Fantasy Football Week 8 Sleepers: Tyler Higbee takes aim at TE-friendly Texans
Some lineup choices are easy, but these can help with the rest
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3 min read
Tyler Higbee has been on the cusp of some big games this season, and he should come through in Week 8 at Houston. He has the chance for a huge performance in this matchup, and he should be considered a top 10 Fantasy tight end in all leagues.
The Texans are No. 1 in Fantasy points allowed to opposing tight ends. Five tight ends have combined for six touchdowns against Houston, including one in each of the past four games. Over that span, Zach Ertz, Hunter Henry and Dawson Knox have each scored at least 16 PPR points against the Texans.
Let's hope that Higbee is next. He scored 11 PPR points in Week 1 against Chicago and 15 PPR points in Week 3 against Tampa Bay, but he's been at nine PPR points or less in every other game.
Now, Matthew Stafford has been trying to get Higbee to become one of the best Fantasy tight ends. Higbee leads all tight ends in red-zone targets with 12, but he's only scored two touchdowns on those chances. Hopefully, they can connect this week.
Overall, Higbee has at least five targets in five of seven games, including 13 total targets in his past two outings against the Giants and Lions. There's a big stat line coming for Higbee, and this could be his best game of the season given the matchup.
Higbee is one of my favorite sleepers in Week 8. Let's see some other sleepers that I like, as well as some DFS lineups on DraftKings and FanDuel you can use. This is a good week to win some money, so let's get started.
Editor's Note: Projections are provided by CBS Sports and not Jamey Eisenberg. Projected points are for PPR leagues.
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Week 8 Sleepers
Week 8 Preview
Sleepers
Quarterbacks
Winston will have revenge on his mind against his former team this week, and I'm hoping there's a shootout in New Orleans between the Saints and Buccaneers. Winston has attempted at least 30 passes in each of his past two games, and he's averaging 25.5 Fantasy points per game over that span. The Buccaneers held Justin Fields to zero Fantasy points in Week 7, but in their first six games, opposing quarterbacks averaged 26.0 Fantasy points against Tampa Bay. I like Winston as a low-end starter in this matchup.
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Tannehill's best game this season was against the Colts in Week 3 when he scored 26 Fantasy points, and I hope he can have similar success this week. The Colts allow an average of 23.4 Fantasy points per game to opposing quarterbacks, and this game should be a shootout with a projected total of 51 points, according to Caesars Sportsbook. Hopefully, we continue to get the best of A.J. Brown, especially with Julio Jones (hamstring) out, and Tannehill should have the chance for a huge outing in this AFC South showdown.
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We don't know the final status of Saquon Barkley (ankle), Sterling Shepard (hamstring), Kadarius Toney (ankle) or Kenny Golladay (knee), but hopefully the Giants are somewhat healthy for Monday's game against the Chiefs. If Jones gets any reinforcements, I like him as a starter in deeper leagues with his matchup against the Chiefs. While Kansas City will be tough going back home after a difficult loss at Tennessee in Week 7, the Chiefs have still allowed an average of 26.6 Fantasy points per game to opposing quarterbacks. And Jones has scored 30 Fantasy points in each of the two road games he's been able to finish this year (he left Week 5 at Dallas with a concussion). The Chiefs also allow the most rushing yards to opposing quarterbacks, and Jones is averaging 38.2 yards per game in his six healthy outings.
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Running backs
Carter just had his best Fantasy performance in Week 7 at New England with 15 PPR points. He benefited with Mike White taking over for the injured Zach Wilson (knee) because White was checking down to his running backs against the Patriots. As a result, Carter had eight catches for 67 yards on nine targets, along with 11 carries for 37 yards, and he's now had three games in a row with either a touchdown or 100 total yards. White is starting again in Week 8 against the Bengals, and Carter should remain involved in the passing game with Corey Davis (hip) likely out. And Cincinnati is No. 1 in receptions allowed to running backs this year. Carter is a strong flex option in all leagues, with his value higher in PPR.
