
Updated mid-week fantasy football waiver wire rankings for Week 8 of the 2025 NFL season. Top fantasy football free agents and streamers to add off waivers.
Week 8 is here, and the NFL season continues to fly by. In addition to injuries, fantasy managers will have to deal with bye weeks as six teams are off this week. Fantasy managers might be left scrambling, looking for not only injuries but bye week replacements. At RotoBaller HQ, we are back with more waiver wire advice with our updated waiver wire rankings for fantasy football Week 8 of the 2025 season to help fantasy managers find those injury replacements.
The Lions, Cardinals, Jaguars, Raiders, Rams, and Seahawks are on the bye in Week 8. Fantasy managers will be without some of their top starters. Kansas City Chiefs running back Brashard Smith was more involved and received 14 carries on Sunday, turning into 39 yards and reeling in all five targets for 42 yards against the Raiders. Did Smith earn himself more of a role in Kansas City's backfield? Is Kayshon Boutte quarterback Drake Maye's favorite target after catching touchdowns in back-to-back games? Is Sterling Shepard or Tez Johnson the Bucs receiver to add with Mike Evans out for the year?
These Week 8 waiver wire rankings are updated by Nick Mariano, RotoBaller's lead fantasy football analyst and forecaster. For those who are not familiar, he brings you his weekly waiver wire rankings and priority adds for the top 85 options to consider across various positions and league sizes. Good luck in Week 8 on the waiver wire!
Be sure to check all of our fantasy football rankings for 2025:- 2025 fantasy football rankings
- Running back (RB) fantasy football rankings
- Wide receiver (WR) fantasy football rankings
- Tight end (TE) fantasy football rankings
- Quarterback (QB) fantasy football rankings
- FLEX fantasy football rankings
- Defense (D/ST) fantasy football rankings
- Kicker (K) fantasy football rankings
- Dynasty fantasy football rankings
Who To Pick Up for Fantasy Football Week 8?
Quarterbacks (QB) and Defenses (D/ST) are grouped together at the bottom of the list:
Rank | Player Name | Pos. | % Ros. | Baller Move |
1 | Oronde Gadsden | TE | 47 | Add in All Leagues |
2 | Kyle Monangai | RB | 29 | Add in All Leagues |
3 | Wan'Dale Robinson | WR | 70 | Add in 10+ Team PPR Leagues |
4 | Romeo Doubs | WR | 70 | Add in 10+ Team Leagues |
5 | Woody Marks | RB | 57 | Add in 10+ Team PPR Leagues |
6 | Kyle Pitts Sr. | TE | 70 | Add in 12+ Team PPR Leagues |
7 | Nick Chubb | RB | 63 | Add in 12+ Team Leagues |
8 | Darnell Mooney | WR | 35 | Add in 12+ Team Leagues |
9 | Harold Fannin Jr. | TE | 51 | Add in 12+ Team PPR Leagues |
10 | Tyler Allgeier | RB | 41 | Add in 12+ Team Leagues |
11 | Brashard Smith | RB | 12 | Add in 12+ Team PPR Leagues |
12 | Tre Tucker | WR | 44 | Add in 12+ Team PPR Leagues |
13 | Isaiah Davis | RB | 5 | Add in 12+ Team PPR Leagues |
14 | Keon Coleman | WR | 59 | Add in 12+ Team Leagues |
15 | Chris Godwin | WR | 60 | Add in 12+ Team PPR Leagues |
16 | Tez Johnson | WR | 41 | Add in 12+ Team PPR Leagues |
17 | Kayshon Boutte | WR | 37 | Add in 12+ Team PPR Leagues |
18 | Jaylin Noel | WR | 2 | Add in 12+ Team PPR Leagues |
19 | Bam Knight | RB | 20 | Add in 12+ Team Leagues |
20 | Luther Burden III | WR | 11 | Add in 12+ Team Leagues |
21 | Alec Pierce | WR | 20 | Add in 12+ Team Leagues |
22 | Troy Franklin | WR | 25 | Add in 12+ Team Leagues |
23 | Marvin Mims Jr. | WR | 29 | Add in 12+ Team Leagues |
24 | Kendrick Bourne | WR | 35 | Add in 12+ Team PPR Leagues |
