We’re getting right into the thick of the fantasy football season, and it’s never too late to improve your roster in preparation for Week 8’s slate, which has a good number of teams on byes (six to be exact: the Dolphins, 49ers, Giants, Rams, Ravens and Steelers).
Whether you’re looking for a streaming option for the bye-filled week, in dire need of an upgrade at a certain position, or just looking to stash an up-and-comer, these waiver wire targets as recommended by the experts around the web should be of great help to your lineup.
NFL Week 8 Fantasy Experts Waiver Wire Pickups
Bleacher Report
Position
Pick 1
Pick 2
Running Back
Devontae Booker
Chris Thompson
Wide Receiver
Davante Adams
Tight End
C.J. Fiedorowicz
Two players are consensus pickups in our feature here: Green Bay’s Davante Adams and Washington’s Chris Thompson.
Nate Loop of Bleacher Report loves how Adams is constantly finding the end zone. The third-year wideout is finally living up to his hype after the Packers spent a second-round pick on him, hauling in five touchdowns in six games this season and racking up 132 receiving yards on 13 catches in Week 7. With Aaron Rodgers seemingly having found his groove back, we should expect Adams to provide us with plenty more TDs to come.
As for Thompson, Loop was a bit more optimistic with him than his other Week 8 RB recommendation. The FSU alumnus has become a feasible option in both the Redskins’ passing and ground games. Last Sunday against Detroit, Thompson had 73 rushing yards on just 12 carries, plus a superb seven receptions for 40 more yards.
Yahoo! Sports
Position
Pick 1
Pick 2
Running Back
Chris Thompson
Peyton Barber
Wide Receiver
Davante Adams
Brandon LaFell
Quarterback
Alex Smith
Tight End
Jack Doyle
To veer away from RBs and WRs for a moment, let’s take a look at Andy Behrens of Yahoo! Sports‘ picks at quarterback and tight end.
Behrens argued that while Alex Smith had another underwhelming output in Week 7 against a porous New Orleans pass defense, the Kansas City QB has another good shot to break out in this Sunday’s matchup against Indianapolis. The Colts are giving up an average of 281.1 passing yards to their opponents this season at a clip of 7.7 yards per attempt, so Smith might resort to going through the air more often this time around.
Speaking of the Colts, Jack Doyle is definitely a sweet tight end option for the foreseeable future. With Dwayne Allen (ankle) set to be sidelined for some amount of time, Behren’s said that now’s the best time to make the most out of the 6-foot-6 Indy native. Doyle had season-highs of 10 targets, nine catches and 78 receiving yards to got with a TD last week against the Titans.
Sporting News
Position
Pick 1
Pick 2
Pick 3
Pick 4
Pick 5
Running Back
Mike Gillislee
Chris Thompson
Devontae Booker
Matt Asiata
Alfred Blue
Wide Receiver
Davante Adams
Sporting News‘ Matt Lutovsky knows that running back help is at a premium this season, and that’s he wasn’t shy in listing five RBs worth considering right now.
Buffalo’s Mike Gillislee is an attractive option, especially with the team’s main workhorse in LeSean McCoy aggravating his already ailing hamstring this past Sunday. The Bills love to run the football, so Gillislee will definitely see touches in McCoy sits Week 8 out indeed. He only has 11 carries and a lone TD for the past two weeks with Shady doing the heavy lifting most of the time, but he’s also averaging 7.3 yards per carry during that span.
We should also ponder on claiming Denver’s Devontae Booker from the waiver wire this week. Booker, who’s featured twice in this here article, had 83 rushing yards and a touchdown on Monday night against the Texans. However, Lutovsky pointed out that unless C.J. Anderson gets hurt, Booker’s output will not be the same as Week 7’s, yet the upside in talent is definitely there.
