With the Ravens and Raiders on a bye this week, and more key running back injuries, here are the top Week 8 fantasy football waiver wire targets.
No one could have ever imagined Week 7 adding even more struggles to the running back position. Well, Week 7 did the unimaginable. From a Miles Sanders sprained ankle to Alex Collins barely making the active roster to injured players by the likes of Chris Carson and Kareem Hunt, fantasy owners are scrambling for RBs on waivers. As a result, this article will have running backs galore, while still keeping in other regular positions.
There won’t be a quarterback section this week, but there will be a QB and a D/ST on the list. Hopefully, your deepest desires for your injury and bye week woes will be solved in the Week 8 Waiver Wire.
Note: Teams on bye include Ravens and Raiders
*Owned % are in terms of the Yahoo platform at the time of writing
Week 8 Fantasy Football Waiver Wire Targets: Likely Available (Under 50% owned)
Before things get started, I just wanted to give an honorable mention to Giants RB Devontae Booker, who has performed well the last few weeks, although Saquon Barkley will likely be back soon, so Booker would no longer be a viable option. However, if Saquon does not return in Week 8, Booker is certainly a worthy option.
Kenneth Gainwell, PHI- RB (21%)
Kenneth Gainwell had already produced an okay amount so far this season. Nothing eye-catching, but worthy enough to store at the back end of benches. Now Gainwell might hurdle into FLEX/RB2 territory. Eagles RB1 Miles Sanders seemed to finally be heating up early in their game against the Raiders until he took the cart to the locker room with a sprained ankle. Assuming Sanders misses time, Gainwell should be picked up to handle yet another devastating injury to running backs.
Tua Tagovailoa, MIA- QB (48%)
Despite recent trade rumors for Pro Bowler Deshaun Watson, Tua has continued to show the Dolphins organization that he is the franchise QB. Tua, our only repeat (and also the cover) from last week’s article, impressed once again, dropping 4 TDs on the Falcons in a Week 7 thriller.
Although Tua will be matching up with a strong Buffalo defense next week, Tua will also be facing off with struggling defenses which include the Texans, Ravens, Jets, Panthers, and Giants, with another Jets matchup after the bye. Tua is no longer a temporary solution. He could be used in the long term as a potential top 12 QB.
Rashaad Penny, SEA- RB (33%)
With Chris Carson on the IR and Alex Collins battling injuries, the Seahawks may turn to Rashaad Penny, who just came off the IR after getting hurt in Week 1. If Collins doesn’t perform well, or he re-aggravates his injury, Penny could be used as a high-end RB3 for a week or two as a replacement for your injured RBs or those on a bye.
Kendrick Bourne, NE- WR (6%)
Opposite the still touchdown-less Jakobi Meyers, Kendrick Bourne has been used as a great deep threat target for rookie QB Mac Jones. In addition to his 4/68/0 statline in the blowout against the Jets, Bourne was also involved in a trick play where he tossed a 25-yard touchdown. As of now, Bourne is a boom or bust WR3 worth stashing while dealing with bye weeks.
CJ Uzomah, CIN- TE (19%)
Uzomah has emerged as a viable plug-and-play TE to fill in for your bye weeks. With a 2 TD performance on 91 yards this past Sunday, Uzomah was the highest scoring tight end of the week but only amassed 3 receptions. Uzomah likely will not be usable week in and week out but is a boom or bust player due to his lack of targets outside of the red zone.
Kalif Raymond, DET- WR (3%)
Kalif Raymond is another Lions receiver who could end up benefiting from Quintez Cephus being out for the season. Last week’s article spoke about Amon-Ra St. Brown, who still could emerge as a valuable fantasy player, although Week 7’s matchup saw him covered by the elite, 4 time Pro Bowler Jalen Ramsey, not giving St. Brown enough room to rack up catches.
However, due to the tight coverage on St. Brown, Raymond has been covered less, resulting in a 115-yard performance against the Rams. Raymond has had solid performances already in the season, and he could be a solid play if his numbers become more consistent.
Cincinnati, CIN- D/ST (16%)
Who would have thought that the Cincinnati defense would be the first defense mentioned in my series of waiver articles. The Bengals D shut down Lamar Jackson and the Ravens en route to a 41-17 blowout win. If the explosive Ravens offense could not produce against this defense, the Jets should not be much of a challenge to Cincy no matter which of their QBs are starting.
With Zach Wilson out and the Jets already giving up the most points in the league to D/STs, the Week 8 opportunity is too good to pass up. Cincy is a must-add this week.
Week 8 Fantasy Football Waiver Wire Targets: Worth a Look (Over 50% owned)
D’Ernest Johnson, CLE – RB (72%)
D’Ernest Johnson had the dream debut as a starting running back this past week. With over 150 total yards and a touchdown, Johnson put up RB1 numbers giving hope to struggling owners with Chubb or Hunt in their IR spots.
Unfortunately for the Hunt owners, Chubb is looking more and more likely to return, leaving Johnson as a huge wild card going into the new week after amassing 22 rush attempts, but just 2 targets. Johnson will be a boom or bust FLEX play in Week 8, but if Chubb does not return he is an instant RB1.
Myles Gaskin, MIA- RB (79%)
After an unimpressive start to the season, the Miami back saw a significant drop in ownership as many lost faith. The past few weeks have proven them wrong. Yes, Gaskin was underwhelming in Week 6, but his performances in Weeks 5 and 7 say otherwise. Between those two weeks, Gaskin tallied almost 200 total yards, 14 catches (10 in week 5), and 3 receiving touchdowns on top of that. If Gaskin is still available in your league, he should certainly be added.
Christian Kirk, ARI- WR (64%)
The undefeated Cardinals got themselves a new toy to play with in Zach Ertz, and some expected him to take targets away from other receivers on the team like Christian Kirk. However, the arrival of Ertz has had no effect on the production of WR1 Deandre Hopkins and Christian Kirk. Kyler Murray has found Kirk downfield for medium to deep range passes a few times, but those few deep catches can turn into a lot of fantasy points. Kirk is starting to establish himself as a weekly, matchup-based FLEX play.
Michael Carter, NYJ- RB (62%)
Jets rookie QB Zach Wilson is expected to miss 2-4 weeks with a strained PCL, which may lead the team to depend more on their other offensive rookie, Michael Carter. Although he had a slow start to the year, Carter’s PPG has increased to a low-end RB2 status in recent weeks, and now that Wilson is out, we could expect that to continue if not get better.
