As we begin the fantasy football waiver process in Week 8, injuries continue to pile up, but at least we don’t have any byes this week. Is Darrell Henderson the answer for the Rams? Who will replace Jerome Ford? Why didn’t you pick up Josh Downs? Time to answer these questions, your concerns (Tyler Lockett, anyone?) and which streamers can help.
HEADS UP
- Players must be less than 60% registered on Yahoo
- Listed in Order of preference — I often prioritize potential upside over immediate mediocre production
- No FAB suggestions: It varies greatly depending on league trends and is always relative (e.g. if you lost your RB1 due to injury and there is a clear replacement, you will be more aggressive)
- Streaming QB and TE are grouped together – weekly rankings may change as predictions/ranks are executed – daylight saving time may also shift slightly
**BYE SHOTS: NONE**
CONCERN REPORT
More ducks (and eggs) = more worry
- Jared Goff, DET 🦆 🦆 — It was outside and we know Goff isn’t as good as he is inside, especially at home. Goff was good outside in Week 6, but the Chiefs, Packers and Ravens games were boring – although, to be fair, the matchups were more difficult, particularly against the Ravens. The two ducks are responsible for the fact that Goff may not be able to solve his outdoor problems when the colder weather arrives.
- Jordan Love, GB 🦆 🦆 🦆 🦆 – Love cannot put the ball offside. After starting Week 1 with 9.1 YD/ATT and 16.3 YD/Comp, Love was just 6.1 and 10.6 in those metrics, respectively, with a concerning 6.8 AirYD/ATT and 8.6 YD /Comp in Week 7. And all while he was one of the least pressured quarterbacks, meaning there isn’t much hope for Love to bounce back, as he’s just 2.8 over the last four games TD/ATT has, compared to 11.5 in the first two weeks.
- Sam Howell, W.S.H 🦆 🦆🥚 – Howell has to take a beating as he is on pace with 97 sacks – the record is held by David Carr with 76 (2002). Still, it was only Howell’s second game without 15+ fantasy points and he is QB15 in FPPG with four games with 18+ points.
- Aaron Jones, GB 🦆🥚 – AJ Dillon passed Jones, and it was a mediocre performance for Jones too. To be fair, Jones missed the last game and appears to be slowly recovering to 100%. I’m not ready to panic just yet, but the Packers offense deserves a duck or two on its own for everyone involved.
- Tyler Lockett, SEA 🦆 🦆 – Lockett now has just two games with more than 7.4 points, the last one being 5.8 and coming 1) without DK Metcalf and 2) against the Cardinals defense. He’s still in the top 30 in Route% and TmTGT%, so there’s hope, but Geno Smith and the Seahawks’ passing game isn’t going as well as it did last year.
STREAMING QUARTERBACKS
Emojis
- 😤 = I Tried to Tell Ya – Players in for several weeks (not much more to add if you don’t want them)
- 🔍 = Check if dropped – Players whose managers may have cut for other reasons or out of impatience
- 🎯 = Long-Term Target – Players with Starter+ potential who need patience (stash picks)
- 🫡 = Backup/Next Man Up – Players who have almost no value, but have a starter+ edge if an injury is ahead of them
WAIVER OF WIRE RUNNING BACK RANKS
Darrell Henderson, LAR – We had a trade from Zach Evans to Darrell Henderson and Royce Freeman at the end of the week, and even then, Henderson’s RB3 rating was too low. Freeman ran the ball a little better, but Henderson slipped back into his role from last year when Cam Akers had a 61.3 RBTouch%, including two goals and the only rush attempts that went the distance.Chuba Hubbard, CAR – Miles Sanders was expected to return after the Panthers’ bye, but Hubbard played too well not to be a decent part of that backcourt.Emari Demercado, ARI — 🔍He’s back? Demercado was second only to Kenneth Walker in Week 7 in RBTouch% (94.4). The Cardinals’ backfield is strange after Keaontay Ingram led the way in value and touches in Week 6. Demercado is again the best option, but given the risk, he’s no more than an RB3.Devin Singletary, HOU – Had a 50/50 split with Dameon Pierce before the bye. A worthy flyer in case the Texans move more to Singletary.Roschon Johnson, CHI — 🔍 Might return from concussion, but with D’Onta Foreman’s performance, Johnson would be the addition, probably used as he was when Khalil Herbert was healthy…perhaps with a slight boost.Tyler Allgeier, ATL — Another example of what Allgeier can do when Bijan Robinson misses time.Cam Akers, MIN — Usage was everywhere on the map. Akers was relatively uninvolved, and on Monday it seemed as if the Vikings had settled on him as the leader in the second half. Similar to Singletary, there’s now a 50/50 chance he’ll split or even the top option.Royce Freeman, LAR – As mentioned, Freeman was better per carry, but Henderson leads the way, making Freeman the complementary option.Ezekiel Elliott, NE – Next Man and Timeshare. Continues to have a lead in the weekly top 20 when finding the end zone.Jaleel McLaughlin, DEN – Second part of the Broncos timeshare.Justice Hill, B.A.L – Second part of the Ravens timeshare.Pierre Strong, C.L.E -With Jerome Ford out, Strong is worth a flyer as he had 44.4% of RB contacts when Ford wasn’t