25 | Xavier Legette | WR | 13 | Add in 12+ Team PPR Leagues |
26 | Josh Downs | WR | 48 | Add in 12+ Team PPR Leagues |
27 | Marquise Brown | WR | 44 | Add in 12+ Team Leagues |
28 | Mason Taylor | TE | 34 | Add in 12+ Team PPR Leagues |
29 | Sterling Shepard | WR | 13 | Add in 12+ Team PPR Leagues |
30 | Dalton Schultz | TE | 26 | Add in 12+ Team Leagues |
31 | Jayden Higgins | WR | 13 | Add in 12+ Team PPR Leagues |
32 | Elic Ayomanor | WR | 24 | Add in 12+ Team PPR Leagues |
33 | Juwan Johnson | TE | 32 | Add in 12+ Team Leagues |
34 | Kenneth Gainwell | RB | 41 | Add in 12+ Team PPR Leagues |
35 | Tyjae Spears | RB | 29 | Add in 12+ Team PPR Leagues |
36 | Colston Loveland | TE | 22 | Add in 12+ Team Leagues |
37 | Chris Moore | WR | 2 | Add in 12+ Team PPR Leagues |
38 | Theo Johnson | TE | 21 | Add in 12+ Team Leagues |
39 | Rashod Bateman | WR | 22 | Add in 14+ Team Leagues |
40 | Cade Otton | TE | 51 | Add in 14+ Team Leagues |
41 | Tyrone Tracy Jr. | RB | 46 | Add in 14+ Team Leagues |
42 | Jaydon Blue | RB | 11 | Add in 14+ Team Leagues |
43 | Chimere Dike | WR | 3 | Add in 14+ Team PPR Leagues |
44 | Malik Washington | WR | 14 | Add in 14+ Team PPR Leagues |
45 | Christian Watson | WR | 11 | Add in 14+ Team Leagues |
46 | Jonnu Smith | TE | 20 | Add in 14+ Team Leagues |
47 | Pat Freiermuth | TE | 10 | Add in 14+ Team PPR Leagues |
48 | Xavier Hutchinson | WR | 0 | Add in 14+ Team Leagues |
49 | Brian Robinson Jr. | RB | 29 | Add in 14+ Team Leagues |
50 | Emanuel Wilson | RB | 8 | Add in 14+ Team Leagues |
51 | Sean Tucker | RB | 8 | Add in 14+ Team Leagues |
52 | Devin Neal | RB | 2 | Add in 14+ Team Leagues |
53 | Luke McCaffrey | WR | 18 | Add in 14+ Team PPR Leagues |
54 | Jeremy McNichols | RB | 2 | Add in 14+ Team PPR Leagues |
55 | Jalen Coker | WR | 9 | Add in 14+ Team PPR Leagues |
56 | Josh Reynolds | WR | 1 | Add in 14+ Team Leagues |
57 | Brandon Aiyuk | WR | 41 | Add in 14+ Team PPR Leagues |
58 | Jaylin Lane | WR | 0 | Add in 14+ Team Leagues |
59 | Jordan Whittington | WR | 8 | Add in 14+ Team PPR Leagues |
60 | Lil'Jordan Humphrey | WR | 0 | Add in 14+ Team Leagues |
61 | Parker Washington | WR | 0 | Add in 14+ Team PPR Leagues |
62 | Michael Wilson | WR | 3 | Add in 14+ Team PPR Leagues |
63 | Noah Fant | TE | 2 | Add in 14+ Team PPR Leagues |
64 | Taysom Hill | TE | 4 | Add in 14+ Team Leagues |
65 | Jalin Hyatt | WR | 0 | Add in 14+ Team PPR Leagues |
66 | Ollie Gordon II | RB | 12 | Add in 14+ Team Leagues |
67 | Jaxson Dart | QB | 55 | Add in 12+ Team Leagues |
68 | Joe Flacco | QB | 33 | Add in 12+ Team Leagues |
69 | Trevor Lawrence | QB | 47 | Add in 12+ Team Leagues |
70 | Sam Darnold | QB | 41 | Add in 12+ Team Leagues |
71 | Aaron Rodgers | QB | 35 | Add in 14+ Team Leagues |
72 | C.J. Stroud | QB | 54 | Add in 14+ Team Leagues |
73 | Michael Penix Jr. | QB | 27 | Add in 14+ Team Leagues |
74 | Mac Jones | QB | 10 | Add in 14+ Team Leagues |
75 | Marcus Mariota | QB | 2 | Add in 2QB Leagues |
76 | Spencer Rattler | QB | 9 | Add in 2QB Leagues |
77 | Tyrod Taylor | QB | 2 | Add in 2QB Leagues |
78 | Dillon Gabriel | QB | 4 | Add in 2QB Leagues |
79 | Andy Dalton | QB | 3 | Add in 2QB Leagues |
80 | Buffalo Bills | DST | 45 | Add in 12+ Team Leagues |
81 | Atlanta Falcons | DST | 41 | Add in 12+ Team Leagues |
82 | Tampa Bay Buccaneers | DST | 30 | Add in 12+ Team Leagues |
83 | Minnesota Vikings | DST | 53 | Add in 14+ Team Leagues |
84 | Houston Texans | DST | 52 | Add in 14+ Team Leagues |
