With just Monday Night Football still to happen, now is that glorious time of the week when we turn our attention to Week 8 and attack the fantasy football waiver wire.
To be as helpful as possible to you dear readers, I’ve highlighted two players at each position, plus a handful of other names to target ranging from a little over 50% rostered in Sleeper leagues to well under the 30% mark. I’ve also included a few players to be cautious of to further help give you the edge over your leaguemates. No matter your league size, there’s someone in here for you.
Let’s begin!
Quarterbacks
Daniel Jones, New York Giants (40% rostered)
Jones is currently the QB10 on the season thanks in large part to a surprisingly reliable rushing floor. Against the Jaguars Sunday Jones went off for 107 yards and a touchdown on the ground, plus 202 and a score through the air. He’s not going to give you 100+ rushing yards every week, but he’s gone over 35 in all but three games this season. If you’re in a Superflex league, or dealing with QB injuries, Jones is the man to get.
Andy Dalton, New Orleans Saints (7% rostered)
Anyone who throws for four touchdowns is worth noting as a waiver target. Of course he did that with three interceptions, but still put forth a top-5 QB performance. It seems as though Dalton will be the Saints’ starter moving forward and will hopefully have Michael Thomas and Jarvis Landry healthy soon.
Other Targets: Jimmy Garoppolo (55%), Marcus Mariota (38%)
Running Backs
Michael Carter, New York Jets (65% rostered)
Injuries suck. We can all agree on that. Especially when it’s a rookie having a promising season that gets injured. With Breece Hall suspected to have suffered an ACL tear Sunday, Carter now becomes the Jets’ starting back. Carter tallied 74 total yards on 15 touches against the Broncos. The Jets face the hardest stretch of run defenses over the next four games but Carter is 100% a must-add if he’s available in your leagues.
With the Jets trading for James Robinson, Carter becomes slightly less of a top target. If you’re in running back need, look to Panthers’ D’Onta Foreman or Chubba Hubbard as both had great games against an extremely tough Buccaneers run defense.
Gus Edwards, Baltimore Ravens (38% rostered)
Gus the Bus came off PUP list and instantly carried the ball for 16 yards, 66 yards, and 2 touchdowns in his first game back. He led the Ravens’ backfield in touches and yards. While Edwards’ usage suggests this is his backfield, the Ravens look like they’ll rotate between their three backs. Kenyan Drake saw 11 carries while Justice Hill saw a lot of work in the 4th quarter. Even in a crowded backfield though, Edwards is well worth a roster spot.
Other Targets: D’Onta Foreman (61%), Chuba Hubbard (47%), Isiah Pacheco (59%), Rachaad White (43%)
Wide Receivers
Parris Campbell, Indianapolis Colts (11% rostered)
Campbell has now seen double-digit targets two weeks in a row. Last week he saw 11 vs the Jaguars and this week against the Titans he logged 12, catching 10 for 70 yards and a score. We know Campbell can be a productive player, he’s just always struggled to stay healthy. If he can finally stay on the field for multiple games in a row, we could be seeing his breakout. The Colts face the second-easiest passing schedule the next four weeks, setting up Matt Ryan and this passing game to continue to throw first.
Wan’Dale Robinson, Giants (44% rostered)
Since returning from injury in Week 6, Robinson has seen a 21% target share in New York. He led the team in targets once again this week with 8, catching 6 for 50 yards. He played in almost 95% of 11 personnel vs the Jaguars, showing he’s all but claimed the starting slot role. The rookie is becoming a focal point in the Giants offense and a go-to target for Daniel Jones.
Caution: Mecole Hardman, Kansas City Chiefs (30% rostered)
If you somehow were able to benefit from Hardman’s wild Week 7 performance, good on you. He caught 4-of-4 targets for 32 yards and a score while also adding 28 yards and 2 touchdowns rushing. Obviously that sort of production is not sustainable. Prior to Week 7, Hardman had seen his snap rate go down—hovering below 50%—in favor of the rookie Skyy Moore. If you’re in a deep league and want to take a shot on Hardman, sure. But I’m not treating him as a top waiver target this week.
Other Targets: George Pickens (71%), Donovan Peoples-Jones (34%), Darius Slayton (6%), Marquise Goodwin (0%)
Tight Ends
Evan Engram, Jacksonville Jaguars (45% rostered)
Engram has now seen at least six targets in each of his last three games. Over that time, he’s accounted for almost 21% of Trevor Lawrence’s attempts. Travis Kelce has a 22% target share on the season, just for comparison sake. With games against the Raiders and Chiefs in the next three weeks, both of whom rank bottom seven in TE PPG allowed, Engram could emerge as a reliable TE1.
Caution: Juwan Johnson, Saints (5% rostered)
Johnson blew up the Cardinals on Thursday night, catching 5-of-5 targets for 32 yards and 2 touchdowns. While touchdown production can be spotty, this marks the second game in a row that Johnson has seen at least 5 targets and gone over 30 yards receiving. The only reason I slap a caution tag on him is because eventually Michael Thomas and Jarvis Landry will return to this offense. That’ll cut into his target share. Still, Johnson is second on the Saints this season in red zone targets, tied with Chris Olave for five.
Other Targets: Taysom Hill (65%), Cade Otton (23%), Greg Dulcich (14%)