Start Trevor Lawrence: The Jacksonville Jaguars star is on a hot streak and is well-suited to face the Pittsburgh Steelers defense.

Sit Zack Moss: Jonathan Taylor has played only 50% of his team's offensive snaps since his return, but this could be the week he starts taking over the backfield.

Start Nico Collins: The Houston Texans’ top wide receiver has become a weekly must-start because of his recent performances. However, it's especially important to have him in lineups in Week 8, given his matchup.

Estimated reading time: 8 minutes

Deciding who to start or sit in fantasy football can be as easy as looking at the PFF rankings and going with the higher-ranked player. This start ’em, sit ’em column digs a step deeper, looking into why someone you might typically start might not have a good week or why someone overlooked might have a good week. In many cases, it’s the usual starters who should star, but we want to explore the borderline players, too.

Jump to a position group:

QB | RB | WR | TE | DEF/ST | K

QUARTERBACKS

START

Trevor Lawrence, Jacksonville Jaguars

Lawrence got off to a slow start to his season from a fantasy perspective, but he has finished as a top-12 fantasy quarterback in each of the last two weeks.
He’s played relatively well all season, with his 81.8 overall grade ranking eighth among quarterbacks through Week 7.
According to PFF's strength of schedule tool, the Jaguars have the seventh-best matchup for quarterbacks.
The Steelers have allowed 241 passing yards per game, eighth-most among defenses. They line up in man coverage at the seventh-highest rate in the league.
Over the last two seasons, Lawrence has earned an 81.0 passing grade against man coverage compared to a 73.0 grade against zone. His big-time throw rate is 5.6% against man coverage compared to 3.9% against zone.

Jared Goff, Detroit Lions

Goff has been outstanding to start the year, earning an 85.7 overall grade that ranks fifth among all quarterbacks through seven weeks.
However, he’s been hit or miss from a fantasy perspective. He has three games as a top-four fantasy quarterback, but he's also finished outside the top 12 four times.
He’s thrown at least 28 times for 200-plus yards in every game. The big difference between his good and bad fantasy games is his touchdown count.
The three good games came against defenses that have allowed a touchdown on 3.9% of passing attempts. The four bad games came against defenses that have allowed a touchdown on 3.2% of passing attempts.
The Lions have the sixth-best matchup for quarterbacks this week, according to our strength of schedule tool. The Raiders have allowed a touchdown on 4.2% of passing attempts, increasing the odds that Goff can find the end zone multiple times in week 8.
Amon-Ra St. Brown is top-10 among wide receivers in missed tackles forced, while the Raiders have missed a tackle on 15% of their passing plays, the fourth-worst mark among defenses. This increases the chances of St. Brown breaking off a big play for a touchdown.