The Week 7 fantasy football sleeper page had a mediocre return. JuJu Smith-Schuster’s case quickly fizzled due to an early injury, and while we clicked with Drake Maye, we paired him with the wrong pass-catcher. Cade Oton (TE5) was the top pick of the week, and Noah Fant (TE15) was somewhat useful.
Now we are at week 8, with one obvious caveat; there are no byes on this slate. Hopefully your roster is filled with several slam-dunk options, because you’ll want to play the hits whenever possible. But we also want to continue to accumulate depth on a weekly basis, and we know some of the players below will be useful in deeper formats.
Here’s a look at several Week 8 fantasy football sleepers to consider:
WR Rashod Bateman at Browns (41% selected)
Bateman is finally entering his fourth season, with a 12-250-2 binge over the past three weeks. Unfortunately, he’ll likely have to make do on a modest volume, as he’s only collected 16 targets in that span. Perhaps Zay Flowers won’t be 100% fit after last week’s ankle injury, which could see Bateman take on a more prominent role. And the Browns pass defense has been leaky for most of the year, the fifth-best matchup for opposing wide receivers.
WR Jalen McMillan vs. Falcons (42%)
It’s unclear how the Buccaneers will respond to the massive losses of Chris Godwin (season) and Mike Evans (multiple weeks), but McMillan is a plausible place to start. He’s a good fit for the role in which Godwin has thrived, and the Bucs missed nine chances on McMillan last week, even though they only came for 26 yards. Major league managers might look to Sterling Shepard (Baker Mayfield’s teammate) or Trey Palmer, but given the way most teams try to attack Atlanta through the slot, McMillan’s skills and pedigree catch my attention.
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TE Hunter Henry vs. Jets (38%)
I’m surprised Henry hasn’t graduated for this column yet, but he’s still under the 50% threshold we use for qualification. The Jets defense has good stats when it comes to defending the tight end this year, but has been vulnerable in recent weeks, with the Bills and Steelers combining for a 13-149-1 tight end line against New York. Maybe that’s cheating because we’re allowing four different players to filter into that stat, but Henry’s play over the last two weeks speaks for itself: 14-133-1, finishing TE8 and TE6. He has quickly become the target Drake Maye relies on most.
WR Carlo Tillman vs. Ravens (11%)
Although Tillman had a stunning 8-81-0 breakout mark on 12 targets last week, most of the activity came early in the match – only two of Jameis Winston’s 11 targets were on Tillman. Still, the pair connected on a 25-yard reception, and I don’t have much confidence in the other receivers in Cleveland’s lineup. The Ravens have given up the second-most fantasy points to opposing wide receivers, so don’t fear the matchup.
RB Braelon Allen at Patriots (37%)
This is a deep-league game and a vote on the possible course of the game; the Jets are a seven-point favorite in New England and easily handled the Patriots in Week 3. New England is also a funnel defense: stingy against the pass but leaky against the run. Allen’s role has diminished over the past two weeks, so only sign up for this angle if you see New York winning comfortably. Allen has performed well in wins this year, scoring twice and averaging 12.5 touches in those two games.
QB Bo Nix vs. Panthers (19%)
Nix starts with a solid floor of his rushing production; he has rushed past 60 yards or scored a touchdown in five of his starts this year. And while it’s hard to know how much Nix will do as a passer, Carolina’s terrible defense has been as inept against the run as the pass. The only major concern with Nix’s fantasy projection here is the idea that the Panthers might not move the ball — no one is eager to see Bryce Young again — and that the Broncos could win this game with a vanilla offense. Still, Nix’s athleticism and ingenuity as a runner should be respected.
RB D’Ernest Johnson vs. Packers (6%)
This guess is strictly tied to the status of Travis Etienne (hamstring); if Etienne approves, fantasy managers can’t take the risk with Johnson. But if Etienne is out, consider two things: the Packers will likely control the game against Jacksonville, and the Jaguars don’t trust Tank Bigsby as a pass catcher and pass protector (two career catches). A negative game script could lead to Johnson catching multiple passes and racking up a sneaky bucket of fantasy points.
