Fantasy Football 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 rostered in fewer than 50 percent of leagues, with the roster percentages coming from Yahoo.com.

Quarterbacks

Derek Carr, Saints (35% Rostered): QBs seem to be pretty widely rostered these days, or at least the ones we want. You likely aren’t hunting for QBs on waivers this week with no teams on bye, but if you find yourself in this position you can close your eyes, breathe deep, and add Carr. He’s really been a gross watch  most weeks, but he’s gone over 300 yards three times this season, and in back-to-back weeks while throwing more than 50 times in each of those two games. He has favorable matchups for the next three weeks – at Indianapolis, vs. Chicago, at Minnesota – so at the very least he is unlikely to lose matchups for you.

Desmond Ridder, Falcons (14% Rostered): Ridder is a very, very high-risk option because this offense is not good at all, and Ridder is an incredibly inconsistent passer. With that said, he runs more than most realize, and has three rushing touchdowns on the season, including two in the last three games. With receiving weapons like Bijan Robinson, Drake London and Kyle Pitts it’s kind of amazing he doesn’t put up better numbers, but those weapons do always offer the possibility of a blowup game.

Running Backs

Darrell Henderson Jr., Rams (25% Rostered): Seeing Henderson lead the Rams backfield in snaps had me like Robin Williams in Jumanji – “what year is this?!” Henderson was picked up off the couch to join a motley crew of beat up veterans and a rookie named Zach Evans to replace Kyren Williams, and Henderson won the battle royale by earning over 50% of the snaps and logging 18 carries for 61 yards and a score. His familiarity with Sean McVay’s scheme won the day, at least for one week, and that makes him the top add because this is a solid offense in which the lead back is very valuable. Maybe he’s an unexceptional pure talent, but Kyren Williams wasn’t either, and he’s been a top fantasy RB. In this system, simply being solid and understanding the scheme pays dividends, and Henderson should be a mid-level RB2 for as long as Williams is out.

Tyjae Spears, Titans (42% Rostered): Spears’s roster rate is rising, so people are slowly noticing this man’s talent. He has major big play potential, and becomes a possible league-winner if Derrick Henry goes down. I’ll bang the drum until he’s over 50% rostered, because if Henry gets injured, you’re probably going to have to empty your FAAB budget to secure Spears, all while praying nobody else has more money in their reserves.

Kenneth Gainwell, Eagles (34% Rostered): Gainwell’s usage is so confusing. D’Andre Swift is a clearly better player in every facet, and it seemed Philly understood this when Gainwell got two carries vs. the Jets. Then, on Sunday night, Gainwell got eight carries, turning them into just 16 yards. He also got carries near the goal line, turning one into a touchdown. It is baffling to see Philly continue taking out Swift for a smaller, slower back when they’re near the end zone, but it does make Gainwell a viable desperation FLEX, and cements him as the back to roster in the event of a Swift injury.

Ezekiel Elliott, Patriots (46% Rostered): Elliott has scored in back-to-back games, but don’t be fooled. This is still a bottom-level offense in the NFL right now, and Zeke is on the worse end of a RB time share in a bottom-level offense. The touchdowns are frustrating as hell for Rhamondre Stevenson managers, but these are the facts: Zeke has only managed double-digit carries twice in 2023, and surpassed 35 rushing yards once. He’s averaging just 3.7 yards per carry, a career-low, and he’s yet to see 50% of the offensive snaps in a game. He’d become a low-end RB2 if Stevenson got hurt, but for now he’s a desperate dart throw where you pray for a touchdown.

Devin Singletary, Texans (14% Rostered): Singletary’s season-high 12 carries vs. New Orleans in Week 6 may have signaled a change of the guard for Houston’s backfield. Or…it was just that he got hot and they rode him, but Dameon Pierce remains the guy. Singletary has always been a solid back, but he’s never been able to take full control for a long stretch. At a certain point, we as fantasy managers just need to recognize that trend and understand it. Of course, some people are really hurting at RB and maybe Singletary can help them out, but if you’re hoping for a waiver add to come in and solidify the RB2 position, or be a locked in weekly FLEX, I do not believe Singletary is that player.

Roschon Johnson, Bears (49% Rostered): Johnson probably missed his chance to be “the guy” for Chicago with Khalil Herbert out, because D’Onta Foreman has absolutely dominated with the bell cow duties. He’s worth adding still, because Foreman’s workload has been tremendous the last two weeks, but it’s hard to picture Johnson supplanting him now.

Royce Freeman, Rams (29% Rostered): Freeman was the other half of the Rams backfield, earning 12 carries for 66 yards. We’ve seen Freeman plenty in his career, and he’s never amounted to much more than a reserve RB. He is unlikely to threaten Henderson’s role as the leader of the backfield; Zach Evans could ascend at some point, but for now Henderson’s the guy to spend on.

Wide Receivers

Kendrick Bourne, Patriots (26% Rostered): Bourne is very confusing, because he’s been a metrics darling for a while, and proved them right early by being a WR1 for the Patriots. Then, this offense fell apart and he was not providing anything for fantasy managers. Now, he’s come alive again, catching 16 passes for 152 yards and a TD in the last two weeks. Bourne is not someone I would rely on as a weekly WR2 rest of season, but I think it is abundantly clear he is the Patriots’ No. 1 receiver, and that in most weeks he’ll be able to deliver middling FLEX production, with high-end WR2 ceiling.

