The quickest way to fall behind in a fantasy football league is to become complacent and rely on the team you drafted, neglecting the all-important waiver wire. As managers make numerous waiver claims for Week 8, hoping to strengthen their roster, should New York Giants WR Wan’Dale Robinson be a priority addition off the waiver wire vs. Seattle?
Giants’ Rookie Wan’Dale Robinson Builds Off His Strong Outing With Another Productive Game
Timing is everything for fantasy football. When you see a breakout or a trend coming, you have to pounce as early as possible. Otherwise, you might end up having to fight all of your league mates when the waiver wire comes around. That’s precisely what is happening with Wan’Dale Robinson, who has become a near must-add off the waiver wire here in Week 8.
After recording his first touchdown on three of four targets for 37 yards on 25% of the snaps, Robinson built on his positive momentum and turned it into the best day of his career against the Jaguars.
Robinson saw a massive jump in snaps (69%) while running a route on 97% of Daniel Jones’ dropbacks. The hyper-productive rookie out of Kentucky caught six of his eight targets for 50 yards. While that might not sound all that impressive, he not only led the team in target share but his 27.5% target-per-route-run rate has now cracked the top 10 for all wide receivers in the NFL (minimum 50 routes).
MORE: Fantasy Football Cut List Week 8
Since making his return from injury, Robinson is the WR26 in PPR scoring (11.9 PPR/game), which doesn’t feel out of reach for the rest of the season.
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Richie James had a surprising start to the season, serving as the slot receiver while Robinson was injured, but he’s been completely overtaken. The Giants are a team on the rise and desperately need playmakers on the perimeter, having been decimated by injuries and inefficiency over the last two years.
New York drafted Robinson out of Kentucky to be there No. 1, and I don’t see this changing anytime soon based on what we’ve seen in such a small sample size.
Is Robinson’s Fantasy Upside Worth a Top Waiver Wire Claim in Week 8?
The fantasy football waiver wire in 2022 has been extremely hit or miss. There are either a ton of “must-get” options, or it’s drier than a well-done steak. I think we’re kind of in the middle in Week 8, but I would certainly have Robinson towards the list of players managers need to try to acquire, just as he was last week when the trends were suggesting this could’ve been a reality.
Despite sitting 6-1, the Giants are the first team since the 1981 Saints not to have a 200-yard receiver through the first seven games of the season. It’s only the 13th time overall since the 1970 merger.
James is the team’s leading receiver with 191 yards, which is only one yard more than Tyreek Hill had in a single game. While I’m not saying Robinson can fix everything that ails them, he can absolutely be New York’s No. 1 if they decide not to make any additions at the trade deadline.
Moreover, the upcoming schedule isn’t bad. Seattle has been tough on opposing wide receivers, but after that, the Giants have matchups with Houston, Detroit, and Washington in three of their next four games. I’d give him the edge in all three games.
Robinson is here to stay and has the opportunity to become a WR3 for fantasy for the rest of the season. He won’t be as vertical of a threat as some options out there, so his yardage might be somewhat limited, but the upside is simply too good to pass up.
You don’t end up with over 1,300 yards by accident. Robinson was one of the most productive and efficient players in college and looks to be bringing that to the Giants and your fantasy football rosters.
When setting waiver wire claims, prioritize your team’s needs. If you need a running back, Gus Edwards or D’Onta Foreman would likely be the better options. But if a fantasy manager is simply looking to make their roster better and get rid of some of the dead weight clogging their bench, Robinson, for me, would be the top WR to claim off the Week 8 fantasy football waiver wire.