Fantasy Football Week 8: John Beck, Colt McCoy and Sleeper QBs Worth Starting

With starting-caliber quarterbacks like Aaron Rodgers, Matt Ryan, Jay Cutler and Josh Freeman all on the bye this week, many fantasy owners will be desperately seeking a one-week filler. Luckily, there are several waiver wire quarterbacks with enticing matchups this weekend.

None of them may be ideal starters, but you will be able to get by with all them in your lineup this week. Here are three sleeper quarterbacks that you can feel comfortable starting in Week 8.

Andy Dalton, Cincinnati Bengals

Although he hasn't exactly set the world on fire, Cincinnati Bengals rookie quarterback Andy Dalton has been very serviceable during his young career. His numbers of 1,311 passing yards and a 7:5 touchdowns to interceptions ratio aren't eye-popping, but he has had his moments.

One reason why Dalton hasn't put up better stats is the fact that the Bengals have been relying on Cedric Benson and the running game. Benson will be out this weekend against the Seattle Seahawks, though, so the shackles may need to be taken off Dalton a bit, particularly if Bernard Scott doesn't run the ball effectively.

Seattle is one of the weaker teams against the pass in the league, and Dalton does have some dangerous albeit inexperienced weapons. The most explosive of those weapons is rookie wide receiver A.J. Green, who has been very impressive already. I think Dalton is poised for a break-out performance in Week 8.

Colt McCoy. Cleveland Browns

The Cleveland Browns have a fairly station-to-station offense, so to speak, but quarterback Colt McCoy has run things very smoothly in his first full season as a starter. He isn't going to make a lot of big plays, but the Browns are committed to the pass, and McCoy has done pretty well with nearly 1,400 passing yards and eight touchdowns.

A matchup against the San Francisco 49ers' solid defense may not seem ideal for McCoy this week, but the Niners have actually struggled against the pass a bit. I also anticipate the Niners grabbing an early lead and holding it for much of the game, so McCoy will have plenty of opportunities to pass.

Cleveland may not reach the endzone too many times on Sunday, but I can easily see McCoy going over 300 yards. McCoy passed the ball a dizzying 61 times a few weeks ago when Cleveland trailed against the Tennessee Titans, so we could certainly see a repeat of that in Week 8.

John Beck, Washington Redskins

Nobody was really sure what to expect from John Beck when he was handed the starting reins for the Washington Redskins last week, but despite a Washington loss, he answered the challenge quite well. Beck threw for 279 yards and a touchdown against the Carolina Panthers, and he also rushed for an additional score.

While those aren't groundbreaking numbers, that is the type of performance that can get your fantasy team through a week. Things may be a bit tougher for Beck this week, as running back Tim Hightower and wide receiver Santana Moss are out, but he has a good matchup against the Buffalo Bills' defense.

Although the Bills create tons of turnovers, which is a bit of a concern, they also hemorrhage yardage. Beck will be able to make due with the likes of Jabar Gaffney and Fred Davis as his weapons, and a 300-yard, two-touchdown day certainly isn't outside the realm of possibility.