I often have folks ask me things like “Should I just leave my kicker spot empty this week? I can’t afford to drop anyone”. And my answer is always the same. You can afford to drop someone. What you can’t afford to drop are any of these fantasy football matchups.

 

 

 

If your format is so shallow that you have to drop guys to field a lineup, that means there are good guys on the wire. Either that or your team is so good you should be able to swing a trade. Either way, I’ve seen too many teams get cut and not even make fantasy football playoffs trying to play the long game.

Fantasy football at its heart is a WEEKLY game. And fantasy football streamers are crucial to winning those matchups. Especially if you have a losing record through seven weeks.

Fantasy Football Streamers For 2024 NFL Week 8

This article works in conjunction with our Waiver Wire Adds and Stashes articles. 

The Week 8 waiver wire article includes the best players to pick up in general - they have both short term and long-term upside. But they might not be available, or you might get outbid. In our Week 8 waiver wire stashes article, we look at longer term options. But those aren’t guys you can necessarily start this week. 

The Week 8 fantasy football streamers article is this one - guys that you can reasonably acquire off the wire AND potentially start this week. 

We know that folks play in varying league depths so we’ll include any players that MIGHT be available (especially for really good matchups). And we’ll throw some honorable mentions in there for the really deep leagues. So, let’s dig into the Week 8 Fantasy Football Streamers!

Week 8 QB Streamers

Tua Tagovailoa - Miami Dolphins, Yahoo: 46% | ESPN: 26% | Sleeper: 46% 

Drake Maye was our top add in the Waiver Wire article. And, if you can only roster one QB in your format, you might just have to start him this week. But he gets the Jets, and we really don’t love that matchup.

Tua, on the other hand, is a guy that we mentioned we liked in the Waiver Wire article, and he has a great matchup this week vs. Arizona. Don’t be shocked if he comes out this week and gets Tyreek Hill and Jaylen Waddle going in a big way. 

Russell Wilson - Pittsburgh Steelers, Yahoo: 8% | ESPN: 5% | Sleeper: 14%

Like everyone else, we wondered if swapping Justin Fields for Russell Wilson was a smart move. And then Russell Wilson came out and threw 2 TD passes while rushing for a third while beating one of the best defenses in the league. So now we see what Mike Tomlin saw.

And the reality of that is that Russell Wilson now takes over a winning team with decent enough weapons. So why is he only a stream? Simple - he has his bye week in Week 9. So, even if you want to start him against the Giants in Week 8, you’re going to need another option for the following week. 

Bo Nix - Denver Broncos, Yahoo: 13% | ESPN: 16% | Sleeper: 23%

What do we look for in a streaming QB? Ideally, we’d like for them to run a little bit. If we are going to reach onto the wire with a bunch of castoffs, that is a good way to separate yourself from the pack. And Bo Nix is quietly now QB6 in rush attempts and QB4 in rushing yards after a big output last. He’s now run at least four times in every game and 8+ times in three of those games.

We’d also like a good matchup, if possible. And Bo Nix gets the Carolina Panthers this week, one of the worst teams in football. And, finally, we’d like for that player to be widely available so we can easily add him. And Bo checks that box as well. He gets the Ravens and Chiefs the following two weeks but, in Week 8, Bo is on the radar.

 

 

 

Week 8 RB Streamers

Tyler Goodson - Indianapolis Colts, Yahoo: 14% | ESPN: 9% | Sleeper: 15%

We talked about Goodson in the main article, but he’s clearly been the better back than Trey Sermon. In most cases, you don’t go from having a high ankle sprain right back to 100%. So, Goodson could still be a decent option even if Jonathan Taylor returns this week. 

Jaylen Warren - Pittsburgh Steelers, Yahoo: 41% | ESPN: 45% | Sleeper: 42 %

Jaylen Warren was drafted in virtually every league but managed to find his way to waivers in over half of them after a sluggish start. And it’s not entirely his fault as he was banged up, so the team opted to use Najee Harris and Cordarelle Patterson. 

Now that he’s back to full health he played his highest snap counts of the season at 51%. Patterson is also banged up, so they don’t have another decent option. On top of that, the quarterback change to Russell Wilson could generate more pass attempts for the running backs. 

Designed plays like screens are one thing but Justin Fields naturally opts to scramble more often than virtually any other QB. With Wilson, a chunk of those scrambles will instead be dump downs. 

JaMycal Hasty - New England Patriots, Yahoo: 0% | ESPN: 0% | Sleeper: 0%

If Antonio Gibson is healthy, he’s the streaming option. He’s gotten decent touches in both the games with and without Rhamondre Stevenson. In fact, Stevenson hasn’t played more than 55% of the snaps since Week 2.

The thing is, Gibson went down early in the game this past weekend and was attended to by the medical staff. JaMycal Hasty took over his job for the rest of the day and even managed to score. It’s worth mentioning guys like this because, no matter how deep your league is, there is a good chance he’s out there.

Ray Davis - Buffalo Bills, Yahoo: 25% | ESPN: 15% | Sleeper: 29%

We talked about Davis in the main Waiver Wire article, but the idea is pretty simple here. The Bills have two good backs that are capable of getting the job done. Why use one when you can use two? 

Davis deserves more touches with the way he has played lately, and I think there is a good chance he continues to get some. Plus, he always has the upside of James Cook going down mid-game. Look what happened with Jahmyr Gibbs when David Montgomery missed a couple of drives.

 

 

 

Week 8 WR Streamers

Jalen Tolbert - Dallas Cowboys, Yahoo: 20% | ESPN: 27% | Sleeper: 34%

Brandin Cooks is on IR and cannot return until Week 10 minimum. So, Tolbert is more than just a one-week streamer, even if his value is unsure for down the stretch. This week coming out of the bye they get the San Francisco 49ers. 

