James Conner or Jonathan Taylor: Who should I start in Week 8 Fantasy Football?

Fantasy football managers have to decide who to start as their running back in Week 8 between the ever-present James Conner and the returning Jonathan Taylor. It is a contrasting choice, but they both play on teams that are vying for the top spot in their divisions.

The Cardinals have a 3-4 record coming into Week 8 but know that a win against the Dolphins will improve their record to where they will have the same number of victories as the Seahawks, the current leaders in the NFC West. Losing will also have consequences as their win-loss percentage is identical to the Rams and the 49ers in what is a three-way tie for second place.

The Colts are 4-3 and play AFC South leaders, the Texans, in Week 8. Houston currently has a 5-2 record, so Indianapolis knows that a victory will mean it goes into Week 9 with an identical win-loss column. A loss might not threaten its second spot in the division given the general ineptitude of the Jaguars and Titans this season, but the Colts cannot let the Texans get out of sight.

With such fascinating subplots to consider for fantasy football managers, the choice between Conner and Taylor is not expected to be easy.

Is James Conner a good pick in Week 8?

James Conner comes into this Week 8 matchup with 504 rushing yards and three touchdowns. He averages 4.6 yards per carry and has 109 attempts in seven games this season. His form has varied from one week to the other. He was sensational last week against the Chargers, recording 101 yards on the ground and averaging 5.3 yards per carry.

This was the third time in 2024 that he had reached three figures in rushing yardage, doing so against the Rams and Commanders too. He has not had consecutive games with more than 100 rushing yards this year and had a couple of games where he was restricted to below 25 yards. Considering all of this, fantasy football owners might be confused as to whether to start Conner, especially when Taylor is also available.

Is Jonathan Taylor a good pick in Week 8?

The Colts running back last played in September against the Steelers. In that game, he had 88 rushing yards and scored a touchdown. Prior to that, he had exceeded 100 yards on the ground against both the Packers and the Bears. Overall, he has four touchdowns and 349 yards in four games and 72 attempts, at 4.8 yards per carry.

However, his worst performance came against the Texans in Week 1, when he only had 48 rushing yards at 3 yards per attempt. The Colts face the same opponents in Week 8, and Taylor is coming off a four-week layoff with an ankle injury. In that case, fantasy football managers have to consider whether to go for him or Conner.

Whom should I start between James Conner and Jonathan Taylor in Week 8?

Fantasy football owners could make this decision easier and more analytical by using Sportskeeda's Start/Sit Optimizer. One can see the results for this particular matchup given below.

James Conner vs Jonathan Taylor - Start 'Em Sit' Em - Fantasy Football - Week 8 - 2024 NFL Season - Sportskeeda Optimizer Tool Results

The tool indicates that fantasy football owners should start Taylor over Conner. Their reception stats are similar, but the Colts running back has higher chances of scoring a touchdown and getting more rushing yards. Both of them make sense when considering that Taylor was consistently performing before his injury whereas Conner's performances have varied from one week to the next.