NFL Week 7 was a mess. Between injuries and six teams on a bye, the fantasy football player pool was unquestionably shallow.
Things are looking up, however. In Fantasy Football Week 8, there are only two teams on a bye. We also did not see as many injuries this past week as usual, so the player pool could be filling back up — at least for now.
Now that we are almost at the mid-point of the 2021 NFL season, most players are banged up. We will see a lot of erratic practice participation reports which makes fantasy football managers sweat about the unknowns regarding whether or not their players will be active on gameday.
Therefore, you must prepare for the worst and have some of my top fantasy football sleepers at hand as high-quality pivots.
Week 7 was not my best week for sleeper picks. It is time to bounce back and win some Week 8 matchups!
Week 8 Byes: Baltimore Ravens, Las Vegas Raiders
Please note that all NFL Week 8 odds and lines below are current as of 12:00 p.m. ET on Tuesday, October 26.
2021 Fantasy Football Sleepers for Week 8: Quarterback
Ryan Tannehill, Tennessee Titans @ Indianapolis Colts
- Titans-Colts Total: 48 via Caesars Sportsbook
- Over 48 (-110), Under 48 (-110)
Ryan Tannehill isn’t having his best season as a passer despite the addition of Julio Jones, but he is getting on track of late. In last week’s win over the Chiefs, Tannehill threw for 270 yards with one touchdown and one interception while adding another six yards and a score as a rusher.
Tannehill finished Week 7 with 24.1 fantasy points, one of his best fantasy outings of the year.
Tannehill will attempt to build on his recent run in an outstanding matchup with the Colts, whose defense ranks in the bottom half of the league in FPPG (22.5) to enemy passers. While the Colts have managed to bottle up Davis Mills and Jimmy Garoppolo in the past two games, they were smashed by superior signal-callers in the first five games of the season.
Tannehill has a shot at a middling QB1 finish in Week 8.
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Deep QB Week 8 Sleeper: Daniel Jones, New York Giants @ Kansas City Chiefs
- Giants-Chiefs Total: 52 via Caesars Sportsbook
- Over 52 (-115), Under 52 (-105)
The Giants have been ravaged by injuries on both sides of the ball, but especially on offense. However, that hasn’t stopped Daniel Jones from performing at a quality level in fantasy. The dual-threat passer has finished with 17.2 fantasy points in five of his seven games, including three games with 26+.
With a depleted arsenal of weapons, Jones still finished with 19.6 points in last week’s win over the Panthers. He threw for 203 yards with a touchdown while adding another 28 yards on eight carries as a rusher. Jones has rushed for 27+ yards in all but two of his games this season.
In Monday night’s matchup with the Chiefs, Jones will face a defense yielding the second-most FPPG (27.3) to quarterbacks. The Kansas City defense is also allowing a league-high 241 rushing yards and four touchdowns to the position.
Jones could have one of his bigger games of the year in the Week 8 finale.
More Week 8 QB Sleepers To Consider
- Carson Wentz, Indianapolis Colts vs Tennessee Titans
2021 Fantasy Football Sleepers for Week 8: Running Back
Javonte Williams, Denver Broncos vs Washington Football Team
- Football Team-Broncos Total: 44 via Caesars Sportsbook
- Over 44 (-110), Under 44 (-110)
Javonte Williams is coming off of his best game of the season in fantasy. While he only carried the ball four times for 20 yards against the Browns, he also had six receptions for 32 yards and a touchdown, finishing the week with a career-best 17.2 PPR points.
Although he does share time with Melvin Gordon, they are both quality Flex options in fantasy who can accumulate RB2 production if they score.
Getting the Football Team on Sunday, Williams will look to build on his terrific Week 7 performance. Washington is only allowing 18.4 FPPG to enemy backs, good for sixth-fewest in the NFL. However, Williams does a lot of his damage as a receiver out of the backfield.
If Williams’ Week 7 usage as a receiver is any indication about how the Broncos will deploy him moving forward, we could see the highly-touted rookie begin to emerge and consistently produce. Williams has 3+ targets and 3+ receptions in each of his past five games.
Zack Moss, Buffalo Bills vs Miami Dolphins
- Dolphins-Bills Total: 49 via Caesars Sportsbook
- Over 49 (-110), Under 49 (-110)
I like both Bills’ running backs this week. But if I had to choose between Devin Singletary and Zack Moss, I would lean on Moss. He has a nose for the end zone, and the Bills seem to trust him with the ball when they are close. Moss has 17 red zone carries this season to go along with three targets in five games.
While Moss has scored four touchdowns in his first three games, he is in the midst of a two-game scoring drought. That could end this week against the Dolphins, who are allowing the eighth-most FPPG (26.2) to running backs and are gashed at will by the position.
