RADIO
Week 8 fantasy football waiver wire pickups for Brashard Smith, Jaydon Blue, Kyle Monangai in 2025. Read their waiver wire outlooks for fantasy football.
Week 7 of the fantasy season featured several rookies logging career-high snaps and delivering their best performances as pros so far. We’ve reached that point in the season where the roles of these young players start to expand.
Some of this year’s rookie running backs have struggled to earn consistent volume, but three in particular are beginning to stand out as intriguing fantasy options.
So, let's break down whether you should pick up Brashard Smith, Jaydon Blue, or Kyle Monangai in your fantasy football leagues for Week 8 of 2025.
Featured Promo: New Novig users get a $25 purchase match (50% discount up to $25) on your first Novig deposit, and a free month of RotoBaller's "Big-4" Premium Pass (NFL, NBA, MLB, NHL) which includes exclusive tools for Betting, Props, DFS and more! CLAIM IT NOW
Brashard Smith Week 8 Waiver Wire Pickups
Rostered: 11% of Leagues
Baller Move: Add in 12-team PPR leagues
Smith saw his most extensive usage of the season in Kansas City’s 31-0 win over the Raiders in Week 7, recording 14 carries for 39 yards and catching all five of his targets for 42 yards. While 11 of those carries came in garbage time, all five of his receptions came during the competitive portion of the game when the Chiefs were moving the ball at will.
Kareem Hunt had his left ankle rolled up on in the first quarter and needed assistance getting off the field. Although he eventually returned, he played a season-low 16.9% of the snaps. The injury and game script both contributed to that reduced role, but if Hunt’s ankle injury continues to linger, it could open the door for more opportunities for both Smith and Isiah Pacheco.
Andy Reid on #Chiefs rookie RB Brashard Smith:
“He’s catching the ball well, and I like where he’s at now. He’s in a good frame of mind, and he’s picking things up.” pic.twitter.com/OrpZm4Mduf
— KC Sports Network (@KCSportsNetwork) October 20, 2025
Andy Reid has prioritized the rookie seventh-rounder out of SMU on quick-hitters on the perimeter to get the speedster in space. And he's been efficient and dynamic on his small sample of routes with a 3.49 YPRR and a 0.29 missed tackles forced per reception. We haven't seen the full usage of Smith yet in this explosive Chiefs offense.
Smith's role should continue to grow over the second half of the season, making him a strong add in all 12-team PPR formats. He’s a viable flex option in the short term with the potential for an even larger role if his usage continues to trend upward.
Jaydon Blue Week 8 Waiver Wire Pickups
Rostered: 20% of Leagues
Baller Move: Add and Stash in 12+ Team PPR Leagues
Blue has settled into the clear RB2 role behind Javonte Williams, who continues to look healthy and has had a great resurgent season. The rookie saw his biggest workload of the season in Week 7's 44-22 blowout win against Washington, handling seven carries for 29 yards and catching his first target of the season for five yards.
The fifth-round pick out of Texas was inactive for the Cowboys' first four games, but with Miles Sanders (knee, ankle) out for the season, Blue has been active for the past three games and had seven total carries coming into Week 7. He doubled his season total against Washington, and it will be interesting to see if the speedy back works his way into a larger role, specifically as a receiving back, which was an appealing piece of his prospect profile.
Great job by #Cowboys Terence Steele on the negated 14-yard run, getting to the secondary and open up a bigger lane for Jaydon Blue.
*also could have called a late hit out of bounds, but whatever 🤷♂️*
(🎥: @ NFL Pro) pic.twitter.com/QisU8CLEIj
— Brandon Loree (@Brandoniswrite) October 20, 2025
Blue caught 42 passes for 368 yards and six touchdowns last season at Texas and has already shown encouraging flashes in pass protection at the NFL level. That will go a long way toward building trust with the coaching staff and potentially earning him more opportunities in the coming weeks.
The explosive rookie also profiles as an ideal handcuff to Williams in a high-powered offense. With Williams’ history of injuries, Blue would project as a high-upside RB2 if he were to miss time, and is worth a stash in 12-team PPR leagues.
Kyle Monangai Week 8 Waiver Wire Pickups
Rostered: 44% of Leagues
Baller Move: Add in 12-team leagues
Monangai logged his largest workload of the season in Week 7 against the Saints, playing 45% of the snaps and totaling 13 carries for 81 yards and his first career touchdown, along with two receptions on three targets for 13 yards. The Bears' run game has been dominant in the two weeks after the bye week, and Monangai has played a part in that.
The seventh-round rookie out of Rutgers remains the clear RB2 behind starter D’Andre Swift, who entered the game nursing a groin injury. Swift still handled 20 touches, but with the Bears playing from ahead for most of the game, Monangai and his bruising running style saw more opportunities to salt the game away, recording six carries for 43 yards in the fourth quarter.
Head coach Ben Johnson may want to have a closer split in carries between Swift and Monangai moving forward.
Kyle Monangai scores his first NFL TD!
NOvsCHI on FOX/FOX Onehttps://t.co/HkKw7uXVnt pic.twitter.com/tlabBDz5Mb
— NFL (@NFL) October 19, 2025
However, Swift has been playing good ball lately, running with decisiveness and explosiveness. He’s one of just four running backs this season to record back-to-back 100-yard rushing games, joining Offensive Player of the Year favorite Jonathan Taylor, James Cook, and Rico Dowdle. Monangai profiles as an ideal complement to Swift with his physical running style, but it’s unlikely he will overtake him without an injury.
Still, he’s a strong add in 12-team leagues this week as a high-upside contingency option.
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 Brashard Smith, Jaydon Blue, 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 - Brashard Smith, Jaydon Blue, 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 Brashard Smith, Jaydon Blue, Kyle Monangai:
More Waiver Wire Analysis
Download Our Free News & Alerts Mobile App
Like what you see? Download our updated fantasy football app for iPhone and Android with 24x7 player news, injury alerts, rankings, starts/sits & more. All free!
Check out RotoBaller's famous fantasy football draft sleepers and waiver wire pickups list, updated regularly!