on the field.Jeff Wilson, MIA – Just one touch, but that was the risk in Wilson’s first game back. Still the most attractive option behind Raheem Mostert.Jamaal Williams, NR — 🫡 Limited in the first game back. The workload will increase.Craig Reynolds, DET – I’m hoping for a blowout to get late carries and a touchdown prayer.Deon Jackson, CLE – There is a possibility that Jackson, who has performed well at times for the Colts, could jump Strong into a timeshare with Kareem Hunt while Ford is out. It’s a slim chance, but deep leagues can give Jackson that chance. And yes, he was waved, but that was to keep PJ Walker on the roster since he was out of practice squad options. The Browns could still bring him back, even get him promoted to the practice squad and later.Darrynton Evans, CHI – If Roschon Johnson doesn’t return, it will be a desperate half and full PPR game.Chris Rodriguez, WSH — 🎯 There are some high-end backups below with more upside if the lead option misses time, but Rodriguez is getting more opportunities while Brian Robinson is struggling. The likelihood of Rodriguez getting usable value is slim, but supplies are dwindling.D’Ernest Johnson, JAX – This is another low-probability option as there is little chance the Browns will try to bring Johnson back. Similar to Darrell Henderson with the Rams, Johnson is familiar with the Browns system and has posted top-20 numbers in appearances in the past.Elijah Mitchell, S.F — 🫡Tyjae Spears, TEN — 🫡Rico Dowdle, DAL — 🫡Kenneth Gainwell, PHI — 🫡Tank Bigsby, JAX — 🫡Joshua Kelley, LAC — 🫡Latavius Murray, BUF — 🫡Zach Charbonnet, SEA — 🫡Clyde Edwards-Helaire, KC — 🫡Matt Breida, NYG — 🫡MEH 😒
DUMPSVILLE 🗑️ (Order I would drop)
- Jordan Mason, SF – With Elijah Mitchell, Mason is like Perine.
- Zach Evans, LAR – That was fast. From a potential midseason waiver gem to remaining in his old role that was third on the depth chart and uninvolved.
WAIVER WIRE WIDE RECEIVER RANKS
Josh Downs, IND — 😤 WR9 in the last three weeks and WR11 in FPPG.Joshua Palmer, LAC — 😤 WR23 in FPPG since taking over from Mike Williams.Rashee Rice, KC – Justin Watson stopped Rice from getting a top-two spot, and now that Rice has taken advantage of the opportunity, Rice is at least a WR3 in the future.Tank Dell, HOU – Since Dell is likely back from a concussion, it shouldn’t have been left out of needy managers without IR spots… Stop playing without IR spots!Curtis Samuel, W.S.H -Samuel left the game for a while, which hurt his potential as well as the gaffe that, if he had stayed up, could have set up the defender for a big play and a possible touchdown. Still, a one-off week doesn’t mean Samuel isn’t still a nice WR3/4.Jayden Reed, GB – Christian Watson is likely out again, which puts Reed back in the top two.Kendrick Bourne, NE – Any week can go sideways, but in the last two games Bourne has had a TmTGT% of 29.5 (16th).Jauan Jennings, SF – Here only as a one-week game with Deebo Samuel out during the 49ers bye.Michael Wilson, ARI -Joshua Dobbs kept Wilson from having a bigger day and I definitely don’t want to use him against the Ravens, but better matchups and Kyler Murray are coming.Zay Jones, JAX – Who knows if/when Jones comes back, but if he ever does, he’ll be back in the WR3/4 convo with strong appeal in high-profile matchups.Jalin Hyatt, NYG – All the airfields, all the difficult targets, all the potential, all the risk. Hyatt is the definition of boom/bust, but two receptions are enough for a useful performance.Rashid Shaheed, NO — 😤DJ Chark, CAR — Boom/Bust WR4 when healthy.Jameson Williams, DET — Six goals. Zero catches. Williams is all or nothing.Jaxon Smith-Njigba, SEA — 🫡 If DK Metcalf doesn’t return, JSN would be a WR3 game again, and even if Metcalf plays, Smith-Njigba is still a quality player.Demario Douglas, NE – Achieve a season high of 75.8% of routes and 20.0 TmTGT%. Douglas was reportedly ahead of Kayshon Boutte this preseason, and Douglas is pushing for a place in the top two. However, the offense will limit Douglas’ cap.Marvin Mims, DEN — 🎯Jonathan Mingo, CAR — 🎯Treylon Burks, TEN — 🫡Quentin Johnston, LAC — 🎯MEH 😒
- Marquez Valdes-Scantling, KC — First game with over 7.5 TmTGT% and 5.8 points.
- Tutu Atwell, LAR — A touchdown on two targets. Atwell had been sidelined since Cooper Kupp’s return.
- Elijah Moore, CLE — I would love for Moore to be a thing, but even with 7-9 goals in all but one game, Moore only has three games with 7+ points and none of those three reached 8.0 points.
- Nelson Agholor, BAL – A target. That’s all you need to know.
DUMPSVILLE 🗑️ (Order I would drop)
- Jahan Dotson, WSH – Ahh, what could have been if he had caught the touchdown…or if he had had a little more love for Sam Howell. Unfortunately, Dotson has been out for weeks and is still over 50% on the roster.
STREAMING TIGHT ENDS
STREAMING DST
Week 8
- NYJ at NYG
- DET vs LV
- ATL at TEN
- LAC vs. CHI
- NYG vs. NYJ
- MIA vs. NE
- PIT vs JAX
- JAX at PIT
- IND vs NO
Week 9
- PIT vs TEN
- LAC in NYJ
- NE vs. WSH
- LAR at GB
- IND at CAR
- NYG at LV
- TEN at PIT
(Photo by Jeffrey Brown/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
