Fantasy Football Week 8: Biggest Sleepers at Every Position
In Week 8, fantasy managers will work with full rosters without concern for teams on a bye. Yet you may need to consider sleeper options with several underachieving players on your roster like Dak Prescott, Aaron Jones, Tee Higgins and Kyle Pitts.
No rookies made the sleeper list this week, but we're going to take you back to the 2019 draft instead. Two forgotten running backs from that class have favorable matchups after handling solid workloads in their most recent outings.
We also have a unique quarterback-tight end stack that can help you win matchups. The tight end in that combination also has long-term upside.
Lastly, a fading star wide receiver may have the perfect opportunity to shine again.
All of our selections are available in more than 50 percent of point-per-reception leagues based on FantasyPros' consensus percentages.
QB Derek Carr at Indianapolis Colts (26 Percent Rostered)
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We know. Derek Carr has issues with his red-zone efficiency, Taysom Hill may become the go-to option on the ground when the New Orleans Saints advance the ball inside the opponent's 20-yard line.
Nonetheless, Carr has thrown for 300-plus yards in back-to-back games, and he'll face the Indianapolis Colts' 19th-ranked pass defense. By the way, the Colts give up the third-most points per game leaguewide, so we could see the Saints offense having a breakout outing with Carr under center.
Even though wideout Chris Olave spent a short time in jail for reckless operation of a motor vehicle on Monday, he may not be disciplined by the league this week or at all.
As Ross Jackson of Locked On Saints Podcast recalled, the NFL didn't suspend wide receivers Marquise Brown or Jordan Addison for similar road violations.
Even if the Saints discipline Olave, Carr still has a healthy Michael Thomas and speedy wide receiver Rashid Shaheed to pick apart the Colts secondary. Also, Carr has targeted running back Alvin Kamara at a high rate in the short passing game. Last week, Kamara caught 12 out of 14 targets for 91 yards.
Carr has more than enough offensive playmakers to carve up a shaky Colts pass defense.
QB Desmond Ridder at Tennessee Titans (10 percent Rostered)
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Second-year quarterback Desmond Ridder has gone through his ups and downs, but he should be rostered in more leagues because of his recent performances.
In each of his past three outings, Ridder has thrown for at least 250 yards in a run-first offense that ranks fifth in total carries. In that same stretch, he scored two rushing touchdowns and has three for the season.
On Sunday, Ridder gets an enticing matchup with the Tennessee Titans' 22nd-ranked pass defense that may get worse without two-time All-Pro Kevin Byard, whom the team traded to the Philadelphia Eagles in exchange for box safety Terrell Edmunds and a couple of 2024 Day 3 draft picks.
Moreover, the Titans may play a combination of rookie second-rounder Will Levis and Malik Willis, who has a 53 percent career completion rate, at quarterback if Ryan Tannehill sits out with an ankle injury. Per NFL Network's Ian Rapoport, Levis would start.
If the Titans' young quarterback duo splits time under center, expect Tennessee to go three-and-out frequently, which would allow the Atlanta Falcons offense to dominate time of possession.
Ridder can continue his streak of games with 250-plus passing yards and possibly put together his best performance against a Titans squad that could fall apart at home.
RB Devin Singletary at Carolina Panthers (21 Percent Rostered)
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Fantasy managers who expected Dameon Pierce to pick up where he left off before he missed the final four games of last season with an ankle injury can pivot to another Houston Texans running back this week.
Through the Texans' first six games, Devin Singletary has been more efficient than Pierce with fewer carries, averaging 3.9 yards per rush attempt. The latter averages 2.9 yards per carry.
In Week 6 against the New Orleans Saints, Pierce only recorded one more carry (13) than Singletary (12) but racked up fewer yards (34 to 58).
C.J. Stroud has garnered most of the buzz in the Texans offense, but managers can find a sleeper in Singletary as he goes against the Carolina Panthers' 31st-ranked run defense, which is tied with the Indianapolis Colts for most rushing scores allowed (12).
In terms of fantasy numbers, the Panthers allow the second-most points to running backs. Even if Pierce gets back on track, Singletary could still produce a solid stat line with at least 10-12 touches against the Panthers' vulnerable defensive front.
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RB Darrell Henderson at Dallas Cowboys (19 Percent Rostered)
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We'll keep the running back discussion within the 2019 draft class and take a look at Darrell Henderson, who emerged as one of the key replacements for Kyren Williams (ankle) in the Los Angeles Rams backfield.
Last week against the Pittsburgh Steelers, Henderson and Royce Freeman handled the bulk of the rushing workload with the former logging 18 carries and the latter finishing with 12 attempts.
Henderson is the preferred option over Freeman because of his familiarity with the Rams, who drafted him four years ago.
