Week 8 Wide Receivers: Waiver Wire Pickups & Adds

An interesting Week 7 provided plenty of excitement (shout out to my Buffalo Bills for the last-second victory) for fantasy football players, with some unsuspecting breakout performances and a handful of stars dropping absolute duds.

We’re a shade over halfway through the season now, and based on where you are in the standings you need to be thinking about players’ value for the rest of the season versus what they’ve already done.

Below I will take a look at some Week 8 wide receiver waiver wire pickups and sleepers, based on their current ownership numbers and fantasy outlooks. Each week of the fantasy football season, I’ll also give you a bonus player to avoid (usually someone who might be a popular pickup that I disagree with).

Fantasy Football Wide Receivers (WR)

Andrew Hawkins (CLE) - Owned in 39% of Fleaflicker leagues

Starting center Alex Mack broke his leg and is out for the rest of the season—watch Cleveland’s Week 7 game film to find out what kind of an impact that had on the running game. The Browns are going to have to be throwing much more often, and Hawkins is going to be a beneficiary.

He’s more a PPR play than a standard, as he hasn’t found the endzone yet this year, but he can be a serviceable option if you need a plug-and-play or injury replacement. He’s good for 6 catches and 60 yards, give or take, so he’s a usable FLEX option going forward until Josh Gordon returns.

Baller Move: Add in PPR leagues, monitor in standard leagues

Odell Beckham Jr. (NYG) - Owned in 40% of Fleaflicker leagues

Beckham broke out in Week 7 with a pair of touchdowns, although it was on only four catches for 35 yards. While the yardage and reception numbers aren’t eye-popping, the fact that Eli was looking for him in the endzone is particularly encouraging. Rueben Randle is the only player standing in Beckham’s way for the WR1 job in New York, who, while serviceable, is nothing special.

I think there is a very real chance for Beckham to evolve into Eli’s number one option in the passing game, particularly in the red zone (Larry Donnell seems to be doing everything he can to not earn playing time). At worst Beckham will have FLEX appeal the rest of the way.

Baller Move: Add in all PPR leagues/standard leagues

Allen Robinson (JAC) - Owned in 14% of Fleaflicker leagues

Cecil Shorts came back in Week 6 and snagged 10 catches for over 100 yards. You’d think that would detract from Robinson’s value, but you’d be wrong—Robinson hauled in eight catches in that game for 68 yards. He showed up again in Week 7, grabbing four passes for 60 yards and a score. Robinson is leading the team in targets, and although Cecil Shorts is healthy and catching passes, there seem to be enough to feed both receivers.

Denard Robinson broke out in Week 7, but I still don’t trust any part of the Jacksonville offensive line. Bortles will throw early and often, and Robinson will keep getting his numbers.

Baller Move: Add in all PPR/deep standard leagues

Mike Evans (TB) - Owned in 48% of Fleaflicker leagues

This is more of a speculative add than an immediate roster fix. Evans is producing as is, usually good for four catches for 50 yards and a coin flip on whether or not he scores. That’s serviceable, and make no mistake—he is the future for Tampa Bay. There have been rumblings that the Buccaneers may be looking to trade Vincent Jackson, as he is on the wrong side of 30 but still has the value.

If the Buccaneers fall completely out of playoff contention—and they’re already knocking on the door—I could definitely see them flipping him to a contender for a solid draft pick. By default Evans would become the number one option in Tampa Bay, and he has talent for days. Worth an add if you’ve got the space.

Baller Move: Add in deep PPR/deep standard leagues

Wide Receiver To Avoid (Bonus)

Doug Baldwin (SEA) - Owned in 25% of Fleaflicker leagues

Baldwin stepped into the spotlight in Week 7, catching seven passes for 123 yards and a score as the number one receiver for Russell Wilson, who put on an electrifying performance both through the air and on the ground. Guess what, Rotoballers—you’ve seen Wilson’s best passing game of the year. Prior to Week 7 Wilson maxed out at 258 yards passing, and if you take out the Week 7 performance he’s averaging just over 195 yards passing per game.

That just doesn’t make for explosive wide receivers. Also, the Seahawks have lost two in a row, and haven’t run well or much in either loss—they WILL get back to being run-dominant in the near future. I don’t like anything about Baldwin going forward, but he is going to be a huge waiver wire pickup this week. I say let someone else take the chance.

I’ll be your wide receiver authority for the 2014 season, so don’t hesitate to reach out to me @Roto_Dubs with any questions whenever.