@Barrister
In my opinion, in a situation like this there is a difference between women that are for relationship/dating material and those that are just ONS, FWBs, etc.
I do know that many men will see less attractive women that aren't really there league as "slump busters" when they've been out of the game for a while. I don't have to get into the detailed dynamics of this, but I think that this can be of great value to men. Now, I think how low so men are willing to go is going to be relatively subjective to each individual. A lot of guys would feel grossed out by the idea of being with a landwhale or very unattractive woman, I'm one of them. However, if a man has been on a long dry spell and is holding out for some 8 or 9 it may be in his best interest to have a fling with a more average girl who perhaps isn't particularly attractive, is not in shape but still reasonable, etc. I think a good way to gauge this is the boner test. If you have to watch porn or use your imagination in order to get an erection when you are with these women I'd say that is a bad sign, I'm just going to assume this is for a healthy male who isn't drunk or high on drugs. In my opinion, I don't really think there is any reason for a man to dumpster dive or go well beyond his standards or his personal league, as there are a lot of women that are still presentable lol.
Now, when it comes to actual dating/relationship material I think this can be a bit tricky. It should be normal for a man to want to date women he is attracted to and I think forcing yourself to date someone you aren't into is just not in your best interest nor that of the female party. Something that I've witnessed is when a man, who isn't very confident and not very sure of where he actually stands, settles for something that is the first to come along and is in reality below him. I can think of a few instances where I knew of men who were in relationships like this and that the woman was controlling of them, almost as if to make them feel lesser because they deep down knew those men could go better. I feel like it's in everyone's best interest to go with people who are around your league, and I also feel that this is something that people are intuitively aware of, which I'll elaborate on below.
For instance, a couple years back I was having some bad experiences with very attractive women, so getting first dates and all that but nothing more, so I decided to try out more average women to see if that was better. To my surprise, I actually did far worse approaching or initiating with women that were average and/or those I wasn't really that into. There were a few times I went out by myself and I'd approach a group of these average women and they just bert stared me, it was super awkward. There was another time I was at a bar at around 10ish, I was waiting for a friend that was going to meet me there. Anyway, I tried striking up this conversation with a woman near by and she literally stuck her nose in the air and turned her back on me, she was maybe mid 30s, slightly overweight and average looking. I tried out a speed dating event, there were 10 women that were mostly average, a couple were heavy, etc. Only 3 had anything of substance to discuss and were enjoyable to converse with. One gave me one word answers and kept looking away, so literally no interaction at all lol. Another one I sat down with and I'd ask her questions and she'd give me sarcastic and rude responses. A third was just a straight up ***** and stuck her nose in the air lol. To sum it up, people know where they are and I feel it's better for everyone to stay within that league and play in it.
Also, I factor in other variables besides just physical appearance. There are hot girls that are super trashy for instance. I feel it's good to go for women that are around your league physically but also those that have a similar upbringing, lifestyle, etc.