The last time the Dolphins and Bills faced off back in Week 2, Singletary and Moss combined for three scores, with the latter getting two of them. Moss should get another one in Week 8. The Dolphins have given up nine total touchdowns to running backs in seven games.
Deep RB Week 8 Sleeper: Darrel Williams, Kansas City Chiefs vs New York Giants
- Giants-Chiefs Total: 52 via Caesars Sportsbook
- Over 52 (-115), Under 52 (-105)
Darrel Williams — as well as the rest of the Kansas City offense — face-planted last week against the Texans. However, they have a get-right game on Monday night against the Giants.
Two weeks ago, Williams was uber-productive sans Clyde Edwards-Helaire, dropping 89 total yards and two scores (24 touches) on the Football Team. He finished with Week 6 with 23.9 PPR points.
Williams may not pop for 23.9 again on Monday night, but he is in line for a big game facing a Giants defense that ranks in the bottom half of the NFL in FPPG (24.4) to enemy backs. The Giants managed to contain Panthers’ backs last week but gave up 11+ PPR points to seven different backs in the first six games of the year.
With Patrick Mahomes struggling, we could see another 20+ touch outing from Williams.
More RB Sleepers To Consider
- Devontae Booker, New York Giants @ Kansas City Chiefs
- J.D. McKissic, Washington Football Team @ Denver Broncos
2021 Fantasy Football Sleepers for Week 8: Wide Receiver
Julio Jones, Tennessee Titans @ Indianapolis Colts
- Titans-Colts Total: 48 via Caesars Sportsbook
- Over 48 (-110), Under 48 (-110)
Julio Jones is not a sleeper by namesake. However, his production — or lack thereof — qualifies him. Injuries and lack of volume have not helped Jones early on in his first year with the Titans, but it is only a matter of time until the future Hall of Famer gets going.
Currently, Jones is the WR68 with a 9.4 FPPG average. He also only has one game with double-digit PPR points (18.8 in Week 2 versus Seattle).
Jones has drawn fewer than six targets in four of his five games this season, which must turn around for Jones to return value. He has also yet to score a touchdown as a member of the Titans, which could change this Sunday against the Colts.
The Colts’ defense fields one of the worst secondaries in the NFL, allowing the eighth-most FPPG (38.5) to wideouts, including the third-most touchdowns (11).
Jones could finally score the football in Week 8. He’s getting healthier and has the right matchup. What’s more, Ryan Tannehill is finally getting going as well.
Marvin Jones, Jacksonville Jaguars @ Seattle Seahawks
- Jaguars-Seahawks Total: 44 via Caesars Sportsbook
- Over 44 (-110), Under 44 (-110)
Marvin Jones has quietly been a quality fantasy asset for most of 2021, finishing with 12.2+ PPR points in four of his 6 outings. Entering his Week 7 bye, Jones had his most productive performance of the year thus far, dropping a 7/100/1 line on 10 targets on the Dolphins. He ended the week with a season-best 23 fantasy points.
Jones will look to build on his latest success in a tough but exploitable matchup with the Seahawks. While the Seahawks are only allowing 36.1 FPPG to enemy wideouts, they managed to contain the Steelers and Saints’ passing attacks in the past two games.
However, facing teams with more capable quarterbacks, the Seahawks were gashed through the air. Trevor Lawrence is getting better every week. He should be able to expose the Seahawks for what they are on defense, and Jones will play a large role in the plan.
Deep WR Week 8 Sleeper: Randall Cobb, Green Bay Packers @ Arizona Cardinals
- Packers-Cardinals Total: 50.5 via Caesars Sportsbook
- Over 50.5 (-110), Under 50.5 (-110)
With both Davante Adams and Allen Lazard placed on the COVID list earlier this week, the Packers are down their top two wide receivers. There is a slight chance that they will be cleared in time to play, but they would need two negative COVID tests 24 hours apart ahead of TNF.
I would not count on either one of them playing.
As a result, cue in Randall Cobb, who will likely operate as the Green Bay WR1. We could also see the return of Marquez Valdes-Scantling, who has been on IR with a hamstring injury, but we will not know his status until possibly the day of the game.
If you are in a jam, Cobb is your guy. He has not been great this season, but he did have one game in which he hauled in 5 receptions for 69 yards and two scores.
Aaron Rodgers tends to lean on pass-catchers who he trusts. We know there is a long-lasting rapport with those two players. Cobb brings a high floor to Week 8, but will need to score to reach WR2 value.
