Welcome to Week 8, when six teams are on a bye. This is when managing your Fantasy roster will be fun, and hopefully you’re ready since we don’t have players available from Arizona, Detroit, Jacksonville, Las Vegas, Seattle and the Rams.
That’s a lot of star power missing. Now, you might say based on all the injuries we’ve had to deal with that we’ve been missing plenty of stars already, and you’re right. And the injury list got bigger in Week 7 with Mike Evans (collarbone), Nico Collins (concussion), Jayden Daniels (hamstring), Bryce Young (ankle), Michael Penix Jr. (foot), Darren Waller (pectoral), Cole Kmet (back) and Kendre Miller (knee) getting hurt, along with potentially Breece Hall (ankle) and Kareem Hunt (ankle).
We’ll continue to monitor these injuries throughout the week, but you might want to add their replacements off the waiver wire now. And we’ll have other players to add as well to help fill those holes in your lineup because of the six teams on a bye.
It’s not ideal to be missing so many star players at this point in the season. But here we are, so it’s time to adjust and be prepared, with the waiver wire as your best friend.
Editor’s note: For this waiver wire column, we are only looking at players rostered in less than 65 percent of CBS Sports leagues.
Week 8 Waivers
On a bye: Jared Goff, Kyler Murray, Trevor Lawrence, Matthew Stafford, Geno Smith and Sam Darnold
Injuries: Jayden Daniels (hamstring), Bryce Young (ankle), Michael Penix Jr. (foot), Lamar Jackson (hamstring), Kyler Murray (foot), Brock Purdy (toe), Joe Burrow (toe), J.J. McCarthy (ankle) and Anthony Richardson (eye)
Check to see if available in shallow leagues: Brock Purdy (78 percent rostered), Aaron Rodgers (67 percent) and Jaxson Dart (67 percent). Purdy could return in Week 8 from the toe injury that has kept him out for the past three games, and he’s worth adding now if you need a quarterback. When healthy, he’ll be a low-end starter in all leagues most weeks, depending on the matchup. … Rodgers gets to face the Packers for the first time in his career in the ultimate revenge game in Week 8, and he’s playing well coming into this matchup with 484 passing yards, six touchdowns and two interceptions in his past two outings against the Browns and Bengals. He’s worth using as a low-end starter in all leagues. … Dart just had the best passing game of his four NFL starts in Week 7 at Denver with 283 yards, three touchdowns and one interception, and he added a rushing touchdown. He now has either 54 rushing yards or a rushing touchdown in all four starts, and he played well against the Eagles in Week 6 with 195 passing yards and a touchdown and 58 rushing yards and a score. He’s worth using as a low-end starter in all leagues in the rematch.
Drop candidates: Kyler Murray (80 percent rostered), Trevor Lawrence (59 percent) and Tua Tagovailoa (43 percent). You can drop Murray with the Cardinals on a bye in Week 8. He missed the past two games with a foot injury, and we’ll see if he’s able to return to action in Week 9. When healthy, Murray is a low-end starter at best in the majority of leagues. … Lawrence has scored at least 19 Fantasy points in three games in a row, including two outings with at least 23 points over that span, but he’s not someone you have to roster with Jacksonville on a bye. You can add him, if needed, for Week 9 when the Jaguars are back in action against the Raiders. … Tagovailoa was benched in Week 7 at Cleveland when he passed for just 100 yards and threw three interceptions. He now has six interceptions in his past two games, and he’s barely worth starting in Superflex and two-quarterback leagues heading into Week 8 in a tough matchup with Atlanta.
