As many teams have noticed the writing on the wall and a slow start has made the playoffs a near dream, the waiver wires are becoming more lucrative with less hands in the pot. Now’s not the time to become complacent in your leagues. Continue to be active on the waiver wire. At this point, mainly due to injuries, there is more likely than not an open seat on your bench. Don’t be the guy allowing your leaguemates to scoop up the gold of the waiver wire. If you don’t know who to target, I’m here to offer my favorite targets for this upcoming Week 8 below!
Each week, I will develop a list of must add targets for fantasy football leagues. My goal is to keep each suggestion under 40-percent owned in Yahoo and/or ESPN leagues. At least one of my suggestions will be owned in less than 10-percent of Yahoo and/or ESPN leagues. I will also strive to have at least one player per position (QB, WR, RB and TE.)
Week 7 Results
Sam Howell, QB, Washington Commanders - 10.46 Points
Derek Carr, QB, New Orleans Saints - 18.44 Points
Jordan Mason, RB, San Francisco 49ers - 0 Points
Elijah Mitchell, RB, San Francisco 49ers - -0.10 Points
Kareem Hunt, RB, Cleveland Browns - 15.1 Points
Craig Reynolds, RB, Detroit Lions - 3.5 Points
Ezekiel Elliott, RB, New England Patriots - 9.1 Points
Justice Hill, RB, Baltimore Ravens - 5.8 Points
Kendrick Bourne, WR, New England Patriots - 16.3 Points
Josh Downs, WR, Indianapolis Colts - 23.5 Points
Curtis Samuel, WR, Washington Commanders - 6.5 Points
Rashee Rice, WR, Kansas City Chiefs - 17 Points
Michael Mayer, TE, Las Vegas Raiders - 4.3 Points
Week 8 Suggestions
Quarterbacks
Kyler Murray (Arizona Cardinals) - Owned in 42% of Yahoo and 22.6% of ESPN Leagues
These are the type of mid-season waiver wire transactions that can ultimately win you your league. At this point, oftentimes, league mates are using their priority or FAAB on runningbacks and wide receivers to not only extend their benches but fill vital starting positions due to injuries. This allows someone like Murray to fly under the radar for already good teams to get even better. Murray came off the PUP list last week, opening his three week practice window. Now, he can’t see game time until Week 10, but that is just two weeks away. If you have the bench spot, now’s the time to grab Murray with the hopes of having him ready to go for the homestretch leading into the playoffs!
Derek Carr (New Orleans Saints) - Owned in 35% of Yahoo and 18.5% of ESPN Leagues
I harped on Carr last week due to his historically great stretch of matchups he was entering. He opened that stretch with a game against the Jacksonville Jaguars where he posted 18.44 fantasy points. He has thrown for over 300 yards in back-to-back games. His next three matchups include the Indianapolis Colts (who have allowed the eighth most fantasy points to opposing quarterbacks,) the Chicago Bears (fourth most) and the Minnesota Vikings (tenth most.) Even after the Saints’ bye week in Week 11, all six of his final matchups come against teams that rank between 13th and 20th in terms of points allowed to opposing quarterbacks.
Runningbacks
Darrell Henderson (Los Angeles Rams) - Owned in 25% of Yahoo and 12.1% of ESPN Leagues & Royce Freeman (Los Angeles Rams) - Owned in 28% of Yahoo and 20.3% of ESPN Leagues
With Kyren Williams on the IR, Henderson and Freeman split the backfield work for the Rams in Week 7 against the Pittsburgh Steelers. Henderson carried the ball 18 times for 61 yards and a score while securing one-of-two targets. Freeman ran the ball 12 times for 66 yards. Henderson was the one of the two to find the endzone, making his line appear much better than Freeman. The duo have until Week 12 when Williams is eligible to return to continue their reign of the Rams’ backfield. Sadly for us fantasy football owners looking to find value on the waiver wire, one of those weeks includes a bye. The other three games include the Dallas Cowboys, Green Bay Packers and Seattle Seahawks.
Tyjae Spears (Tennessee Titans) - Owned in 42% of Yahoo and 33.8% of ESPN Leagues
It’s a bit mind blowing that Spears continues to qualify for this article series. This may be in part due to the Titans’ bye week and the continued presence of Derrick Henry. Spears doesn’t get a massive workload with Henry in the same backfield, but when he does get a chance, he looks like he can score a touchdown at any moment. He shines in the passing game where Henry is non-existent. Prior to Week 6, Spears saw at least four targets in three consecutive games. He has also seen at least four targets in four of the Titans’ six games. As injuries continue to pile up at the runningback position across the league, Spears is nearing the ‘must-own’ category.
