October 25, 2016

Nick Mariano analyzes Week 8 sleepers available on your 2016 fantasy football waiver wire. These NFL running backs (RBs), wide receivers (WRs), tight ends (TEs), quarterbacks (QBs) and defenses (DEFs) are fantasy football sleepers.

Welcome to the post-Week 7 installment of the Waiver Wire weekly series for the 2016 fantasy football season. Hopefully none of you were overly reliant on the banged-up Jamaal Charles and LeSean McCoy, and now Tevin Coleman (hamstring) is looking very questionable for Week 8.

Week 8 is heavy on the byes, with Baltimore, Los Angeles, Miami, the New York Giants, Pittsburgh and San Francisco taking a break. Granted, most of those teams aren’t very fantasy relevant, but six-team bye weeks mean there’s some digging to be done nonetheless. Let’s check in on players that are owned in roughly 40% of Fleaflicker leagues or less, so that you can make an educated decision about who to add to your squad.

You can also check out our weekly waiver rankings and analysis columns, to assist with any lineup and bye-week decisions heading into Week 8.

Editor's Note: Once you're done here, be sure to read about even more Week 8 waiver wire recommendations, for all fantasy-relevant positions. Just click on any link: ALL - RB - WR - TE - QB - DEF - FAAB - CUTS

Week 8 Running Back Waiver Wire Pickups

Jacquizz Rodgers (RB, TB) – 45% Owned

Rodgers came off his touching the ball 35 times in a gritty game against Carolina in Week 5 to rush the ball 26 times for 154 yards (adding in a nine-yard catch) against a horrid San Francisco defense. His volume is off the charts in Tampa Bay’s offense and he should draw another start in a Week 8 home matchup against another bad defense in Oakland. Cake.

Mike Gillislee (RB, BUF) – 38% Owned

You reap what you sow, Rex Ryan. LeSean McCoy flirted with being inactive all week long, but was fired up anyway despite his definitely not being 100%. What happened? He predictably re-aggravated his hamstring injury and had to leave the game in the third quarter. While Gillislee did not impress (only five rushes for 20 yards), the process is still sound and you could get a starting RB here for the cost of nothing. Buffalo’s next two matchups (vs. NE, @SEA) stink, and then they hit their bye week, but volume is volume.

Dion Lewis (RB, NE) – 37% Owned

The buzz is growing, but the most recent reports from The Boston Herald say that his return “isn’t imminent” – which aligns with his not practicing this past week (though he was eligible to do so). As we said last week, my money would be on his being worked in after New England’s Week 9 bye – a tough home matchup against Seattle.

Devontae Booker (RB, DEN) ­– 37% Owned

He has yet to play with Denver hitting the field tonight in Week 7’s MNF game against the Texans, but he’s trending up after he turned his five carries into 46 yards while catching both of his targets for seven yards last Thursday night against the Chargers. He has to improve his pass-blocking skills before he’d really enter a 50/50 timeshare with C.J. Anderson, but getting roughly 35-40% of the snaps is still worth rostering. That’s without the obvious caveat that he’s CJA’s handcuff should Anderson get hurt.

Knile Davis (RB, GB) – 36% Owned

Davis should have a firmer grip on Green Bay’s playbook by next week, but I still would not be prioritizing him in any of my Waiver Wire queues or FAAB bids. He’s never been all that special, and I doubt Mike McCarthy sways from utilizing Ty Montgomery and Randall Cobb at RB until they get a certain other RB-to-be-named-later back in their stable.

Matt Asiata (RB, MIN) – 27% Owned

With Jerick McKinnon’s ankle banged up, Asiata totaled 18 touches for 80 total yards (12-55 rushing, 6-25 receiving) for some decent PPR value even on a day where he didn’t hit a short goal-line plunge. With Minnesota lining up to face Chicago’s subpar defense in Week 8, feel free to tap Asiata from the FA pool should he just be sitting out there. He won’t inspire confidence, but he gets touches and red-zone looks.

James Starks (RB, GB) – 19% Owned

That’s the one. Starks is the Green Bay running back that I’d be targeting. He likely has about four more weeks, but as of now he should line up to return for a fantastic matchup against the weak Redskins run defense in Week 11. If you need to grab a Davis now then be my guest - the short-term is certainly important in fantasy football – but Starks should provide a nice playoff-push pickup should you be able to afford the luxury.