Josh Downs, Colts (36% Rostered): Downs went off on Sunday, catching five passes for 125 yards and a score. There is no doubt his value is way up with Gardner Minshew under center, which he will be for the rest of the season. I would not get carried away with Downs though, because despite the long TD, he’s still only posting a 7.7-yard average depth of target, and is reliant on heavy volume to produce. Still, he’s getting the necessary volume right now with 6+ targets in each of the last three weeks, so he’s absolutely playable in all formats.

Tank Dell, Texans (48% Rostered): Dell’s been hurt, and got dropped in lots of league’s due to Houston’s bye. You gotta do what you gotta do, but this is an opportunity for a lot of managers to improve their depth. He’s been inconsistent, as many rookie receivers are, but he’s a very talented WR who can beat man and zone coverage regularly and he’s paired with an ascendant rookie QB.

Jayden Reed, Packers (16% Rostered): Reed was a favorite of Jordan Love’s earlier this season when Christian Watson was out, and it appears Watson got dinged up again late on Sunday. Green Bay’s offense has fallen off a cliff of late, so Reed isn’t exactly tantalizing, but if Watson misses more time then Reed will be featured and worth FLEX consideration.

Jalin Hyatt, Giants (5% Rostered): Hyatt is raw, unrefined, and playing in a dreadful pass offense. And when you watch him on the field you see none of that matters. There aren’t many players with the pure, devastating speed Hyatt possesses and it seems like the Giants have grown tired of having Saquon Barkley be the only player on the field capable of an explosive play. Hyatt has broken the 70% snap mark in two straight games, and last week turned only two receptions into 75 yards. The floor for Hyatt is zero each week, and playing him isn’t for the faint of heart. But he only needs one reception to tilt a matchup in your favor.

Tight Ends

Logan Thomas, Commanders (44% Rostered): Thomas seems to be an involved member of the Commanders offense. In two of the last three weeks, he’s been targeted 11 and six times, and gotten above 50 yards. Those games sandwiched a one-target disaster vs. Atlanta. That’s the position folks. I cannot guarantee future target share, but Thomas does seem to earn targets on a fairly regular basis.

Jake Ferguson, Cowboys (46% Rostered): Ferguson should be the top add on this list because of the role he has as Dak Prescott’s TE, but I fear he’s simply not that good. Ferguson has only broken 50 yards once, and he hasn’t scored since September 17 vs. the Jets. He’s got a great matchup vs. the Rams this week, so maybe he should be the add over Logan Thomas, but he’s got three games with 15 or fewer yards under his belt this year. The safety he seems to offer is really an illusion.

Dalton Kincaid, Bills (42% Rostered): Kincaid caught eight passes for 75 yards last week in the best effort of his young career. The Bills are starving for a secondary playmaker in the receiving game to support Stefon Diggs, and Kincaid was drafted to be that. Is it finally happening? Who knows. Talent-wise, there’s no doubt he is the top widely available player, but Buffalo hasn’t hyper-targeted him at all until last week, and he still has to contend with Dawson Knox. Kincaid’s the most intriguing and high-upside add at the position, but he’s definitely not the safest.

Taysom Hill, Saints (9% Rostered): Hill is…actually catching passes? He’s notched 11 receptions for 99 yards in the last two games, which is a game-changer. If he is going to catch a few balls, and potentially establish a receiving floor, then his rushing game usage and ability to throw the ball make him a really interesting fantasy TE. We need to see the receiving work for another week or two, but if Hill pops this week he may become a potentially expensive add. If you don’t have a high-end TE already, a speculative add here makes a lot of sense.

Jonnu Smith, Falcons (42% Rostered): Smith emerging as a fairly consistent target for the Falcons is insane. Smith couldn’t get consistent looks when he was one of very few options in Tennessee, and then as a highly-paid option in New England, but now, with one of the most run-heavy offenses and surrounded by Bijan, Drake London and Kyle Pitts with a bottom-five QB, he becomes usable? Fantasy football is unreal. But you can play him.

Possibly Available

C.J. Stroud, QB, Texans, (65% Rostered)

Chuba Hubbard, RB, Panthers (58% Rostered)

Jaxon Smith-Njigba, WR, Seahawks (59% Rostered)

Jahan Dotson, WR, Commanders (52% Rostered)

Dalton Schultz, TE, Texans (55% Rostered)

Drop Candidates – HODL or Say Goodbye?

Antonio Gibson, RB, Commanders (53% Rostered): Say goodbye. Chris Rodriguez is getting carries? Who? No clue what the Commanders coaches are doing, but they’re wasting a major talent. Frustrating, but don’t waste your time anymore.

Jamaal Williams, RB, Saints (33% Rostered): Say goodbye. Alvin Kamara is all the way back, and Williams isn’t going to get the same red zone work he did in Detroit.

Jerry Jeudy, WR, Broncos (78% Rostered): Say goodbye. Denver’s offense ain’t it, and Courtland Sutton is the guy we want.

Jameson Williams, WR, Lions (48% Rostered): HODL. Zero catches on six targets is disgusting, but I can’t sell Jalin Hyatt as exciting and tell you to cut Jameson Williams. Remember how inexperienced he is, and don’t sleep on the talent.

David Njoku, TE, Browns (62% Rostered): HODL. He’s never going to break out like we wanted, but he’s involved. That’s not nothing for TEs.