Week 8 Fantasy Football Sleepers to Help You Win

Week 8 action brings us six teams on bye and a bevy of notable injuries, especially at wide receiver. Fantasy managers will be forced into uncomfortable lineup decisions, and turning to these fantasy football sleepers could be just what is needed to overcome personnel losses.

Once the must-start players are locked in, fantasy football owners face challenging weekly lineup decisions for the remaining slots, and knowing the best sleeper picks gives you the winning edge. Join us each week of the NFL season as we uncover those hidden gems to help you hoist a fantasy championship trophy!

RB Brashard Smith, Kansas City Chiefs vs. Washington Commanders

Kareem Hunt won't be 100% healthy, assuming he even plays. We should learn his status on Saturday ahead of this Monday nighter. Smith has more explosiveness and should see a larger role once again after pacing KC in Week 7's blowout win. In fairness, most of his work came with the game already out of hand. The hope here is he showed enough to Andy Reid and Co. to earn another shot at leading the way. He's more dynamic than Isiah Pacheco for offering something in the aerial game, and Smith makes for an interesting risk-reward play.

RB Kyle Monangai, Chicago Bears at Baltimore Ravens

Monangai will see RB2-plus work again this week with Roschon Johnson (back) out and D'Andre Swift (groin) questionable. The Ravens return from their bye with some improvements on the injury front, such as the return of LB Roquan Smith, but the interior defensive line remains ravaged, and Monangai is an acceptable replacement play for desperate gamers hoping to get a cheap TD out of the rook.

RB Sean Tucker, Tampa Bay Buccaneers at New Orleans Saints

No Bucky Irving once again means we'll a combination of Rachaad White and Tucker, with the latter being a safer bet for a short-yardage TD run. That's really the only reason anyone should trust Tucker with a lineup spot. New Orleans allowed a respectable five rushing TDs in seven games but two came last week alone.

RB Tyler Allgeier, Atlanta Falcons vs. Miami Dolphins

Before we get into why Allgeier is worth playing, be aware he's questionable with hip and knee injuries. Not ideal. Assuming he is active, Bijan Robinson's backup could muster flex numbers with such a good matchup. The Dolphins have allowed the sixth-most fantasy points, on average, vs. RBs in 2025, and Atlanta could get up big enough that Allgeier racks up double-digit rushing attempts. Make sure you check on his status prior to kickoff, however.

WR Jahan Dotson, Philadelphia Eagles vs. New York Giants

No A.J. Brown (hamstring) pushes Dotson up the pecking order a spot, though fantasy owners should explore other options before settling on him. The former Washington Commander probably won't see enough targets to do anything without getting into the end zone. New York -- a defense that will be without CB Paulson Adebo and probably down safety Jevon Holland -- has permitted WRs 101 catches but only six TD grabs. Dotson is a total flier.

WR Tez Johnson, Tampa Bay Buccaneers at New Orleans Saints

Eight receivers have at least 11.9 PPR points to their credit against the Saints in 2025, and three of those guys posted 20 or more points. While most of the damage came from players you'd expect to do harm, two of the six total TDs against New Orleans were scored by reserves. Johnson's snap increase and vertical skills make him an intriguing play for owners in a bind.

WR Jayden Higgins, Houston Texans vs. San Francisco 49ers

Among the weaker options on this list, Higgins is one of those "break glass in case of emergency" receivers in Week 8. On average, the position has posted the 10th-fewest fantasy points per game vs. San Fran on the year, so this rookie will need to take full advantage of his opportunity with Nico Collins (concussion) out of commission. Higgins reaching around 12 PPR points should be viewed as a win. Eight receivers have at least 10.6 points to their name against the Niners through seven games, but only JSN and Puka Nacua managed more than 16.4 points.

TE Chig Okonkwo, Tennessee Titans at Indianapolis Colts

Tennessee's Calvin Ridley will miss Week 8, and Cam Ward needs to keep up with the powerful Indy offense. These teams met back in Week 3, and Okonkwo drummed up a season-high 11.6 points in PPR, securing five of six targets for 66 yards. He's a volatile option in this offense, though the silver lining is Indianapolis has struggled to contain the position in 2025, especially of late by permitting 54.3% more fantasy points than the league average in the last three weeks.

TE Colston Loveland, Chicago Bears at Baltimore Ravens

Call his inclusion here a hunch, because Loveland hasn't done jack this season, but he's poised for a breakout performance against the Ravens. Baltimore has allowed TEs the eighth-most fantasy points per game in 2025, mostly fueled by allowing 27.4% of the season-long fantasy production over the last two outings alone. TE Cole Kmet is out this week, and Chicago has really struggled to make a dent with its receiving corps the past couple of games.

Cincinnati Bengals at New York Jets

It's unclear whether the Jets will start Tyrod Taylor (knee), who is questionable, or Justin Fields, but either scenario still favors the Bengals. Cincy's best pass rusher, Trey Hendrickson, is questionable, too, yet optimistic he'll suit up. New York has allowed a league-high 31 sacks in seven games and turned it over 10 times.

Atlanta Falcons vs. Miami Dolphins

Atlanta is an erratic play after three games with only one sack and 10 more spread over two others, recording at least one takeaway in each game since the opener. The Dolphins are running low on targets in the passing game and face a stout run defense, which means points may be difficult to come by for Miami. The offense has turned it over a dozen times, including one for a TD return, and surrendered 17 sacks in seven contests thus far. The Dolphins also allowed a special teams score in '25.