Each week I’ll provide you with a rundown by position of key
waiver wire adds. We’ll evaluate not just breakouts based
on past performance, but also who could deliver this week based
on a soft matchup. Stats will be provided based on a 12-team PPR
league, with players less than 75% (preferably less than 50%) ownership
being considered.
Week 8 Byes: Arizona, Detroit, Jacksonville, Las Vegas, LA
Rams, Seattle
Dart had his third game (out of 4) with a rushing TD, but also
had a fine day through the air, going 283-3-1 in a tight loss
to one of the best defenses in the league (Broncos). Up next he'll
get the Eagles again, whom he beat two weeks ago while going 13-58-1
rushing with a passing TD. This will probably be your last week
to grab him as he's showing elite fantasy scoring potential
by using his legs.
Flacco outdueled Aaron Rodgers on Thursday Night Football, throwing
for 342-3-0 in a big divisional win. This week he'll get the reeling
Jets, who are one of two teams to not record an interception on
the season, but they've given up 13 passing TDs.
Penix struggled in a loss to the 49ers, going 241-1-0 through
the air. But he has started to play better after a Week 3 shellacking
by the Panthers, beating the Commanders (Wk4) and Bills (Wk6).
He now gets the spiraling Dolphins who are 6th-worst against opposing
QBs, and who just got humiliated by the Browns.
Bryce Young,
CAR @ NYJ: Young had a solid game going against the Jets, starting
out with 138 yards passing and a TD, before exiting midway through
the second half with an ankle injury. It appears he will be out
against the Bills in Week 8 and Andy Dalton will get the start.
Aaron Rodgers, PIT @ CIN: Rodgers lit up the Bengals secondary
for 4 passing TDs, but unfortunately it wasn’t enough to
get the win on Thursday Night Football. He’ll face a much
tougher Green Bay pass rush this week.
Monangai rushed for 13-81-1 and caught 3-2-13-0 in a win over
the Saints. D'Andre Swift is still the lead back, but Monangai
has been seeing more work and could be called upon more in a likely
shootout with the Ravens if Lamar Jackson is back, or a blowout
if he isn't.
Allgeier is the clear RB2 to Bijan Robinson, but he is a talented
backup and sees more work when the Falcons get comfortably ahead.
That should happen this week against the hapless Dolphins, who
have been absolutely shredded on the ground of late (206 yards
to Rico Dowdle Week 5, 124 yards to Kimani Vidal Week 6 and 84
rushing/3 TDs to Quinshon Judkins this week) yet are merely 5th-worst
against RBs.
Smith has started to see more work for the Chiefs and appears
to be overtaking Kareem Hunt for the RB2 (and passing back) role
behind Isiah Pacheco. Smith went 14-39-0 rushing and 5-5-42-0
receiving, although most of the rushing work was in garbage time
without the Chiefs starters. He should see some targets against
the Commanders, and possibly some carries if Jayden Daniels (hamstring)
sits.
Kimani Vidal, LAC vs IND: Vidal led the backfield again, rushing
for 9-20-0 and catching 4 of 5 targets for 15 yards. Unfortunately,
the Chargers were trailing for a good portion of the game so they
didn't run the ball much. He should see more work in a home
match against the Vikings.
Update:Woody
Marks, HOU @ SEA: Marks dominated the running back work in
a loss to the Seahawks, out-touching Nick Chubb 13-6. He only
managed 10-15-0 on the ground but caught 3 of 5 targets for 20
yards and a TD. Up next he’ll face the 49ers where his receiving
prowess should be on display again.
Michael Carter / Zonovan Knight, ARI vs GB: Knight ended up getting
the bulk of the workload in a loss to the Packers, going 14-57-0
on the ground and 4-3-7-0 through the air. They’ll be on
a bye this week, before returning to face a vulnerable Cowboys
defense in Week 9.
Mims reeled in 6 of 7 targets for 85 scoreless yards in a furious
comeback win over the Giants. Up next he gets a plum matchup against
the Cowboys, who have allowed the 2nd-most points (and most TDs)
to opposing WRs in what should be another shootout.
Johnson has seen an uptick in work with all of the the injuries
to Tampa receivers, and he is starting to cash in. He managed
a 9-4-58-1 line in a loss to the Lions on Monday Night Football,
and with Mike Evans done for an extended amount of time with a
broken collarbone (and Chirs Godwin still out), Johnson should
be the WR2 behind Emeka Egbuka. The Saints defense is middle-of-the-pack
against WRs.
With Garrett Wilson out with a knee injury, Reynolds dominated
targets but only went 9-3-29-0 on a day when Justin Fields got
benched due to ineffectiveness. It remains to be seen whether
Fields or Tyrod Taylor will start this week, but Reynolds will
most likely be the top receiving option before the Jets' Week
9 bye. Up next is a Bengals defense that has struggled to stop
opposing offenses.
