Anyone can look at fantasy football rankings, but what if you like risks and want to swing for the fences? As the season goes on, this will be the spot for you to find the sleepers to start in your fantasy football league. Especially when byes and injuries start to pile up. Each week I will be picking one fantasy football sleeper at each position. These players are set to outperform their ranking and help win your week on the way to becoming a League Winner! Welcome to Fantasy Football 2023: Week 8 Sleepers.
Now let’s look at what we are picking from:
- I’m defining a sleeper as someone ranked outside of the top 30 for WRs and RBs who will finish in the top 20 at the position. That would be around 14 fantasy points based on the average of last year.
- For QBs and TEs, I am defining them as outside the top 15 but will finish in the top 10. Last year using average points per game that would be 21 fantasy points for QB and 11 fantasy points for TE.
- PPR Expert Consensus Rankings (ECR) on Fantasy Pros will be used. These players may not be on the waiver wire but could be big
- I will track the hit rate based on the above settings but also how far the picked sleepers outperform their initial rankings for the week.
Week 7 Review
We bounce back this week! Pat Freiermuth was a surprise to go to the IR but the other three all beat their predictions. Josh Dobbs barely missed making this a three-for-three on sleepers. Now after seven weeks, we are 8/26 on sleepers and improved to 13/26 picks finishing ahead of their initial ranking. Let’s see if we can keep this momentum going!
So, now let’s take a look at some fantasy football sleepers for Week 8 of the NFL season.
QB: Kenny Pickett vs the Jacksonville Jaguars
Fantasy Pros ECR: QB23
It looked dismal for Kenny Pickett and the Pittsburgh Steelers early on against the Rams last week, but they found some life. Pickett did not throw a touchdown pass but did have his second-highest scoring fantasy game of the season. The return of Diontae Johnson can only help and they get a good passing matchup against the Jaguars this week. The Jaguars’ defense is opportunistic but does give up the seventh-most fantasy points to quarterbacks.
RB: Cam Akers vs the Green Bay Packers
Fantasy Pros ECR: RB51
Most had left Cam Akers for dead, even after the trade to the Vikings. On Monday night he increased his snapshare to 39% and had 12 touches for 61 yards. I could see a more even split with Alexander Mattison moving forward, and that should be enough against the Packers who give up the third-most fantasy points to running backs.
WR: Josh Palmer vs the Chicago Bears
Fantasy Pros ECR: WR36
Josh Palmer had his best game of the season against the Chiefs with 133 receiving yards on seven targets. Since the injury to Mike Williams, Palmer has seen his snaps go up and has 22 targets in the last three games. The main focus for the Bears will be Keenan Allen, so Palmer should continue to get plenty of looks this week.
TE: Tyler Higbee vs the Dallas Cowboys
Fantasy Pros ECR: TE22
The last three games for Tyler Higbee have been very unproductive. He only has 45 receiving yards on nine targets in those games. This week I see him getting on track against the Cowboys. You would not think this would be a great matchup, but the Cowboys give up the 11th-most points to tight ends, compared to the third-least to wide receivers. Higbee should get plenty of looks this week to have a nice day in fantasy.
Good luck to everyone this week! Hopefully these Week 8 sleepers can take your fantasy football team over the top. Make sure to follow our content all year so we can help you to be a League Winner!
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Brandon Haye
Brandon grew up in Jacksonville, Florida and works as a health insurance data analyst. He has no children, but two fur babies - Squirt and Brownie. He and his wife, Katie, spend their time playing poker and enjoying time with their pups. Brandon is a huge Michigan Wolverine and Jacksonville Jaguars fan. He at one time was in 77 fantasy leagues and loves the game of football. Brandon started writing for The Leauge Winners in 2021.