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We'll find out this week how the Eagles plan to replace Miles Sanders (ankle) with Gainwell, Boston Scott and potentially Jordan Howard, but I like Gainwell the best. He should be considered a borderline starter/flex in all leagues, with his value higher in PPR. He has three games this season with at least nine total touches, and he's scored at least 11 PPR points in each outing. The Lions are No. 5 in Fantasy points allowed to opposing running backs, and Detroit has allowed six total touchdowns to running backs in the past four games and 12 total touchdowns to the position this year, which is the most in the NFL. Scott is also a sleeper in deeper leagues.
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The last time the Bills faced the Dolphins in Week 2 we saw Moss and Devin Singletary both play well. Moss had eight carries for 26 yards and two touchdowns, along with two catches for 8 yards on two targets. Singletary had 13 carries for 82 yards and a touchdown, along with two catches for 9 yards on three targets. Both are in play as at least flex options this week, but I like Moss more. He's scored at least 11 PPR points in four of five games, and the Dolphins are No. 6 in Fantasy points allowed to opposing running backs. A running back has either a touchdown or 100 total yards against Miami in every game this year.
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There's a chance for some garbage-time production here for Perine against the Jets, who lead the NFL with 10 touchdowns allowed to running backs this year. We saw that last week against the Patriots when J.J. Taylor scored two rushing touchdowns after Damien Harris did plenty of damage. Joe Mixon should have a big game this week, but Perine is worth using as a flex option in deeper leagues, especially with Chris Evans (hamstring) also out. Perine just had 11 carries for 52 yards and a touchdown late in the game in Week 7 at Baltimore, along with one catch for 23 yards, and he's scored at least 14 PPR points in each of his past two games.
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The Texans traded Mark Ingram to the Saints this week, and we'll see how Houston decides to use Johnson, Phillip Lindsay and Rex Burkhead as the new backfield trio. Johnson was already playing the most snaps out of Houston's running backs with Ingram on the roster, so Johnson is the one I would trust going into Week 8. It's a tough matchup against the Rams, but Johnson does have five catches in two of his past three games, which gives him some value in PPR as a flex option in deeper leagues.
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Wide receivers
Beasley has scored at least 20 PPR points in two of his past four games and just found the end zone for the first time in Week 6 at Tennessee. Josh Allen has done a nice job spreading the ball around this season, with Emmanuel Sanders and Dawson Knox stepping up to help Stefon Diggs, which has hurt Beasley at times. But with Knox (hand) out for a couple of games, Beasley should benefit. The Dolphins have allowed seven touchdowns to receivers in their past three games against Tampa Bay, Jacksonville and Atlanta, and Beasley is a quality No. 3 PPR receiver in Week 8.
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Raymond might be the best Lions receiver, and he has 15 combined targets in his past two games, with six catches in each outing. He just had eight targets in Week 7 at the Rams for six catches and 115 yards. And he has three games in his past five outings with at least 12 PPR points. We know the Lions are desperate for any wide receiver to step up, and Raymond might be the go-to option for Jared Goff behind D'Andre Swift and T.J. Hockenson. The Eagles also have allowed three receivers to score at least 12 PPR points in the past two games.
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Callaway and Tre'Quan Smith are worth using as No. 3 receivers this week in deeper leagues with the matchup against the Buccaneers. Jameis Winston will likely be throwing a lot in this game, and Alvin Kamara can't do it all by himself. Callaway has at least seven targets in each of his past two games, and hopefully that continues against Tampa Bay. And Smith and Winston couldn't connect in Week 7 at Seattle in Smith's first game this season, but hopefully they hit on a big play or two this week. The Buccaneers are one of five teams to allow more than 100 receptions to receivers this year, so hopefully Callaway and Smith can deliver.
