The NFL and fantasy football seasons are over a month into the year and not slowing down anytime soon. Fantasy managers are now adjusting and tweaking their rosters based on what we’ve seen through the league’s first few weeks.
Working the waiver wire is the best way to better your team and find a weekly advantage. To aid in that, here are some of the top Week 8 waiver wire claims fantasy football managers should consider.
And if your fantasy team is going downhill already, jump on over to Underdog Fantasy and dive into their weekly Best Ball tournaments, where players like those mentioned below could help you bring home the trophy each week. Sign up and Underdog will match your initial deposit up to $100.
Top Waiver Wire Pickups in Week 8
Daniel Jones, QB, New York Giants (28.9% Rostered)
Daniel Jones had his best fantasy outing of the season on Sunday, even though he only threw for 202 yards on 19 of 30 passing. Jones rushed 11 times for 107 yards with two total touchdowns to finish with 28.8 PPR points. Although he sure isn’t Michael Vick, Jones is third amongst quarterbacks and rushing attempts (58), second in yards (343), and tied for third with three touchdowns.
Jones also has a favorable matchup in Week 8 against a Seahawks defense that ranks bottom 20 in both points per game and passing DVOA. Jones is a high-end QB2 that’s out there in the majority of leagues.
Jimmy Garoppolo, QB, San Francisco 49ers (27.3% Rostered)
Although they suffered a loss, it’s hard to put much blame on Jimmy Garoppolo. His 303 yards were the first time he passed the 300-yard mark this year while completing 25 of 37 passing attempts for two touchdowns with one interception.
Just as crucial for fantasy, it was his third straight game with 17 or more PPR points as a top-10 finisher. In doing so, Garoppolo has joined Patrick Mahomes and Joe Burrow as the only QBs with 800 or more yards and six or more TDs over the last three weeks.
MORE: Week 8 Fantasy Football Start/Sit Recommendations
The Los Angeles Rams have been tough against quarterbacks, sitting eighth and points allowed (13.1 PPR). But this offense has too much firepower. Even if they try to take away Brandon Aiyuk or Deebo Samuel, George Kittle and McCaffrey are running around. It’s an almost endless opportunity for cheap production.
Garoppolo is a waiver wire claim to make now that could pay off down the line as a weekly starter if you had been streaming the position.
Gus Edwards, RB, Baltimore Ravens (16.1% Rostered)
The Gus Bus is back. Traditionally, I do not start players coming back from season-ending injuries. That bit me last week as Gus Edwards took full control of the Ravens’ backfield, and I don’t think it’s going away anytime soon.
Edwards carried the ball 16 times for 66 yards with two touchdowns against a very soft Cleveland run defense. Coming into last year, Edwards had three consecutive seasons of 130+ carries and 700 yards or more. With J.K. Dobbins on IR and Kenyan Drake largely ineffective, Edwards is easily the top waiver wire claim for those who need a running back in Week 8.
D’Onta Foreman, RB, Carolina Panthers (35.5% Rostered)
Capitalizing on Chuba Hubbard’s ankle injury, D’Onta Foreman led the team with 15 carries for 118 yards and added two catches for 27 yards against a reeling Tampa Bay Buccaneers defense. Although we don’t know the extent of Hubbard’s ankle injury, Foreman has the momentum, and we saw him play well last year when filling in for Derrick Henry.
While neither of these backs carries anywhere in the same stratosphere of upside as Christian McCaffrey, Foreman needs to be snagged off the waiver wire if you didn’t do it when the Christian McCaffrey rumors began swirling last week.
Rachaad White, RB, Tampa Bay Buccaneers (20.1% Rostered)
The window to add Rachaad White, whether by waiver wire or by trade, is closing. White gained a career-high 24 yards on six carries and also caught an 8-yard pass. While that might not sound like much, the rookie from Arizona State led the Buccaneers in rushing yards and played a career-high percentage of snaps at just under 50%.
What is important is that all of his time on the field came when the game was tied or the Panthers had a lead, suggesting that when the Bucs needed to throw or go up-tempo, they trusted White to be on the field.
I am not saying he will usurp Leonard Fournette, but White is someone with the skill set to become an asset for fantasy managers. If something happened to Fournette, White would go ballistic. For now, White is at least worth the stash as Tampa Bay tries to figure out what is wrong with their team.
Wan’Dale Robinson, WR, New York Giants (13.8% Rostered)
If there was one player I talked about everywhere to pick up before everyone caught on, it was Wan’Dale Robinson. Nothing has changed, except for we have more data suggesting he is legit.
Robinson built off his momentum and played on over 90% of the snaps in Week 7 while recording a team-high 27.5% target share and a near 97% route participation. The rookie caught six of his eight targets for 50 yards, and while he didn’t find the end zone, there were a lot of positives to take away.
