As we approach the mid-way point of the 2023 NFL season, it's hard to avoid one pretty obvious conclusion right now: C.J. Stroud probably should have been the No. 1 pick ahead of Bryce Young in the NFL Draft. And he's going to have a chance to prove it to the folks who passed on him this week.

That's a fun narrative, and I'm sure Stroud is looking forward to the opportunity to prove the Panthers made a mistake when he goes up against them this week. But that's not why Stroud is a great start this week. He's a great start because, well, the Panthers just haven't been very good this season. 

The Panthers traded up to take Bryce Young at No. 1, and it's been a struggle for Young, who has six touchdowns and four interceptions through his first five games for a team that still looks badly overmatched most weeks. Stroud, on the other hand, has nine touchdowns to just one interception in six games, while playing on a Texans offense that suddenly has a pretty dynamic, deep receiving corps to go along with their young franchise QB. 

And things aren't going much better on the other side of the ball for the Panthers. They're allowing the ninth-highest passer rating, sixth-highest yards per attempt, and the third-highest touchdown rate to opposing quarterbacks. They're only middle of the pack in Fantasy points allowed to quarterbacks because they're averaging the second-fewest pass attempts of any team against them. 

Which is to say, the biggest risk to Stroud's Fantasy appeal in Week 8 might be that the Texans get up too big too quickly for him to put up a full game's worth of stats. But that's a risk we're willing to take. Stroud should be in your Fantasy lineups this week, and Jamey Eisenberg's Start 'Em & Sit 'Em column has more about why Stroud is a must-start option this week, as he's tabbed the rookie as his Start of the Week . The rest of tonight's newsletter has start/sit calls for every position to help you make the best decisions possible. Tomorrow, we'll have our preview of every game on the Week 9 schedule, with more start and sit calls, the latest injury news, and more: 

• Week 8 Position Previews: QB | RB |  WR |  TE
• Jamey, Dave, Heath's Rankings
• My Week 8 Rankings:  QB |  RB | WR | TE
  

Start 'Em: Matthew Stafford and Joe Burrow

"Road Goff showed up again in Week 7 at Baltimore when he scored a season-low 9.4 Fantasy points, and he has now scored 16.0 points or less in three of four games away from Detroit this year. By comparison, Goff has scored at least 20.0 Fantasy points in all three home games, and he's averaging 27.4 points in Detroit. The Raiders have been great against opposing quarterbacks for the past three weeks, holding Jordan Love, Mac Jones and Tyson Bagent to 14.5 Fantasy points or less. But this is a step up in competition, and Goff should be fine in his own surroundings once again. I like Goff as a top-10 Fantasy quarterback in Week 8.."

Sit 'Em: Geno Smith and Sam Howell

"Smith has not been a good Fantasy quarterback this season, and he's scored 17.8 Fantasy points in all but one game. I'm not expecting him to have a breakout performance in Week 8 against the Browns, who allow an average of just 15.5 Fantasy points per game to opposing quarterbacks. Cleveland just gave up a huge outing to Gardner Minshew in Week 7 (31.1 Fantasy points), and Lamar Jackson also had 32.9 Fantasy points against the Browns in Week 4. Both of those quarterbacks scored two rushing touchdowns against Cleveland, and Smith has done minimal damage with his legs this year (20 rushing yards or less in each game and no rushing scores). I would only start Smith in Superflex and two-quarterback leagues in Week 8."

Start 'Em: D'Onta Foreman and Rhamondre Stevenson

"I liked Foreman in Week 7 against the Raiders, but I didn't expect him to score three total touchdowns and finish with 33.0 PPR points. What I liked the most was 19 total touches, including three catches on five targets. It appears like Tyson Bagent will lean on Foreman in the passing game, although we'll see if Roschon Johnson (concussion) is able to play this week. But Foreman should remain the lead running back for the Bears no matter what happens with Johnson against the Chargers, who have allowed a running back to score at least 13.0 PPR points in all six games this season. Foreman is worth starting as a No. 2 running back in all leagues."

