Fantasy Football: 6 Sleepers for Week 8

The word "sleeper" gets thrown around a lot in the world of fantasy football, to the point where an actual definition may vary from person to person. In general, sleepers are NFL players that may be flying relatively under the radar in a particular field. That could be an under-rostered player in season-long leagues, a player with an exciting matchup in a given week, or even a potential star just ahead of their true breakout.

In any case, we all need to find a sleeper from time to time. Whether you're a fantasy football hipster looking to roster an exciting new player before your league-mates hear about him, a daily fantasy manager looking for a lower-salary player to fill out a lineup loaded with studs, or even just a manager in a pinch due to byes or injuries, we have you covered. We'll be bringing you six fantasy sleepers each and every week throughout the season.

Fantasy Football Week 8 Sleepers

Mac Jones, QB, New England Patriots

FanDuel Salary: $6,700

Our first sleeper of the week is certainly not for the faint of heart. New England Patriots starting quarterback Mac Jones has been pulled from multiple games already this year after failing to put points on the board. In Weeks 4 through 6, the third-year signal caller compiled just 10 total fantasy points. It's been a brutal stretch for Jones and the Patriots, but a little context can help explain some of their recent struggles -- each of their past four games have come across some of the toughest defenses in the NFL. The Dallas Cowboys, New Orleans Saints, Las Vegas Raiders and Buffalo Bills have all been incredibly stingy when it comes to allowing opposing quarterbacks to score fantasy points, so at least Jones hasn't been alone in struggling against those defenses. If we're looking for silver linings, the former Alabama Crimson Tide quarterback was able to put up almost 20 fantasy points against the Bills last weekend, so there's hope for him yet.

Fortunately, his Week 8 matchup with the Miami Dolphins defense looks a little more friendly on paper than his recent foes have been. The Dolphins have allowed opposing fantasy quarterbacks to score the sixth-most fantasy points per game this season. Offenses facing the 'Phins are frequently forced into passing game scripts as they attempt to keep up with Miami's elite offense. If you're looking for a little extra vote of confidence, Jones was able to put up 14.7 fantasy points against this same defense back in Week 2 before the wheels all fell off.

The Pats seem to be making some serious adjustments based on how things have worked out so far this year, which could help stimulate their offense. According to NFL's Next Gen Stats, Jones' already-fast "Time to Throw" average of 2.49 seconds per drop back dropped to a 2.19-second average against the Bills last week -- the quickest in the league. His roughly average 7.3 average depth of target per attempt saw a similar decline to just 4.1 yards down the field on average in the upset victory. The Patriots' offense has had its most success while working via the quick game this season; if they stick with that approach against the Dolphins, Jones could put up solid numbers for fantasy.

Kendrick Bourne, WR, New England Patriots

FanDuel Salary: $6,200

If your season-long fantasy team is shorthanded at wide receiver -- or if you're feeling bold and looking for a receiver to stack with Jones -- perhaps Kendrick Bourne is worth consideration. With a new look on offense, Bourne could finally start seeing the kind of consistent target shares he's more than earned in his time in New England.

Notably, the Patriots seem to be calling it quits on the DeVante Parker experiment. Parker has run fewer and fewer routes since the team's shutout loss to the Saints, most recently running just 19 routes (third among the team's receivers) in Week 7, which coincided with the passing offense's best game of the season. Bourne and rookie teammate Demario Douglas picked up the slack from Parker with Bourne seeming to take up more of Parker's outside routes while Douglas operated from the slot.

Bourne has racked up 18 targets over the last 2 weeks in his new role, which is absolutely fantasy-relevant volume. It bodes well that he's continued to be efficient in the face of increased volume; he's turned his 18 targets into 16 catches for 152 yards and a score. He'll look to keep his productive streak rolling against a Dolphins defense that has given up the seventh-most receiving yards to opposing wideouts this season.

Odell Beckham, WR, Baltimore Ravens

FanDuel Salary: $5,400

It's weird writing up a former fantasy football superstar in a "sleepers" article, but sometimes former superstars suffer serious injuries or deal with the repercussions of those injuries in each of their ages 25-31 seasons. That's pretty much where we're at with Odell Beckham, who signed a pretty large contract with the Baltimore Ravens this offseason.

The Ravens have been cautious with Beckham's playing time after the veteran suffered a mild ankle injury in Week 2; he's been playing roughly half of the team's offensive snaps in each of his three games since returning from the injury. However, his involvement in the Ravens' offense spiked in Week 7, resulting in a season-high 7 targets, 5 catches, and 49 yards. His solid performance could be the kind of encouraging sign the team's decision makers needed to see before ramping his involvement back up.

