Subscribe
Follow Us
Injuries continue to rock fantasy football rosters, as both Brandon Aiyuk and Rashid Shaheed were lost for the season this past week. Add Chris Godwin to that as well after Monday night's devastating injury. With bye weeks and injuries making it tough, which players make the most sense to target in your Week 8 waiver wire pickups?
The following list includes players on fewer than 50 percent of all ESPN rosters, so your chances of picking them up are pretty high. With the 2024-25 NFL regular season approaching the midpoint, try your best to button up some fringe concerns on your roster ahead of Week 8.
1. Alexander Mattison, Las Vegas Raiders – RB
42.5% Rostered
Even with Zamir White returning from injury, it was the Alexander Mattison show in Week 7 for the Las Vegas Raiders. Helping kick off our Week 8 waiver wire pickups, Mattison is the clear-cut option at running back this week, coming off a 26-touch performance.
While he failed to reach the end zone, Mattison's 15.3 fantasy points (in point-per-reception leagues) firmly put him at RB15, pending the Monday Night Football action. Mattison may relinquish a few more touches next week to White, but the backfield looks to be Mattison’s moving forward.
2. Jauan Jennings, San Francisco 49ers – WR
45.6% Rostered
Barring his health, Jauan Jennings could become the WR1 for the San Francisco 49ers in Week 8, as Aiyuk (torn ACL & MCL), Deebo Samuel (pneumonia), and George Kittle (sprained foot) are all banged up or out. Samuel barely saw the field in their Week 7 loss to the Kansas City Chiefs, but Jennings missed that game as well with a hip injury.
Jennings has shown up in big spots before, as his 40-plus point performance earlier this season firmly put him on the fantasy football map. Brock Purdy trusts Jennings and could feed him a lot of work, even if this high-target role is only for a week.
3. Keon Coleman, Buffalo Bills – WR
37.0% Rostered
Originally filling the WR1-ish role for the Buffalo Bills, rookie Keon Coleman will now be relegated to the WR2 spot after the Amari Cooper acquisition. But if his performance in Week 7 shows what is to come for Coleman, try to invest now.
in fact, Keon Coleman's two big catches were:
1. Extended play, finding wide open area in zone, busted coverage with two DBs filling the same area
2. Alert throw on a designed running play
but credit to him for finding the void on play one, and breaking the tackle on play two https://t.co/Fhdz85p7Cu pic.twitter.com/MJ78oiyGBY
— Josh Norris (@JoshNorris) October 21, 2024
Without having to deal with the top opposing cornerbacks, Coleman erupted for 125 yards on four receptions, his best showing this year. While Cooper will likely command Josh Allen’s attention more, Coleman should thrive in his supporting role, potentially becoming a WR3/flex for the rest of the season.
4. Romeo Doubs, Green Bay Packers – WR
0.9% Rostered
Checking in at fourth overall in our Week 8 waiver wire pickups is Romeo Doubs, who has looked like Jordan Love’s favorite target after returning from his one game suspension. Doubs saw a season-high 10 targets on his way to catching eight passes for 94 yards, season highs in both areas.
The Green Bay receiver group is tough to predict any week, as Doubs, Jayden Reed, Christian Watson, and even Dontayvion Wicks can be the guy. But Doubs seems to be Love’s security blanket and the guy he trusts in high-leverage situations, something that pays immediate dividends for your fantasy football roster.
5. Jaylen Warren, Pittsburgh Steelers – RB
45.1% Rostered
It has been a slow climb back for Jaylen Warren, as his slow start had been muddied by knee injury that forced him to miss two games. But in his biggest workload yet this year, he showed that he deserves more touches alongside Najee Harris in the backfield.
The Pittsburgh Steelers have always used both Harris and Warren in heavier dosages, and this season likely won’t be any different. If Warren can build off his 15-touch performance against the New York Jets, you can probably pencil him in for 10+ touches every week, giving him low-RB2 value in PPR leagues.
6. Sam Darnold, Minnesota Vikings – QB
45.2% Rostered
The first quarterback in our Week 8 waiver wire pickups is Sam Darnold, and he earns a place on this list mostly because of his upcoming schedule. While he did look alright against the Detroit Lions (259 passing yards, 1:1 TD:INT), his next three games should help him get back to fringe QB1 territory.
Facing the Los Angeles Rams, Jacksonville Jaguars, and Indianapolis Colts in their next three games, the Minnesota Vikings should be able to experience a good amount of offensive success, which bodes well for Darnold. Plus, with TJ Hockenson returning soon, the offense will be at full power moving forward.
7. Hunter Henry, New England Patriots – TE
27.4% Rostered
The lone tight end in our Week 8 waiver wire pickups is Hunter Henry, who has become rookie Drake Maye’s favorite target so far. Being used as his security blanket, Henry is coming off a strong, eight-reception performance in London against the Jaguars.
With the receiver group not having anyone looking likely to fill the WR1 spot, Henry’s value should continue to grow as the season progresses. With New England playing from behind in most games, you should be able to fire up Henry as a fringe TE1 candidate with a safer TE2 floor for a very volatile position this year.
8. Tua Tagovailoa, Miami Dolphins – QB
26.5% Rostered
All signs are pointing towards the Miami Dolphins welcoming back QB Tua Tagovailoa in their Week 8 matchup against the Cardinals, and it can’t come soon enough. Having dealt with Tim Boyle, Skyler Thompson, and Tyler Huntley, the Miami offense has become an absolute stick in the mud for fantasy football.
Tagovailoa’s return instantly would boost Tyreek Hill and Jaylen Waddle’s stock, two receivers that have barely been on the startable radar since their QB went down. While a slow week back could be in order for Tagovailoa, he is definitely in line to be a potential QB savior over the rest of the season if he can stay healthy.
9. Russell Wilson, Pittsburgh Steelers – QB
5.2% Rostered
Sunday Night Football got the Russell Wilson treatment in Week 7, as the Steelers hosted the Jets in a physical matchup. With Wilson stepping in for Justin Fields and making his first start in black and gold, the receivers for Pittsburgh instantly received a boost.
George Pickens looked solid, going over 100 receiving yards and hauling in a touchdown. While expecting Wilson to be the perfect fit in Arthur Smith’s offense isn’t ideal, he definitely brings QB2 value to the table if you need a bye week fill-in moving forward.
10. Ricky Pearsall, San Francisco 49ers – WR
5.5% Rostered
The last player on our Week 8 waiver wire pickups is a bit of a dart throw, but one that could skyrocket up the depth chart due to injuries. Rookie wideout Ricky Pearsall, who made his NFL debut last week, is in the same boat as Jennings as potential candidates to be the top wideout for the 49ers in Week 8.
With the timelines for Samuel, Kittle, and Jennings to return all up in the air at this point, Pearsall could see an uptick from his five targets he received in Week 7. If Jennings and Pearsall are both active but Samuel and Kittle miss, you can fire up both options as WR2s, as the volume is there for both receivers.
