Week 8 Monday Night Football Fantasy Picks: Start 'Em, Sit 'Em for Bengals vs Browns

Week 8 of the 2022 NFL season concludes with an exciting divisional matchup between the Cincinnati Bengals and Cleveland Browns on Monday Night Football. FanDuel Sportsbook's NFL odds list the Bengals as 3.5-point road favorites over the Browns.

If you need some help with your fantasy lineups, here's our start 'em, sit 'em advice for this Week 8 Monday Night Football matchup.

Tyler Boyd Fantasy

Start Tyler Boyd, WR, Cincinnati Bengals: There's no denying that wide receiver Ja'Marr Chase's injury is a big blow to Cincinnati's offense, as he was averaging a reliable 86.4 yards on 6.7 receptions per game this year before going down. It's the exact reason the Bengals have built depth at the position, though, and they will now call upon veteran Tyler Boyd to step up in his absence. Boyd is fresh off his best game of the year after hauling in 8-of-9 targets for 155 receiving yards and a touchdown, topping 100 yards for the second time this season. The Browns do not present as a home run matchup, but they do allow the second-most yards per completion in the NFL (11.8). Boyd only needs a few big gains to outperform expectations here.

Harrison Bryant Fantasy

Start Harrison Bryant, TE, Cleveland Browns: Fantasy managers stuck having to stream a tight end tonight should bank on Harrison Bryant's upside. David Njoku will not be suiting up for this game due to an ankle injury, meaning Bryant will see extended snaps and take the place of a player that averaged 6.0 targets per game through the first seven weeks. He draws a great matchup against a Cincinnati defense that has allowed the 12th-most receiving yards to opposing TEs (399). The Browns are 3.5-point underdogs here, which means they could be forced to throw more often than usual if they find themselves playing from behind. Look for quarterback Jacoby Brissett to lean on Bryant as his safety valve.

Hayden Hurst Fantasy

Sit Hayden Hurst, TE, Cincinnati Bengals: As mentioned above, Bryant has the most upside at the TE position tonight. Fantasy managers should not be trusting Hayden Hurst in a tough matchup here, however. The Browns are allowing the fifth-fewest PPR points to opposing TEs and have given up just 1 touchdown to the position. Hurst has scored just 2 touchdowns this year while topping 50 receiving yards only once. He is also averaging a career-low 7.8 yards per reception in 2022 -- a number that has declined every year since he debuted in 2018. Hurst's short routes and inability to rack up yards after the catch both limit his fantasy ceiling, so avoid starting him here if possible.

Kareem Hunt Fantasy

Sit Kareem Hunt, RB, Cleveland Browns: The NFL trade deadline is right around the corner and the Browns have expressed that they are willing to deal running back Kareem Hunt. That possibility means Hunt could be in for a smaller workload tonight to reduce his injury risk. It's worth mentioning this is also a horrendous matchup for Hunt. Cincinnati is allowing the second-fewest PPR fantasy points to opposing RBs and has given up just 2 rushing touchdowns to the position. Hunt has seen only 10 total touches over his last two games combined, taking a back seat to Nick Chubb.

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Larry Rupp is not a FanDuel employee. In addition to providing DFS gameplay advice, Larry Rupp also participates in DFS contests on FanDuel using his personal account, username phillyfan424. While the strategies and player selections recommended in his articles are his personal views, he may deploy different strategies and player selections when entering contests with his personal account. The views expressed in their articles are the author's alone and do not necessarily reflect the views of FanDuel. 

Game odds refresh periodically and are subject to change.