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Michael Florio's deeper-league waiver wire pickups and fantasy football sleepers for Week 8. His top free agent options for 14-team fantasy leagues or deeper.
Hopefully the week known as byemageddon was nice to you. Either way, setting your fantasy football lineup should be a lot easier this week since there are only two teams on bye, the Ravens and Raiders. It feels like a breeze after the six teams, and many high-powered offenses, were off last week.
This is a good week of waiver wire pickups for those in deeper fantasy football leagues, as there are not a lot of obvious must-grab players on the wire. That means many fantasy football players will scroll through the list and choose to only put in minimal bids. Some may think it's not worth the FAAB or time this week. This is where you can strike and take a flier on a player for cheap.
There are even QBs to be had for those who play in deeper two-QB or SuperFlex leagues. QBs seldom become available but if you are desperate for one, this is a good week for you! Let's get into some names that will be overlooked by many, but coveted by you deeper players!
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Fantasy Football Waiver Wire Targets for Week 8
Check if available: Daniel Jones, Kenny Gainwell, Kenyan Drake, Kalif Raymond, Mo Alie-Cox
Mac Jones has been playing well as of late despite the lack of passing volume he sees each week. Jones scored over 22 fantasy points in Week 7 as he threw for 307 yards and two touchdowns against the Jets. It was his first career game with 300 passing yards and he now has thrown multiple passing TDs in three of the last four games. He also has a stretch in two weeks where he gets the Browns, Falcons and Titans -- three good fantasy matchups for QBs. He will be useful those weeks as a bye-week replacement in deeper formats.
Tyrod Taylor is working his way back from a hamstring injury that has sidelined him since Week 2. Taylor will retake his starting job when healthy, which shouldn’t be too far away as he is expected to practice this week. Taylor scored over 23 fantasy points in Week 1 and was at nearly 17 before getting injured in Week 2. He brings a safe floor and some upside due to his rushing ability. His presence also boosts the value of Texans pass catchers.
If you are desperate for a QB in two-QB formats, one of the Jets quarterbacks Mike White or Joe Flacco could be right for you. White is expected to start, but if things get ugly we could see the newly acquired Flacco. White threw for 202 yards with a touchdown and two interceptions in Zach Wilson’s absence. He is purely for the desperate -- but in deeper leagues, there will be desperate players.
Boston Scott will be part of a one-two punch with Kenneth Gainwell as long as Miles Sanders is out. He played 34 percent of the snaps in Week 7 with seven carries and two targets. He went for 29 total yards and scored a TD. He also saw three touches inside the 10-yard line in Week 7, compared to Gainwell’s one. Scott should be the more traditional runner and has flex appeal with upside this week against the Lions.
Brandon Bolden is the new James White in the Patriots offense. He led the the Patriots in targets (seven), catches (six) and receiving yards (79) while also adding in a receiving touchdown. He scored just under 20 fantasy points and was a top-10 fantasy RB in Week 7. While that was his best game of the year, he has scored over seven fantasy points in three of the last four games. He has four or more targets in every game but one since James White was injured. The lone exception was the weird Week 6 game where Rhamondre Stevenson got the targets, but he was a healthy scratch in Week 7. Bolden should bring a safe weekly floor between eight and 10 fantasy points, while having the occasional big game like he just did this week.
Rashaad Penny made his 2021 debut in Week 7, playing 36 percent of the snaps while seeing six carries for nine yards. The numbers don’t jump off the screen at all, but the important thing was he was active and stayed healthy. He should have a larger role as the secondary running back moving forward, until whenever Chris Carson returns from the IR.
Samaje Perine had 11 carries for 52 yards, including a 46-yard touchdown. He played 48 percent of the snaps in Week 7 and added in a 23-yard catch. This usage could be influenced by the fact that the Bengals has a sizable lead late, but Mixon has been banged up as of late so it should not be totally overlooked. Plus if Mixon was to miss more time, Perine would see a sizable workload. Those are the type of backs to stash off the waiver wire in deeper fantasy football leagues.
Ty Johnson was heavily used in the passing game this past week, catching six-of-seven targets for 65 yards. Only Michael Carter had more targets and receiving yards. That was because new QB Mike White threw 44 percent of his passes to running backs. Johnson also added five carries for six yards and continues to split usage near the goal line. He played 33 percent of the snaps. Johnson is purely a deeper league waiver wire option, but the shot at that sort of passing game volume shouldn’t be ignored. If you are diving deep for a waiver wire streaming option in Week 8, Johnson is a name for you.
David Johnson led the Texans running backs in snaps (55 percent), as well as carries (seven). But the real reason to be intrigued is the pass game usage. He was targeted six times, catching five for 27 yards. That was one shy of the team lead in Week 7. The volume was new for Johnson, who set a new season high in carries and tied his season high in targets. Maybe it was because it was a revenge game -- but the usage is encouraging especially in the pass game, which is nothing new for Johnson. He has four or more targets in three of the last four. He would also get a boost by Taylor’s return.
This was originally about Allan Lazard but he has now joined Davante Adams on the Covid list. With both very unlikely to suit up for Week 8, it will lead to a big boost in volume as the Packers will have to put up points against a high-powered Cardinals offense. Randall Cobb is a pure volume flex option. Equanimeous St. Brown is a deeper option, but also in play this week due to volume alone. Marquez Valdes-Scantling would be as well if he returns. Expect Robert Tonyan and the RBs to be more invoved in the passing game as well.
Elijah Moore saw six targets, tying Corey Davis and Jamison Crowder for the most among receivers. He only caught one of them for 13 yards, but he did add a 19-yard touchdown run. He is purely an upside stash as he possess some explosiveness, but the volume was encouraging.
Nico Collins played 61 percent of the snaps in Week 7, the second most among Texans receivers. He saw five targets, catching two of them for a team-high 28 yards. The volume is encouraging as he now has 11 targets in his last two games and is getting more playing time. Add him off the waiver wire now before he gets a boost in value from Taylor returning.
C.J. Uzomah caught all three of his Week 7 targets for 91 yards and two touchdowns. It was his second game in a month with two scores and over 24 fantasy points. He also has over 10 points in three of his last four games. The volume is not ideal, but Uzomah clearly has a knack for finding space and making a big play in this offense. The big play upside in this offense is enough to make him a waiver wire option worth streaming in deeper formats.
Cole Kmet led the Bears with six targets, catching five of them for a team-high 43 yards. With Jimmy Graham sidelined, Kmet should continue to see more volume moving forward. He’s been around nine fantasy points the last two weeks, which is far from ideal, but certainly makes him a streaming tight end option in deep leagues.
Make sure to follow Michael on Twitter, @MichaelFFlorio.
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