RADIO
Should I pickup DeMario Douglas or Efton Chism III as fantasy football waiver wire pickups for Week 8 of 2026? Read our fantasy football waiver wire outlooks.
The New England Patriots may already be regretting being the latest team to get ripped off by Philadelphia Eagles general manager Howie Roseman. The trade of a first-round and fifth-round pick for wide receiver A.J. Brown (knee/ankle) is looking worse by the day.
Brown has degenerative arthritis in one of his knees and is 29 years old. It's no surprise that that's causing problems, and he'll be dealing with a worsening joint for the rest of his life. He had to have his knee drained twice per week in the Eagles Super Bowl season.
And he may have rushed back to play too quickly after his high-ankle sprain in Week 1. Brown plays through awful injuries on a regular basis. It's possible he misses more time. So which Patriots backup wideout should you add off waivers ahead of Week 8?
Editor's Note: The FFPC Baby Gorilla Tournament is now open, featuring a $100,000 grand prize and a $675,450 total prize pool! This 12-team, Tight End Premium contest uses a 20-round draft format, with the overall winners determined by total points scored during Weeks 15–17. Get $25 to use toward your first entry by signing up through our link. Grab your team now! Sign Up Now!
DeMario Douglas Fantasy Football Waiver Wire Outlook
In Brown's absence, Douglas has actually been reasonably involved in his team's offense. He's stuck in a slot receiver role, though, which limits his snaps and routes, and ultimately targets and catches as a result.
He's never been a consistent fantasy option. He does have nice upside, as evidenced by his Week 5 performance, when he scored 22.5 PPR fantasy points. He followed that up with 19.6 in Week 6, but was minimally involved in Week 7.
Drake Maye finds DeMario Douglas in the end zone for a TD 🔥
@LVvsNE on CBS/Paramount+
Stream on @NFLPlus https://t.co/8U4wwYHmdj— NFL (@NFL) October 11, 2026
Douglas is a solid slot WR. He's just very prone to bad games depending on the matchup, unfortunately. But among the remaining Pats WRs, Romeo Doubs (shoulder) is on injured reserve, and Douglas has the highest target rate.
Second-year pro Kyle Williams hasn't done much this season, and is not heavily involved in the passing offense at all. And if you're looking for a tight end, it makes sense to grab TE Hunter Henry, who's had double-digit PPR fantasy points in his last four contests.
But Douglas has more upside. He's a solid pickup to make.
Efton Chism III Fantasy Football Waiver Wire Outlook
Chism was a dynasty fantasy football darling ahead of his rookie season with the Patriots because they pick random players to become completely infatuated with. It always seems to be small, twitchy route runners that look good in practice videos and when running routes on air.
But Chism, even in the absence of Doubs, had just one target in each of his last two games. He simply is not a starting option in fantasy football right now. Though he saw an increasing workload in the early season that peaked at six targets and 76 percent of offensive snaps in Week 5, his role has since faded.
WELCOME TO THE @NFL EFTON CHISM!
@DrakeMaye2 | @EftonChism
📺 FOX https://t.co/jwQAlOhwQJ
— New England Patriots (@Patriots) December 28, 2025
Interestingly, though, he's played well against man coverage this season and has a high contested catch rate. He's an intriguing dynasty stash, but at 5-foot-10 and under 200 pounds, he has some of the same problems that Douglas does.
He doesn't have the requisite size to play on the outside much. Both Douglas and Chism are slot receivers, and Douglas is the longer-tenured veteran who's shown more upside and had more production this season.
Should I Pickup Demario Douglas or Efton Chism For Fantasy Football?
Waiver pickups in redraft fantasy football leagues are players you want to contribute immediately. You should target those that have immediate upside and can fill in for your players on bye weeks or if they get injured.
Chism's upside is heavily nerfed by playing on the same team as Douglas, unfortunately. And that makes him a tough pickup, so Douglas is the obvious choice here.
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 2026 fantasy football waiver wire decisions are regarding players like DeMario Douglas, Antonio Williams, Makai Lemon, Efton Chism III. 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 - DeMario Douglas, Antonio Williams, Makai Lemon, Efton Chism III. These are some common searches for 2026 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 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 Player Comparison Searches - Who To Pickup
Below are some popular searches and comparisons from our Who To Pickup tool for 2026 for DeMario Douglas, Antonio Williams, Makai Lemon, Efton Chism III:
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!