Fred Warner and DeVondre Campbell will make for a tough assignment for Jake Ferguson so there will be extra weight on CeeDee Lamb and Jalen Tolbert in a game where they will need to throw. 

Rashod Bateman - Baltimore Ravens, Yahoo: 18% | ESPN: 19% | Sleeper: 24%

Don’t look now but Rashod Bateman has gotten at least four targets in every game but one - the blowout against the Buffalo Bills where Derrick Henry ran for ~200 yards and even Zay Flowers only got two targets. 

The days where Flowers and Mark Andrews get all the targets are clearly behind us in favor of a more balanced attack. And Bateman’s high aDot at 15.5 yards is conducive to big chunk plays which helps to make up for the lack of high-end volume. He’s once again on the table this week against Cleveland.  

Tutu Atwell - Los Angeles Rams, Yahoo: 10% | ESPN: 15% | Sleeper: 21%

Folks have been hesitant to add Atwell with the return of Cooper Kupp and Puka Nacua looming. But just look at the game logs. He’s had double digit PPR points in four straight games now. 

Cooper Kupp is set to return but we think Atwell has the best shot of maintaining a starting role in this offense even when Puka Nacua returns down the stretch. But he’s worth a look if you need someone to start for you for the time being. 

Mason Tipton - New Orleans Saints, Yahoo: 1% | ESPN: 0% | Sleeper: 2%

Folks were really excited for Bub Means. But we were adding Mason Tipton. Why? Well, it’s pretty simple. When Chris Olave and Rashid Shaheed got hurt, Bub Means stepped in for Chris Olave and Mason Tipton stepped in for Rashid Shaheed. The difference? Shaheed’s season is over, and Olave’s is not.

Tipton was making some noise in camp this year and, last week, he stepped in and had 6 catches on 9 targets. He’s not only a decent spot start but he’s most likely to maintain his role moving forward. 

 

 

 

Week 8 TE Streamers

Zach Ertz - Washington Commanders, Yahoo: 30% | ESPN: 42% | Sleeper: 41%

People are finally catching on to what we have been doing here. Zach Ertz has consistently been getting targets in a good offense. A WR2 has yet to emerge. In a pinch, you could do a lot worse than what Zach Ertz has given you. Especially in PPR. 

Cade Otton - Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Yahoo: 38% | ESPN: 7% | Sleeper: 41%

Chris Godwin is done for an extended period. Mike Evans is also likely out. Otton is definitely a start until Evans is bad, but he could be a guy we can throw in the lineup the rest of season. 

I don’t see how he would not be involved this week against Atlanta. He has the highest route participation in the league and that goes back to last season.  

Juwan Johnson - New Orleans Saints, Yahoo: 4% | ESPN: 7% | Sleeper: 9%

Rashid Shaheed is done so Juwan Johnson is likely going to have an elevated spot in the Saints pecking order. 

After playing 50% or less in his first three games, he’s played between 73% and 79% in the last three. And last week he got 6 targets. He’ll be on the streaming radar for the foreseeable future unless something changes. 

 

 

 

Week 8 K Streamers

Jake Bates - Detroit Lions, Yahoo: 34% | ESPN: 51% | Sleeper: 35%

The concern for Bates was always that his coach, Dan Campbell, goes for it on fourth down at a far higher rate than any coach in the league. That’s bad news in “four-down territory” when you often have to decide between a long field goal or a gamble. 

But Jakes Bates has to be earning the coach’s trust considering he’s yet to miss a field goal all year and just came in clutch this week. They’ve already had their bye week so you might be able to just set and forget Bates for the rest of the season. 

Greg Zuerlein - New York Jets: 21% | ESPN: 50% | Sleeper: 18%

Drake Maye has been fun so far. But that doesn’t make the Patriots a good football team all of a sudden. Teams are still scoring at will against them.

If anything, the offense doing a little something provides extra incentive for their opponents to keep scoring, like in the Texans game. So Legatron is a fine option here.  

Week 8 DST Streamers

Los Angeles Chargers DST, Yahoo: 42% | ESPN: 31% | Sleeper: 36%

The Los Angeles Chargers defense has quietly only let up 20 points once. And it was exactly 20 points to the Steelers. They even held the Kansas City Chiefs under 17. 

They’ve managed to get their hands on an interception in every game so far along the way. This week they face the New Orleans Saints who are dealing with a litany of injuries. 

Detroit Lions DST, Yahoo: 21% | ESPN: 54% | Sleeper: 15%

The Lions had their bye week, and they were dropped in some leagues. Then Aiden Hutchinson got hurt and they were dropped in some more. 

But last week they still went out and put up a fight against a tough Vikings team while accumulating four sacks. This week they face a struggling Tennessee Titans team that has so far been arguably the best matchup for DSTs. 

  • Honorable Mentions: Giants, Dolphins, Falcons

 

 

 

Make Use Of These Week 8 Fantasy Football Streamers & Good Luck!

In a perfect scenario, your starting team is packed with all-star talent. Your bench would ideally feature a solid mix of high-potential players from our Waiver Wire Article or some deeper stash options. But let’s be real, fantasy football isn’t always perfect. 

Sometimes, you just have to grit your teeth and play the guy who gives you the most reliable performance, even if he’s not the most exciting choice. That’s where these fantasy football streamers come into play.

Sure, the breakout players later in the season might be the ones that clinch the championship, but you’ve got to make it to the playoffs first to have a shot at winning it all.