Dwayne Washington (RB, DET) – 16% Owned

Washington and fellow Lions RB Theo Riddick seem to have ankle injuries that are much worse than Detroit has let on, but given that Washington was expected to play up until Sunday morning I’d say his Week 8 chances are pretty decent. A road matchup against a Houston defense that ranks 25^th going into their respective Week 7 game on MNF makes for a nice “welcome back”.

Shaun Draughn (RB, SF) – 13% Owned

Carlos Hyde is supposedly only missing one week, but we all know we need to be prepared for optimistic news like that to be wrong. Even if Hyde is okay for Week 9’s matchup against the Saints, they may not put the pedal to the floor with him off the bat. This would likely leave Draughn as a pass-catching spell back who should see plenty of opportunities in a game that the Saints should steamroll San Francisco in, even with New Orleans on the road. Draughn caught five of his seven targets for 37 yards and a TD against Tampa Bay in Week 7, and could turn in a similar effort in Week 9.

Zach Zenner (RB, DET) – 10% Owned

Zenner scored a TD! He only rushed nine times for 29 yards, but he scored a TD! With the aforementioned Dwayne Washington likely to return in some capacity in Week 8, Zenner isn’t all that special on the WW. But those of you who are more skeptical can still give ZZ a look. Skepticism is often rewarded in fantasy football.

Ka’Deem Carey (RB, CHI) – 6% Owned

Carey looked a lot sharper than Jordan Howard in Chicago’s Week 7 embarrassment against the Packers, out-touching him 11 to 7 and tallying 35 more yards in all. Ka’Deem finally looks healthy and should get plenty of passing work in Week 8 as the Bears will find little success trying to run north-south against the Vikings front seven.

Reggie Bush (RB, BUF) - 6% Owned

Bush totaled 18 snaps to Gillislee's 20 and McCoy's 24, punching in a one-yard TD on his one carry while adding a 13-yard catch on two targets. If McCoy misses extended time then it looks like Bush would be a decent deep-league PPR add as he spells Gillislee, but don't go in with high hopes here.

Peyton Barber (RB, TB) – 1% Owned

This is for the desperate, but it’s pretty clear that Barber would be the beneficiary should Jacquizz Rodgers get hurt right now with Doug Martin’s recovery timeline unclear. Barber ripped off a late-game 44-yard TD to give him 84 rushing yards and a TD on the day.

DuJuan Harris (RB, SF) – 0% Owned

Harris wasn’t the starter, that honor went to Mike Davis, but Harris ended up out-touching Davis 13 to 7. While Davis is the one who found pay dirt, Harris was clearly favored by San Francisco as the game wore on. This isn’t an ideal pickup at all, as Harris is highly unlikely to have value even if Hyde isn’t 100% since he’ll be active and taking over the between-the-tackles work, but it’s worth noting all the same.

Week 8 Wide Receiver Waiver Wire Pickups

Davante Adams (WR, GB) – 29% Owned

Okay, no one is projecting that Adams will see 16 targets every week from here on out, but half of that is doable. His insane 13-132-2 line was glorious for anyone who started him, but Green Bay won’t always be picking on the Bears secondary in the friendly confines of Lambeau Field. Jordy Nelson will likely take back his share of the yardage. But Adams will have his days, and a Week 8 matchup in Atlanta against the NFL’s most potent offense has all the makings of a shootout.

Ty Montgomery (WR, GB) – 25% Owned

Montgomery saw 13 targets and had nine rushes in Week 8, making for an insane 22 looks in all for Green Bay’s versatile weapon. This came after he saw 12 targets in Week 6, and he now has back-to-back 10-catch weeks. The amount of raw volume that Montgomery is getting in an Aaron Rodgers-led offense makes him a must-add in all leagues, all formats. There’s nothing cutesy anyone needs to know, no cushy matchups to be relied on for production, just good old fashioned numbers.

Quincy Enunwa (WR, NYJ) – 35% Owned

It hasn’t been smooth sailing for Enunwa, but a 73-yard day with a TD will remind everyone that you are still the #2 WR on an offense that finds itself needing to sling it often. He still had to do all of that on two catches (four targets), but he looked sharp when he turned and outran the entire Ravens secondary for a long TD on Sunday. The opportunity should be there against a horrible Browns defense in Week 8. You could do worse. A ringing endorsement, I know.

Brandon LaFell (WR, CIN) – 31% Owned

LaFell has now scored four TDs in his last three games, with Week 7’s 83 yards being his highest total since Week 1 (91). So what’s this all mean looking forward? The bad news is that Tyler Eifert will only be another week healthier in Week 8, but the good news is that Josh Norman is concussed and even if he’s okay, A.J. Green should absorb most of his attention. Washington entered Week 7 dead last in FootballOutsiders' DVOA metric against opposing #2 WRs, meaning LaFell has as good a matchup as it gets.

