dove (The Fantasy Couriers)

Garrett Wilson (WR – NYJ)

“Garrett Wilson is this week’s ultimate sleeper pick, and yes, this is a bit of a cheat code answer. His fantasy value has tanked outside of the top 100 Flex rankings because of a knee injury that forced him to miss Week 7. If he suits up this week, you’re getting a massive advantage: A bona fide top-40 producer where it appears that he will actually have a competent quarterback throwing to him. The likely switch to veteran Tyrod Taylor is a massive benefit, as seen by Wilson’s previous success with Taylor; this includes a game where he had 10 catches, 84 yards and a touchdown. If Wilson plays, expect elite target volume and a high-end WR1 performance (I’d go as far as to rank him as a top-five receiver this week if he plays and Taylor starts).”
– Luke Renton (The Franchise Tag UK)

Duds

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

A.J. Brown (WR – PHI)

“A.J. Brown will be a big disappointment this week. The divisional matchup against the Giants feels super risky. It was only a fortnight ago that Brown was kept relatively in check with a modest six catches for 80 yards and no scores. That’s a slight warning. But here’s the biggest concern for me: Is Jalen Hurts‘ incredible Week 7 in the passing game finally here to stay, or are we about to see the Eagles’ mediocre offense of the first six weeks again? Far too many question marks this week for Brown.”
– Luke Renton (The Franchise Tag UK)