Fantasy football waiver wire Week 8 adds: Eight players to pick up

Admin October 20, 2024

Week 7 is nearly complete, and the midway point of the NFL season is drawing nearer. Odds are your fantasy team is in the middle of the pack. You’re likely a 4-3 or 3-4 team just on the edge of the playoff bubble. The truth of the matter though is that regardless of your record, you could use some advice on this week’s waivers. If you’re in first place, you want to stay there. If you’re in last place, you want to get out of there.

Luckily, there are a few players with good projections moving forward who are likely available in your league. Here are eight players you should target on waivers.

NFL News: Amari Cooper hauls in touchdown for Buffalo Bills in first catch after trade

Waiver Wire Targets Week 8:

*All roster numbers are via Yahoo Sports

TE Hunter Henry, NE (Rostered in 31% of leagues)

Third-overall pick Drake Maye has looked rather solid through two starts. However, we don’t know who his top target is. In his first start, DeMario Douglas appeared to be Maye’s top guy. This week though, it was Hunter Henry who got the bulk of the looks. Henry has had a few weeks with massive production through seven weeks, and younger quarterbacks tend to fall back on their big men in the middle of the field.

Henry is a tentative add and not someone you should start with confidence in Week 8, but he is worth keeping an eye on and adding if you have a spot to spare on your roster. After all, even in Maye’s first start, Henry was still second on the team in targets despite his lack of production.

RB Kimani Vidal, LAC (Rostered in 14% of leagues)

We haven’t seen him play in Week 7 yet, but the absence of Gus Edwards combined with the Chargers’ upcoming schedule makes Vidal an interesting add assuming Dobbins cannot maintain his 27-carry workload from Week 6.

The Chargers’ contests in Weeks 8 and 9 are against the New Orleans Saints, who just allowed Javonte Williams to run all over them on Thursday Night Football. At the very least, Vidal should work as the team’s receiving back, which could give Vidal a pretty safe floor with startable upside if he can find the end zone in each game.

RB Tyler Goodson, IND (Rostered in 14% of leagues)

Although Trey Sermon gained more yards on the ground than Goodson in Week 7, Goodson was the one who found the end zone. Even better, Goodson’s workload increased drastically against Miami, earning as many carries as Sermon. Goodson has displayed very solid explosiveness and is arguably a better backup for Jonathan Taylor moving forward.

Taylor’s injury doesn’t seem to be going away. It could linger for a few more weeks, and although Taylor may come back, it wouldn’t be shocking to see him miss more time later in the season. Goodson would be a pretty solid FLEX option if that were to happen.

RB Jaylen Warren, PIT (Rostered in 40% of leagues)

While it is clear that Steelers’ offensive coordinator Arthur Smith likes Najee Harris as the team’s lead back, Jaylen Warren has some sneaky upside now that Russell Wilson is the team’s quarterback. Between 2022 and 2023, no quarterback checked the ball down more often than Russell Wilson. Warren has made a name for himself as a pass-catching back, and as he gets healthier, his snap count should steadily increase. Basically, in PPR leagues, Warren has some promising potential.

WR Tre Tucker, LV (Rostered in 10% of leagues)

With Davante Adams in a Jets uniform, the Raiders No. 1 wide receiver spot is up for grabs. Tucker showed some potential as a legitimate pass-catcher in the Raiders’ offense earlier in the season. In Week 3, he racked up nine targets and 96 yards. A week later, he still earned six targets. While he has cooled off since, Tucker is only really competing with Jakobi Meyers for targets in the Raiders’ offense, and Tucker arguably has more immediate upside with Meyers working through an injury.

WR JuJu Smith-Schuster, KC (Rostered in 46% of leagues)

Yes, Smith-Schuster missed Week 7 with an injury, but his Week 5 performance shouldn’t be forgotten. Sure, it feels like a long time ago now, but without Rashee Rice, Smith-Schuster was the top wide receiver in Kansas City’s offense by a wide, wide margin. Smith-Schuster’s injury won’t keep him sidelined for long, and he offers immediate production should his role in Kansas City’s offense remain similar to what we most recently saw.

QB Drake Maye, NE (Rostered in 16% of leagues)

Through two starts, Maye has looked…pretty good. Sure, he doesn’t have a great roster around him, but he’s thrown for over 500 yards and five touchdowns with only two interceptions. He’s tallied at least 19 points in both games, which makes him a pretty serviceable spot start if your starting quarterback is approaching their bye week.

WR Jerry Jeudy, CLE (Rostered in 48% of leagues)

With Amari Cooper in Buffalo, Jeudy should take over as the bona fide WR1 in Cleveland. If Deshaun Watson was still at quarterback, this wouldn’t mean much, but Watson suffered an Achilles injury this weekend. He likely won’t be back for a long while, if at all this season.

So long as Jameis Winston gets the starting role over Dorian Thompson-Robinson, Jeudy should get far more looks in the passing attack given Winston’s gunslinging tendencies. We saw a glimpse of the Browns’ offense’s potential with Winston under center when he led the team on a touchdown drive at the end of their contest against the Bengals. If the team can operate at a comparable level moving forward, Jeudy has very solid upside.

NFL News: Brown QB Deshaun Watson carted off with likely season-ending Achilles injury