Kenny Stills (WR, MIA) – 25% Owned

He’s basically providing a lighter version of DeSean Jackson and Ted Ginn, but has actually been more “boom” than “bust” lately (especially compared to those two). He averages less than five targets a week and barely over two catches, but three of his seven games have resulted in a nice long TD for his owners. This was no more apparent than in Week 7 when he hauled in a 66-yard TD where both defenders collided into one another, leaving him free to trot into the end zone. He’ll be a nice roulette-wheel spin in Week 9 against a vulnerable Jets secondary.

Marqise Lee (WR, JAX) – 11% Owned

This may come as a surprise, but Lee has seen at least six targets in each of Jacksonville’s last five games. He has topped 60 yards in three of those five games. While he has yet to score a touchdown, this latest seven-catch, 107-yard effort is likely one that will have many fantasy owners wondering what to do about him. It’s tough to bank on Blake Bortles right now, and it’s even tougher to project that Allen Robinson’s market share of the production will remain this low, but Lee is still a nice deep-league PPR grab.

Cordarelle Patterson (WR, MIN) – 8% Owned

His Week 7 TD may have been a total garbage-time job, but we can’t totally write off that he’s seen at least six targets in each of Minnesota’s last three games. He’s been buried up until now for being a guy who can’t learn the full playbook, and is therefore limited to wonky gadget-type plays, but it appears they’re really trying to utilize him now. This makes him a decent boom-or-bust type in deep leagues, with a Week 8 date against Chicago likely to provide chances for booming.

Marquise Goodwin (WR, BUF) – 7% Owned

Goodwin entered Week 7 questionable in his own right, but that was better than Robert Woods’ “Out” status. This meant that Goodwin was Buffalo’s #1 WR in their Week 7 matchup against Miami, and showed his burner speed by torching Byron Maxwell for a 67-yard TD that gave him most of his 4-93-1 line. If Woods can’t go again in Week 8, look for Goodwin to be targeted deep often in a home game against New England that will likely require Buffalo to take some shots to keep up.

J.J. Nelson (WR, ARI) – 4% Owned

Outside of Larry Fitzgerald, the Arizona WR corps really doesn’t have another bankable commodity right now. Michael Floyd is playing with his head in the clouds. John Brown is dealing with a sickle-cell related hamstring injury. Even Jaron Brown had to leave Sunday night’s game in the second quarter with a knee injury. This left little-known J.J. Nelson as the next man up, and he caught three of his seven targets for 84 yards in an ugly 6-6 SNF tie. A dream matchup against Carolina’s woeful secondary in Week 8 awaits.

Chester Rogers (WR, IND) – 2% Owned

Rogers was rolled out as Indianapolis’ #2 receiver in Week 7 against the Titans, but still only saw three targets. The role is there, but the two catches for 30 yards is less than enticing as the Colts head into a Week 8 matchup against a Chiefs defense that can definitely hang. If Philip Dorsett can go then Rogers will have no real relevance against KC, but if Rogers is the #2 again then he could be a nice dice roll if Marcus Peters shadows T.Y. Hilton.

Russell Shepard (WR, TB) – 0% Owned

It looks like Shepard really stepped up to the plate with Vincent Jackson going down, as Shep caught five of his six targets for 77 yards and a TD against San Francisco’s bottom-half defense. Tampa Bay has another great matchup on deck in Week 8 against the Raiders at home, as Oakland is one of the five-worst pass defenses in the league according to DVOA.

Week 8 Quarterback Waiver Wire Pickups

Ryan Fitzpatrick (QB, NYJ) – 39% Owned

Fitzpatrick had become the laughing stock of the NFL over the past five weeks, which led to him getting benched at the end of Week 6. Geno Smith drew the Week 7 start, but subsequently hurt his knee on a sack in the second quarter, leaving Fitzmagic to come in and complete 9-of-14 passes for 120 yards and one TD. He’ll likely draw the start against the hapless Browns defense in Week 8, which will truly measure the “movable object” against the “stoppable force”.

Sam Bradford (QB, MIN) – 34% Owned

Bradford was not good in his return to Philadelphia, completing 24-of-41 pass attempts for 224 yards and a TD, but the damage was done with three turnovers (one INT, two fumbles lost). He was constantly under pressure from an underrated Eagles front seven though, and gets to travel to Chicago for a Monday-night matchup against a soft Bears defense that just resuscitated the Packers on Thursday.

