NFL's Week 8 of the 2025 season marks "Bye-mageddon," with six teams on vacation -- meaning fantasy football players must seek replacements for their typical lineup options.
Many names among the best Week 8 sleepers could qualify for that role, even some who may have been on fantasy benches last week.
Keep scrolling for The Sporting News' staff picks for Week 8 fantasy sleepers.
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Best Week 8 Fantasy Sleepers
Michael Penix Jr.
QB sleeper picks this week
Joe Flacco, Bengals vs. Jets
Flacco gets a delayed revenge game against a Jets defense with a hurting Sauce Gardner that will cool off big time vs. his elite wide receivers, whom Flacco is helping produce big time and being at home is also nice again. - Vinnie Iyer
Caleb Williams, Bears at Ravens
Williams didn't need to do much for Chicago to beat New Orleans last week, but he will likely produce more fantasy stats in Baltimore this weekend. This isn't exactly the Ravens defense we've come to expect through the years, either — John Harbaugh's squad has surrendered the second-most fantasy points to QBs this season. - Sloan Piva
Michael Penix Jr., Falcons vs Dolphins
While there is a chance that Penix misses this game with a bone bruise, if he does play, he's a must-start. Penix will take on the Dolphins, who have allowed the fourth most fantasy points per game to the QB position. The fantasy performances have been small, but you can tell from watching the games that Penix has been much more consistent as a passer. - Griffin Missant
TOP FANTASY PICKUPS: Week 8 waiver wire
© Nathan Ray Seebeck
RB sleeper picks this week
Kyle Monangai, Bears at Ravens
Kyle Monangai is one of my top picks this week. The Baltimore Ravens give up an average of 29.1 fantasy points per game to running backs. In Week 7, we saw D'Andre Swift have a strong game, showing that Monangai can also be productive. Both backs should be able to get involved in this game. - Griffin Missant
Tyler Allgeier, Falcons vs. Dolphins
The Dolphins are bad enough against the run to the point Allgeier can also be effective working into the game to complement Bijan Robinson. It would not be shocking to see Atlanta rack up 200-plus yards on the ground. - Vinnie Iyer
Isiah Pacheco, Chiefs vs. Commanders
Pacheco saw a season-high 15 carries in Week 7, turning the usage boost into 57 yards and a touchdown against the Raiders. He draws a similarly underwhelming run defense in Washington this coming Monday night, a home game at Arrowhead that could be a Chiefs runaway with Jayden Daniels banged up. Pacheco's a smash play. - Sloan Piva
Week 8 Fantasy Rankings: QB | RB | WR | TE | D/ST | PK | Half-PPR Cheat Sheet
Kayshon Boutte
WR sleeper picks this week
Xavier Legette, Panthers vs. Bills
With Bryce Young expected to miss Week 8 with an ankle sprain, Andy Dalton once again becomes the Panthers' interim starting QB. That's great news for Legette, who has developed quite the rapport with Red Rifle. The wideout caught 9-of-11 targets for 92 yards and a TD against the Jets in New York last weekend, and he should be plenty busy against Josh Allen and the Bills this Sunday. - Sloan Piva
Marvin Mims, Broncos vs Cowboys
Mims was targeted a season-high 7 times by Bo Nix during their comeback victory over the Giants. He caught 6 of these passes for 85 yards, setting a season high in receiving yards. As the Broncos' second-leading receiver after Courtland Sutton, his performance is notable. In Week 8, Mims faces the Dallas Cowboys, a team known for their high-scoring games. - Griffin Missant
Kayshon Boutte, Patriots vs. Browns
He's a big-play and deep ball dependent wideout but the Browns tend to have those kind of coverage breakdowns on the road and Maye has been locked into his top downfield threat of late. - Vinnie Iyer
Dalton Schultz runs with the ball in Week 6 of the 2025 season
© Rafael Suanes-Imagn Images
TE sleeper picks this week
Kyle Pitts, Falcons vs. Dolphins
Pitts had his best game in a while with 7 catches for 62 yards against the 49ers, seeing a robust 10 targets. He should come back home to roost against the Dolphins as he can fly past the other birds' beleagured defense. - Vinnie Iyer
Dalton Schultz, Texans vs. 49ers
Schultz has quietly emerged as C.J. Stroud's top target in recent weeks, and you can expect more of the same with Nico Collins banged up entering this weekend. He has caught all but one of his targets in each of his past five games, including 9-of-10 for 98 yards in Seattle on Monday, so he's a high-floor play vs. the 49ers. - Sloan Piva
Noah Fant, Bengals vs Jets
Noah Fant has quietly been a solid play at the TE position for fantasy. Since Joe Flacco became the starter, he's targeted Fant 8 times in the last two weeks. The Jets are allowing 14.7 FPPG to opposing TEs. With all the byes at the TE position, you can do worse than Fant in Week 8. - Griffin Missant
Joe Nicholson-Imagn Images
Team Defense (D/ST) sleeper picks this week
San Francisco 49ers at Texans
Even with all the injuries the Niners have faced in their defensive unit, Robert Saleh has his guys playing well. The Texans' offensive line has struggled to keep C.J. Stroud upright. On top of this, they may be without Nico Collins, who suffered a concussion on MNF. - Griffin Missant
Indianapolis Colts vs. Titans
This is a layup to plug and play after their pass rush and big takeaways remerged in Los Angeles and now they get the Tennessee mess at home. - Vinnie Iyer
Atlanta Falcons vs. Dolphins
You had me at "vs. Dolphins." Miami is in crisis mode, with Darren Waller now joining Tyreek Hill on the injury report. Atlanta's defense has actually looked pretty good of late, and it should look stupendous against this disgustingly bad Miami team. - Sloan Piva
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