Mid-Week Waiver Wire Rankings for Week 8 (2026): Fantasy Football Pickups for Dylan Sampson, Seth McGowan, Antonio Williams, Makai Lemon, Travis Hunter, Mason Taylor

October 28, 2026

Mid-week fantasy football waiver wire rankings for Week 8 of the 2026 NFL season. Top fantasy football free agents and streamers to add off waivers.

While some waivers ran Tuesday night, plenty of leagues run their waiver wire later in the week. Beyond injuries, fantasy managers will face bye weeks again, as the Texans, Saints, Giants, and 49ers are off this week. At RotoBaller HQ, our updated Week 8 mid-week waiver wire rankings for the 2026 season help you prioritize who to pick up, whether you need a bye-week or injury replacement, or a high-upside bench stash. 

Injuries are taking a toll, and some players are seeing expanded roles as a result. With the rumors of the Colts trading star running back Jonathan Taylor, will Seth McGowan be the Colts' featured running back if Taylor is moved at the NFL trade deadline? Is Makai Lemon the Eagles' top wideout with injuries to DeVonta Smith and Dontayvion Wicks? Has Mason Taylor taken over Kenyon Sadiq as the Jets' top tight end after catching five passes for 62 yards and two touchdowns in last Sunday's loss to the Dolphins?

These Week 8 waiver wire rankings are updated by Nick Mariano, RotoBaller's lead fantasy football analyst and forecaster. If you're not familiar, he brings you his weekly waiver wire rankings and priority adds for the top 85 options to consider across positions and league sizes. Good luck in Week 8 on the waiver wire!

Who To Pick Up for Fantasy Football Week 8?

Quarterbacks (QB) and Defenses (D/ST) are grouped together at the bottom of the list:

Fantasy Football Waiver Wire Outlooks

Top names include Mason Taylor, Antonio Williams, Seth McGowan, Dylan Sampson, and Travis Hunter. We recap why these players should be on your waiver wire radar for Week 8.

Mason Taylor, TE, New York Jets

New York Jets tight end Mason Taylor has taken on a much larger role offensively, and his two-touchdown performance on Sunday has solidified him as a top waiver wire target going forward. In recent weeks, the 22-year-old has overtaken rookie Kenyon Sadiq as the No. 1 tight end on the depth chart. He has 12 catches, 119 yards, and two touchdowns over his last three games, and he has played at least 55% of the snaps in each of those contests.

As the Jets continue to find themselves in negative game script scenarios, opportunities will keep popping up for Taylor to command sizable target shares with impressive volume around the goal line. He ranks as the overall TE7 in half-PPR scoring over the last three weeks, and he's a fringe top-15 tight end going forward in redraft leagues. Therein lies an opportunity for managers to add a potential fantasy starter off waivers, as Taylor remains available in more than 97% of leagues.

Antonio Williams, WR, Washington Commanders

When last seen, Washington Commanders rookie wide receiver Antonio Williams was helping to pick up the slack following the devastating knee injury suffered by Terry McLaurin (knee). With the veteran exiting early from the team's Week 6 loss to the 49ers, Williams caught all three of his targets for 50 yards, and with the team now coming out of the bye week, head coach Dan Quinn specifically highlighted the 2026 third-rounder as a player who will have more responsibility in McLaurin's absence.

Through six games, Williams has made 18 catches for 205 yards and a touchdown, and with the Commanders coming off their bye, he is readily available in many redraft leagues.

Seth McGowan, RB, Indianapolis Colts

Indianapolis Colts rookie running back Seth McGowan has played a limited role in his team's offense so far in 2026, recording 146 yards from scrimmage on 36 touches across seven games. The 25-year-old had his usage scaled up on Sunday, logging 11 carries for 46 yards against the Minnesota Vikings. McGowan's growing role could be a sign of things to come. The Colts still have superstar running back Jonathan Taylor firmly ahead of McGowan on the depth chart, which will not change as long as Taylor remains healthy and on the roster.

However, with the Colts currently sitting at 2-5 and riding a three-game losing streak, trade speculation around Taylor has begun to heat up. If Taylor were to get moved, McGowan could be in line to assume a workhorse role in the Indianapolis backfield. In leagues where he is available on the waiver wire, McGowan profiles as a priority stash candidate as the trade deadline approaches.

Dylan Sampson, RB, Cleveland Browns

Cleveland Browns running back Dylan Sampson made his return to the field during Sunday's matchup against the Tennessee Titans. He made his return after missing the last five games due to a knee injury. Sampson rushed the ball six times for 45 yards and hauled in all three of his targets for 32 additional yards in the win over the Titans.

