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No one will sit Drew Brees or Peyton Manning any given week. Week 8 however sees Tom Brady and Ben Roethlisberger spectating with both of their teams having the week off. So who are you going to slide in as a replacement? And which players have unfavourable matchups and should ride the pine? Here are some starters for Week 8.
Start
Lions QB - No telling who it will be, but whoever does get the start should have a good day. The St. Louis Rams have given up a league high 211 points (over 30 PPG). They have only really held 1 offense in check (week 2 against the Redskins). The only other QB to not have success was Garrard, who threw no TDs (MJD picked up the slack). So whether it's Culpepper, Stafford or Stanton, it's worth giving it a look.
QB David Garrard - Despite his struggles, Garrard will put up great numbers this week. He has 5 TD passes in the first 6 games but 3 of those were against the winless Titans. Titans rush defense is still top 10 in the league so look for Garrard to use his perimeter receivers against a banged up Titans secondary.
Favourable Matchups - Philip Rivers vs. OAK, Matt Schaub @ BUF and Jay Cutler vs. CLE
RB LeSean McCoy - With Brian Westbrook going down Monday night with a concussion, McCoy should get plenty of looks. The Eagles host NFC East rivals, the New York Giants this week who are giving up 129 rushing YPG on the road. Even if Westbrook does play, still look for McCoy to get plenty of opportunities with the Eagles offense who love to play the screen game.
RB Tim Hightower - The Arizona Cardinals rush the ball less than anyone in the league. At only 20.2 APG, it's hard to see how they are in the middle of the pack in rushing TDs. However, they face a Panthers defense that have given up over 130 YPG on the ground. Also Hightower is third on the Cards in receptions which means he will get plenty of opportunities.
Favourable Matchups - R. Brown/R. Williams @ NYJ, Kevin Smith vs. STL
Colts WR - Austin Collie or Pierre Garcon. The 49ers defense allows 236 YPG through the air. With Manning that number could increase. Peyton can't go to Wayne and Clark all day. Look for one of these guys to have a great game.
WR Bryant Johnson - I could go through the whole Lions offense, but Johnson should have a breakout game. With Calvin Johnson expected to miss another game, look for Bryant to catch 7+ passes including a trip to the end zone.
Favourable Matchups - Malcom Floyd vs. OAK, Donnie Avery @ DET
TE Owen Daniels - To be honest, he should be a starter every week but if you have him START HIM! They play a top 10 pass defense but with Andre Johnson's status for Sunday's game questionable, Daniels will get a lot of looks. He should have the kind of game he had against San Francisco, 100+ yards and a TD.
Favourable Matchups - Jeff King @ ARZ
Texans Defense - Despite allowing 22.6 PPG, the Texans defense is a go for this week. They play a Bills team who will start their backup QB, didn't look that great against the Panthers week 7. The Texans had a good first half against a better 49ers team and should look to start the same way this week. Hopefully they can finish.
Favourable Matchups - SD DEF vs. OAK, JAX DEF @ TEN
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