In fantasy football, there are oftentimes players that go overlooked heading into a week of games. Sleepers are left on benches every single week, but sometimes that “big game from out of nowhere” could have been easily predicted and utilized in starting lineups. In this piece, I’ll be tiering and listing some of the sleepers I’ve identified ahead of Week 8 of the 2023 fantasy football season. If they’re on your bench, feel comfortable playing them over a starter with a worse outlook for Week 8. There’s also a chance they could be on the waiver wire, so snatch them up if you’re in need of their services.

I’ll be looking at players rostered in at least 50% of ESPN leagues and tier them in descending order of their percentage started on fantasy teams. In other words: the further down the list, the deeper the sleeper for Week 8’s matchups. If you’re looking for this week’s top waiver wire adds, check out this essential piece from Shane by clicking the link below!

Related Article: Week 8 Waiver Wire Adds

Tier One: Started in 20-50% of fantasy leagues

WR George Pickens – Pittsburgh Steelers (90.7% rostered / 45.4% started)

George Pickens has had a pretty solid fantasy season, despite the struggles of the Steelers’ offense at times. As it stands, he’s currently the PPR WR18 on the season, and he’s averaging eight targets per game, and is coming off of back-to-back performances with over 100 yards receiving. Pickens’ big play ability will always keep him in some sort of fantasy relevance, but with a matchup vs. the Jaguars in Week 8, he should be ready to light up the stat sheet once again. The Jaguars run a zone-heavy defense, which Pickens is great at exploiting. 24 of his 27 catches on the season have come against zone coverage, and he’s clocked in at 18.5 yards per reception on the year.

WR Tee Higgins – Cincinnati Bengals (94.5% rostered / 34.7% started)

Fresh off a bye week, the Bengals get a matchup with the 49ers that isn’t as daunting as it seemed a few weeks ago. The Niners’ defense hasn’t been firing on all cylinders the last handful of weeks, and hopefully they remain a shell of their potential vs. Cincinnati when Higgins looks to bounce back from a terrible slump he’s found himself in. The Bengals’ passing offense as a whole appears to be trending in the right direction as QB Joe Burrow’s calf gets healthier, especially with the bye week’s extended rest. Higgins is a good buy-low candidate, and I believe he can get back on track as soon as this week vs. San Francisco.

TE Dalton Kincaid – Buffalo Bills (58.6% rostered / 23.3% started)

With TE Dawson Knox (wrist) out for TNF vs. the Buccaneers and a likely stay on injured reserve imminent, rookie TE Dalton Kincaid is faced with a big opportunity to cement himself in the echelon of tight ends above the massive group of streaming options. While Diggs has been automatic all season, the Bills are still looking for a consistent number two option, while WR Gabe Davis remains primarily a big play target. Kincaid has displayed a knack for getting open against zone coverage, and the Bucs play zone defense at a higher rate than most of the league. If it didn’t already happen last week when he reeled in eight catches for 75 yards, a breakout game could be in store for the rookie tight end in Week 8.

Tier Two: Started in 10-20% of fantasy leagues

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