Emari Demercado (Arizona Cardinals) - Owned in 15% of Yahoo and 15.7% of ESPN Leagues
Demercado looked the part of what we thought we were getting off the waiver wire prior to Week 6 last week. He saw 13 carries for 58 yards while catching four-of-five targets for 17 yards. Damien Williams’ one carry was the only other touch by a Cardinals’ runningback during the entire game. With James Conner on the IR, we have a few more weeks of riding Demercado. The matchups ahead of him are not ideal, but when playing runningbacks off the waiver wire, volume is the biggest battle and Demercado will offer at least that.
Pierre Strong Jr. (Cleveland Browns) - Owned in 1% of Yahoo and 0.4% of ESPN Leagues
This suggestion is only worth something in the event that Jerome Ford’s ankle injury he suffered last week against the Indianapolis Colts keeps him limited or out for Week 8. Strong worked opposite lead back Kareem Hunt in the Browns’ backfield when Ford left the game in the fourth quarter of Sunday’s victory to the tune of 25 yards on eight carries. Strong isn’t going to light up the scoreboard by any means, but in deeper leagues and in the event of Ford missing time, there will be worse options than Strong.
Wide Receivers
Josh Downs (Indianapolis Colts) - Owned in 36% of Yahoo and 34.5% of ESPN Leagues
I’ve been all over Downs for weeks now and it’s a bit mind-blowing that he’s still owned in less than 40-percent of Yahoo and/or ESPN leagues. Downs just put together a masterful performance against the Cleveland Browns who came into the week allowing the least amount of fantasy points to opposing wide receivers. Downs caught five-of-six targets for 125 yards and a touchdown. I have talked about the connection he and now Colts’ starting quarterback Gardner Minshew have developed, dating back to Minshew’s Week 3 spot start for Anthony Richardson. Now that Minshew is the Colts’ starter for the rest of the season, I want as many shares of Downs as I can get.
Kendrick Bourne (New England Patriots) - Owned in 26% of Yahoo and 24.1% of ESPN Leagues
So far we’re two-for-two in repeat receivers from last week’s edition of the Fantasy Football Waiver Wire Wishlist. As Mac Jones and the New England Patriots’ offense starts to become a bit more competent the last two weeks, Bourne has been in the middle of it. Across his last two outings against the Raiders and Bills, Bourne has caught 16-of-18 targets for 152 yards and a touchdown. Now he gets some very favorable matchups coming up with the likes of the Miami Dolphins (who have allowed the tenth most fantasy points to opposing wide receivers,) the Commanders (third most,) the Colts (14th most,) their bye week, the Giants (12th most,) the Chargers (the most) and Steelers (fourth most.) Act now and add Bourne.
Rashid Shaheed (New Orleans Saints) - Owned in 37% of Yahoo and 18.5% of ESPN Leagues
As I love Derek Carr’s upcoming stretch of games, I have to like his receivers. Of course I’ll always enjoy the likes of Chris Olave but another name on this roster that warrants a spot on your fantasy football leagues is Shaheed. Shaheed saw a season high eight targets a week ago, although catching four of them for 28 yards. He’s now seen 14 targets across his last two weeks. Two weeks back he caught just two of six targets for 85 yards and a touchdown. He’s a homerun threat for sure but with the number of targets he’s gotten over the last two weeks and the very favorable stretch of games coming up, I’m taking the risk with Shaheed as he should offer a bunch of reward.
Jalin Hyatt (New York Giants) - Owned in 5% of Yahoo and 2.2% of ESPN Leagues
If you’re playing in a deeper league and have a bench spot for a stash candidate, Hyatt is your man. He caught two passes a week ago against the Commanders for 75 yards. That’s the type of boom-or-bust potential Hyatt brings to the table. Daniel Jones will soon be rejoining this team and even though he catches a lot of flack, he is still twice the quarterback Tyrod Taylor is. As Hyatt progresses throughout this season, the Giants have to get him more involved. As a true risk-reward player, Hyatt can soon offer more reward than risk down the stretch.
Tight End
Dalton Kincaid (Buffalo Bills) - Owned in 42% of Yahoo and 31.3% of ESPN Leagues
It’s time to unleash the near-consensus TE1 in dynasty rookie drafts this past year. Dalton Knox is set to have surgery on his wrist, leaving his future availability in question with no clear timetable for a return. Kincaid saw a career best eight targets and eight receptions in the Bills’ Week 7 loss to the Patriots. He was second on the team in targets to just Stephon Diggs. This is promising for Kincaid owners and those who look to pick him up this week. With Knox out of the picture for the time being, Kincaid has TE1 potential on any given week. Now’s the time to get him.
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