If you play in a standard 14-week regular season fantasy football league, you have officially completed half your season. Congratulations! Or … sorry that happened to you. 

Just remember: no matter how well or how poorly it went in your first seven weeks, you can always do exactly the opposite in the next seven weeks. Did you go 2-5 like me? Well, it’s time to go 5-2 and make the playoffs with a points-scored tiebreaker at 7-7! Did you go 4-3 or 3-4? Well … it’s, uh, time to do the opposite of that and make the playoffs with a points-scored tiebreaker at 7-7. All roads lead to a points-scored tiebreaker at 7-7. Dread it, run from it, the points-scored tiebreaker at 7-7 arrives, all the same.

Welcome to start/sit! This week’s intro gimmick (which we’re already well into; you just didn’t know it yet) is about playoff planning and how to best manage your team heading into whatever trade deadline your league may have. Redraft leagues (i.e. normal ones that reset all the players every year) are NOT like the actual NFL, and there are not “buyers” and “sellers” at the deadline like there would be in a dynasty league. Every single team has the same goal, and the level of risk you’re willing to take comes down entirely to your record and current playoff chances.

Say you’re 1-6 or 2-5 and decimated by injuries. You are starting absolute randos at RB1 and 2 every week and don’t have a tight end in sight. It might be worth it to shop Amon-Ra St. Brown for a massive haul of good players, but these types of trades are fraught with danger; be careful. Say instead you’re on the cusp at 4-3 or 3-4 — you probably don’t want to push all the chips in and trade Luther Burden III, who just went off on your bench, for that quarterback upgrade you’ve been eyeing. One thing about fantasy football that takes real time to learn: depth is good, because injuries will happen; it’s just about when they happen and if you’re prepared. Now, onto start/sit for Week 8!

Start: WR Luther Burden III, TE Colston Loveland Chicago Bears 

Speaking of Luther Burden III, I’m back in on the Chicago Bears passing game with Caleb Williams looking every bit the explosive force we were hoping he would be coming back from his hamstring injury. Loveland has become a real focal point of the offense lately, as has Burden, who has been getting (say it with me now) manufactured touches that are just so valuable in fantasy football. With Cole Kmet out for the rest of the season, Loveland is the lone real pass-catching tight end left.

I’m still iffy on Rome Odunze, who made some great plays Thursday night against the Patriots but just hasn’t seen the volume that we need to fire him up week to week. If you have to (or for some reason really want to) start Odunze that’s fine, but he narrowly missed out on making the list this week. Sorry, man.

Start: WR Omar Cooper Jr., New York Jets

He made the start list last week with some trepidatious phrasing but I don’t know why we were even worried: Cooper smashed on Sunday against Miami and he’s making the list this week if for no other reason than I need to do a victory lap. He was my top waiver wire add and he’s one of my top starts this week as well. Back-to-back 100-yard games, a touchdown in each one, I don’t see how you could possibly resist starting Cooper this week unless you have some pathological hatred of the New York Jets or the Indiana Hoosiers. If you do, why did you pick him up? 

Sit: RB RJ Harvey, Denver Broncos

I’ve had enough. This RJ Harvey season has officially gone too far; every single week he gets less and less volume and still somehow scrapes together 10-15 points like he has diplomatic immunity, or something. Harvey played barely over a quarter of the snaps last week and basically doesn’t get any carries. If you start him, you’re gambling on dump offs and some sort of random touchdown. We do not do that around here.

Sit: TE Harold Fannin Jr., Cleveland Browns

It’s weird that I’m saying this because he’s coming off a good game, but Fannin has been far too volatile for my taste this year. Before he registered six catches and 91 yards in Week 7 against the lowly Tennessee Titans, he turned matchups against the Jets and Ravens into two total catches for 13 total yards in two weeks. He had a cluster of touchdowns in Weeks 3 and 4, but otherwise just hasn’t been as big a part of the Browns passing game as I’d hoped which is being funneled through these two rookie wide receivers, KC Concepcion and Denzel Boston.

I liked Fannin a lot coming into the year, and so I’m disappointed to bail like this. But despite Deshaun Watson having conned the league into a 5-2 record, he’s not actually playing well as a passer. Pittsburgh offers a much more professional challenge than Tennessee did.

Start: WR Keenan Allen, Indianapolis Colts

You ever played darts? Yeah, well unless you’re extremely good at darts, you’re kinda just trying to get the thing on the board and are hoping you hit one of the big numbers. That’s basically what we’re doing with Keenan Allen, whose team has decided that everything they did in the last year was a mistake and they’re sorry and have traded Quenton Nelson and DeForest Buckner in an effort to calm the angry football gods. Oh, and Josh Downs has also now requested a trade, so there’s that. It’s all setting up for Keenan Allen, who basically came out of retirement to play for this team, to just catch a bunch of passes from an irrelevant Colts team that doesn’t have its first round pick. Worse ideas have won people weeks in fantasy football.

Sit: RB Omarion Hampton, Los Angeles Chargers

You cannot start Omarion Hampton in fantasy unless both Keaton Mitchell and Kimani Vidal get injured or if Jim Harbaugh specifically goes out of his way to say, "We're going to give Hampton the bulk of the carries going forward.” His role is so minimal that he’s almost guaranteed fewer than 10 points even if he scores a touchdown. 

Start: WR Tre Tucker, Las Vegas Raiders

I talked some smack last week and Tucker responded with another touchdown and a 100-yard game from 12 targets (man). As long as Kirk Cousins is under center, it appears Tre Tucker is going to see lots of volume, but I’m telling you we’ve been here with Tre Tucker before and I promise this won’t continue. But it could continue this week against the Jets. Just … be careful out there guys. 

Sit: All Philadelphia Eagles not named Saquon Barkley

Usually I’m down to look for value as much as the next guy, but assuming DeVonta Smith does not play, Saquon is the only player I’m touching. Tanner McKee has not inspired a great deal of confidence leading this passing game, so I’m good on Dallas Goedert, good on all the wide receivers, let’s just leave this team alone for the rest of the year. They could use some time to reset … it’s been a bad time so far.

Speed round

Start: QB Dak Prescott, Dallas Cowboys

Prescott had been frustrating this year but was excellent against Philadelphia on Monday night and now sees Arizona, which should be gravy.

Start: TE Hunter Henry, New England Patriots

The TE9 has finally made it above 50 percent rostership and should absolutely be in your lineup after four straight double-digit point weeks. 

Sit: RB Zach Charbonnet, Seattle Seahawks

We had this conversation last week, and then Charbonnet … sat himself, but I want to see how this backfield looks before I go anywhere near it.

Sit: WR Xavier Worthy, Kansas City Chiefs

Rashee Rice may return this week, which renders the already-shaky Worthy unplayable in fantasy.

Start: RB Quinshon Judkins, Cleveland Browns

None of it has been pretty, but Judkins gets all the carries you want in fantasy, and so he can always play for your team.

Start: K Will Reichard, Minnesota Vikings

A kicker?! Everyone was talking about Spencer Shrader, but just look at Will Reichard’s stats in fantasy. They’re nuts — if he's out there in your league, get him.