85 | Cincinnati Bengals | DST | 19 | Add in 14+ Team Leagues |
Fantasy Football Waiver Wire Outlooks
Some of the top names include Brashard Smith, Kayshon Boutte, Oronde Gadsden, Darnell Mooney, Kyle Monangai, and Tez Johnson. We recap why these players should be on your waiver wire radar for Week 8.
Brashard Smith, RB, Chiefs
Kansas City Chiefs rookie running back Brashard Smith saw by far the heaviest usage of his young NFL career on Sunday, recording 14 carries for 39 yards and five catches for 42 yards in his team's 31-0 win over the Las Vegas Raiders. It's worth noting that there was a significant amount of garbage time in this game. Still, veteran Chiefs running back Kareem Hunt (ankle) suffered an ankle injury early in the game and had to get taped up in order to return.
Even if Hunt does not miss any time due to the injury, Kansas City could lessen his workload in favor of Smith. With Hunt healthy, the Chiefs have still prioritized getting the ball in Smith's hands in the passing game, as he's seen 16 targets over his last four games. There's a possibility Smith takes over as the team's primary passing-downs back, which gives him some deep-league fantasy appeal.
Tez Johnson, WR, Buccaneers
Tampa Bay Buccaneers wide receiver Tez Johnson continued his strong string of performances with a nice game against the Lions, and he could be lined up for more work in the future as well. Johnson had four catches for 58 yards and a touchdown against the Lions and finished with nine targets, which was tied for second on the team. It was his second straight week with an impressive touchdown, and over the last three weeks, the seventh-round pick from Oregon has become a regular contributor in the passing game, producing nine catches for 158 yards to go with his two scores.
With Mike Evans (collarbone) out for "most of the year" according to coach Todd Bowles, Johnson should have a clear role going forward behind his fellow rookie, Emeka Egbuka. The Bucs will look to bounce back from their loss with a game in New Orleans next week before a Week 9 bye week.
Kayshon Boutte, WR, Patriots
Against the Titans on Sunday, New England Patriots third-year wide receiver Kayshon Boutte turned in his second consecutive strong fantasy performance on the back of three touchdowns in the last two games. He has put up a respectable 148 receiving yards over that span, but has done it on only seven targets. Since leading the team in targets in the season opener, he has yet to see more than five looks in any other game, averaging under three targets per game in his last six games.
Josh McDaniels' offense has long been difficult to predict for fantasy football. Still, fortunately for Boutte, by every metric, Drake Maye has been one of the best deep ball throwers in the league, adding value to each of those targets. With six teams on a Week 8 bye, Boutte becomes a high-priority waiver add wherever he's still available, and in many cases, can be plugged right into the starting lineup.
Darnell Mooney, WR, Falcons
In his first game action since Week 4 due to injury, Atlanta Falcons wide receiver Darnell Mooney was the team's leading receiver in Sunday night's 20-10 loss to the San Francisco 49ers, catching three of his five targets for 68 yards. While his 68 yards led the team on a night where Atlanta's offense was stuck in the mud, Mooney's targets were third behind receiver Drake London and tight end Kyle Pitts Sr. Most of the 27-year-old's production came on a 38-yard hookup with quarterback Michael Penix Jr. late in the second quarter.
