October 25, 2016

Ben Ruppert's 2016 fantasy football tiered rankings for Week Eight wide receivers (WR) - waiver wire pickups, adds & sleepers for PPR and non-PPR. These are NFL WRs to target.

What’s up everyone! Welcome back for your Week 8 fantasy football waiver wire WR options. This week we have a number of options that have emerged, several of whom are likely available in your league and could help out your WR situation.

Below you will find some deeper waiver wire grabs heading into Week 8. Check out my entries from Week 7 as well. If players like Terrelle Pryor or Tyrell Williams are still out there, PICK THEM UP FIRST. These are deeper options who will likely be available in many leagues. If you are forced to pick between two players, find me on twitter @Ben_Ruppert_21, and I will be more than happy to help you out!

Now, let’s get rolling.

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 Waiver Wire - Wide Receivers (WR)

The Shallow End (Under 50% Owned)

Jamison Crowder, WR, WAS – 48% owned on Fleaflicker

If for some reason Crowder is still unowned in your league, he won’t be after the waiver period ends. Crowder has been a big part of the Redskins offense all season long, and capitalized on his opportunities this week. Crowder caught seven of his team-high nine targets for 108 yards in the win over the Lions. Crowder had seen his targets drop over the past few weeks, so this resurgence was a pleasant sight from the young WR.

The quality of targets have been good for Crowder this season. He has 44 total targets this season, 10 of which have come in the red zone. Only three players this season have more red zone targets than Crowder. The Redskins have attempted 266 passes this season, seventh most in the league. Even when Jordan Reed returns to the team, there will be room for Crowder to produce with plenty of TD potential given his red zone looks. Pick up Crowder as a flex play for the coming weeks.

Quincy Enunwa, WR, NYJ - 35% owned on Fleaflicker

Quincy Enunwa only caught two passes on Sunday, but he really made them count. His two passes went for 73 yards, including a 69-yard TD reception from QB Geno Smith. It was a short pass that Enunwa was able to break loose and take all the way to the house against the tough Ravens defense. Smith tore his ACL in the game, which led to Ryan Fitzpatrick coming back into the game. Fitz went 9-for-14 passing for 120 yards and a TD in the Jets win.

If Fitzpatrick can get back to his form from last season, instead of what we saw earlier in the year, then Enunwa can still be a good play for fantasy owners. We finally saw the offense clicking again against the Ravens, giving some hope for the rest of the season. Fitzpatrick was verbally upset about his initial benching, to which head coach Todd Bowles responded “if pissed off is going to stop the turnovers, then I'm more than happy to have him pissed off the whole time.” We’ll see if Fitz’s good play can carry over into next week, but it’s better to pick up Enunwa now before he has a solid game.

Davante Adams, WR, GB - 29% owned on Fleaflicker

After spending most of the week in concussion protocol, Davante Adams was a catch machine this past Thursday. He caught a whopping 13-of-16 targets for 132 yards and two scores on the day, and was the main source of offense for the Packers for the entire first half. Entering the half with a score of 6-to-3, Adams already had six catches on eight targets for 56 yards. He then caught two TDs in the second half, both in red zone situations.

The two scores were Adams’ fourth and fifth of the season. He is third on the Packers in targets with 43 through six games six games (7.2 per-game average). The 16 targets he got this week are a season-high for any Green Bay player this season, and likely will be a number un-matched by Adams for the rest of the year. With each passing week it seems Aaron Rodgers trusts Adams more, so he would be a wise pickup this week for WR-needy teams. Adams is one of two Green Bay receivers I would highly recommend adding this week.

Ty Montgomery, RB/WR, GB - 25% owned on Fleaflicker

The other Packers WR, well RB/WR, I would recommend adding is Ty Montgomery. Montgomery was called upon to help fill the void at RB left by Eddie Lacy and James Starks after injuries took them down, and he did not disappoint. Working mostly out of the backfield, Montgomery caught 10-of-13 targets for 66 yards, and led the team with nine rushes for 60 yards.

The amount of touches Montgomery received in this one should be similar moving forward, at least until Starks is ready to return. Montgomery is too small to run up the gut most plays, but he uses his quick feet and slender frame to juke out bigger defenders and find holes, like he did on his 30-yard scamper early in he third quarter. Montgomery was a RB back at Stanford, so he knows how to properly play the RB position. With Montgomery guaranteed to see plenty of work in the coming weeks, mixed with his awesome dual positional eligibility make him an extremely intriguing add this week.

More Options: Cameron Meredith, CHI (47% owned), Chris Hogan, NE (47%), Victor Cruz, NYG (46%), Rishard Matthews, TEN (44%), Terrance Williams, DAL (39%), Dorial Green-Beckham, PHI (38%), Pierre Garcon, WAS (38%, Brandon LaFell, CIN (31%), Brian Quick, STL (18%)

The Deep End (Under 15% Owned)

Marqise Lee, WR, JAX - 11% owned on Fleaflicker

Marqise Lee has slowly but surely been carving a role out in this Jaguars offense, and finally broke through this week. Lee caught 7-of-8 targets for 107 yards, all season-highs, as the Jags tried to get back within striking distance to the Raiders. Lee has been playing well this season, so much so that he seems to have passed Allen Hurns in the pecking order. He should be picked up in 12+ team leagues by owners looking for help at WR. He is widely available, and will carry more value in PPR formats.

Cordarrelle Patterson, WR, MIN - 8% owned on Fleaflicker

Who needs Stefon Diggs when you have Cordarrelle Patterson around? Patterson caught all seven of his targets for 67 yards, including 14-yard garbage-time TD. It is still nice to see him being targeted in the red zone even if it was late in a meaningless game. Patterson now has at least six targets in three straight games, while being used as a gadget-type player. If you’re looking for a deep flyer on a player with big play upside, Patterson is your man. He is a threat to score whenever he gets the ball in open field.

Justin Hunter, WR, BUF - 4% owned on Fleaflicker

With Sammy Watkins out for several weeks and Robert Woods hobbled, Hunter played his biggest role for the Bills. He was underwhelming in fantasy this week, catching only two passes for 25 yards, but he played on a season high 93% of snaps. Marquise Goodwin went out of the game after slamming his head on the ground while falling from a jump-ball, giving the Bills yet another injury to their WR corps. Hunter could see his role expand even further next week, making him an interesting player to look at.

J.J. Nelson, WR, ARI - 4% owned on Fleaflicker

Cardinals WR Jaron Brown tore his ACL on Sunday, leaving the door open for J.J. Nelson to step up in the offense. Nelson secured 3-of-7 targets (a season high) for 84 yards, including a long 40-yard reception in overtime in the Cardinals tie with Seattle. Nelson only has value in the deepest of leagues, but will provide a nice deep-threat value for the rest of the season with Brown now out for the season. The Cardinals have thrown the ball 280 times on the season, good for second in the league. Nelson will be inconsistent, but could have some big games as a deep-league gamble.

More Options: Adam Thielen, MIN (14% owned), Dontrelle Inman, SD (9%), Cecil Shorts, TB (5%), Jermaine Kearse, SEA (8%), Seth Roberts, OAK (7%), Tyreek Hill, KC (5%), Darrius Heyward-Bey, PIT (3%), Russell Shepard, TR (0%)

That’s all for this week folks, hope you get everyone you claim! For all your WR waiver wire questions, read these articles each week and get at me on twitter @Ben_Ruppert_21. I am more than happy to lend a hand to hungry fantasy owners!