Jay Cutler (QB, CHI) – 18% Owned

Chicago has a horrible date with the Vikings on Monday night in Week 8 and then they hit their bye week, but after that they’ll face the Bucs in Week 10 in a juicy matchup. Hopefully Cutler’s thumb is healthy by then, and he’ll be able to take the reins in a plus matchup fully rested. If he starts and gets destroyed in Week 8, it’ll only be that much better for his Week 10 availability.

Colin Kaepernick (QB, SF) –22% Owned

This is looking forward to a home date against the Saints in Week 9, for the record. Kaepernick’s arm was poor yet again against a Bucs defense that is known for making opposing QBs look good, but Kaep only logged 143 air yards on a less than 50% completion rate (16-for-34). Luckily, he was able to float his value with 84 rushing yards on nine carries (he totaled 66 rush yards on eight totes the previous week).

Jared Goff (QB, LA) – 14% Owned

Case Keenum stunk yet again in Week 7, and there’s really no better time to transition to your number one overall pick than a bye week that grants you two weeks’ worth of preparation for a matchup against a terrible Panthers secondary. Deep-league two-QB owners could take the dive, as he’ll get the Jets, Dolphins and Saints secondaries after Carolina too. Not bad.

Week 8 Tight End Waiver Wire Pickups

Jack Doyle (TE, IND) – 45% Owned

Doyle stepped up in a major way in Week 7, as he capitalized on Dwayne Allen’s injury by catching nine of his 10 targets for 78 yards and a TD. With Allen banged up, Doyle will easily be one of Andrew Luck’s top targets moving forward. The Colts will square off with the Chiefs in Week 8, with KC being league-average (16^th) in DVOA against TEs before Week 7.

Cameron Brate (TE, TB) – 37% Owned

Brate has unfortunately only seen three targets in each of Tampa Bay’s last two games, but had garnered 18 of them across the previous two games. Bucs QB Jameis Winston needs Brate’s size and reliable hands over the middle and in the red zone, but he is more TD-dependent than it appeared a few weeks ago. The kicker here is that Week 8 brings a lovely matchup for Brate and Tampa Bay against the Raiders (26^th in DVOA against TEs entering Week 7), so view him as a low-end TE1.

Vernon Davis (TE, WAS) – 20% Owned

Davis caught all six of his Week 7 targets against the Lions for 79 yards, and has now topped 10 points in 0.5 PPR leagues in each of the last two weeks with Jordan Reed sidelined. It has been reported that Reed is to be held out through Washington’s Week 9 bye, meaning Davis should have at least one more week of TE1-viability against a Bengals defense that entered Week 7 as the 28^th-best defense against TEs according to DVOA. Not a bad look.

C.J. Fiedorowicz (TE, HOU) – 19% Owned

While it’s unlikely that Fiedorowicz dazzles in Houston’s Week 7 MNF contest against Denver’s defense, he has still tallied 20 targets and two TDs over his last three games. The usage is a fantastic trend to see, and his offensive coordinator said this week that C.J.’s role is becoming more defined. Fiedorowicz will face Detroit in Week 8 before Houston’s bye, and then he gets to pick on Jacksonville, Oakland and San Diego in the following three weeks.

Lance Kendricks (TE, LA) – 8% Owned

Kendricks hits his Week 8 bye with at least eight targets in each of LA’s last two games, and will come out of the bye to face a Panthers defense that ranks 29^th in DVOA against the tight end. Sensing a trend here? Kendricks and the Rams may also have a new QB in Jared Goff coming out of their bye, as hope springs eternal. Let’s be clear: this is a longshot, but deep leaguers need love too.

Week 8 Defense Waiver Wire Pickups

New York Jets D/ST – 42% Owned

The Jets aren’t good, but the Browns are worse. The Browns are even worse than that now, actually. Cody Kessler entered the concussion protocol in Cleveland’s Week 7 tilt, and his status for Week 8 is quite murky. That leaves Kevin Hogan as the next man up, and while his rushing upside is great for him, he’s just not a good quarterback.

Tennessee D/ST – 23% Owned

The Titans may not have been great in Week 7 against the Colts, but they’ve been good overall this season and now get to pick on the Jaguars at home on a short week. The Titans defense entered Week 7 with the 10^th best pass and run defenses according to DVOA. The Jags could only muster 16 points against a Raiders defense that had given up at least 26 points in their previous three games. Remember the Titans.