8 Big-Name Players You May Want to Bench in Week 8

Jay Cutler, QB, Chicago Bears

I sandbagged him for the third time this season in my weekly Regression Candidates article, and I'm doubling down here. Jay Cutler has been highly outproducing his true performances to the level that he has a 10-spot difference between his Total Net Expected Points (NEP) rank (16th) and his average fantasy scoring rank (6th). He has been one of the most inefficient passers so far this season as well, ranking 27th in Passing NEP per drop back among quarterbacks with 100 or more drop backs on the year. His big boon has been his volume of attempts (he ranks third in drop backs for the season) and some added rushing value on a few scrambles.

Now he gets the New England defense as his challenge in Week 8, a defense that is currently limiting opposing passers to the third-fewest fantasy points in the league and is the seventh-ranked defense in Adjusted Defensive Passing NEP in the league. Without his big possession receiver security blanket, Brandon Marshall, at full health for most of the year as well, it's reasonable to expect Cutler to be a riskier start than most top-10 quarterbacks.