Add in this order:
Week 8 Waiver Priority List
WAIVER WIRE
Running Backs
On a bye: Jahmyr Gibbs, David Montgomery, Travis Etienne, Bhayshul Tuten, Ashton Jeanty, Kyren Williams, Blake Corum, Kenneth Walker III, Zach Charbonnet, Zonovan Knight and Michael Carter
Injuries: Kendre Miller (knee), Omarion Hampton (ankle), Bucky Irving (shoulder), Aaron Jones (hamstring), Trey Benson (knee), Emari Demercado (ankle), Joe Mixon (foot), Braelon Allen (knee) and MarShawn Lloyd (hamstring)
Check to see if available in shallow leagues: Aaron Jones (84 percent rostered), Tyler Allgeier (69 percent) and Kenneth Gainwell (69 percent). Jones is eligible to return from injured reserve in Week 8, so you might want to add him now where available. When healthy, he can be a low-end starter in all leagues, although he will likely continue to share touches with Jordan Mason. … Allgeier struggled in Week 7 at San Francisco with four carries for 16 yards, but he scored at least 10.3 PPR points in three of his past four games while playing in tandem with Bijan Robinson. Allgeier would be the ultimate lottery ticket if Robinson were to miss any time, and I would use Allgeier as a flex option in Week 8 against the Dolphins. … Gainwell didn’t do much in Week 7 at Cincinnati with three carries for 14 yards and two catches for 1 yard on two targets, but he has the potential to be a flex option in PPR in deeper leagues while playing in tandem with Jaylen Warren. And we already saw Gainwell’s upside when Warren missed Week 4 against Minnesota (30.9 PPR points), so Gainwell is worth stashing as a lottery ticket in all formats.
Drop candidates: Michael Carter (68 percent rostered), Kendre Miller (66 percent) and Bhayshul Tuten (61 percent). Carter is clearly the No. 2 running back for the Cardinals right now behind Zonovan Knight, and Carter has been limited to a combined 14 PPR points in his past two games against the Colts and Packers. He’s not worth holding in most leagues with Arizona on a bye in Week 8. … Miller suffered a torn ACL in Week 7 at Chicago, and he’s out for the season. It’s an unfortunate injury, but Miller should now be dropped in all redraft leagues. … Tuten has scored 4.8 PPR points or less in four games in a row, and he hasn’t exceeded five total touches in any outing over that span. He’s not worth holding onto in Week 8 in the majority of leagues with Jacksonville on a bye.
Add in this order:
Week 8 Waiver Priority List
WAIVER WIRE
Wide Receivers
On a bye: Amon-Ra St. Brown, Jameson Williams, Marvin Harrison Jr., Brian Thomas Jr., Travis Hunter, Jakobi Meyers, Tre Tucker, Puka Nacua, Davante Adams, Jaxon Smith-Njigba and Cooper Kupp.
Injuries: Mike Evans (collarbone), Nico Collins (concussion), Brian Thomas Jr. (shoulder), Deebo Samuel (heel), Terry McLaurin (quadriceps), Puka Nacua (foot), Garrett Wilson (knee), Chris Godwin (leg), Ricky Pearsall (knee), Jakobi Meyers (knee), Calvin Ridley (hamstring), Josh Downs (concussion), Christian Kirk (hamstring), Darius Slayton (hamstring), Calvin Austin III (shoulder), Dontayvion Wicks (calf), Cedric Tillman (hamstring), Jayden Reed (collarbone), Brandon Aiyuk (knee), Christian Watson (knee), Josh Palmer (ankle) and Jalen McMillan (neck)
Check to see if available in shallow leagues: Wan’Dale Robinson (80 percent rostered), Khalil Shakir (80 percent), Tre Tucker (73 percent), Travis Hunter (70 percent) and Kayson Boutte (66 percent). Robinson has been great in the past two games against the Eagles and Broncos with 12 catches for 179 yards and a touchdown on 19 targets, and he scored at least 15.5 PPR points in each outing. We’ll see if Slayton can return in Week 8 at Philadelphia, but Robinson should be considered the No. 1 receiver for the Giants moving forward and is worth adding in all leagues. … Shakir had a down game in Week 6 at Atlanta with three catches for 33 yards on five targets, but he scored at least 11 PPR points in three games in a row prior to that outing. He should be considered a No. 3 Fantasy receiver heading into Week 8 at Carolina. … Meyers and Brock Bowers (knee) could return after the Week 8 bye, but Tucker still has the potential to be a No. 3 Fantasy receiver for the rest of the season, especially if Meyers gets traded. Tucker has scored at least 11.1 PPR points in three of his past five games. … Hunter is worth adding in all leagues, even with the Jaguars on a bye in Week 8. In Week 7 against the Rams in London, Hunter had season highs in targets (14), catches (eight), yards (101) and scored his first touchdown. We’ll see if Thomas is healthy after his bye, but Hunter will hopefully continue to be featured by the Jaguars for the remainder of the season and is worth adding in all leagues. … Boutte has scored at least 12.5 PPR points in each of his past two games against the Saints and Titans, and he has the potential to be a No. 3 Fantasy receiver in all leagues moving forward. He’ll have some inconsistent games, but he plays the most snaps of all the Patriots receivers, which gives him the ability to make big plays on a weekly basis.
