Fantasy Football 2014: Five Week 8 Sleepers to Start in a Pinch

The success of your fantasy football 2014 experience is all about mitigating desperate situations. If you’re a C.J. Spiller, Fred Jackson, A.J. Green and/or Calvin Johnson owner, you’ve come to the right place. Ronnie Hillman and Doug Baldwin spotlight the sleepers that will not only salvage Week 8 but the rest of the season as well.

The following list will also prove useful to Frank Gore, Colin Kaepernick and Rashad Jennings owners navigating San Francisco and New York’s bye weeks.

A sleeper in this context is any player available in approximately 50 percent or more of ESPN Fantasy leagues with a favorable matchup per ESPN’s fantasy points against statistic.

Team Defense/Special Teams: Miami Dolphins at Jacksonville Jaguars

Charles Rex Arbogast/Associated Press

Something tells me Miami’s 0.8 percent drop rate will reverse course this week.

Although Brandon Marshall didn’t credit his former team in his postgame meltdown, his words are indicative of the Dolphins' defensive prowess. Marshall listed the talent Miami stymied in Week 7, according to NFL.com’s Marc Sessler: "We got Alshon Jeffery, Martellus Bennett, Matt Forte, we got a stud offensive line. We got a great, great group of guys, and this is unacceptable. What did we put up? Fourteen points. Was it 14 points? That's unacceptable. That's unacceptable."

Now the league’s No. 2 defense—according to Pro Football Focus (subscription required)—squares off against rookie Blake Bortles and the most generous offense in D/ST points allowed, according to ESPN.

The Dolphins—available in 87.4 percent of ESPN leagues—are the perfect bye-week replacement for disappointed San Francisco 49ers owners, with the potential for season-long dividends.

Honorable mention

• Dallas Cowboys vs. Washington Redskins
• Minnesota Vikings at Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Week 7 results

Miami Dolphins (featured), finished tied for fourth with 12 points; Cleveland Browns, tied for eighth with eight; Buffalo Bills, tied for fourth with 12.

A top-10 sweep?! (The crowd goes wild.)

Tight End: Owen Daniels, Baltimore Ravens at Cincinnati Bengals

USA TODAY Sports

Owners weren’t so gung-ho about Daniels’ role as the forgotten man in Baltimore’s 48-17 pillaging of the Buccaneers. Even Kamar Aiken (eight) and Michael Campanaro (eight) outscored him (three).

He was the second-most dropped tight end (8.8 percent) last week and is now available in 77.9 percent of ESPN leagues.

But Daniels gets the sleeper TE tout this week because the Ravens are taking on a Bengals defense that was already the most charitable in TE points allowed before suffering a wave of injuries in Week 7.

Atlanta boasts the eighth-toughest defense in TE points allowed but gave up 58 yards and a touchdown to Daniels last week.

Chalk up his disappearance in Week 6 to an anomaly and plug him in confidently for Vernon Davis and Larry Donnell’s respective bye weeks.

Honorable mention

• Charles Clay, Miami Dolphins at Jacksonville Jaguars
• Scott Chandler, Buffalo Bills at New York Jets

Week 7 results

Jordan Reed (featured), tied for 14th with five; Jared Cook, tied for 23rd with two; Dwayne Allen, tied for fourth with 11.

Gavin Escobar of the Cowboys finished first with 18 points, so if you ignored my advice and gambled on a super-sleeper: Fire! We salute you.

Wide Receiver: Doug Baldwin, Seattle Seahawks at Carolina Panthers

Michael B. Thomas/Getty Images

Baldwin ascended to WR1 upon Percy Harvin’s sudden trade to the New York Jets:

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BREAKING: The JETS have just agreed with Seattle to a trade sending WR Percy Harvin to NY for conditional pick. FOX SPORTS has learned.

— Jay Glazer (@JayGlazer) October 17, 2014

"

It’s easy to miss his promotion in the Harvin-trade fallout, part of which includes Harvin’s preseason fight with Baldwin. He confirmed the story to The News Tribune’s Gregg Bell: "Yes, it is true. However, when you deal with somebody 12, 14 hours a day, you’re going to have issues and conflict. It’s a family in this locker room. Just like family members you’re going to have issues and scuffles."

Baldwin already led Seahawks receivers in targets (35), receptions (23) and yards (310) with Harvin on the roster, who was 22-of-26 for 133 by comparison. Then he busted out for 123 yards and a touchdown against St. Louis in Week 7.

