
It’s not just Week 8 fantasy football waivers, it’s some crazy changes in values after two big trades: Christian McCaffrey to the 49ers and James Robinson to the Jets. Plus, we got the Matt Ryan benching and the start of the Sam Ehlinger era. The Jets move was a result of the Breece Hall injury, and I’ll break down the value of Michael Carter, the Jaguars backups and all the important Week 8 waivers.
HEADS UP
- Players must be under 60% rostered on Yahoo
- Listed in order of preference — I’ll often prioritize potential upside over immediate middling production
- No FAB suggestions: It varies wildly by league tendencies and always relative (ex: if you lost your RB1 to injury and there is a clear backup, you’re going to be more aggressive)
- Streaming QB and TE are grouped together— their ranking might change slightly once projections/ranks run, and DST could shift a bit too
- Emojis
- 😤 = I Tried to Tell Ya — players included for several weeks (not much more to add if you don’t want them)
- 🧐 = Check if Dropped — players whose managers might have cut for other needs or impatient
WORRY REPORT
More DUCKS 🦆 (1-5) = More Concern (woo-hoo!)
Egg 🥚 = 1/2… or about to birth a new concern duck
- Tom Brady, QB, TB 🦆🦆🦆🥚 — Brady now has just two games over 14.7 points (17.7 and 25.4). For comparison, Brady had that same number of sub-15-point games last year (five). While Brady hasn’t had Chris Godwin at 100% for a good portion of the season, and the offensive line is worrisome, that doesn’t give him a complete pass in fantasy to not worry that his QB1 days are over… for at least this year.
- Lamar Jackson, QB, BAL 🦆🦆 — Jackson had 10 passing touchdowns in the first three games and just three since (four games). That was an 11.4 TD% (touchdown to attempt percentage), and it’s down to 2.7% the past four games. LJax isn’t that good or that bad, as he was at 9.0 in his MVP season and 6.9 the year after. Jackson regressed from his hot start but he should regress toward his “norm,” which should be expected in the 6-7% range.
- Alvin Kamara, RB, NO 🥚 — Yes, Kamara is still without a touchdown, but he’s still Top 25 in total yards, Top 20 in touches, Top 10 in receptions and Top 5 in receiving yards for running backs… despite missing two games.
- Diontae Johnson, WR, PIT 🦆🦆🥚 — Johnson still leads the team in TmTGT% (25.0) since Kenny Pickett took over, but he’s only caught half of Pickett’s targets for 130 yards and zero touchdowns. Better days are ahead but Pickett has more rapport with the other two receiver options so far.
- Drake London, WR and Kyle Pitts, TE, ATL ♾️🦆 — We’re officially in Dumpsville for both, and we honestly were a few weeks ago but held out hope given the talent. If you can stash both in hopes that the play-calling and/or quarterback changes, then please do, but London hasn’t topped 40 yards since Week 3, and that was just 54 yards, and one of two games with a touchdown and double-digit score. Pitts has as many double-digit scores as he does touchdowns (one), and just two games over 3.0 points.
BYES: KC, LAC
STREAMING QUARTERBACK RANKINGS
Top Streamers
If You’re Needy
WAIVER WIRE RUNNING BACK RANKS
Gus Edwards, BAL — 😤 If you/your league didn’t stash Gus Bus last week, Edwards is a blow-the-FAB pickup. Don’t forget that Mark Ingram was RB8 for the Ravens in 2019 with just 202 carries and 26-for-247 receiving thanks to touchdown equity.Michael Carter, NYJ — 🧐 (If Carter is available — just over 60% rostered on Yahoo.) With the James Robinson trade, Carter likely sees a modest uptick but not what we had hoped as a potential high-end RB2. Robinson should get the work with Carter in his same role, just increased. That puts both in the fringe RB2 conversation and would lean towards predicting the game script for the higher weekly ceiling.D’Onta Foreman and Chuba Hubbard, CAR — You don’t need to be told that Foreman and Hubbard won’t finish as RB1s every week — heck, the likelihood for either is still slim. However, the position is getting thin, and we can try to predict who is the RB2 and who is an RB3 each week given the matchups. In close games, the lean would go to Hubbard, who sees the short-yard and goal-line work, but for most weeks, Foreman carries a tad more upside.Latavius Murray, DEN — 🧐 With Mike Boone out, the Broncos likely whittle things down to a two-man backfield again, and Murray continues to show a bit more burst than Melvin Gordon.Khalil Herbert, CHI — 🧐 David Montgomery remained the lead, but the renewed talk of Herbert seeing more work came to fruition, and he’s a proven RB1 when Montgomery is out.Rachaad White, TB — White eclipsed 40% of the snaps in Week 7, and with the Buccaneers offense struggling, White could push for more of a timeshare than what we’ve seen to date. White would enter the RB3 conversation with 40%+ snap share each week, and we already know there is Top 20 upside with a Leonard Fournette injury.Isiah Pacheco, KC — “He’s the