Fantasy Football 2020 Week 8 Waiver Wire Pickup Advice

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

Teddy Bridgewater, Panthers (44% Owned): Bridgewater hasn’t been a stud, but he’s been incredibly efficient (70% completion rate in five or seven games), and he has one of the best possible matchups in Week 8 vs. the Falcons porous secondary. Bridgewater has thrown two touchdown passes in three of his last four games, and has shown the ability to get around 50 rushing yards in any given week. With Christian McCaffery looking like he’ll miss this game, it’ll once again be on Bridgewater to carry the offense, making him perfectly startable.

Derek Carr, Raiders (29% Owned): Carr has been a pleasant surprise in 2020, throwing two or more touchdown passes in five of Las Vegas’ six games, and throwing for at least 260 yards in all five of those tilts. He’s likely in line for another such performance, as the Browns, despite a strong pass rush, just allowed Joe Burrow to amass nearly 400 yards through the air on Sunday. Carr’s receivers don’t have a ton of name value, but TE Darren Waller, and WRs Henry Ruggs and Nelson Agholor have broken huge plays all season long, and Jon Gruden has convinced Carr he can air it out. While Bridgewater’s matchup in Week 8 is juicier, Carr has the look of a potential rest of season, every-week starter.

Running Backs

Joshua Kelley, Chargers (43% Owned): Kelley has been a massive disappointment since Austin Ekeler went out, but he has continued to get volume from the Chargers even though Justin Jackson has looked far superior. Any RB who can consistently count on double-digit carries week-to-week should be owned, and can be started in a pinch. This isn’t a great RB week on waivers though, and Kelley shouldn’t be counted on to be anything more than an emergency start at this point.

La’Mical Perine, Jets (16% Owned): With Le’Veon Bell gone, Frank Gore still saw too many touches. Despite that, Perine did receive 11 carries, turning it into 39 yards and a touchdown behind a Jets offense that, for at least one half, looked professional with massive LT Mekhi Becton on the field and Sam Darnold under center. The second half was another story, and this remains possibly the worst team ever, but Perine is now worth an add as the Jets must figure out if he’s a part of their future.

JaMycal Hasty, 49ers (16% Owned): Hasty has seen nine carries in back-to-back games, and that number should rise with Jeff Wilson now joining Raheem Mostert and Tevin Coleman on the shelf. Hasty is explosive, not unlike Mostert, and has the potential to do a lot of damage in limited touches. Jerick McKinnon’s ownership of passing downs limits the ceiling here, but he’s playable if your are injury-riddled.

Nyheim Hines, Colts (29% Owned): Hines’ role in the running game looks non-existent with Jonathan Taylor acting as a workhorse, but the Lions’ offense could put the Colts in a pass-heavy game script, which would make Hines worth a FLEX play, particularly in half-PPR and full-PPR leagues. I would not be excited to play Hines, but this is a matchup in which he should have enough opportunity to not goose you.

Carlos Hyde, Seahawks (10% Owned): Hyde saw volume Sunday night with Chris Carson down, and he put up 68 yards and a TD. This is Hyde. He will be an RB2 if Carson misses time, although his upside isn’t quite as high as it would’ve been in past years. Seattle’s defense is not good, and it has forced them to rely much more on Russell Wilson’s arm than in years past. Still, Hyde is a must-start if Carson is inactive, even with tough matchups – San Francisco, at Buffalo, at Rams – on the slate.

Wide Receivers

Brandon Aiyuk, 49ers (48% Owned): Aiyuk is the man again with Deebo Samuel injuring his hamstring, and the similarities between he and Samuel, and how the 49ers use them, bode well for his fantasy relevance moving forward. Aiyuk caught six passes for 115 yards in a blowout of the Patriots, a team that’s not exactly easy to carve up. Aiyuk isn’t going to be a must-start because San Francisco, ideally, wants to run the ball down your throat, but they can chuck it and Aiyuk is the No. 1 non-George Kittle pass catcher in this offense now.

Rashard Higgins, Browns (1% Owned): Higgins stepped up with Odell Beckham Jr. out of the game – six receptions, 110 yards – and with OBJ’s knee injury looking serious, Higgins is set for an increased role. Don’t be fooled by the Week 7 splash performance; if Beckham’s weekly production is a crapshoot, Higgins cannot be expected to deliver consistency. Baker Mayfield is shaky, and the Cleveland offense is one of the most run-heavy in the NFL when things are going well. Still, Higgins will be someone you can safely play in any game with Beckham out, and he’s shown flashes of blowup game potential.

Tim Patrick, Broncos (27% Owned): Patrick struggled vs. the Chiefs in the snow, but prior to this game he had topped 100 receiving yards in two straight games, and scored in Weeks 3 and 4. This isn’t a great offense, but Patrick has been flat out better than rookie teammate Jerry Jeudy, and outside of Noah Fant, someone’s gotta catch the rock. Patrick has been fairly matchup proof, with two of his better games coming against New England and Tampa Bay, so as far as WR3/FLEX options go, you can do a lot worse.

Sterling Shepard, Giants (29% Owned): Shepard returned to action Thursday night and made an immediate impact, scoring a touchdown against the Eagles, no small feat with Daniel Jones at QB. Shepard walked right back into a role in which he drew a bunch of targets, and with the Giants’ defense as it is, the G-Men will be throwing more often than not. Shepard is similar to Patrick in that the ceiling isn’t particularly high, but he’ll be a pretty safe bet going forward to deliver something.

Cole Beasley, Bills (40% Owned): Beasley has scored twice in the last four games, and topped 100 receiving yards twice. His appeal declines once John Brown returns, but in Brown’s absence he should be peppered with targets from Josh Allen while defenses focus on stopping Stefon Diggs. The threat Diggs poses over the top will leave the middle of the field and the flats wide open for Beasley to roam.

Tight Ends

Richard Rodgers, Eagles (8% Owned): Dallas Goedert isn’t back until Week 10, leaving Rodgers as the TE for QB Carson Wentz, who makes great use of his TEs. If Thursday night, when Rodgers drew eight targets and turned them into six catches and 85 yards, is any indication, Rodgers is a Top 12 TE option until Goedert comes back.

Eric Ebron, Steelers (46% Owned): Ebron hasn’t had a ton of touchdown luck, but the targets are there for him in a high-powered offense. Ben Roethlisberger has targeted Ebron five or more times in four of the Steelers’ six games, which is strong target share for the position. Ebron carries donut risk, but he also could be a touchdown machine during the second half of the year. If you’re hurting, Ebron can be a steady fill-in.