Legette led the Panthers in receiving in a tough win over the
Jets, going 11-9-92-1. Coker just returned from IR and didn't
catch either of his 2 targets. Up next is a tough matchup on paper
against the Bills, but the Panthers should be taking to the air
to keep up. If Andy Dalton starts in place of Bryce Young (ankle),
the pass catchers should benefit.
Gadsden showed that last week wasn't a fluke, grabbing 7 of 9
targets for 164 yards and a touchdown in a loss to the Colts.
He was the 3rd option behind Keenan Allen and Ladd McConkey but
ahead of Quentin Johnston. He looks to keep the momentum going
against the Vikings.
Taylor has been the No.2 pass catcher for the Jets on the season,
and had a meh statline of 5-3-31-0 in a loss to the Panthers.
Up next he gets a Bengals defense that refuses to cover TEs, as
they've allowed the most fantasy points to the position,
including a whopping 4 TDs to three different tight ends in this
week's win over the Steelers.
The rookie TE has been seeing more work since their Week 5 bye,
grabbing 3 of 4 targets for 24 yards in a win over the Saints.
With starter Cole Kmet injuring his back, Loveland may see even
more work this week, where he gets a great matchup against a Ravens
team that has given up the 7th-most points to the position.
Elic Ayomanor
/ Van Jefferson,
TEN vs NE: Ayomanor and Jefferson saw 5 and 4 targets, respectively,
but it was Chimere Dike who led the Titans receivers with Calvin
Ridley out, although no TE/WR saw more than 5 targets with Cam
Ward spreading the ball around. Up next they get a Colts defense
that has given up a lot of points to WRs since they've been ahead
in most games.
Kendrick
Bourne, SF vs ATL: Bourne struggled along with Mac Jones to
a 2-2-14-0 line, as Jones only threw 8 passes to players other
than Christian McCaffrey and Jauan Jennings. He could have another
tough outing against a tough Texans secondary.
Kayshon Boutte, NE @ TEN: Boutte scored a touchdown with his
limited looks in a win over the Titans, catching both targets
for 55 yards. Up next is a Browns secondary that has been relatively
tough against WRs.
Wan'Dale
Robinson, NYG @ DEN: Robinson led the Giants in targets, yards
and receptions in a tight loss to the Broncos, going 12-6-95-0.
He should be in starting lineups again versus the Eagles, who
he dropped 20.4 PPR points against two weeks ago.
Luther
Burden III, CHI vs NO: Burden wasn't asked to do much with
D.J. Moore healthy and Bears dominating the Saints, so he only
managed 1 catch for 22 yards. Up next is a juicy matchup against
the Ravens, but it will be tough to trust Burden as a WR3.
Jordan Whittington, LAR @ JAX: Whittington filled in for Puka
Nacua, but only caught 2 of 4 targets for 9 yards as the Rams
jumped out to an early lead and dominated the Jaguars. The Rams
are on bye this week and Nacua should be back the following week
against the Saints.
Harold
Fannin Jr., CLE vs MIA: Fannin led the Browns in receiving
after starting the game due to David Njoku's knee injury, going
5-4-36-0 in a blowout win over the Dolphins. The Browns gashed
Miami for 3 TDs on the ground. He should see more targets in a
road game against the Patriots this week.
Jake Tonges, SF vs ATL: Tonges went back to the bench with George
Kittle back in action. He won’t be usable for fantasy for
as long as Kittle is healthy.
Defense/ Special Teams
Colts vs TEN
The Colts look like one of the best teams in the NFL, largely
due to a balanced, potent offense. But they still managed 3 sacks
and 2 turnovers in a win over the Chargers in Week 7. Up next
they get the atrocious Titans, who have given up the 2nd-most
points to opposing D/STs, mostly from sacks (2nd-most) and lack
of points (fewest).
Chargers vs MIN
The Chargers had a tough day against a balanced Colts attack,
giving up 38 points. But they should bounce back against a Vikings
team that has allowed the most points to opposing defenses, as
they’ve allowed the 4th-most sacks and 5th-most interceptions,
as well as the most TDs.
Falcons vs MIA
The Falcons only managed 1 sack and a turnover in a loss to the
49ers on the road. This week they should get back in the win column
with a home game against the reeling Dolphins, who have allowed
the 5th-most points to opposing defenses, largely due to their
league-leading 10 interceptions (including 6 in the last two weeks).
Other DST to consider: Bengals vs NYJ
Last week’s waiver adds:
Patriots @ NO: The Patriots dominated the Titans,
getting 5 sacks, 2 turnovers and a defensive TD in a rout. Up
next they get another positive matchup against a Browns team that
has struggled to score points, so keep them in your starting lineup
if you picked them up.
Chiefs vs LV: The Chiefs defense pitched a shutout
over the Raiders at home, although they only managed a turnover
and a sack. They’ll face a tougher test against the Commanders
(if Jayden Daniels can play) this week.
Panthers @ NYJ: As expected, the Panthers shut
down the Jets, getting 6 sacks and 2 turnovers while holding them
to only 6 points. The Panthers have now won four of their last
five games, but they face their toughest test of the season against
the Bills this week.
