Week 8 Waiver Wire - Wide Receivers (WR) & Defenses (DEF)

Each week of the NFL season I will take a look at how to improve your fantasy football teams.  Below I highlight wide receivers (WRs) and defenses (DEF) that need to be considered on the week 8 waiver wire for your fantasy football teams.  Some may have a good matchup for week 8, or have been putting up relevant points and should be rostered.

Week 8 Waiver Wire Pickups - Wide Receivers (WR)

Here are the wide receiver recommendations for week eight by priority order:

Harry Douglas - Atlanta Falcons

Baller Move: Add Immediately (8+ Teams - Standard, PPR)
Analysis: Last week I failed to mention Harry Douglas in my waiver article, and although I'm a little disappointed I did end up picking him up in a couple of leagues.  However, now the secret is out and he blew up versus Tampa Bay.  He had seven catches for 149 yards and a TD.  I don't believe he'll continue to play at this level because Tony Gonzalez was well covered and Roddy White was out with injury.  However, I do expect that Douglas will be a solid contributor for the Falcons going forward due to Julio Jones being out for the season.

Terrance Williams - Dallas Cowboys

Baller Move: Add Immediately (8+ Teams - Standard, PPR)
Analysis: For the past couple of weeks I've specifically refrained from mentioning Williams because I saw him as a stopgap fill-in for Miles Austin. After evaluating this situation further I'm noticing the following: 1) Miles Austin is still not healthy, 2) Williams is playing better and better each week, 3) Dallas wants to 'shut down' Austin until healthy, 4) Dallas states Williams is the most improved player on the team.  Given this information plus three straight weeks with TDs on 12 catches for 249 yards, I see Williams as a solid add in all leagues going forward.

Brandon Gibson - Miami Dolphins

Baller Move: Add in Deeper Leagues (12+ Teams - PPR)
Analysis: Over the past three weeks, Brandon Gibson has tallied 21 targets (seven per game) with 15 catches (71%), 185 yards and two TDs.  On the season, Gibson is averaging 54 yards on five catches per game. This averages out to about 10 points per game in PPR leagues.  Gibson is a decent PPR wide receiver option to have on your roster if you are in a deeper league.

Jeremy Kerley - New York Jets

Baller Move: Continue Monitoring (12 teams or less), Add in Deeper Leagues (12+ Teams - PPR)
Analysis:  Each week Jeremy Kerley has received at least five targets except one (Week One with four targets).  This week it finally translated to solid production with eight catches for 97 yards and a TD.  I expect Kerley to finish the season with around 60 catches and 800 yards, and if he achieves this he will be a viable option in PPR leagues.  I've been skeptical of all Jets wide receivers this year so far, but Kerley I believe will be worth owning in PPR leagues going forward.

Players I recommend beyond my waiver wire rules (above 25% ownership, or if I previously recommended).  Add these wide receivers immediately if they are still available in your leagues (in priority order):

Josh Gordon, WR, CLE
Keenan Allen, WR, SD
Justin Blackmon, WR, JAC
Percy Harvin, WR, SEA
Jarrett Boykin, WR, GB
Terrance Williams, WR, DAL
Harry Douglas, WR, ATL
DeAndre Hopkins, WR, HOU
Golden Tate, WR, SEA
Vincent Brown, WR, SD
Emmanuel Sanders, WR, PIT
Michael Crabtree, WR, SF

Week 8 Waiver Wire Pickups - Defense (DEF)

Defense No-Brainer Starts:
San Francisco (vs Jags), Kansas City (vs Cleveland), Seattle (vs St Louis)

CAROLINA (CAR), DEF - Waiver Wire Pickup

Baller Move: Add in Standard Leagues (12+ teams)
ANALYSIS: Coming off a great game versus the St. Louis Rams (four sacks, one INT, two fumble recoveries and one TD), they will be facing a Tampa Bay team who will not have Doug Martin.  I expect solid production for the Panthers defense as they feast upon the second-worst offense in the league. Pick them up if your defense is on a bye week or if you stream defenses.

Reshad Jones, IDP - S, MIA - Waiver Wire Pickup

Baller Move: Add in Standard Leagues (12+ teams IDP Leagues) ANALYSIS: On the season Reshad Jones has 36 tackles (six per game), 1.5 sacks and one pick, which makes him a fairly decent option to consider if you are in looking for an IDP Safety option.  This past week, he had his best game on the season: nine solo tackles, one assist and a sack.  The past two weeks he hasn't had great games (three and five tackles) so it was nice to see him bounce back. If you are looking for a IDP safety Jones will be a nice option.  Don't expect last week's numbers to continue, but expect his season average going forward.

My Guidelines

1. I will not repeat waiver selections.  All mentioned players prior to week 4 will apply to the current waiver options and going forward.

2. I will only recommend players that are lower than 25% ownership in Yahoo! or ESPN leagues.

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In case you missed them, here are some other RotoBaller Week 8 articles.  Let’s win some leagues!

• Week 8 Waiver Wire Pickups - Running Backs (RB)
• Week 8 Waiver Wire Running Backs (RB) – Deep Leagues
• Waiver Wire Pickups Recap - Wide Receivers (WR)
• Week 8 Waiver Wire Pickups – Quarterbacks (QBs)
• Week 8 Waiver Wire Pickups - Tight Ends (TE)

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