Mooney and the Falcons' passing game have a get-right matchup upcoming this Sunday against the 1-6 Miami Dolphins. Still, he figures to continue to be an inconsistent boom/bust WR4/flex for fantasy football managers. Mooney has caught only 10 of his 21 targets through four games this year for 147 yards, and he has yet to find the end zone. He's currently rostered in just 29% of Yahoo leagues. Don't rule him out as a decent flex streamer this week with six teams on bye.
Oronde Gadsden, TE, Chargers
Los Angeles Chargers tight end Oronde Gadsden exploded in Sunday's game against the Colts with seven catches (nine targets) for 164 yards and a touchdown. Gadsden had been working his way into a full-time role at tight end in Los Angeles, and it's all come together over the past two weeks. He's logged a route on 77% of dropbacks in each of those games and should maintain a consistent role in the offense moving forward after a performance like this.
The 2025 fifth-round pick was winning at all levels of the field and had an unreal catch and run for 53 yards early in the third quarter. His 164 yards were the most in a game by a rookie tight end since Kyle Pitts in 2021. Gadsden should be the priority waiver add in all formats this week.
Running Backs - Week 8 Waiver Wire Rankings
Pickups are in priority order:
Player Name | Position | % Owned |
Kyle Monangai | RB | 29 |
Woody Marks | RB | 57 |
Nick Chubb | RB | 63 |
Tyler Allgeier | RB | 41 |
Brashard Smith | RB | 12 |
Isaiah Davis | RB | 5 |
Bam Knight | RB | 20 |
Kenneth Gainwell | RB | 41 |
Tyjae Spears | RB | 29 |
Tyrone Tracy Jr. | RB | 46 |
Jaydon Blue | RB | 11 |
Brian Robinson Jr. | RB | 29 |
Emanuel Wilson | RB | 8 |
Sean Tucker | RB | 8 |
Devin Neal | RB | 2 |
Jeremy McNichols | RB | 2 |
Ollie Gordon II | RB | 12 |
Wide Receivers - Week 8 Waiver Wire Rankings
Pickups are in priority order:
Player Name | Position | % Owned |
Wan'Dale Robinson | WR | 70 |
Romeo Doubs | WR | 70 |
Darnell Mooney | WR | 35 |
Tre Tucker | WR | 44 |
Keon Coleman | WR | 59 |
Chris Godwin | WR | 60 |
Tez Johnson | WR | 41 |
Kayshon Boutte | WR | 37 |
Jaylin Noel | WR | 2 |
Luther Burden III | WR | 11 |
Alec Pierce | WR | 20 |
Troy Franklin | WR | 25 |
Marvin Mims Jr. | WR | 29 |
Kendrick Bourne | WR | 35 |
Xavier Legette | WR | 13 |
Josh Downs | WR | 48 |
Marquise Brown | WR | 44 |
Sterling Shepard | WR | 13 |
Jayden Higgins | WR | 13 |
Elic Ayomanor | WR | 24 |
Chris Moore | WR | 2 |
Rashod Bateman | WR | 22 |
Chimere Dike | WR | 3 |
Malik Washington | WR | 14 |
Christian Watson | WR | 11 |
Xavier Hutchinson | WR | 0 |
Luke McCaffrey | WR | 18 |
Jalen Coker | WR | 9 |
Josh Reynolds | WR | 1 |
Brandon Aiyuk | WR | 41 |
Jaylin Lane | WR | 0 |
Jordan Whittington | WR | 8 |
Lil'Jordan Humphrey | WR | 0 |
Parker Washington | WR | 0 |
Michael Wilson | WR | 3 |
Jalin Hyatt | WR | 0 |
Tight Ends- Week 8 Waiver Wire Rankings
Pickups are in priority order:
Player Name | Position | % Owned |
Oronde Gadsden | TE | 47 |
Kyle Pitts Sr. | TE | 70 |
Harold Fannin Jr. | TE | 51 |
Mason Taylor | TE | 34 |
Dalton Schultz | TE | 26 |
Juwan Johnson | TE | 32 |
Colston Loveland | TE | 22 |
Theo Johnson | TE | 21 |
Cade Otton | TE | 51 |
Jonnu Smith | TE | 20 |
Pat Freiermuth | TE | 10 |
Noah Fant | TE | 2 |
Taysom Hill | TE | 4 |
Quarterbacks - Week 8 Waiver Wire Rankings
Pickups are in priority order, with emphasis on Week 8:
Player Name | Position | % Owned |
Jaxson Dart | QB | 55 |
Joe Flacco | QB | 33 |
Trevor Lawrence | QB | 47 |
Sam Darnold | QB | 41 |
Aaron Rodgers | QB | 35 |
C.J. Stroud | QB | 54 |
Michael Penix Jr. | QB | 27 |
Mac Jones | QB | 10 |
Marcus Mariota | QB | 2 |
Spencer Rattler | QB | 9 |
Tyrod Taylor | QB | 2 |
Dillon Gabriel | QB | 4 |
Andy Dalton | QB | 3 |
Defenses (D/ST) - Week 8 Waiver Wire Rankings
