Fantasy Football Week 8 Waiver Advice

Week 7 of the fantasy football season is in the books.  In Week 8 we see the Ravens, Rams, Dolphins, Giants, Steelers and 49ers all on their bye week which definitely leaves some fantasy owners scrambling to the waiver wire for some  bye week fill ins.  So let’s get to it, here are the top players to add heading into Week 8 of the fantasy football season.

-FAAB bids based off of $100 budget

Quarterback

Jameis Winston, TB- Winston is coming off a strong performance against the 49ers in Week 7 which saw him throw for 269 yards with three touchdowns and one interception.  In Week 8 he draws a Raiders defense that is allowing the 7th most fantasy points to opposing quarterbacks this season and have nobody that can match up with Mike Evans who figures to see plenty of targets by Jameis this week which bodes well for his production.

FAAB Bid $5-$10

Alex Smith, KC-  Smith has had favorable matchups in each of the last two weeks and after a disappointing performance against the Raiders he went on to redeem himself in Week 7 against the Saints as he threw for 214 yards and  two touchdown passes.  In Week 8 he draws a Colts defense that is currently allowing the 8th most fantasy points to opposing quarterbacks and have surrendered two passing touchdowns in each of the last four weeks to their opponent.

FAAB Bid $5-$10

Brock Osweiler, Hou- This is likely won’t be a popular play but the matchup is just too good to ignore for Osweiler in Week 8 as he finds himself back at home where his QB rating is 83.2 which is nearly 30 points higher than his road QB rating of 58.9.  He also draws a Lions defense that is allowing the most fantasy points to opposing quarterbacks this season.  If there ever was a matchup where you would expect a good game from Osweiler this is it.

FAAB Bid- $0-$5

Running Back

Jacquizz Rodgers, TB- Rodgers finds himself owned in just about 35 percent of standard leagues but has now rushed for 255 yards over the last two weeks as the Buccaneers lead back which is a role he figures to hold onto as long as Doug Martin is out with a hamstring injury.  In Week 8 the Buccaneers will face off against a Raiders defense that is allowing the 10th most fantasy points to opposing running backs this season which should lead to another big game from Rodgers.

FAAB Bid- $20-$30

Devontae Booker, Den – I said last week that Booker was starting to cut into the playing time of C.J. Anderson and that prediction came to fruition in Week 7 as Booker rushed for 83 yards and a touchdown on 18 carries.  It is worth noting that C.J. Anderson had a big game against the Texans as well as he ran for 107 yards and a touchdown on 16 carries.  The point here is simple, the Broncos love to rush the football and right now both running backs are capable of seeing 15+ touches.  In the coming weeks the Broncos will face three of the league’s worst run defenses in the Chargers, Raiders and Saints which should give Booker flex value with RB2 upside if he sees the volume that he did in Week 7.  His Week 8 opponent is the Chargers who are allowing the fourth most fantasy points to opposing running backs this season.

FAAB Bid- $10-$15

Matt Asiata, Min- Asiata has turned in two straight solid games for the Vikings and while Jerrick McKinnon is still the starting running back it seems like Minnesota is leaning closer to a time share than anything else.  McKinnon also suffered a minor ankle injury during Sunday’s loss which had him in and out of the contest.  Asiata is the Vikings goal line back and he is also a solid pass catcher having grabbed 11 passes over the last three weeks for 83 yards.  The Vikings draw some favorable matchups in the coming weeks and Asiata could be a solid flex play in deeper formats.

FAAB Bid-$5-$10

Mike Gillislee, Buf- Many were burned by Gillislee in Week 7 as LeSean McCoy who was thought to be limited or inactive altogether against the Dolphins ended up starting and playing until he ultimately reinjured his hamstring which again puts Gillislee in line to be the team’s starter in Week 8 against the Partiots.  As of now McCoy is again considered questionable to play.  If you own McCoy then Gillislee is a must grab and you should spend a good chunk of your FAAB budget on him but for those who don’t own him the uncertainty of his playing time is not worth much more than a flyer bid.

FAAB Bid- $20-$25 for McCoy Owner

FAAB Bid- $10-$15 non-McCoy Owner

Wide Receiver

Ty Montgomery, GB – Montgomery has done it all for the Packers in recent weeks, having caught 10 passes in each of the last two contests while also acting as their main running back option with Eddie Lacy on the shelf.  This has resulted in Montgomery actually gaining dual eligibility heading into Week 8 which is a rare commodity in fantasy and will boost his overall value.  This week Montgomery should continue to see looks at the running back position and while Knile Davis figures to be more acclimated to the team’s offense he has never really impressed when given a full time role so Montgomery’s value should be stabilized. The Packers draw a favorable matchup in Week 8 against a Falcons defense that is allowing the 8th most fantasy points to running backs and the 16th most FP to opposing receivers which should lead to another big week from Montgomery, especially in PPR formats.

FAAB Bid- $10-$15

Davante Adams, GB- Adams had a monster game against the Bears in Week 7, catching 13 passes for 132 yards and two touchdowns.  He has now caught five touchdown passes on the season and has solidified his role in the offense as the No.3 receiver.  With Aaron Rodgers and Jordy Nelson struggling to get on the same page recently Adams has taken advantage of his additional targets and in Week 8 the Packers will face off against the Falcons in what figures to be a high scoring affair and fruitful for Adams if he continues to play at this level.

FAAB Bid- $5-10

Marqise Lee, Jax– The Jaguars passing attack is been disappointing to say the least this season so it would make some sense that with big names like Allen Robinson, Allen Hurns and Julius Thomas struggling that Marqise Lee has probably not entered the minds of man fantasy owners but of those three previously mentioned receivers his production might actually be the most consistent.  Over the last five games Lee is averaging nearly five catches on seven targets for 60 yards.  While those numbers may not jump off the page, in PPR formats that is about 11 points per week.  Take into account that last week he led the Jaguars with seven catches for 107 yards and your interest might be peaked a bit more.  Lee was a second round pick by the Jaguars just a few years ago but injuries have really hampered him.  Now healthy he is proving to be a reliable option in an otherwise unreliable passing attack this season.

FAAB Bid- $0-$5

Tight End

Jack Doyle, Ind – We knew that Doyle was going to be involved in the Colts passing attack in Week 7 with Dwayne Allen on the shelf and really only T.Y. Hilton as a reliable target for Andrew Luck but boy did he have a huge game as he caught 9-of-10 targets for 78 yards and a touchdown against the Titans.  In Week 8 the Colts will face a tough Chiefs defense but Doyle should again be the No.2 receiving option in the colts passing attack and therefore makes him add off the wavier wire.

FAAB Bid- $5-$10

Vernon Davis, Wsh- The value of Davis solely depends on the health of Jordan Reed who was cleared to practice this week but has not yet been cleared to play in Week 8.  Davis has taken full advantage of his increased role in recent weeks and against the Lions in Week 7 he caught six passes for 79 yards.  In Week 8 the Redskins face off against the Bengals who are allowing the 8th most fantasy points to opposing tight ends this season.

FAAB Bid $5-$10

C.J. Fiedorowicz, Hou – Fiedorowicz has continued to produce in what has been an otherwise awful Texans passing offense this season.  In Week 7 against the Broncos he managed to haul in 5-of-7 targets for a measly 35 yards but in PPR formats that is an eight point effort and not too terrible.  Over the last four weeks Fiedorowicz has caught 19-of-27 targets that have come his way and is averaging nearly 60 yards per game.  In Week 8 the Texans will be at home where their offense has fared much better and will be up against a Lions defense that has allowed the third most fantasy points to opposing tight ends this season.

FAAB Bid- $0-$5