starter.” Well, that stunk. Jerick McKinnon had the most snaps, Clyde Edwards-Helaire scored, and Pacheco led in rushing snaps but didn’t have a Goal-to-Go touch on a mediocre day. It’s still possible Pacheco has RB2 days when the Chiefs are in control early.Tyler Allgeier, ATL — 🧐 With Cordarrelle Patterson and Damien Williams returning soon, this could be short-lived, especially since Allgeier has been outplayed by Caleb Huntley a few times.Jerick McKinnon, KC — McKinnon is the safest of this committee, but the appeal of the Chiefs offense doesn’t outweigh the potential frustration if you’re looking for more than inconsistent Flex running back play.James Cook, BUF — Coming off the bye, Cook could see an uptick, as some rookies do.Kyren Williams, LAR — With Cam Akers seemingly done in L.A., Williams has the upside to timeshare with Darrell Henderson and provide RB3 value or even push past Henderson as the lead for RB2 value. Sean McVay gushed over Williams all offseason, so stash him where possible.Snoop Conner and JaMycal Hasty, JAX — While Hasty is next up in Jacksonville for weekly touches, I like Conner more as the “next man up” for lead work if something happened to Travis Etienne. Hasty has proven to have some value in the NFL but he’s limited and mainly involved in the passing game. Hasty won’t be worth starting outside of a Nyheim Hines-like matchup play (high passing volume). Conner is worth a grab if Doug Pederson does cap Etienne in the mid-high teens for health reasons and gives Conner some short-yard and goal-line touches; and again, he has James Robinson-like, lead-rusher upside if Etienne ever hurt.Damien Williams, ATL — It still sounds as if Williams isn’t in the plan (outside of backup duty) unless Patterson and Allgeier are out, but he’s worth a deep bench stash in case.Boston Scott, PHI — As mentioned last week and in the past, when Miles Sanders misses time, Scott is the leader of the timeshare with Kenneth Gainwell.Malcolm Brown, LAR — Brown will be in the short-yard and goal-line mix, but his ceiling isn’t as great as Williams’ is.Sony Michel, LAC — Spiller returned, and if I’m looking for the highest pure ceiling, I’m stashing him over Michel, but as of right now, Michel is next up with Joshua Kelley out.BACKUPS and/or LONG TERM UPSIDE STASH
- Khalil Herbert, CHI
- Alexander Mattison, MIN
- Jeff Wilson/Elijah Mitchell, SF
- Rachaad White, TB
- D’Ernest Johnson, CLE
- Chase Edmonds, MIA
- Deon Jackson, IND
- Samaje Perine, CIN
- Jaylen Warren, PIT
- Kenyan Drake, BAL
- Mark Ingram, NO
- Isaiah Spiller, LAC
- Matt Breida, NYG
- Zamir White, LV
- Dontrell Hilliard, TEN
WAIVER WIRE WIDE RECEIVER RANKS
George Pickens, PIT — 😤 Pickens with Mitchell Trubisky starting: 20-11-167-0, 15.9 TmTGT, 5.6 FPPG. Pickens with Kenny Pickett starting: 20-15-171-1, 16.7 TmTGT%, 10.2 FPPG. The distribution isn’t vastly different (one more game with Trubisky starting), but the efficiency is much better, and better than Diontae Johnson (7.8 FPPG for the season).Wan’Dale Robinson, NYG — 😤 In his two games, Robinson has 36.4 TGT% and 27.6 TGT% for 22.2 TmTGT%, best on the Giants. As I said on the podcast, Robinson is the 2022 (lite) version of Amon-Ra St. Brown from 2021.Parris Campbell, IND — Campbell has been superb the past two weeks, but the change at quarterback puts this situation more in the grab-and-stash group than pickup-and-start. Campbell fits Sam Ehlinger (more short-to-intermediate work… just like Matt Ryan for most of this year), but there is no guarantee Ehlinger performs well… or is allowed to attempt many more passes than someone like Marcus Mariota.Josh Palmer, LAC — 🧐 With Mike Williams missing time, Palmer returns to relevancy. He disappointed in his time replacing Keenan Allen, but the snap and target opportunity return.Garrett Wilson, NYJ — 🧐 If Corey Davis misses time, Wilson could get back into the startable conversation. Wilson still leads the Jets in Route% and TmTGT% by a large margin since Zach Wilson took over, and while Zach Wilson is plenty to blame for the drop in performance, Garrett Wilson seeing even more volume can offset the quarterback issues.Josh Reynolds, DET — Reynolds had a quiet Week 7, battling through his injury, but until Jameson Williams and/or D.J. Chark return, he’s the second-best option behind the Sun God. Reynolds is a WR3/4 with those contingencies to his value, and he’s droppable without them.Alec Pierce, IND — Sam Ehlinger — and the emergence of Parris Campbell — throws a wrench into the Pierce excitement. He’s more than worth grabbing and stashing this week to see how Ehlinger distributes his targets. On paper, his style points to better value for Campbell (plus the backfield and tight ends), but we might be surprised with who Ehlinger works best.Elijah Moore, NYJ — 🧐 As mentioned with Garrett Wilson, Corey Davis’ absence would narrow the wideout options, and if Moore sticks around, he can rediscover some of