Sit 'Em: Brian Robinson and Miles Sanders

"Robinson scored a touchdown at the Eagles in Week 4, but he only managed 14 carries for 45 yards and two catches for 6 yards on two targets. He's scored a touchdown in three of his past four games, which has saved his Fantasy production, but he's combined for just 106 rushing yards and 59 receiving yards over that span. We'll see if he can score another touchdown against the Eagles in Week 8, but he's now sharing touches with Antonio Gibson and Chris Rodriguez Jr., which is clearly a problem. And Philadelphia just shut down Raheem Mostert in Week 7, holding him to nine carries for 45 yards and one catch for 6 yards on three targets."

Start 'Em: Nico Collins and George Pickens

"The Panthers have struggled with No. 1 receivers for most of this season, and I expect that to continue in Week 8 against Collins. Starting in Week 2, Chris Olave (14.6 PPR points), DK Metcalf (17.2 PPR points), Justin Jefferson (26.5 PPR points), Josh Reynolds (17.6 PPR points with Amon-Ra St. Brown out) and Tyreek Hill (28.3 PPR points) have all crushed Carolina's secondary. Collins should follow suit, and he has at least 12.0 PPR points in four of six games this season. I like him as a top-15 Fantasy receiver in all leagues for Week 8."

Sit 'Em: Amari Cooper and Jerry Jeudy

"Without Deshaun Watson (shoulder), Cooper has one good reception in his past three games against Baltimore, San Francisco and Indianapolis. He had a 58-yard reception in Week 6 against San Francisco, which helped him finish with four catches for 108 yards on eight targets. Without that reception, he has six catches for 88 yards in his past three outings. P.J. Walker is starting again for the Browns at Seattle, and Cooper is just a No. 3 Fantasy receiver at best in the majority of leagues."

Start 'Em: Kyle Pitts

"Pitts was disappointing in Week 7 at Tampa Bay with three catches for 47 yards on four targets, but I expect him to rebound against the Titans. Tennessee just traded standout safety Kevin Byard to Philadelphia, and Pitts was great prior to facing the Buccaneers, who are among the best teams at stopping tight ends. In two games prior to Week 7, Pitts scored at least 14.3 PPR points in each outing against Houston and Washington, and I expect him to get back on track in Week 8. The Titans have yet to allow a tight end to score a touchdown this season, but I'm expecting this secondary to struggle with Byard gone."

Sit 'Em: Cole Kmet

"Kmet did not benefit from Tyson Bagent starting in place of the injured Justin Fields (thumb) in Week 7 against Las Vegas. In fact, it was awful as Kmet had no targets. Hopefully he'll have more involvement in Week 8 at the Chargers with Bagent starting again, but Kmet also had just two catches for 9 yards on three targets against Minnesota in the game where Fields was injured. Until Fields is back, keep Kmet on your bench in the majority of leagues., who are No. 4 in fewest Fantasy points allowed to opposing tight ends."

Start 'Em: Seahawks vs. CLE

"P.J. Walker is starting for the Browns with Deshaun Watson (shoulder) hurt, and that's a good thing for the Seattle defense. Walker has three interceptions and four sacks in his past two outings, and he should struggle again on the road. Jerome Ford (ankle) is also hurt, and the Seahawks DST should take advantage of the battered Browns offense. just had three interceptions at Jacksonville in Week 6. Minshew has also been sacked eight times in the two games he started this season."

Sit 'Em: Commanders vs. PHI

"I liked the Commanders DST in Week 7 at the Giants, and the unit delivered a quality stat line with four sacks, two fumbles and just 14 points allowed. Washington now has at least three sacks in four games in a row, including Week 4 at Philadelphia. But the Commanders also allowed 34 points against the Eagles with no turnovers, and this defense should get shredded this week by Jalen Hurts and Co., even at home."