Wide Receiver Waiver Wire Pickups - Week 8

An exciting early slate of football on Sunday, wasn't it?

Multiple games coming down to the wire, though we then had a pretty boring second slate. But whatever -- you aren't here to read my thoughts on the games. You're here to figure out what wide receivers to add as we get ready for Week 8 and the rest of the NFL season.

Not all options are the same. Some players may be better in PPR or deeper leagues, so it’s not a one-size-fits-all comparison. Use your best judgment when deciding which of these players is the right fit for your roster. Check out our Waiver Wire Adds for Week 8 for help at all the skill positions. All players on this list here are around 30% rostered or below.

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• Running back fantasy football rankings
• Wide receiver fantasy football rankings
• Tight end fantasy football rankings
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• Dynasty fantasy football rankings

Cole Beasley, Buffalo Bills

40% rostered

Beasley's role has continued to grow in Buffalo and fantasy managers have finally paid attention, as this is the final week I'm going to have to write about him. His 12 targets were likely buoyed by the fact that the Bills were light on tight ends, but 11 receptions for 112 yards isn't a fluke. It's a product of Beasley's role as a dependable slot option for quarterback Josh Allen.

Sterling Shepard, New York Giants

28% rostered

A bit of a surprise return on Thursday, Shepard (toe) played for the first time since Week 2 and stepped right back into the No. 1 receiver role for the Giants. He was targeted eight times, catching six passes for 59 yards and a score. Darius Slayton still has a key role here, but Shepard is going to be on the field a lot going forward and is a solid WR3 play. And he's available in over 70 percent of leagues, somehow???

Corey Davis, Tennessee Titans

28% rostered

Davis returned from the COVID list and led the Titans in targets with 10. He caught six passes for 35 yards and a score. A.J. Brown is going to demand a lot of attention from defenses because he's an extremely dynamic wideout, which will leave ample chances for Davis to make moves on the other side of the field. He's playing some of his best football this season, with either 69 yards or a touchdown in all four of his games. He's not a must-play option, but if you were to roster him as a WR5, you'd find some upside there.

Russell Gage, Atlanta Falcons

16% rostered

Gage left the field for a bit of Sunday's game, but still finished with six receptions on seven targets for 54 yards. He's rebounded from a three-week slump and has re-established himself as the No. 3 receiver for the Falcons. He reminds me of a lower-ceiling, lower-floor version of Cole Beasley when it comes to how he's being used, giving him value in deeper PPR leagues.

Curtis Samuel, Carolina Panthers

15% rostered

Samuel was back this week. He caught six passes for 48 yards and added a five-yard touchdown run. Samuel getting used as an actual running back is still weird to see and will likely vanish once Christian McCaffrey returns, but a Week 8 meeting with the Falcons where there should still be no McCaffrey puts Samuel in the WR4 mix, if you're looking for a wide receiver.

Randall Cobb, Houston Texans

15% rostered

Houston is about to be on a bye. There are rumors that they may trade some receivers. Cobb's contract might make him one of the less appealing options, or they might have targeted 10 times to try showcasing him for a deal. Who knows! But Cobb had his biggest usage of 2020 this week, and there's a decent chance that his usage remains high after the bye week, whether it be because other players were traded, because quarterback Deshaun Watson is trusting him more, or because he was shipped to a team in need of a trusty slot receiver.

Scotty Miller, Tampa Bay Buccaneers

9% rostered

Okay, what's going on with Mike Evans? In the games where Evans and Chris Godwin have both played, Evans has just vanished. He was targeted just twice in this game, while Miller was targeted nine times, catching six passes for 109 yards and a touchdown. Of course, the coming addition of Antonio Brown makes Miller a likely non-entity once November 8th arrives, but he has a chance to be a strong streaming play against the Giants next week.

Greg Ward Jr., Philadelphia Eagles

7% rostered

We thought we were moving towards a universe where the primary Eagles receivers were finally healthy and guys like Ward slid down the depth chart, but then DeSean Jackson fractured his ankle and Ward was still playing a key role, catching five passes for 42 yards and a score. With tight end issues too, Ward should continue to see decent usage, making him a streaming WR4 play until we start to see this Eagles team get healthy.

Nelson Agholor, Las Vegas Raiders

3% rostered

Ahh, so Agholor just needed to get away from Carson Wentz, right?

Targeted nine times, Agholor caught five passes for 107 yards and a score. He's suddenly looking like the No. 1 receiver for Vegas after being a bit of an afterthought when he signed there. He's scored four touchdowns this year, including finding the end zone in three consecutive games, and has the Browns up next. I can't believe I'm saying this, but Agholor is looking like a WR3/4 play right now.

Deonte Harris, New Orleans Saints

3% rostered

Okay. Michael Thomas will be back at some point, right? But Harris had four catches for 46 yards and a score this week and is...maybe worth some consideration in deep leagues? Although, a better idea would be...

Marquez Callaway, New Orleans Saints

1% rostered

...to pick up Marquez Callaway, who was targeted 10 times, finishing with eight catches for 75 yards. With Thomas and Emmanuel Sanders out, it was Callaway who served as the primary receiver for Drew Brees, and with Sanders on the COVID list, Callaway will likely have a chance to play a big role next week as well, though maybe not quite as big.

Rashard Higgins, Cleveland Browns

1% rostered

Let's move right into another teammate duo. Odell Beckham Jr. suffered what appeared to be a major knee injury on Sunday. He's going to miss some time.

First, 27 percent of leagues don't roster Jarvis Landry. If you're in one, PICK HIM UP.

But if you're looking for someone else to step up, the main target should be Higgins, who was targeted six times, catching all six for 110 yards. He'll be the deeper threat than Landry, which could translate to some big plays. WR4-type player.

Donovan Peoples-Jones, Cleveland Browns

0% rostered

Or, maybe you look to rookie Peoples-Jones, who caught the game-winning touchdown, finishing with three receptions for 56 yards. This is a deeper, more speculative add than Higgins, but maybe he builds off this performance. At the very least, he needs to be added in dynasty leagues if he's still on waivers.

Jalen Guyton, Los Angeles Chargers

0% rostered

Guyton won't give you consistent production, but with Mike Williams failing to clearly establish himself as the No. 2 guy for the Chargers, there may be an opening for Guyton. He caught two passes for 84 yards and a touchdown this week, making it the second time in three games he's found the end zone. Guyton is the big play threat for the Chargers, but he's, uhh, not a very consistent one, as he hasn't had more than two receptions in any game. In a 14-team league, you might add Guyton for the upside in case he starts to see a few more targets.

Jakobi Meyers, New England Patriots

0% rostered

The Patriots are a mess. That doesn't really factor into my analysis of Meyers, but it just needed to be said.

Anyway, Meyers was targeted six times, catching four passes for 60 yards plus adding two rushing yards. No one in this pass-catching corps has been impressive, so there's an opening for Meyers to see more usage going forward, though with two of the next three weeks being against Buffalo and Baltimore, he's only a very speculative add. But there is some upside here.

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