Beckham has been quietly efficient on a per-route basis in his most recent two games, as well, averaging 2.24 yards per route run. The raw production numbers we like for fantasy football haven't shown up yet, but if the Ravens do start increasing his workload, there will be some strong fantasy outings in store. That could happen as early as Week 8 with a soft matchup against the Arizona Cardinals' mediocre defense, which is allowing the seventh-most fantasy points per game to opposing wideouts.

Darrell Henderson, RB, Los Angeles Rams

FanDuel Salary: $5,900

The Los Angeles Rams have a way of giving a ton of work to running backs they don't seem to like. The same team that benched lead ball carrier Cam Akers multiple times before trading him to the Minnesota Vikings are now being shoehorned into giving Darrell Henderson -- a back they drafted to replace Todd Gurley but didn't trust enough to make the switch, then replaced with Akers, then benched Akers for, before finally outright cutting him from the team -- a starting role. Messy.

That said, Henderson performed pretty well in his first action of the 2023 season, leading the Rams' backfield in snaps, carries and targets against the Pittsburgh Steelers last week. Unlike Royce Freeman -- who looks like his primary competition for touches -- we've actually seen Henderson put up fantasy-relevant numbers over a period of weeks in the NFL. The Rams don't seem likely to lean on any one back in starter Kyren Williams' absence, so if you're picking one for fantasy, it feels fine to err towards the one that ran a 4.49-second 40-yard dash at the NFL combine and that had back-to-back seasons of at least 20 rushes exceeding 10 yards. Henderson's speed means that he can still post fantasy-relevant numbers while handling a less-than-ideal volume of touches, making him a bit of a safer play than Freeman while the pair split the Rams' backfield.

Jamaal Williams, RB, New Orleans Saints

FanDuel Salary: $5,100

The New Orleans Saints signed running back Jamaal Williams to a 3-year, $12 million contract in the offseason. That is not the kind of contract you hand out to a player you want to handle five carries per game behind your starter.

Williams began the year as the Saints' interim RB1 while Alvin Kamara served out his suspension before missing time on the injured reserve with a hamstring injury. Week 7 was the first time we saw the two on the field together, but Saints head coach Dennis Allen said after the game that Williams was on a snap count in his return from the injured reserve and expressed a desire to get the former NFL touchdown leader more involved in the offense.

With over a week of rest since his return to action and a soft matchup against the Indianapolis Colts' rush defense -- which has allowed opposing backs to average the fifth-most fantasy points per game -- Williams has the makings of a potential breakout waiting to happen. We've seen the veteran post outstanding fantasy numbers at various stops throughout his career, and he's flying under the radar after a slow start to the year.

Williams is one of the few remaining running backs widely available on waiver wires that could become a weekly flex-type play with handcuff upside potential if Kamara misses any more time.

Trey McBride, TE, Arizona Cardinals

FanDuel Salary: $4,700

Trey McBride has the makings of a breakout fantasy tight end waiting to happen. The second-year Arizona Cardinals tight end hasn't put up the kind of raw production we need for fantasy yet this season but has been posting some strong efficiency numbers while operating behind veteran teammate Zach Ertz. Now that Ertz (thigh bruise) is slated to miss multiple weeks on the injured reserve, it could be McBride's time to shine.

McBride's 1.87 yards per route run (YPRR) rank third among tight ends this season, trailing only superstar Travis Kelce and former first-round pick Noah Fant, whose YPRR are a bit buoyed after the part-time player broke off a long 50-yard catch on one of his limited opportunities this season. If the 2022 second-round pick can sustain his efficiency while seeing an increase in opportunities, he could become a waiver-wire legend in the coming weeks. The Cardinals have struggled to find consistent, efficient producers behind wideout Marquise Brown, so there's an opportunity to become a difference maker there for the taking.

The Cardinals' Week 8 opponents -- the Baltimore Ravens -- have recently allowed tight ends like David Njoku and Sam LaPorta to have productive days for fantasy, meaning they should make for an interesting test for the sophomore. McBride could become an every-week starter at one of the most difficult to nail down positions in fantasy if he can produce like those fantasy TE1s with his first workload of the year.

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The above author is a FanDuel employee and is not eligible to compete in public daily fantasy contests or place sports betting wagers on FanDuel. The advice provided by the author does not necessarily represent the views of FanDuel. Taking the author's advice will not guarantee a successful outcome. You should use your own judgment when participating in daily fantasy contests or placing sports wagers.