Even though Henderson came from the free-agent pool, he played well in familiar confines, racking up 61 yards and a score on the ground against the Steelers.
On Sunday, the Rams could have some success on the ground against the Dallas Cowboys' 18th-ranked run defense that's allowing 4.2 yards per carry (ranked 19th leaguewide). Henderson has an opportunity to finish with a decent stat line in consecutive outings.
WR Odell Beckham Jr. at Arizona Cardinals (36 percent Rostered)
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Once a productive fantasy star, Odell Beckham Jr. makes his way onto the sleepers list as part of the Baltimore Ravens' ascending offense.
In Week 7, the Ravens steamrolled the Detroit Lions with their passing attack, racking up 357 yards through the air. In that game, quarterback Lamar Jackson and Beckham connected on five plays for 49 yards.
No, Beckham's five catches for 49 yards didn't propel him to the top of must-add waiver-wire lists, but he's an intriguing free-agent add if you're on the hunt for a wideout with a favorable matchup.
Following his best game in a Ravens uniform, Beckham will go up against the Arizona Cardinals' 23rd-ranked pass defense. Furthermore, the Cardinals allow the sixth-most fantasy points to wide receivers.
Yes, Beckham has to compete with tight end Mark Andrews, rookie first-round wideout Zay Flowers, Nelson Agholor and Rashod Bateman for targets, but the Ravens signed him to a one-year, $15 million contract this past offseason. With some momentum, he could have a turn-back-the-clock performance against a porous pass defense.
WR Kendrick Bourne at Miami Dolphins (26 percent Rostered)
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Don't buy into the turnaround of the New England Patriots offense after their best performance of the season in a 29-25 victory over the Buffalo Bills. With that said, fantasy managers should make note of Kendrick Bourne's emergence as the team's lead pass-catcher.
Over the past two weeks, Bourne has hauled in 16 out of 18 targets for 152 yards and a touchdown. For the season, he leads New England in targets (51), catches (34) and receiving yards (370) by a wide margin. Tight end Hunter Henry is second on the team in targets (31) and receiving yards (210) while running back Rhamondre Stevenson has the second-most receptions (23).
Bourne should be on fantasy rosters because of his target share and recent pass-catching efficiency alone. On top of that, he'll face the Miami Dolphins with their 20th-ranked pass defense. Even more appealing for managers with their eyes on Bourne is the fact that the Dolphins give up the ninth-most fantasy points to wide receivers.
If you put your skepticism of the Patriots offense aside, you can see Bourne's WR2 potential this week.
TE Jake Ferguson vs. Los Angeles Rams (45 percent Rostered)
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In the first four weeks of the season, Jake Ferguson had a sizable role in the Dallas Cowboys' aerial attack with 25 targets, but he's only seen four targets in his past two outings.
Obviously, managers should be concerned about the decline in Ferguson's target share, but he could see an upswing in opportunities this week because of his matchup.
The Cowboys will square off against the Los Angeles Rams, who are tied with the Baltimore Ravens and Houston Texans for the fewest passing touchdowns allowed (four), but they've given up three of those scores to tight ends.
The Rams allowed two Indianapolis Colts tight ends, Mo Alie-Cox and Drew Ogletree, to reach paydirt, and they gave up a touchdown to Philadelphia Eagles tight end Dallas Goedert.
If the Rams maintain their stingy ways on the boundary, Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott will have to test the linebackers and safeties in the middle of the field with Ferguson, his lead tight end.
TE Taysom Hill at Indianapolis Colts (9 Percent Rostered)
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We briefly mentioned Derek Carr's red-zone issues above, and that's where Taysom Hill can fill in the gaps for the New Orleans Saints offense.
As most managers know, Hill's fantasy outbursts can happen in any given week because of his Swiss-army-knife capabilities. However, he's carved out a steady role in the passing game in his past two outings, hauling in 11 out of 13 targets for 99 yards.
Hill should be on your radar as a viable pass-catching tight end, which is why he's part of a sleeper stack with Carr in a matchup with the Indianapolis Colts, who own the 19th-ranked pass defense and are tied for 13th in fantasy points to tight ends.
Hill could have a budding role in the red zone, too.
In Week 7 against the Jacksonville Jaguars, Hill scored on a one-yard run. He's also third on the team in rush attempts (29) and second in rushing yards (140).
Running back Jamaal Williams could handle red-zone touches, but keep in mind that Hill has scored 24 career rushing touchdowns with 21 of those scores within 11 yards of the goal line. The Saints may trust Hill to punch the ball in for a score if Carr continues to struggle throwing for touchdowns in the red zone.
Eligibility restrictions apply. See draftkings.com for details.
Fantasy points scored against statistics are provided by FantasyPros.
Maurice Moton covers the NFL for Bleacher Report. You can follow him on Twitter @MoeMoton.
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