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Alex's fantasy football WR waiver wire pickups for Week 8 of the 2025 NFL season. Free agent wide receivers to add, stream, and stash off waivers.
What's up, RotoBallers, and welcome back to our Week 8 fantasy football wide receiver waiver wire pickups. Week 7 was loaded with week-winning performances, so hopefully some of them were locked into your lineups. As a position overall, WR scoring saw a modest uptick over this most recent slate of games. That's encouraging, though I'm concerned a larger issue looms still.
I noted in last Monday's feature about a dip in league-wide passing yardage and wanted to follow up on that. Through seven weeks, the WR20 (DK Metcalf) has averaged 14.4 fantasy points per game. If that holds steady, it'd be the fifth-lowest finish for that ranking since 2013 -- same goes for the WR30 (13.1). Maybe Week 7 is a foreshadowing of offenses beginning to heat up. Let's hope so.
Below, we'll look to quell your wide receiver woes with an asset owned in half of leagues or fewer. Please keep in mind that PPR is assumed, and that the players highlighted are listed in priority order. Also, don't miss RotoBaller's other waiver wire pickup features for all your positional needs. Happy hunting!
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Wide Receiver Fantasy Football Waiver Wire Pickups
Tre Tucker, Las Vegas Raiders - 50% rostered
Las Vegas ran just 30 plays in Week 7 and looked vastly out-matched against a Chiefs squad firing on all cylinders as they were shut out 31-0. Tucker was the Raiders' leading receiver in terms of yardage (33) for the third straight game, with both Jakobi Meyers (knee, toe) and tight end Brock Bowers (knee) inactive.
The Silver and Black will get a bye in Week 8, which isn't ideal. Furthermore, Meyers and Bowers should both be back on the field for their meeting with the Jaguars the following weekend. That sounds like an impediment to Tucker, though the opposite could also be true.
Bowers' return figures to open up things over the top for the Raiders' offense, making it easier for Geno Smith to stretch the field. Meyers does pose a threat to Tucker's target share, but even before the injury, it looked like the latter was overtaking him. If you can spare a roster spot for a week, you'll be rewarded with a shreddable Jags' pass defense following the team's bye.
Keep an eye out on waiver day, too. One of your leaguemates might drop him to make room for the mega bye.
Alec Pierce, Indianapolis Colts - 9% rostered
Back and forth. Pierce and Josh Downs (concussion). Downs was the victim of a rare mid-week concussion -- and we oddly saw two of them this week -- so Pierce stepped back into a more prominent role. The 25-year-old flourished, posting 98 yards on 5-of-10 receiving (season-highs), while pacing the team in snaps for the second time this season. His targets and yards were team-highs.
AP DOWN THERE SOMEWHERE.
📺 CBS pic.twitter.com/sZlJUd4hpj
— Indianapolis Colts (@Colts) October 19, 2025
After another impressive win this weekend, it's clear that the Daniel Jones/Shane Steichen combo works. Moreover, all of Pierce, Downs, and Michael Pittman Jr. will have relevant fantasy weeks. It's unlikely they coincide, particularly with Indianapolis rushing at the sixth-highest rate, but Pierce is the most skilled deep threat of the trio, and Jones has taken a liking to him.
The Illinois native currently boasts the third-highest average depth of target (19.2) amongst pass-catchers.
Kayshon Boutte, New England Patriots - 32% rostered
Boutte continues to lead New England's wide receiver corps in snaps. He wasn't called upon too often in Week 7, catching both of his targets for 55 yards and a touchdown -- his third in two weeks. However, the 23-year-old likely would have been utilized more frequently had Tennessee not been drastically outclassed.
DRAKE AIR MAYE https://t.co/orvXuI7ou8
— New England Patriots (@Patriots) October 19, 2025
There's a chance that Drake Maye's efficiency, coupled with a strong defensive unit, could lead to this game script more often than we'd like. Still, there's no denying that this team is on the rise, and Maye is elevating the play of everyone around him. Besides, the playmaking options in New England are thin.
Boutte's floor is slightly diminished from where we want it, but there's chemistry brewing between this duo.
Troy Franklin, Denver Broncos - 21% rostered
I laid off recommending Franklin for a few weeks, and seriously considered (again) highlighting his teammate, Marvin Mims Jr., but all signs point to the former, so here we are. Denver's offense still hasn't completely synced up, which is concerning. Otherwise, everything is lining up nicely for Franklin.
The University of Oregon product could only churn out 19 yards on 3-of-10 targets in Denver's thrilling comeback win over the Giants, recording his second TD of the campaign. In addition to remaining in front of Mims Jr. in the pecking order, he has the better usage of the two by far. Franklin was targeted on quite a few deep shots in Week 7, and leads the team with seven red zone targets (five catches).
Aside from dropping a 20-plus-yard reception on Sunday, his former college teammate, Bo Nix, missed him on another would-be big-gainer where the 22-year-old was streaking down the sideline. If those two plays hit, it's a very different-looking stat line. The breakout game is coming.
