Fantasy Football Week 8 Waiver Wire Pickups
Is your fantasy team in need of new blood? Each week I’ll bring to you the best pickups to make ahead of the waiver deadline. All the players I list will be owned in fewer than 50 percent of leagues, with the ownership percentage coming from Yahoo.com.
Quarterbacks
Josh McCown, Jets (12% Owned): McCown appearing on this list was unthinkable entering the season, but McCown has proven he’s a capable NFL passer in the year 2017, and you can certainly do worse as a backup/emergency fantasy QB. He’s thrown two or more touchdown passes in three consecutive games and has done it four times this year. More important than his surprising numbers are his upcoming matchups; juicy matchups vs. Atlanta and at Tampa Bay sandwich a potentially ugly tilt at home against the Bills.
Matt Moore, Dolphins (1% Owned): Moore led a comeback against McCown’s Jets last week, and looked comfortable operating the Dolphins’ offense; he should, since 2017 is his seventh season as Miami’s backup. Last week he torched Gang Green for 188 yards and two touchdowns in two quarters. This week he has a terrible matchup with the Ravens, but he will get Oakland and a potentially Luke Kuechly-less Panthers after that.
Running Backs
Dion Lewis, Patriots (29% Owned): Lewis did not establish himself as the clear leader of the Patriots’ backfield, but he did make it obvious he’s the most appealing Patriots running back. Lewis carried the ball 13 times (leading the team) for 76 yards (5.8 yards per carry), but noticeably drew one lone target in the passing game. He hasn’t been targeted more than three times in any game this year, apparently transforming from a passing game specialist in the two prior seasons to an effective early-down back. If he continues to see double-digit attempts, that’ll be enough to make him relevant; should something happen to James White, Lewis has the upside to be a solid RB2 and sneaky RB1 in full-PPR leagues.
Marlon Mack, Colts (40% Owned): Don’t let the Colts’ shutout loss in Week 7 fool you, Mack is someone you want to own. With Andrew Luck seemingly never returning, the Colts are hurting for playmakers. That’s why they’ve officially turned to Mack as the primary back; he out-touched Frank Gore 11 to nine and put up double the total yardage. That will likely be the case moving forward as their needs at RB have evolved. Whereas the passing game was once the engine of this offense with Gore simply providing steady production, Mack offers much more potential for the offense to lean on.
Alex Collins, Ravens (33% Owned): Last week Collins only totaled 30 yards, easily his worst game of the season. He still led the Ravens in carries, and he was trying to plow through the fifth-ranked run defense in the NFL. This week he faces a deceptively good Miami run defense, but his slate eases up after that with the Titans and Packers. Collins until last week was putting up monstrous yards per carry production, and he will eventually start finding the end zone. I really like him as an add that won’t cost you much, because his lack of TDs to this point will ward off a lot of owners searching for obvious RB help.
Latavius Murray, Vikings (41% Owned): Out of nowhere, like the perfect RKO, Murray burst back onto the fantasy radar. With 113 yards and a touchdown on 18 carries he sent a chill down all the Jerick McKinnon owners’ spine. When Dalvin Cook went down it was assumed Murray, who got paid this offseason, would soak up the carries. Despite lingering rumors about a bum ankle, he was added heavily. McKinnon got much more work than Murray though, and looked good too. Perhaps, Murray slipped on the depth chart because he hadn’t fully recovered yet? Latavius looked fast and impressive in Week 7; don’t go dropping McKinnon just yet – he looked fine too – but Murray is clearly someone you can start in a pinch. With upcoming tilts vs. the Browns, Redskins and Rams his touchdown upside is high.
Rob Kelley, Redskins (46% Owned): Bear in mind this is being written prior to Monday Night Football, but Kelley, when healthy, is the starting running back for the Redskins. That’s enough to be relevant these days. Kelley is more steak than sizzle, and he relies on workload for his production, but luckily in D.C. he’s going to get those carries. You could do much worse than a healthy Rob Kelley.
Wide Receivers
Allen Hurns, Jaguars (38% Owned): I’ve been hyping Hurns as the Jaguars’ best receiver, and he showed us why last week. He picked up 101 yards on five catches last week, proving useful despite extending his touchdown-less streak to four weeks. Hurns is due, and he’s still the Jags’ best bet for receiving production.
Mohamed Sanu, Falcons (38% Owned): Sanu is back from injury, and he continues to be heavily targeted by Matt Ryan. Sanu saw 10 targets against the Patriots Sunday night, and has been targeted six or more times in four of his five games. Sanu has never been able to turn his height into high-touchdown totals, but if he’s going to be peppered by Ryan as much as he has, he will find it easy to be as relevant for fantasy owners as he has ever been.
Jordan Matthews, Bills (30% Owned): Matthews came back from injury this week, and even though he only drew three targets, he’s currently the only useful pass catcher the Bills have. Better days are ahead of him, especially with matchups vs. the Raiders, Jets and Saints on the schedule.
Tight Ends
David Njoku, Browns (12% Owned): Njoku caught just two passes last week, but he gained 58 yards on those two grabs. When you recall that TE is essentially a wasteland, that ain’t bad at all. Cleveland’s constant QB churn isn’t great for Njoku’s development, but he’ll be a weekly threat for a touchdown and his floor isn’t any lower than other widely-owned options.
O.J. Howard, Buccaneers (13% Owned): If we’re talking upside at the TE position, no one has more pure upside than Howard. Howard saw a career-high six targets last week and caught all six, putting up 98 yards and two touchdowns. I can’t say with any certainty that’s going to be the status quo going forward, but it’s important that it could.