Fantasy football is a full-time job. The best owners look to fine-tune their rosters every day, but waiver day is the most important. Those of you in deeper leagues looking for an edge should consider the following players, who are available in more than 80 percent of Yahoo leagues. Without further ado, here are the top five fantasy waiver wire pickups for NFL Week 8, with a few honorable mentions thrown in for good measure:
Related: Fantasy Football Guide | NFL Betting Guide
- Tyrell Williams, WR, Los Angeles Chargers
The big plays aren’t sustainable and some teams won’t be able to justify holding Williams during a bye. But after 236 yards and three touchdowns in his last two games, everyone should be taking a look at him. He has at least 48 yards or a touchdown in six of his seven games, meaning he has a decent floor to go along with his high ceiling. The bye hurts his appeal, but also could present a buying opportunity. Other owners in your league may not be willing to drop as much of their FAAB budget.
- Kenjon Barner, RB, New England Patriots
Sony Michel’s vague prognosis seems likely to include a missed game or two. Barner saw a season-high 10 touches in Michel’s absence and ought to be in line for more work, even if the Patriots do add a free agent running back. He’s a viable bye week fill-in with Atlanta, Dallas, the Chargers and Tennessee all not playing this week.
- Chris Ivory, RB, Buffalo Bills
LeSean McCoy left early in Buffalo’s 33-5 loss to Indianapolis and never returned. Ivory did just fine in his stead, picking up 106 yards from scrimmage. Even better, the Bills face New England this week. They’re 24th in the league in yards allowed per carry (4.6). Ivory is likely more a stopgap than a long-term starter, but he’s a defensible play with so many top fantasy running backs on bye weeks.
- Ronald Jones II, RB, Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Jones is ahead of Ivory because he does offer the potential to be a long-term starter. Jones hasn’t shown much this year, but neither has Peyton Barber. At least Jones has the athleticism to become a reliable fantasy option. He scored his first career touchdown while Barber logged another uninspiring performance. You’ll want to move Jones down on this list if you need to add a running back for this week, but Jones is worth a roster spot. If Barber is indeed injured (he left in the third quarter and didn’t return) this could be Jones’ time to shine.
- Raheem Mostert, RB, San Francisco 49ers
It’s certainly more than a little suspicious that a fourth-year player is coming out of the blue and doing what Mostert is doing. But that’s now back-to-back games in which Mostert made a case to be San Francisco’s best fantasy running back. Alfred Morris is having almost no success and Matt Breida is dealing with several injuries. Mostert is already worth a start in shallow leagues and could move into every-week FLEX territory with another good game.
Honorable Mentions
Danny Amendola, WR, Miami Dolphins
Amendola is just about the last man standing in Miami’s receiving corps. Albert Wilson and Kenny Stills are both hurt while DeVante Parker is getting healthy scratches. That leaves Amendola and Jakeem Grant, with the nod going to Amendola, who has 14 receptions and 143 yards in his last two games.
LeGarrette Blount, RB, Detroit Lions
Kerryon Johnson is the clear-cut leader of the Detroit backfield, but Blount now has three touchdowns in his last two games. It wouldn’t be wise to expect anything consistent from Blount, but those in desperate situations ought to be fine with using him in the hope he gets a short touchdown or two.
Rashaad Penny, RB, Seattle Seahawks
Penny was widely dropped due to Seattle’s bye. But he had the best game of his short career by far in Week 6 and Seattle surely wants to see more from its first-round pick. Penny is more of a speculative add who could be a factor down the line.