Xavier Legette, Carolina Panthers - 6% rostered
Speaking of breakouts, Legette had a nice one in Week 7, reeling in a game-high 9-of-11 targets for 92 yards and a score. It was the first time all season that the second-year pro led Carolina with each of those figures, setting new personal bests across the board. While Tetairoa McMillan still feels like the No. 1 option here, this offense is desperately in need of another viable outlet for Bryce Young (ankle).
Legette has athletic prowess that I like to bet on -- think a slightly lighter version of Pittsburgh's DK Metcalf -- but his game has lacked refinement thus far. If he can work out the kinks, the ceiling is more than worthwhile. Young may miss time, but that may not be the worst thing for the South Carolina product. Veteran Andy Dalton targeted him five times in a quarter's worth of work.
Teammate Jalen Coker's return could muddy the situation in Carolina as he builds back up to speed after a quad injury. Still, he's likely to be the team's slot receiver, leaving Legette out there in two-wide sets at flanker across from McMillan.
Deeper Wide Receiver Fantasy Football Pickups
Darnell Mooney, Atlanta Falcons - 29% rostered
Mooney came back from a 1.5-game absence due to a hamstring injury on Sunday night to lead the Falcons in receiving, much to the detriment of target hog Drake London. The veteran didn't post an eye-popping stat line (3/68), although he did immediately slot back into Atlanta's WR2 role, participating on 10 fewer snaps than London (64), and one more than TE Kyle Pitts Sr.
Lineup options could be thin come next weekend's slate of games. With six teams on bye, fantasy managers could do worse than Mooney in a smash spot against a Miami Dolphins squad in a tailspin. Atlanta's passing attack has quite a few mouths to feed, so expectations should be tempered. Still, quarterback Michael Penix Jr. has taken shots downfield to the 27-year-old at a nice rate.
Chimere Dike, Tennessee Titans - 2% rostered
If you've been following all season, you might remember I came out of the gates hot and heavy for wide receiver Elic Ayomanor, and I'm still quite bullish on him long term. However, in recent weeks, Ayomanor's rookie counterpart, Dike, has seen his playing time steadily increase. On Sunday, it finally showed up in the stat sheet.
First career TD @chimdk11‼️
📺: #NEvsTEN on @NFLonCBS & NFL+ pic.twitter.com/JyYfcvkvJt
— Tennessee Titans (@Titans) October 19, 2025
Dike primarily operates out of the slot (61%), and was doing so behind running mate Tyler Lockett up until Week 5 when he usurped the veteran in snaps. The former Florida Gator scored his first touchdown in Week 7, nabbing all four of his targets for 70 yards to lead Tennessee in receiving. What's strange is that all of his output came in the first quarter.
Cam Ward showed a flash or two in this one, though he continues to develop. Tennessee had frequented three-wide receiver sets at the league's highest rate (78.25%) through six weeks, which is promising. Even when Calvin Ridley (hamstring) is reinstated, Dike should play ahead of Van Jefferson due to his slot tendencies. His athleticism is a plus.
Jaylin Lane, Washington Commanders - 1% rostered
The Commanders were taken out to the woodshed by their division-rival Dallas Cowboys in the 44-22 Week 7 loss. With Washington down its two starting wideouts, rookie Lane was thrust into an elevated role, leading the team with 60 receiving yards. He'd also notch the second-most receptions (three), targets (six), and snaps (46) amongst pass-catchers.
Washington's receiving room is no stranger to injury. As of Sunday, it's still unclear when Terry McLaurin (quad) will return, considering he registered two straight DNP's to close out the week after practicing in a limited fashion on Wednesday. Deebo Samuel Sr. (heel) is looking more likely for Week 8, but that isn't set in stone.
If the duo mentioned above is forced to miss another game, it will again be Lane, Chris Moore, and Luke McCaffrey manning the WR corps. It's also worth noting that second-year QB Jayden Daniels (ankle) is in danger of missing the Commanders' outing with Kansas City next Monday night. If that's the case, all Washington skill players take a hit.
Parker Washington, Jacksonville Jaguars - 1% rostered
Washington appears here with a caveat, as it's difficult to tell if he'll be helpful in Week 9 without context around teammate Brian Thomas Jr.'s (shoulder) injury. Thomas Jr. didn't appear to take a significant hit to his upper body, but walked off gingerly and refused to move his right arm. The exact nature of the injury is unknown, although his body language didn't offer any encouragement.
The Penn State product was decently productive (4/52), racking up his second game this season with double-digit targets (ten). Fellow wide receiver Dyami Brown is technically third at his position regarding snaps for the Jags. That said, Jacksonville came into this weekend running 11 personnel and attempting a pass at the eighth- (69.53%) and sixth-highest rates (60.92%), respectively.
Jacksonville is on bye in Week 8, so this could be all for naught. Either way, Thomas Jr.'s status will be one to watch. If the injury ends up being long-term, Washington is a good bet to rack up a solid target share alongside Travis Hunter when the Jaguars return from their break.
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2025 Player Decisions. Today's focus is on specific players - Kayshon Boutte, Alec Pierce, Xavier Legette, Chimere Dike, Parker Washington, Darnell Mooney, Troy Franklin. These are some common searches for 2025 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.
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