Unfortunately, Week 7 smashed me and my projected smash starts with only David Njoku and the Washington Commanders’ defense stepping up. The Week 8 bounceback is real and will assist fantasy managers in getting back in the winning column.

Let’s check out which players you must have in your Week 8 lineups to enjoy the thrill of victory.

Fantasy Football Smash Starts for Week 8

Quarterback

Brock Purdy (QB – SF) vs. Dallas

Brock Purdy is coming off one of the worst outings in his career, throwing three interceptions in the 49ers’ Week 7 loss to the Kansas City Chiefs. However, he will not face a similar pass rush against the Dallas Cowboys this week. Injuries have decimated the Cowboys’ defense, and they are now in the bottom 10 in fantasy points allowed to quarterbacks.

Speaking of injuries, the 49ers offense has also been stricken with significant injuries, including losing wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk to a season-ending torn ACL. However, Deebo Samuel and George Kittle will play this week, providing Purdy enough ammunition to ignite the dismal Cowboys defense.

Running Back

James Conner (RB – ARI) at Miami

After struggling in his Week 6 matchup against the Green Bay Packers, James Conner looked spry and full of juice last week against the Los Angeles Chargers’ defense. Conner ran 19 times for 101 yards for a 5.32 yards per attempt average and caught two passes for 51 yards.

Week 8 has the Cardinals visiting Miami to take on a Dolphins defense that has allowed the seventh-most fantasy points to running backs. The Cardinals offense is struggling to find its groove. There is no better way to open up an offense but to get your running game going and feed off of it. Look for another 100-yard rushing game from Conner and a paydirt trip.

James Cook (RB – BUF) at Seattle

James Cook started the season on fire but has cooled down recently. The cooldown could be attributed to a toe injury that forced him out of the lineup or the emergence of rookie running back Ray Davis. Still, we witnessed a score in each of his past two games. He will look to continue his RB1 production when he takes on the Seattle Seahawks in Week 8. They rank 29th in rushing yards allowed, with rushers averaging 5.0 yards per carry.

The Bills’ offense should attack the Seattle rush defense to help open the passing game for the Bills, who want to display their shiny new toy in Amari Cooper. He should know more of the Bills’ offensive plays.

Javonte Williams (RB – DEN) VS. Carolina

We finally saw Javonte Williams, who we had been waiting to see last week, in the Denver Broncos’ thrashing of the New Orleans Saints on Thursday Night Football. Williams looked explosive while averaging 6.3 yards per carry and scoring a pair of touchdowns.

The Broncos should have their way this week against the woeful Carolina Panthers. The Panthers will be without quarterback Andy Dalton and wide receivers Diontae Johnson and Adam Thielen. They will be forced to start Bryce Young behind center, which bodes very well for the Broncos’ defense Javonte Williams. Williams should see plenty of looks to pad the stats this week.

Wide Receiver

Stefon Diggs (WR – HOU) vs. Indianapolis

C.J. Stroud and the Houston Texans offense will look to bounce back after a dismal Week 7 performance, in which the team passed for only 96 yards. In this week’s matchup, Stroud takes on a Colts defense that ranks 17th in fantasy points allowed to wide receivers.

Stefon Diggs has stepped into the No. 1 wide receiver role with Nico Collins still on injured reserve (IR). Diggs has produced six receptions per game on 7.7 targets. In their Week 1 matchup, Diggs produced two touchdowns against the Colts. Look for Diggs to shine again this week in this pivotal AFC South matchup.

Brian Thomas Jr. (WR – JAX) vs. Green Bay

The rookie wideout out of LSU is rising in the wide receiver ranks. His climb results from scoring touchdowns in three out of the last four games. In addition, Brian Thomas Jr. has scored at least 20 fantasy points in three of his previous four games.

The Jaguars return stateside to take on the Green Bay Packers this week. Although Trevor Lawrence is still trying to find his groove this season, Lawrence can always count on his rookie wideout.

Tight End

Mark Andrews (TE – BAL) at Cleveland

The demise of Mark Andrews was overly exaggerated. He started slowly but produced top-three tight end numbers over the past few weeks. In Week 6, Andrews caught three passes for 66 yards and a score. Andrews followed that triumphant return to fantasy relevance by turning his four catches into 41 yards and two scores last week.

Week 8 has the Ravens visiting the Browns, who are in a downward spiral with many players already giving up on the season. The Ravens will continue their offensive onslaught and build upon their standing as the top scoring team in the NFL by destroying the Browns. Andrews will play a massive part.

Defense

Green Bay Packers D/ST at Jacksonville

The Packers rank as the third-highest-scoring fantasy defense but somehow they barely rank as a top-10 defense in this week’s fantasy football rankings in their matchup against the Jacksonville Jaguars. The Packers lead the league with 17 takeaways and average three sacks per game. Trevor Lawrence’s struggles were mentioned earlier. Look for those struggles to continue this week.

Dennis Sosic is a featured writer at FantasyPros. For more from Dennis, check out his archive and follow him @CALL_ME_SOS.