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Justin Jefferson and Adam Thielen should both play well this week against the Cowboys, but Osborn is worth using in deeper leagues. He played well in his last game at Carolina in Week 6 with six catches for 78 yards and a touchdown on seven targets, and hopefully that carries over to this week against Dallas. Osborn has four games this season with at least six targets, and he's scored at least 14 PPR points in three of them. The Cowboys are No. 5 in Fantasy points allowed to receivers, so Kirk Cousins will hopefully get all three of his top guys involved in this matchup.
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Tight ends
Freiermuth is one of my favorite streaming tight ends this week, especially in PPR and with Eric Ebron (hamstring) out. In Pittsburgh's first game without JuJu Smith-Schuster (shoulder) in Week 6 against Seattle, Freiermuth had seven targets for seven catches and 58 yards. Hopefully that's a sign of things to come, and Freiermuth is worth trusting as a starter in deeper leagues. The matchup is tough since Cleveland has allowed only one touchdown to a tight end since Week 1, but I like the opportunity for Freiermuth to be a go-to option for Ben Roethlisberger in this matchup and moving forward.
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Arnold has 13 targets in two games without D.J. Chark (ankle), and he scored 10 PPR points in Week 5 against Tennessee. He has a good matchup in Week 8 against Seattle, and the Seahawks have allowed three touchdowns to tight ends in their past five games. Arnold is worth using as a low-end starter in deeper leagues, and hopefully Trevor Lawrence continues to lean on him in this matchup and for the rest of the year.
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Conklin has a great matchup in Week 8 against the Cowboys, who are No. 22 in Fantasy points allowed to opposing tight ends. Conklin had three catches for 71 yards on five targets in Week 6 at Carolina and now has two games this season with at least 10 PPR points. He's not a bad streamer given the matchup, and Conklin should help Kirk Cousins have a big game this week on Sunday night.
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Week 8 Preview
DFS LINEUPS
DraftKings
QB: Carson Wentz (vs. TEN) $5,700
RB: Najee Harris (at CLE) $7,500
RB: James Robinson (at SEA) $6,600
WR: A.J. Brown (at IND) $6,900
WR: Emmanuel Sanders (vs. MIA) $5,400
WR: Michael Pittman (vs. TEN) $5,300
TE: Hunter Henry (at LAC) $4,200
FLEX: Khalil Herbert (vs. SF) $5,400
DST: Falcons (vs. CAR) $2,900
I'm excited for Wentz in this matchup with the Titans, and he should continue to lean on Pittman. It should be a successful stack, and I'll counter that with Brown on the other side.
My other receiver is Sanders, and I want players from the Bills this week in as many lineups as possible with the matchup at home against the Dolphins. And Henry is another one of my favorite tight ends in a revenge game against the Chargers.
At running back, give me two stars in Harris and Robinson, and both should be heavily involved in the passing game, which is great. I also like Herbert at flex given his recent level of play, as well as his matchup against the 49ers run defense.
FanDuel
QB: Josh Allen (vs. BUF) $8,800
RB: Nick Chubb (vs. PIT) $8,000
RB: Elijah Mitchell (at CHI) $5,800
WR: Ja'Marr Chase (at NYJ) $8,200
WR: Stefon Diggs (vs. MIA) $7,300
WR: Chase Claypool (at CLE) $6,500
TE: Tyler Higbee (at HOU) $5,300
FLEX: Antonio Gibson (at DEN) $6,200
DST: Chargers (vs. NE) $3,900
As I said above, give me as many Bills as possible, so let's stack Allen and Diggs here. There's a chance both of them are the No. 1 players at their positions this week against Miami.
Now, Chase might make it hard for Diggs to be the No. 1 receiver, so I'll spend the money on him in a plus matchup against the Jets. I'll also go with Claypool and hope he takes advantage of this struggling Browns secondary.
Higbee was an easy choice at tight end, and I like my running back corps of Chubb, Mitchell and Gibson. Chubb will return as the lead running back for the Browns, and Mitchell is clearly the main man in the backfield for the 49ers. Gibson, barring a setback with his injured shin, should have a great performance against the Broncos, and I love him in the flex spot.
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