Pickups are in priority order, with emphasis on Week 8:
Player Name | Position | % Owned |
Buffalo Bills | DST | 45 |
Atlanta Falcons | DST | 41 |
Tampa Bay Buccaneers | DST | 30 |
Minnesota Vikings | DST | 53 |
Houston Texans | DST | 52 |
Cincinnati Bengals | DST | 19 |
Week 8 Waiver Wire Articles
In addition to the Week 8 waiver wire rankings, here's a look at some other free waiver wire resources available at RotoBaller. Each week, our NFL team puts out a complete array of fantasy football waiver wire articles to compliment our slick new Who Should I Pickup? Waiver wire player comparison tool - bookmark that! Here are more detailed Week 8 waiver wire articles:
- Week 8 waiver wire pickups (all positions)
- Week 8 FAAB waiver wire bids
- Week 8 running back waiver wire pickups
- Week 8 wide receiver waiver wire pickups
- Week 8 tight end waiver wire pickups
- Week 8 quarterback waiver wire pickups
- Week 8 defense (D/ST) streamers and pickups
- Week 8 kicker streamers and pickups
Who Should I Pickup Tool
Trying to decide who to pick up off the waiver wire? Check the Who Should I Pickup tool here:
Compare up to four players and we'll tell you who to pickup...

Who Should I Pickup? Some common 2025 fantasy football waiver wire decisions are regarding players like Tez Johnson, Kayshon Boutte, Alec Pierce, Jaylin Noel, Oronde Gadsden, Darnell Mooney, Brashard Smith, Kyle Monangai. But not to worry, we are here to help make these waiver wire decisions and build winning teams in 2025. Set your optimal fantasy football lineups in 2025. Our free Who Should I Pickup? tool will help make your fantasy football waiver wire decisions. Compare up to four NFL players, and we tell you who to pick up... all free! Make the right decisions.
2025 Player Decisions. Today's focus is on specific players - Tez Johnson, Kayshon Boutte, Alec Pierce, Jaylin Noel, Oronde Gadsden, Darnell Mooney, Brashard Smith, Kyle Monangai. These are some common searches for 2025 fantasy football waiver wire pickups.
Using The Tool. This is a simple tool but very powerful. The first step is to enter the player names that you want to compare. In the first box, search for the first player's name. In the second box, search for the second player's name. Compare up to four NFL players at once, and then click the Who To Pickup? button to see who the recommended waiver wire pickups are based on fantasy football rankings, projections, and more.
Recent Improvements For Who Should I Pickup? You may have noticed, our Who Should I Pickup? tool has gotten an overhaul. We've added lots of great features for you to give you as much information as possible to win on the waiver wire in 2025. You'll see NFL player tiles with headshots and bye weeks, stats, projections, strength of schedule, enhanced search results with data to compare, and a slick new interface. We hope you enjoy!
How It Works. Our RotoBaller staff puts together their weekly fantasy football waiver wire rankings and projections based on their research, and updates them constantly throughout the week. That information is the core data that is powering the decision-making in this tool. When you search for player names, you will only see those players who are ranked.
Popular Player Comparison Searches - Who To Pickup
Below are some popular searches and comparisons from our Who To Pickup tool for 2025 for Tez Johnson, Kayshon Boutte, Alec Pierce, Jaylin Noel, Oronde Gadsden, Darnell Mooney, Brashard Smith, Kyle Monangai:
More Waiver Wire Analysis
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Check out all of RotoBaller's fantasy football rankings. Staff rankings are updated regularly for all positions and include standard formats, PPR scoring, tiered rankings and dynasty leagues.