his 2021 lost value. There is still plenty of risk that 1) Zach Wilson ruins it anyway and 2) Braxton Berrios and others get more involved.Jahan Dotson, WSH — 🧐 Even with missing action, Dotson still leads the Commanders with three red zone targets, is tied for the lead with four end zone targets and has four end zone touchdowns, with Terry McLaurin second at one.Treylon Burks, TEN — 🧐 Burks is getting close, and he has the highest ceiling among Titans wideouts.DeVante Parker, NE — Three straight usable games, as Bailey Zappe (and Parker’s health) is making him relevant again.DeAndre Carter, LAC — As with Palmer, Carter is intriguing with Williams out. Palmer fits the Williams role better — plays out wide significantly more — but struggled to produce consistently. With Allen back, Carter might struggle to have consistency (70.2 Slot%, Allen 52.3) but his big-play upside intrigues.Nico Collins, HOU — If he’s healthy, Collins has WR4 potential with the upside for weekly WR3 stability if Brandin Cooks gets traded. If Cooks sticks around, Collins is down by Sammy Watkins.Khalil Shakir, BUF — Isaiah McKenzie returned from injury and split work with Shakir, who impressed while McKenzie was sidelined and could be the new slot receiver of choice. If Shakir gets the majority work, he has WR3/4 value.Rondale Moore, ARI — DeAndre Hopkins returned and commanded 48.3% of the targets. Moore will have better days with Marquise Brown out for a while longer, but Hopkins makes this similar to the Panthers… but with a better passing game.Van Jefferson, LAR — Jefferson is set to return, and given Allen Robinson’s struggles, Jefferson — and his big-play ability — has the potential to push for the No. 2 role.Sammy Watkins, GB — The Packers wideouts are a mess and seemingly all banged up. If Allen Lazard or Romeo Doubs sits out Week 8, Watkins has desperation-play potential.Robbie Anderson, ARI — Anderson didn’t do anything in his first Cardinals game, but he has boom/bust upside in the right matchup.Russell Gage, TB — Gage is dealing with an injury, but if healthy, he’s the clear No. 3 for the Buccaneers, looking for a bounce-back passing performance against the highly-vulnerable Ravens pass defense on TNF.Marquise Goodwin, SEA — As long as DK Metcalf is sidelined, Goodwin is a deep dart throw in the WR4 range.Donovan Peoples-Jones, CLE — Interestingly, Amari Cooper is better at home, and DPJ is better on the road. It’s a small sample and not worth believing to be 100% accurate, but it makes Peoples-Jones a road-game flier.Darius Slayton, NYG — Slayton is second to Robinson in everything for the Giants receivers since Sterling Shepard and others were hurt. He’s a deep-league play only… and those are pretty deep leagues.Terrace Marshall, CAR — With Robbie Anderson gone, Marshall is the No. 2, though, it matters little if the passing game can’t support anyone but DJ Moore.TIME TO STASH NOW
- Jameson Williams, DET — One of the 2022 NFL Draft’s premiere talents, Williams could provide WR2 value once he’s 100% healthy.
- Christian Watson, GB — If Watson can get healthy and consistently on the field, he has the most upside outside of Allen Lazard, especially with numerous Packers injuries.
MEH 😒 NO THANKS
- Mecole Hardman and Marquez Valdes-Scantling, KC — It’s essentially a wide receiver by committee situation, and JuJu Smith-Schuster is the lead, and not even he’s consistent. Hardman and MVS are weekly boom/bust plays more suited for DFS.
- Ray-Ray McCloud, SF — You want nothing to do with the fourth option in San Francisco.
- Damiere Byrd, ATL — The No. 2/3 wideout on this offense? Yea, you know better.
UNBREAK MY HEART
- Chase Claypool, PIT — I still don’t love Claypool, but in Half and Full-PPR leagues, the volume helps him, with 20.0 TmTGT% and 17 receptions over the past three games. Claypool still has just 50, 96 and 41 yards, respectively, in those games, but again, PPR-scoring leagues can find some value as we continue through the byes.
DUMPSVILLE 🗑️ (in order I’d drop)
- Drake London, ATL — Outside of Chris Olave, Pickens and Robinson, it’s hard to roster any rookie receiver these days, including London in this terrible passing offense — Burks is only a stash since you can keep him on the IR until back.
- Robert Woods, TEN — Speaking of Burks, Woods hasn’t been able to take advantage of his absence, which means there is no reason to hold on.
- Michael Gallup, DAL — Listed here, but not a must-drop. It was Dak Prescott’s first game back, and the zero targets are alarming, but I wouldn’t drop Gallup for anyone below Burks.
WAIVER WIRE TIGHT ENDS
Top Streamers
If You’re Needy
STREAMING DST RANKINGS
Week 8
- IND vs WSH
- TEN at HOU
- NYJ vs NE
- JAX vs DEN
- CIN at CLE
- LV at NO
- MIN vs ARI
- ATL vs CAR
Week 9
- CIN vs CAR
- LAC at ATL
- ARI vs SEA
- IND at NE
- MIN at WSH
- KC vs TEN
- LV at JAX
(Photo by Jim McIsaac/Getty Images)
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