It was another busy week across the NFL, and the fireworks began on Thursday with the Carolina Panthers dealing Christian McCaffrey to the San Francisco 49ers. That puts D’Onta Foreman and Chuba Hubbard both on our radars as they rise up fantasy football rankings. Plus, Gus Edwards who returned to action for the Baltimore Ravens following in ACL injury, becomes an instant fantasy football waiver wire target if he's available in your league. There is a lot to unpack here as we look towards Week 8 while dealing with more bye-weeks and injury fallout. Keep track of the latest NFL injury news for NFL Week 8 with our NFL Injury Report before you make waiver wire moves. Let us now dig into some NFL fantasy football waiver wire options and top picks for Week 8. 

 

 

 

Fantasy Football Waiver Wire Pickups Week 8

Waiver Wire Quarterbacks

Sam Ehlinger, Indianapolis Colts; FAAB Bid: 1%

Until proven otherwise, this is strictly for leagues in which you start two quarterbacks. Matt Ryan has worn out his welcome in Indianapolis and despite the Colts being 3-3, a change has been made at the quarterback position. The next pass Ehlinger throws in the NFL will be his first after being selected in the sixth-round last year, and at this point, I am not expecting much. However, the Colts have made a commitment to Ehlinger and it is a favorable matchup against the Commanders next week.

Daniel Jones, New York Giants; FAAB Bid: 3-5%

Part of the issue for Jones this season has been a lack of receivers that he can trust but with the emergence of Darius Slayton and Wan'Dale Robinson, that does appear to be at least moving in the right direction. It was just the second time this season that Jones has broken the 200-yard passing mark (202) as he threw for his sixth touchdown of the season. As the Giants keep on winning, their offense has also been finding their groove more and more and that means asking more out of Jones as he also gets more comfortable. It is also hard to ignore where a large part of Jones’ fantasy value comes from, and that is his legs. Jones carried the ball 11 times on Sunday for 107 yards and his third rushing touchdown of the season. That along with his 343 rushing yards can certainly help to plug a hole at the quarterback position. 

Malik Willis, Tennessee Titans; FAAB Bid: 2%

While Ryan Tannehill was talking a big game about being ready to go next week after suffering an ankle injury on Sunday, but the quarterback made those comments while wearing a walking boot. Tannehill and the Titans’ passing offense had an afternoon to forget despite picking up the victory over Indianapolis, and this is a situation that bears watching throughout the week. While Willis is raw and without NFL experience, he could be a fantasy asset solely based on his athleticism and rushing ability, and those in leagues that start two quarterbacks need to be in tune to this situation. At the same time though, if Tannehill’s injury turns into a long term, Willis can make a real impact. 

Jameis Winston, New Orleans Saints; FAAB Bid: 1%

We have not seen Winston under center since Week 3, but after being active and not playing last week, it appears he will make his true return on Sunday. The week and a half off since last Thursday’s game should help get the Saints’ receiving corps healthy, and we know that Winston is capable of moving the ball and running New Orleans’ offense. In the three weeks he has played this season, Winston has 858 passing yards and five touchdowns. Additionally, he should be cheap and readily available. 

 

Waiver Wire Running Backs

Gus Edwards, Baltimore Ravens; FAAB Bid: 15%

With J.K. Dobbins on Injured Reserve and Kenyan Drake and Justice Hill being, well, themselves, there is a clear opportunity for Edwards here after he made his return on Sunday. Things simply could not have gone any better for the Baltimore running back as he carried the ball 16 times for 66 yards and most importantly, two touchdowns. It is a short turnaround this week as the Ravens face a reeling Tampa Bay on Thursday, but there should be no questions about Edwards’ health, what is he capable of, and what his role is in the Baltimore backfield. 

D'Onta Foreman, Carolina Panthers; FAAB Bid: 10%

Depending on your league settings, it is highly likely that you had a pass at Foreman after the trade of Christian McCaffrey to San Francisco, but that does not mean we should let him escape without a mention here. In what should have been a rough matchup against Tampa Bay, Carolina did not appear to have any issues and that included Foreman who gained 118 yards on 15 carries while also catching both of his targets 27 yards. The majority of Foreman’s rushing yards came on two carries, a 60-yard gain and a 27-yard gain, but it was hard to miss his explosiveness and it is clear that he will have a real role in the Panthers’ backfield moving forward. 

Chuba Hubbard, Carolina Panthers; FAAB Bid: 7%

While it does look like Foreman is the lead option in Carolina’s backfield, Hubbard might be more talented and he should not be ignored either. Additionally, Hubbard did suffer what was termed as a minor ankle injury, and while this sentence might seem incredibly odd to read, the Panthers did not need him to return as they dispatched Tampa Bay with ease. Prior to his exit, Hubbard had nine carries for 63 yards and a touchdown while catching two passes for another 10 yards. The Panthers’ offense is going to be focused on the run game, and both running backs are going to be viable options. 

