When it comes to fantasy football, injuries can be detrimental to the season-long success of your fantasy squad and can leave you scrambling for plug-in starters, especially after another action-packed, injury-riddled week of football. Luckily, there are zero teams on a bye week this week but you will still need to work the fantasy football waiver wire to grab high-upside players to help fill these empty roster spots and reduce that Sunday morning pre-kickoff panic.
If you’re looking to do just that, here are the best fantasy football waiver wire pickups for Week 8 that could help push your fantasy team in the right direction.
All players must be owned in less than 50 percent of ESPN leagues to be included in the best fantasy football waiver wire pickups weekly column. All ownerships for waiver wire players will be provided and will reflect that of Tuesday morning.
QB Fantasy Football Waiver Wire Pickups
Daniel Jones Fantasy Ownership (36.1%)
Yeah, yeah. Daniel Jones has a neck injury and the Giants stink. He still shouldn’t be owned in just 36 percent of fantasy football leagues. He has serious rushing upside and the Giants’ offense is slowly becoming healthier. I’m not sure how long this neck injury will keep him sidelined for necessarily but I’d pick him up and stash him in any league he’s available. Even if the Giants still stink and can’t stop opposing teams, Jones has the garbage points upside and will almost always play in negative game scripts. In favorable matchups, Jones has solid weapons and coaching to allow him to produce and in turn, give us fantasy points.
Kyler Murray Fantasy Ownership (22.6%)
It’s time to add Kyler Murray off of the fantasy football waiver wire. He may not be reinstated from the PUP list officially until after Week 10 but uh, *checks notes* that’s in two weeks. I wouldn’t expect to see the 2020 version of Murray return and start lighting it up but there’s no reason for the Cardinals to not want him out there with the new offensive pieces and overall system. His supporting cast is quite solid, too, considering Josh Dobbs has done well enough to keep the Cardinals competitive with some good teams this season.
Murray’s fantasy ceiling is about as high as it gets because of his rushing ability and there’s no reason fantasy managers shouldn’t be adding him now before it’s too late, especially because other fantasy managers have started to add him since the beginning of last week. A Week 9 return is definitely possible but waiting an extra week probably won’t hurt your bench depth, I promise.
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RB Fantasy Football Waiver Wire Pickups
Kareem Hunt Fantasy Ownership (46.2%)
The hits just keep coming for Cleveland as Jerome Ford is expected to be sidelined for a few weeks and suddenly, Kareem Hunt is extremely viable again in fantasy football. Hunt was already producing solid fantasy numbers the last two weeks –– including finding the endzone three times in that span. The Browns rolled with a near-even split between Hunt and Pierre Strong Jr. after Ford exited Week 7’s game so he may not retain an every-down role but he’s eclipsed 15.0 fantasy points in back-to-back games.
The Browns’ defense is good enough to keep them in close games and their quarterback situation is looking pretty rough at the moment so Hunt and Strong Jr. will be relied on to keep the offense moving through the running game. His next few opponents include the Seahawks, Cardinals and Ravens.
Darrell Henderson Jr. Fantasy Ownership (12.2%)
As everyone rushed to fantasy football waiver wire pickups to get Zach Evans following Kyren Williams’ placement on injured reserve, the 12.2% that rostered Darrell Henderson Jr. laughed and enjoyed their 13.6 fantasy point day. The Rams’ backfield is always a headache to gauge but Henderson Jr. received the first carry of the game and led all backs as the RB1 with 18 carries for 61 yards and a touchdown. The backfield is crowded at the moment with Royce Freeman, Zach Evans and Myles Gaskin all competing for RB2 but it’s pretty clear Henderson will be the starter moving forward.
Freeman could easily make some noise as he totaled 66 yards on the ground on just 12 carries last week. Rams head coach mentioned Henderson’s familiarity with the offensive scheme before Week 7’s game and maybe that’s the reason we saw so much of him in his first game of the season.
WR Fantasy Football Waiver Wire Pickups
Rashee Rice Fantasy Ownership (48.7%)
Rashee Rice is officially WR1 in this Chiefs’ offense and it is glorious. His snap and target share have increased each week and he’s finished second in targets in back-to-back weeks only behind Travis Kelce. Rice has very easily overtaken Skyy Moore and Marquez Valdes-Scantling as Patrick Mahomes’ primary receiver and the addition of Mecole Hardman should have little to no effect moving forward.
Kansas City started off slow for its standards and the offense wasn’t as dominant but the emergence of Rice has certainly made it easier for Mahomes and company to get back on track. He’s caught two touchdowns in the last three games and their chemistry and trust will only enhance as the season progresses.
Josh Downs Fantasy Ownership (34.6%)
Another young receiver that’s slowly breaking out is Josh Downs. Downs has surpassed 13.0 fantasy points in four of his last five games and most recently exploded for five receptions, 125 yards and a touchdown against the Browns in Week 7. He’s garnered at least six targets in three straight games and as long as Gardner Minshew plays well enough to keep the Colts in these games, his upside moving forward is extremely high.
If the Colts can hang with the Browns’ defense, they should have little to no issues moving the ball through the air against teams like the Saints, Panthers and Patriots –– their next three opponents.
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TE Fantasy Football Waiver Wire Pickups
Dalton Kincaid Fantasy Ownership (31.4%)
Opportunities are arising in the tight end section of the waiver wire and it starts with Dalton Kincaid, who now finds himself as the TE1 in Buffalo with Dawson Knox set to have wrist surgery. Kincaid led all Bills’ pass-catchers in Week 7 in receptions (8) and receiving yards (75) and will only see his role and usage increase now with Knox sidelined.
The Bills offense has been extremely disappointing this season and they’ve started with a 4-3 record and will look to correct things moving forward. They traded up for Kincaid in the first round of the draft and now have a prime opportunity to potentially unlock their offense and correct their issues by featuring him regularly.
Trey McBride Fantasy Ownership (1.2%)
Much like Kincaid, Trey McBride now finds himself in the TE1 role with Zach Ertz placed on injured reserve with a quad injury. McBride’s snap share and target share have increased as the season has progressed and he even outpaced Ertz in Week 7, garnering seven targets. The Cardinals have Kyler Murray coming back into the mix soon and with Ertz sidelined for at least the next four games, McBride is a very solid waiver wire pickup at just 1.2 percent ownership.
Some tough matchups are on the horizon for Arizona (Cleveland and Baltimore) but the Cardinals have surprisingly been competitive with good teams this season and it could make for relatively even game scripts for McBride to see regular targets.
