Wide Receiver Waiver Wire Pickups - Week 8

October 26, 2021

Justin Carter's fantasy football wide receiver waiver wire pickups for Week 8 of the 2021 NFL season. His free agent WRs to add, stream and stash off waivers.

Another week of NFL action is behind us. Are there any players left on the waiver wire wasteland? Let's find out. Below, you'll find some wideouts that you should be targeting on the waiver wire ahead of Week 8.

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.

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 here are around 50% rostered or below.

Hunter Renfrow, Las Vegas Raiders

50% rostered

Oh look, another week of Hunter Renfrow getting eight targets, making this the fourth time this year he's seen at least that many. There's a pretty low cap on his yards, as just twice has he exceeded 58, but he's a solid full PPR play. (Worth noting: he's on a bye next week, but then he has the Giants and Chiefs up after that. Hmm.)

Kadarius Toney, New York Giants

46% rostered

The Giants injury issues are confusing, so just a warning here: I'm writing about three different Giants players in this week's article because I just don't really know what to think about this team and who will/won't be available. A healthy Toney against the Chiefs defense would be a must-start in virtually every league. Toney proved in Week 4 and 5 that he's the best non-Golladay receiver on this team.

Rashod Bateman, Baltimore Ravens

32% rostered

I was all in on Bateman this week as a breakout player, and while it didn't really happen, he did get targeted six times, catching three of those passes for 80 yards. He now has 12 targets in two career games. He has a bye next week, so adding him now would mean holding him through the bye week. You might not need to prioritize him, but he does have a nice schedule moving forward.

Nelson Agholor, New England Patriots

27% rostered

Ehh. Agholor had his first touchdown since Week 1 this week, which made him a solid play during a week where every player was injured or on a bye week. Low volume makes Agholor a really boom/bust guy and to be honest, I'd usually not even mention him because of that. However, the injury issues in the NFL are rampant right now so Agholor's potential booms are enough reason to have some interest in him.

Darius Slayton, New York Giants

15% rostered 

Slayton played for the first time since Week 3 and was instantly a big part of the offense, getting targeted nine times and turning that into five catches for 63 yards. Everything with the Giants is tenuous, but if Golladay, Shepard, or Toney are out, Slayton should have a big role again against a Chiefs defense that is really bad. (Sorry, Chiefs!)

Russell Gage, Atlanta Falcons

10% rostered

FINALLY. Returning from an ankle injury after a three-game absence, Russell Gage showed why I thought he was a great sleeper pick this year, catching four passes for 67 yards and a touchdown. He's still third in the pecking order behind Calvin Ridley and Kyle Pitts, but the Falcons offense has come alive over the last few games. Gage isn't a consistent fantasy option, but he's someone you can play in a pinch at this point.

Allen Lazard, Green Bay Packers

4% rostered

Lazard hasn't done what a lot of us expected this year, but he has 11 targets over the past two games, and has touchdowns in back-to-back games. It seems like he's finally coming alive, and while the presence of Davante Adams will continue to impact his upside, he's probably worth adding in deeper leagues at this point because he's someone you can throw in a lineup in an emergency and get some production out of.

UPDATE: Adams and Lazard were both placed on the COVID-19 list and are unlikely to play on Thursday. Randall Cobb and potentially Marquez Valdes-Scantling (if he is activated) could be worth adding as desperation plays.

Kalif Raymond, Detroit Lions

3% rostered

What are the Lions? Amon-Ra St. Brown wasn't targeted this week. In fact, just 11 targets went to wide receivers, and EIGHT of those went to Raymond, which he turned into six catches for 115 yards. It looks more and more like that zero catch Week 5 game was an anomaly and that Raymond is the No. 1 receiver in Detroit. That role isn't worth a ton, but with the volume he's getting, he should at least be rostered in more than three percent of fantasy leagues.

Dante Pettis, New York Giants

1% rostered

If injury things really, really don't go New York's way and Pettis is forced into the role of No. 2 receiver again, then he's a viable deep league (or bye week replacement) option. He had five catches for 39 yards and a touchdown this week and helped me survive in one league. I hope I don't need to play him again next week, but if I have to then fine, I will.

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