Isiah Pacheco, Kansas City Chiefs; FAAB Bid: 5%

Sunday morning. the fantasy football world was turned on its head as we got news that Pacheco was going to be the starting running back for the Chiefs against the 49ers. At that point, many scrambled to their leagues waiver wire to see if Pacheco was available and likely added him. Pacheco then went on to carry the ball just eight times for 43 yards. He played just 30% of the team’s offensive snaps in this game and while that was a season high for him, it certainly wasn’t what everyone had hoped for. Now, that said, the Chiefs are on a bye in Week 8 and it is possible that they use that bye week to solidify Pacheco a bit more into their core offense. Either way, he is worth the speculative add if he is still available in your league.

Kyren Williams, Los Angeles Rams; FAAB Bid: 0-1%

With Cam Akers now on the outs in Los Angeles the Rams and after a failed attempt to acquire Christian McCaffrey the Rams are starved for some running back depth. Rams coach Sean McVay said the team is close to starting the 21-day return window for Williams who made some noise during the preseason and figured to be in the running back rotation to start the year if not for his injury. We are now at a point in the fantasy football season where it’s worth taking a shot and stashing a player like Williams now before everyone else has him on their radar.

 

Waiver Wire Wide Receivers

Marquise Goodwin, Seattle Seahawks; FAAB Bid: 4%

Goodwin had only caught six passes for 79 yards entering action on Sunday but he took advantage of the injury to D.K. Metcalf and stepped in to catch four passes for 67 yards and two touchdowns. While Metcalf is not going to require surgery, it appears that there will some missed time and Goodwin has proven that he is capable of stepping in. Under Geno Smith, the Seattle offense has shown the ability to move the ball and Goodwin is primed to step in here. 

Zay Jones, Jacksonville Jaguars; FAAB Bid: 1-2%

Trevor Lawrence has done a solid job making strides this season and moving the ball, and while Jones might not come across as an explosive option (he has just one touchdown reception) the receiver has been busy. Last week, Jones was targeted 10 times which led to four catches for 54 yards. Granted Jones was not exactly efficient, but if you are searching for a bye week or injury fill-in, going after volume is not a terrible idea. 

Donovan Peoples-Jones, Cleveland Browns; FAAB Bid: 2%

While Peoples-Jones has yet to catch a touchdown pass this season, but he is still classified as the Cleveland deep threat. Over the last four weeks, People-Jones is averaging just under seven targets per game and has finished with 19 receptions for 266 yards with a minimum of 71 yards in three of four weeks. Eventually, Peoples-Jones will reach the end zone and we also do not have to worry about what his role is for Cleveland. Additionally, we are getting closer to the return of Deshaun Watson. 

Parris Campbell, Indianapolis Colts; FAAB Bid: 1-2%

Campbell has been teasing fantasy football managers since he entered the league as a second-round pick back in the 2019 draft, but injuries and inconsistent play has continued to cause him setbacks. Over the last two weeks however we are finally seeing some solid play from Campbell as he has totaled 17 receptions for 127 yards and two touchdowns. Now, the Colts are making a change at QB and that could potentially hurt his value if Sam Ehlinger turns out to be worse for this Colts offense than Matt Ryan had been. 

Waiver Wire Tight Ends

Greg Dulcich, Denver Broncos; 5-10%

Last call here on Dulcich who is surprisingly still available in a lot of public leagues despite the hype and the poor play at the tight end position as a whole this season. Dulcich followed up his debut performance with another standout game, catching six passes on nine targets for 51 yards and that came with Brett Rypien at QB who was starting in place of the injured Russell Wilson. Unless you have Travis Kelce or Mark Andrews you should really be taking a look at the rookie.

Cade Otton, Tampa Bay Buccaneers; FAAB Bid: 3%

With Cameron Brate still listed as a non-participant in practice on Monday, the chances of him taking the field on Thursday are not looking too good. Otton has emerged out of nowhere to have some solid games when Brate has previously missed time this season, and while this is not the Tampa Bay offense we expected, they are still strong and have Tom Brady under center. Last week, Otton caught four of his five targets for 64 yards and he should be good for something similar this week. 

Harrison Bryant, Cleveland Browns; FAAB Bid: 1%

With David Njoku slated to miss next week’s game with injury, Bryant is the last man standing in the tight end room for Cleveland. We know that the position challenges fantasy managers, so the hope here is that Bryant can pick up some volume after catching two passes for 15 yards in relief last week. 
 

 

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