The 22-year-old is clearly the No. 2 back in Cleveland, but he has shown that he can be a solid contributor when healthy. The expectation is that his role will continue to grow as long as he keeps playing like this every week. Sampson is looking like an interesting stash option in 12-team formats ahead of the Week 8 matchup against the Pittsburgh Steelers.

Travis Hunter, WR, Jacksonville Jaguars

Jacksonville Jaguars cornerback/wide receiver Travis Hunter is back on the fantasy radar after an impressive offensive showing against the Houston Texans in London in Week 6. Hunter had played almost exclusively on offense through the first five games this year, but he got more involved as a receiver against the Texans a week ago, catching four passes for 48 yards and a touchdown. He also impressed defensively with three tackles and an interception in the loss.

Hunter's four catches came on just nine offensive snaps, so quarterback Trevor Lawrence obviously made an effort to get him the ball when he was on the field. With such a small offensive snap count, it's hard to forecast week-over-week consistency for Hunter on offense. However, at the very least, he's back on the fantasy radar as a potential waiver wire option going forward. He could become particularly intriguing in fantasy football if the Jaguars trade wide receiver Brian Thomas Jr. in the next two weeks.

Running Backs - Week 8 Waiver Wire Rankings

Pickups are in priority order:

Wide Receivers - Week 8 Waiver Wire Rankings

Pickups are in priority order:

Tight Ends- Week 8 Waiver Wire Rankings

Pickups are in priority order:

Quarterbacks - Week 8 Waiver Wire Rankings

Pickups are in priority order, with emphasis on Week 8:

Defenses (D/ST) - Week 8 Waiver Wire Rankings

Pickups are in priority order, with emphasis on Week 8:

Week 8 Waiver Wire Articles

After diving into the Week 8 rankings, read about some other free waiver wire resources available at RotoBaller:

• 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

Each week, our NFL team puts out a complete array of fantasy football waiver wire articles to complement our slick Who Should I Pickup? Waiver wire player comparison tool. Bookmark it!

In addition, be on the lookout for our other waiver wire articles all season long. We will be releasing weekly waiver wire articles for each position, FAAB bidding recommendations, streamers, and more. Stay tuned!

Who Should I Pickup Tool

Trying to decide who to pickup off the waiver wire? Check the Who Should I Pickup tool here:

Who Should I Pickup for Week 8?

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Who Should I Pickup? Some common 2026 fantasy football waiver wire decisions are regarding players like Jonah Coleman, Antonio Williams, Jakobi Meyers, Bam Knight, Ja'Kobi Lane, Samaje Perine, Mason Taylor, Dylan Sampson, Travis Hunter, Seth McGowan, Makai Lemon, Caleb Douglas, Keaton Mitchell, Darius Cooper, Kimani Vidal, James Conner, Terrance Ferguson, Keon Coleman, Michael Mayer, Colby Parkinson, Jacoby Brissett, Bo Nix, Aaron Rodgers, Deshaun Watson, and Tanner McKee. But not to worry, we are here to help make these waiver wire decisions and build winning teams in 2026. Set your optimal fantasy football lineups in 2026. 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.

2026 Player Decisions. Today's focus is on specific players: Tyler Higbee, Ollie Gordon, Keenan Allen, Alvin Kamara, and Jaylen Wright. These are some common searches for 2026 fantasy football waiver wire pickups.

Using The Tool. This is a simple tool but very powerful. First, enter the player names you want to compare. In the first box, search for the first player name. In the second box, search for the second player 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 that 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 2026. 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 Waiver Wire Searches. Curious to see some tough waiver wire decisions for 2026? Below you will find a list of some popular Who Should I Pickup? searches that RotoBaller readers are looking at. Click any of the links to see the result and recommendation.

Popular Player Comparison Searches - Who To Pickup

Below are some popular searches and comparisons from our Who To Pickup tool for 2026 for Jonah Coleman, Antonio Williams, Jakobi Meyers, Bam Knight, Ja'Kobi Lane, Samaje Perine, Mason Taylor, Dylan Sampson, Travis Hunter, Seth McGowan, Makai Lemon, Caleb Douglas, Keaton Mitchell, Darius Cooper, Kimani Vidal, James Conner, Terrance Ferguson, Keon Coleman, Michael Mayer, Colby Parkinson, Jacoby Brissett, Bo Nix, Aaron Rodgers, Deshaun Watson, and Tanner McKee:

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