More Week 8 WR Sleepers To Consider
- K.J. Osborn, Minnesota Vikings vs Dallas Cowboys
- A.J. Green, Arizona Cardinals vs Green Bay Packers
2021 Fantasy Football Sleepers for Week 8: Tight End
Tyler Higbee, Los Angeles Rams @ Houston Texans
- Rams-Texans Total: 46 via Caesars Sportsbook
- Over 46 (-110), Under 46 (-110)
Tyler Higbee‘s fantasy production has been erratic this season. He is a pure matchup play. He has said matchup in Sunday’s Week 8 tilt with the Texans, whose defense is yielding the third-most PPR points per game (18.5) to enemy tight ends, including six touchdowns, tying them for the league-high.
While Higbee has only accumulated double-digit PPR points in two games this season, he’s managed 9.4+ in another two. Drawing 5+ targets in five of his seven games this season, it is only a matter of time before Higbee pops, and he’ll do just that in Week 8.
The Texans have allowed five different tight ends to drop 10+ PPR points on them in seven games.
Deep TE Week 8 Sleeper: Hunter Henry, New England Patriots @ Los Angeles Chargers
- Patriots-Chargers Total: 48 via Caesars Sportsbook
- Over 48 (-110), Under 48 (-110)
Hunter Henry has been one of the hottest tight ends in fantasy football. While he does not rack up a ton of receptions for yards, he’s scored a touchdown in four straight games. He also accumulated 10.3+ PPR points in that period as well.
Jonnu Smith suffered a shoulder injury last week against the Jets, which bodes well for Henry’s production. If Smith is sidelined for Sunday’s tilt again the Chargers, Henry could see his target-share increase. Henry has drawn 4+ targets in all but two games this season, including three with 5+.
Earlier in the year, the Chargers were defending the tight end well. That has changed, and they are now allowing the eighth-most PPR points (16.4) per game to the position while ceding 10.4+ PPR points to three different tight ends in the past two games.
More Week 8 TE Sleepers To Consider
- Dan Arnold, Jacksonville Jaguars @ Seattle Seahawks
- Gerald Everett, Seattle Seahawks vs Jacksonville Jaguars
2021 Fantasy Football Sleepers for Week 8: Kicker
Graham Gano, New York Giants @ Kansas City Chiefs
- Giants-Chiefs Total: 52 via Caesars Sportsbook
- Over 52 (-115), Under 52 (-105)
There is not much to be happy about when it comes to the Giants. However, Graham Gano has been pretty solid all year. Clearly, the Giants are another one of those offenses that can move the football but have difficulty scoring it, which translates to kicker production in fantasy.
The Giants get the Chiefs on Monday night. Gano could pop for his third game with 10+ fantasy points this season in Week 8.
More Week 8 PK Sleepers To Consider
- Nick Folk, New England Patriots @ Los Angeles Chargers
- Harrison Butker, Kansas City Chiefs vs New York Giants
2021 Fantasy Football Sleepers for Week 8: Defensive Team
Cincinnati Bengals @ New York Jets
- Bengals-Jets Total: 43.5 via Caesars Sportsbook
- Over 43.5 (-110), Under 43.5 (-110)
The Bengals have holes all over their defense. However, they have managed one solid game this season, back in Week 3 against the Steelers in which they scored 8 points.
Cincinnati’s D/ST has a terrific chance to put up their best fantasy outing of the season in Week 8 facing the Jets.
The Jets’ offense has been mediocre at best all season long. Now, they will be without Zach Wilson (PCL) for the next 2-4 weeks. New York will either start Mike White or the newly acquired Joe Flacco at quarterback.
Other Week 8 D/ST To Consider
- San Francisco 49ers @ Chicago Bears
- Washington Football Team @ Denver Broncos
Want more Week 8 fantasy football advice? Check out our Week 8 Fantasy Football Best Waiver Wire Adds.
NFL Week 8 Injuries to Monitor
- QB Zach Wilson (knee)
- RB Miles Sanders (ankle)
- RB Josh Jacobs (chest)
- RB Ty Johnson (concussion)
- RB Malcolm Brown (quad)
- TE Jonnu Smith (shoulder)
Anthony’s Accountable: Sleeper Pick Success Rate
This is a recap of my plays from Week 6 (skill position players only). I consider a sleeper a hit if the player scores 10-plus PPR points (15-plus for QBs):
Anthony’s Sleepers are 48-36 this season.
- QB Ryan Tannehill (20.4)
- QB Jameis Winston (16.9)
- RB James Conner (12.4)
- RB Mike Davis (1.0)
- RB Chuba Hubbard (9.6)
- WR Marquez Callaway (6.2)
- WR Allen Robinson (3.6)
- WR A.J. Green (9.6)
- TE Zach Ertz (16)
- TE Anthony Firkser (1.9)
- K Zane Gonzalez (4)
- DST Patriots (12)
