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With last week in the rearview, it's time to look ahead to Week 8 with our wide receiver fantasy football waiver wire pickups. There are some good upside wide receivers out there on the waiver wire, so this is a good chance for you to bolster your fantasy lineup.
Below, you'll find some wide receivers that you should be targeting on the fantasy football waiver wire ahead of Week 8. Not all of these waiver wire 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.
Be sure to also check out our Waiver Wire Adds for Week 8 for help at all the skill positions. All players on this list are around 50% rostered or below.
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Wide Receiver Waiver Wire Pickups For Week 8
Josh Downs, Indianapolis Colts - 36% rostered
You've had chances to add Josh Downs over the last few weeks. He should have been added off the wire after Week 5 when he caught six passes for 97 yards. He should have been added after Week 6 when he had his first NFL touchdown.
He's still available in over 60% of leagues, though. That changes this week though, as Downs caught five of his six targets for 125 yards and a touchdown against the Browns on Sunday. He's making big plays for the Colts and has at least five targets in all but one game this season. He's the top waiver add this week.
Rashee Rice, Kansas City Chiefs - 58% rostered
Rashee Rice continues to establish himself as the top Chiefs wide receiver, catching five of his six targets for 60 yards and a touchdown on Sunday against the Chargers. He had four catches for 72 yards last week.
It's always tough to trust a Chiefs wideout, but if you do trust one, it should be Rice, because his role at least feels secure on a weekly basis. Marquez Valdes-Scantling led the receivers in yards this week, but it was his first game since Week 2 to have more than one reception. Rice is the one guy who you know will actually touch the ball.
Kendrick Bourne, New England Patriots - 26% rostered
Kendrick Bourne has arguably been the biggest surprise of the season, as he's developed into something resembling a true No. 1 receiver for the Patriots. On Sunday, Bourne was targeted seven times, catching six passes for 63 yards and a touchdown. That followed last week's game, where he caught 10 passes for 89 yards.
Bourne needs quarterback Mac Jones to keep playing well if he's going to keep having this kind of value, but he's worth rostering because of his current role in this offense.
Rashid Shaheed, New Orleans Saints - 37% rostered
Rashid Shaheed continues to see targets for the Saints, with a season-high eight of them on Thursday against the Jaguars. While Chris Olave and Michael Thomas' presence lowers Shaheed's ceiling, he's an explosive player and is probably the best boom/bust play out there on the waiver wire, as long as you're willing to accept the risk of a bust game. For example, he saw his most targets this week but only had 28 receiving yards on four catches.
Jameson Williams, Detroit Lions - 49% rostered
It's really hard to make sense of Jameson Williams' Week 7 performance. On one hand, he had zero receptions, which you know isn't good. On the other hand, he was targeted six times and quarterback Jared Goff looked for him in the deep passing game, but the two just couldn't connect. I like that the Lions are trying to get Williams the ball. I like that he had twice as many targets as Josh Reynolds. There are definitely positives here, but Williams also showed this week that he has a very low floor. Definitely a boom/bust play.
Odell Beckham Jr., Baltimore Ravens - 27% rostered
Odell Beckham Jr. just had his best game as a Raven, as he was targeted seven times in Sunday's blowout win over the Lions. He caught five of those for 49 yards. While Zay Flowers is the only receiver on this team who absolutely has to be rostered, there's some upside with Beckham now that he's healthy, especially with Rashod Bateman struggling lately as he hasn't had more than two receptions since Week 2.
Wide Receiver Deeper League Pickups For Week 8
Jalin Hyatt, New York Giants - 5% rostered
Rookie Jalin Hyatt was targeted five times, catching two of those passes for 75 yards. He also just missed on another big catch. Hyatt now has nine targets over the past two games and looks to be developing into the top receiver for the Giants, though he's still a pretty boom/bust option at this point.
Demario Douglas, New England Patriots - 0% rostered
After missing last week's game with a concussion, Demario Douglas had his best game of the season on Sunday, catching four of his six targets for 54 yards. He also added a 20-yard run. He has the most athletic upside of any Patriots receiver, so I wouldn't be surprised to see his role continue to grow.
Mecole Hardman Jr., Kansas City Chiefs - 17% rostered
Like I said in the first section, the only Chiefs receiver you know you can trust is Rashee Rice. But the team brought Mecole Hardman Jr. back this week via a trade with the Jets and he made a couple of big plays, with a huge punt return plus a big catch late in the game to move the chains. While that six-yard reception was his only catch, he was targeted three times despite just re-joining this team this week. On a team with major question marks at receiver, Hardman's role could definitely grow. He's not someone you'd be starting next week, but he might be worth adding just to see how his role develops.
Jake Bobo, Seattle Seahawks - 0% rostered
DK Metcalf was out this week with hip and rib injuries. That allowed Jaxon Smith-Njigba to have a big game, and it also opened up snaps for Jake Bobo, who was targeted five times, catching four passes for 61 yards and a score. Bobo has no fantasy value if Metcalf is back next week, but he's worth a deep-league dart throw if Metcalf is held out again. Though, it's worth noting that Metcalf seems like he'll be back against Cleveland next week.
Rondale Moore, Arizona Cardinals - 10% rostered
Rondale Moore had at least three carries for the third game in a row as the Cardinals have used him as a running back at times with James Conner out. On Sunday, he had four carries for 24 yards and also caught two of his four targets, though he had just two receiving yards. He's getting touches, so there's a little bit of upside in deep, full-PPR leagues, but it's hard to really trust a gadget player.
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