Expect an encore when he faces a Carolina Panthers defense that ranked 29th in wide receiver points allowed.

Baldwin—owned in 33.7 percent of ESPN leagues—makes an excellent game-time hedge if A.J. Green and Calvin Johnson miss another week.

Honorable mention

• Jarius Wright, Minnesota Vikings at Tampa Bay Buccaneers
• Jordan Matthews, Philadelphia Eagles at Arizona Cardinals

Week 7 results

Andre Holmes (featured), tied for 60th with three; James Jones, tied for 60th with three; Mohamed Sanu, tied for 45th with five; Allen Robinson, tied for 15th with 12; Brandon LaFell, tied for 45th with five.

And I initially featured Robinson before putting Holmes ahead of him...never trust a Raider.

Running back: Ronnie Hillman, Denver Broncos vs. San Diego Chargers

Doug Pensinger/Getty Images

Hillman finished fifth (6.7 percent) among the most-added running backs last week. Justin Forsett (29.9), Isaiah Crowell (19.1), Branden Oliver (11.2) and Andre Williams (7.5) led the pack in pickups.

It’s mind-boggling to see the starting running back on one of the most prolific offenses in the league is still available in 88 percent of ESPN leagues two weeks after he was promoted.

What are you waiting for?

Obviously, there is concern once Montee Ball returns from his groin injury suffered in Week 5. But Hillman outperformed Ball on an equal number of carries so far this season:

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Ronnie Hillman has more rush yds before contact (176) than Montee Ball has rushing yds (172) this yr on same number of carries (55) #Broncos

— Cecil Lammey (@cecillammey) October 20, 2014

"

Ball is outpacing Hillman in yards after contact—110 to 64—according to ESPN Stats & Inc. (h/t Bleacher Report’s Cecil Lammey). This indicates when Ball returns he’ll most likely assume a short-yardage role, while Hillman takes the majority of the snaps.

Knowshon Moreno kept Ball off the field in 2013 for the same reasons.

Hillman is the right addition for Frank Gore and Rashad Jennings owners who are looking for a bye-week filler and C.J. Spiller and Stevan Ridley owners who are seeking a long-term replacement.

Honorable mention

• Jerick McKinnon, Minnesota Vikings at Tampa Bay Buccaneers
• Anthony Dixon, Buffalo Bills at New York Jets
• Tre Mason, St. Louis Rams at Kansas City Chiefs

Week 7 results

Ronnie Hillman (featured), finished third with 21; Isaiah Crowell, tied for 58th with one; Bernard Pierce, tied for 23rd with eight.

I initially featured Crowell before putting Hillman ahead of him. Ahh, that tastes like redemption.

Quarterback: Ryan Tannehill, Miami Dolphins at Jacksonville Jaguars

Jonathan Daniel/Getty Images

Tannehill struggled so greatly in his 2014 debut with the highly anticipated Bill Lazor offense that Joe Philbin wouldn’t deny speculation he could be benched after Week 3, according to the Miami Herald’s Armando Salguero.

The third-year converted wide receiver from Texas A&M didn’t fold, stringing together three straight two-touchdown performances. Tannehill put up 20- and 23-point totals against the average Raiders and Bears and managed 17 against Green Bay—the second-ranked pass defense in the NFL, according to PFF.

And Matt Moore is still clutching a clipboard.

Jacksonville ranks 22nd in QB points allowed, giving up 16.9 points per game. That’s just below Chicago—21st with 16.7 PPG—and Oakland—tied for 19th with 16.3 PPG.

Tannehill’s track record against average defenses crowns him the perfect bye-week replacement for desperate Colin Kaepernick and Eli Manning owners.

Honorable mention

• Carson Palmer, Arizona Cardinals vs. Philadelphia Eagles
• Alex Smith, Kansas City Chiefs vs. St. Louis Rams

Week 7 results

Joe Flacco (featured), tied for 16th with 14; Brian Hoyer, 32nd with four; Carson Palmer, tied for 11th with 16.

Hoyer finished ahead of Kirk Cousins—33rd with one—so that’s still a good call, right?

Be sure to enjoy the last of the relatively calm two-team bye weeks, as six squads—Atlanta, Buffalo, Chicago, Detroit, Green Bay and Tennessee—take a break in Week 9.