Drop candidates: Jerry Jeudy (78 percent rostered), Calvin Ridley (70 percent) and Keon Coleman (68 percent). Jeudy has scored 9.3 PPR points or less in five games in a row, and he has yet to score a touchdown this season. He has a tough matchup at New England in Week 8, and the Browns have a bye in Week 9. It’s hard to justify keeping him on most rosters right now. … Ridley didn’t play in Week 7, and we don’t know if he’ll return to action in Week 8 at Indianapolis. When healthy, he’s a borderline No. 3 Fantasy receiver at best, and he has one game this season with more than 8.7 PPR points. The Titans seem lost offensively, and Ridley offers little upside in the majority of leagues. … Coleman went into his bye in Week 7 having scored 7.5 PPR points or less in four of his past five games. We’ll see if things improve for him after the bye, but he’s not worth starting in the majority of leagues in Week 8 at Carolina.
Add in this order:
Week 8 Waiver Priority List
On a bye: Trey McBride, Sam LaPorta, Brock Bowers, Michael Mayer, Tyler Higbee and A.J. Barner
Injuries: Darren Waller (pectoral), Dalton Kincaid (oblique), David Njoku (knee), Brock Bowers (knee), Cole Kmet (back), Mike Gesicki (pectoral) and Brenton Strange (quadriceps)
Check to see if available in shallow leagues: Dalton Kincaid (82 percent rostered), T.J. Hockenson (77 percent), Harold Fannin Jr. (72 percent) and Kyle Pitts (72 percent). Kincaid missed Week 6 at Atlanta with an oblique injury, but hopefully he’s fine after Buffalo’s bye in Week 7. Prior to getting hurt, Kincaid had scored at least 9.8 PPR points in four of his first five games, with four touchdowns over that span. When healthy, he’s a borderline starter in all leagues. … Hockenson dropped a touchdown catch in Week 7 against the Eagles, but he still finished with a solid stat line of six catches for 43 yards on nine targets. He’s now scored at least 9.8 PPR points in three of his past four games, and he should be considered a low-end starter in all leagues heading into Week 8 at the Chargers. … Fannin didn’t have a big game against Miami like I expected with only four catches for 36 yards on five targets, but the weather was bad and Dillon Gabriel only attempted 18 passes. I expect Fannin to be better in Week 8 at New England, especially if Njoku remains out. I would add Fannin in all leagues where available. … Even though Darnell Mooney (hamstring) returned in Week 7 at San Francisco, Pitts still had a standout game with seven catches for 62 yards on 10 targets. He’s now scored at least 13.2 PPR points in two of his past three games, and he should be considered a No. 1 Fantasy tight end heading into Week 8 against Miami.
Drop candidates: (86 percent rostered), David Njoku (68 percent) and Jake Tonges (37 percent). Henry has now scored 7.3 PPR points or less in three games in a row heading into Week 8 against Cleveland, and he should only be considered a starter in deeper leagues. He hasn’t scored a touchdown since Week 4, and the Browns have been tough on opposing No. 1 tight ends all season. … Njoku was considered day-to-day by Kevin Stefanski on Monday after he missed Week 7 with a knee injury. The Browns have a bye in Week 9, and Njoku might not play in Week 8 against the Patriots to get more rest. … Tonges is now a non-factor for Fantasy managers with George Kittle healthy, and Tonges had no targets in Week 7 against Atlanta with Kittle back on the field. You can drop Tonges in all leagues.
Add in this order:
Week 8 Waiver Priority List
DST streamers
- Colts (58 percent rostered) vs. TEN
- Falcons (30 percent rostered) vs. MIA
- Buccaneers (25 percent rostered) at NO
Kicker streamers
- Matt Prater (27 percent rostered) at CAR
- Evan McPherson (25 percent rostered) vs. NYJ
- Jake Moody (8 percent rostered) at BAL
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