2011 Fantasy Football: NFL Week 8 Sleepers

Ryan LesterOct 28, 2011

Sometimes you need a fantasy gem to be successful. Here is a list of LestersLegends’ under the radar players that could possibly pull out a win for you in Week 8.

John Beck @ Buffalo

The Bills rank 30th with 284.8 passing yard allowed per game. They have also given up 10 passing touchdowns. Beck had a decent showing last week, including a rushing touchdown for the second consecutive week.

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If you’re in a pinch, there are worse options. Andy Dalton is another choice, but the Seahawks haven’t been that bad in pass defense (only six passing TDs allowed). Fellow rookie Christian Ponder looked good against the Packers. He could be worth a shot against Carolina.

Pierre Thomas @ St. Louis

The Rams just got finished making a star of DeMarco Murray. Now with Mark Ingram banged up, PT could build on last week’s 125 total yards (57 rushing, 68 receiving) against the Colts.

Knowshon Moreno also gets a chance to become a blast from the past, as he’s taking on Detroit’s 28th ranked run defense (129.4 ypg allowed) in the featured back role. Bernard Scott (vs. Seattle) or Maurice Morris (at Denver) are deeper options.

Antonio Brown vs. New England

We know the documented struggles the Patriots have stopping the football. Despite the desire to have a power running game with Rashard Mendenhall, the Steelers are better suited passing the ball.

While I expect Mike Wallace to have a field day, Brown should turn in a solid performance as well. He’s been hit or miss with four games with at least 67 yards and three with less than 24 yards, but he’s a nice risk in what should be a shootout.

Demaryius Thomas was on Tim Tebow’s radar last week, even if that radar wasn’t always accurate. Tebow is going to make plays and Thomas should be one of the primary targets when he does.

Torrey Smith is a gamble, especially as the Ravens look to get Ray Rice more involved. That should just open up the play-action and allow Joe Flacco some opportunities to take shots deep with Smith. Michael Jenkins is a deeper league option.

Heath Miller vs. New England

Miller went for 60 yards in each of his past two meetings with the Patriots. He’s caught four passes in his past two games and has scored in two of his last three games.

Without much of a pass rush to speak of Miller should spend less time in pass protection and more time working the middle of the field.

Jake Ballard is averaging 5.3 catches for 62 yards in his past three games with a pair of touchdowns. He’s a solid bet against the Dolphins.

Tennessee Titans vs. Indianapolis

The Colts can’t be as bad as they were last week. Even with improvement, they aren’t suddenly going to be an offensive powerhouse.

They are presently sucking for Luck, though I can see Peyton stepping in at some point to stop the bleeding and ensure that his time in Indy doesn’t end prematurely a la Brett Favre.

The Titans have been waxed the past two weeks (39.5 ppg allowed), but averaged 14 points allowed in the first four weeks.

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