The game is simple here, folks. We are looking for fantasy football sleepers. Not just any sleepers, but ones who could break out THIS week. And the rules are equally simple. We can only pick a couple of players at each position. And we pick have to be rostered in less than 40% of leagues on Yahoo.
And, while rules are important, we actually do WANT chaos. That’s the best way to get deep sleepers that break out. This week I’ve decided to go much deeper than usual with some of these picks while leaving some of the more obvious ones up to the Reddit commenters (who, quite frankly, have been killing it lately). If you want to throw your hat in the ring and make your own predictions, comment over on this thread here. Without further ado, here are my crazy selections.
Week 8 Quarterback Sleepers
Joe Milton, Philadelphia Eagles
We are kicking this one off this week with a deep cut. And this is a guy that likely only needs to be rostered in the deepest of superflex leagues. But just hear me out for a second on what we are looking at here with Joe Milton.
There are two main things we care about when it comes to stashing backups in superflex. The first is how realistic is it that they could actually play. Is the starter banged up? Could the starter be benched? In this case. Tanner McKee is not above benching - it could happen this week. And the other thing we look for is mobile upside, since that translates most easily to fantasy success compared to a backup coming out and consistently throwing 2 or 3 touchdowns. Milton offers that.
Last week the Eagles made a seemingly minor move that means everything for this stash. In Week 6, Joe Milton was inactive as the emergency third QB while Cole Payton was the active backup to McKee. In Week 7, that flipped, and Payton was inactive with Milton active. Now, that might have just been a symbolic gesture for Milton against his former team, but it could also signal that the veteran Milton has surpassed the rookie Payton on the depth chart moving forward. And that makes Joe Milton a mobile QB who is now behind one of the QBs in this league who are most likely to be benched. Plus he has a bazooka arm and does backflips - what’s more fun than that?
Week 8 Running Back Sleepers
Justice Hill, Baltimore Ravens
This isn’t the sexiest play by any means. But there is a narrative for it. Derrick Henry is the clear run-down back while Justice Hill is the clear pass-down back. That’s actually seen Hill quietly play 38% or more of the snaps in six of seven games this year, with five of those being 42% or higher. Just last week Hill played 31 snaps while Henry played 34 snaps (and Henry dropped an easy pass right in his hands, illustrating why).
It just so happens that the Buffalo Bills and their “bend, don’t break” defensive philosophy are allowing the third most receptions to the running back group at 6.0 per game. This game has potential shootout conditions here with a 54-point over/under and only a 3.5-point spread. So Justice Hill isn’t that crazy of a streaming option in full-point PPR leagues if this game plays out the way we think it might. Hill has recorded multiple catches and at least three targets in each of his last four games.
Elijah Mitchell, Philadelphia Eagles
To say this is a “cursed” season for the Eagles is an understatement. And that’s especially true at running back. Along the way, they have seen missed games from Saquon Barkley, Tank Bigsby, and Will Shipley. Just this past week, both Saquon Barkley and Dameon Pierce got banged up. Pierce left the game at the very end after getting hurt on a kickoff and went directly to the locker room, putting him in question for this week.
Saquon Barkley told reporters that he tweaked his hamstring early in the game, then later hurt his back “compensating” for the hamstring issue. He says he’s going to play this week but, with rumors swirling around Saquon Barkley in the trade market and the season seemingly lost here, do the Eagles really need to push Barkley to the limit this week? Elijah Mitchell is a capable vet who saw big workloads with the 49ers at certain points, so he could be a sneaky DFS play or super deep dart throw. And, if Barkley does get traded, the backfield will be open for competition. We’ve been throwing around the name Seth McGowan in this article for similar reasons.
Week 8 Wide Receiver Sleepers
Ja'Kobi Lane, Baltimore Ravens
We are going back to the well on this one with Ja'Kobi Lane because we feel like we are so close. This past week was a big test for Lane with both him and Rashod Bateman healthy for the first time in a long time. And Lane just barely edged out Bateman both in snaps and targets. It was extremely close, but that’s not nothing.
Zay Flowers is the clear top dog in Baltimore. But Rashod Bateman and Mark Andrews have both largely been ineffective with their targets. You might feel like this team can’t produce two fantasy-relevant pass-catchers, but Lane got hurt in Week 1 and returned to Tyler Huntley at QB. What happens when Lamar Jackson returns? What if that game is a shootout with the Buffalo Bills? The over/under is set at 54 points with a spread of only 3.5. Conditions are perfect for Ja'Kobi Lane to take the world by storm this week. So we’re stashing him now rather than battling everyone on waivers on Tuesday.
Savion Williams, Green Bay Packers
There are a lot of other great rookie options under 40% rostered in leagues like Caleb Douglas and Antonio Williams. But I’ll leave those ones up to the Reddit comments. As I mentioned in the intro, we are going a little bit DEEPER this week - which brings us to Savion Williams.
This is a unique player, no doubt about it. In college, he was a hybrid RB/WR, which drew comparisons to Cordarelle Patterson. Well, now that Jayden Reed is out, and Williams has recovered from his own injuries starting in Week 6, he has picked up a role in the slot. That has seen him get 3-4 targets in each of his two games. On top of that, he’s gotten two carries in each of his two games, bringing him to 5+ “looks” in each game. Green Bay is crowded with four targets with guys like Matthew Golden, Christian Watson, and Tucker Kraft, but sneaking a couple carries in there does leave the door open for Williams to create in other ways.
Week 8 Tight End Sleepers
Chig Okonkwo, Washington Commanders
I’m a little bit surprised that Chig Okonkwo wasn’t added in more leagues this waiver wire run. Part of that could be that folks also liked Antonio Williams off the wire and didn’t want to go after two Commanders. Brenton Strange also just had his bye weeks, and some folks might have wanted the security he has offered. But Chig Okonkwo has pretty unique upside here, which made him one of our favorite waiver wire adds of the week.
We did not like how Chig was utilized in Tennessee. Based on his own comments after signing a large contract with Washington, he didn’t either. This guy has 96th percentile speed for the position and should be moved all over the formation, not just as a classic inline tight end. That’s what Washington is doing with him - last week he played 30 snaps at WR (21 slot, 9 out wide) and 21 inline. It was actually Chig who led the team in routes run last week with 43, not Antonio Williams (37), Stefon Diggs (35), or Treylon Burks (29). In fact, Chig led them in targets too. Now that Terry McLaurin is out of the picture, Okonkwo is in a unique position for upside, and it’s a bit shocking he’s still available in 78% of leagues on Yahoo.
Where Do We Rank The Fantasy Football Breakout Sleepers This Week?
The toughest question, week in and week out, is whether you should just start the “safe” guys you have or whether you can just throw a dart at this week’s possible breakout. Lucky for you, we rank every one of these guys for PPR, half PPR, and standard rankings every single week. So check out the Fantasy Alarm Weekly Rankings to see exactly where these guys fall compared to the other options out there. If it’s anywhere close, it’s always more fun to throw in that sleeper!