His upcoming schedule is fantastic, and I expect Robinson is going to move from the sleeper category and into the weekly WR3 range for fantasy.
Parris Campbell, WR, Indianapolis Colts (2.8% Rostered)
I don’t know about you, but I’m just glad to see Parris Campbell healthy. Although I’ve been on the side of Alec Pierce as the No. 2 for the Colts, Campbell has put together back-to-back games that are impossible to ignore.
Campbell’s 12 targets in Week 7 give him consecutive double-digit target outings, and he now has 17 receptions, 127 yards, and two touchdowns over the last two weeks.
MORE: Week 8 Fantasy Football Buy Low, Sell High
But we now have a predicament in Indianapolis with Sam Ehlinger taking over for Matt Ryan, not only for this week but moving forward. It’s hard to speak with any certainty regarding what this will look like, as we don’t have really any information at all for Ehlinger. However, I am not all that confident in Ehlinger, who wasn’t all that great in college.
But of the Colts’ receivers, Campbell likely will be the easiest target as he works short to intermediate routes. I can see the logic in following the hot hand and streaming Campbell in Week 8 despite the change under center.
Donovan Peoples-Jones, WR, Cleveland Browns (9.5% Rostered)
Outside of Amari Cooper and David Njoku, no one else has stepped up for the Cleveland Browns in terms of the passing offense. That’s going to have to change after Njoku suffered an ankle injury that knocked him out of last week’s game. That is why I like Donovan Peoples-Jones as a sleeper for Week 8 in fantasy.
A WR3 in scoring this week, Peoples-Jones caught all six of his targets for 71 yards against the Baltimore Ravens and has 70+ yards in three of his last four games. Although he is still looking for his first touchdown of the year, Peoples-Jones could be a Flex option against the Bengals in Week 8.
Van Jefferson, Los Angeles Rams (7.2% Rostered)
Van Jefferson has been on IR after undergoing knee surgery in early August, but we received some good news on Monday. The Rams are planning to activate Jefferson, with him ready to make his return in Week 8 following their bye.
Jefferson was the WR36 last year, despite being the Rams’ third wide receiver, and had probably the quietest 50 receptions and 800 yards season you’ll ever see. Allen Robinson II did give some of us believers a bit of hope, but I have more confidence in Jefferson becoming the No. 2 alongside Cooper Kupp than I do in Robinson maintaining starting caliber usage.
Greg Dulcich, TE, Denver Broncos (7.8% Rostered)
Did the Broncos lose? Yes. Are there lots of questions in Denver? Also, yes. But did Greg Dulcich look like one of the best players on the field for the Broncos? Absolutely.
After playing on 71% of the snaps with a near 80% route participation and 12% of the targets, Dulcich had another big game, catching six of his nine targets for 51 yards.
Whether it was Russell Wilson or Brett Rypien, Dulcich is going to be one of the top targets on this team and is everything we were hoping to get out of Albert Okwuegbunam. Dulcich is a high-end TE2 in Week 8 against the Jaguars.
Irv Smith Jr., TE, Minnesota Vikings (31.7% Rostered)
Don’t mind me, I’m just patiently sitting here waiting on Irv Smith Jr. to have a breakout game. A favorite breakout target amongst many, Smith is the TE20 on the season and sits 22nd per game, scoring at 7.3 PPR.
He has yet to record more than five receptions or 45 yards in a game, but there is a light at the end of the tunnel, which I really hope doesn’t turn out to be a freight train.
Coming off the Vikings’ bye week, I’m all in on Smith in Week 8 against the Cardinals. Death, taxes, and starting tight ends against the Cardinals. Chisel that in stone. Arizona has been obliterated by the position, allowing the most fantasy points per game and a league-worst nine touchdowns. It’s time for Big Irv to swerve into the end zone and into your lineups as a Week 8 fantasy sleeper.
Evan Engram, Jacksonville Jaguars (33.4% Rostered)
Evan Engram is who he is. He’s as inefficient as it gets, but the volume is there to steady the ship. Engram finished as the TE9 on Sunday, scoring 10.7 PPR thanks to four of seven receiving for 67 yards. He’s now running the fourth-most routes amongst TEs and had 275 receiving yards but has yet to find the end zone and sits 38th in YPRR and 47th in yards after the catch/reception.
With all that said, Engram is the TE15 on the year and has carried a 75% or higher snap share in five of seven games. His 16.4% target share is third on the team (11th in NFL), and he is seventh in air yard share at 16%.
Denver has been a middle-of-the-road matchup for TEs (10.66 PPR), and you could do worse for a waiver wire option than Engram. He’s basically a more affordable Kyle Pitts with more production right now.