Fantasy
10/21/24
3 min read
2024 Fantasy Football: NFL Week 8 Waiver Wire Targets
For as good of a week of football as Week 7 provided us, the upcoming waiver wire is admittedly more on the barren side.
This week’s list doesn’t boast many huge difference-makers. That said, part of the reasoning behind the lack is that a healthy portion of the previous edition’s list of players is still eligible to be discussed. For that reason, we won’t talk about them extensively here.
But for those curious, here’s the carry-over of “must-add” players rostered in 50 percent or fewer of ESPN and Yahoo leagues who make the cut for the second week in a row:
- Drake Maye, QB, New England Patriots
- Jaylen Warren, RB, Pittsburgh Steelers
- Alexander Mattison RB, Las Vegas Raiders* (54 percent on Yahoo)
- Zach Ertz, TE, Washington Commanders* (55.1 percent on ESPN)
Remember those guys as you comb through the wire in a few days. I’d err toward any of them over some of the names yet to be discussed, but that’s not to insinuate we can’t find good value out of deeper players.
You could even consider the Week 8 waiver wire as “the deep league” week, per se.
So, with that all understood, let’s dive in:
Fantasy Football Week 8 Waiver Wire Adds
Jameis Winston, QB, Cleveland Browns
- ESPN Rostership: 0.4 percent
- Yahoo Rostership: 1 percent
There’s soon to be a new QB1 in Cleveland.
Starter Deshaun Watson ruptured his right Achilles tendon in Sunday’s contest vs. the Cincinnati Bengals, an injury that assuredly ends his season and potentially his career, given how poorly he’s played in the past two seasons.
Who’s set to take over now?
Enter Jameis Winston, the former No. 1 overall pick of the 2015 NFL Draft with the only 30 touchdown and 30 interception season in league history. He’s a gunslinger, but Winston’s penchant for risk-taking should bode well for an offense devoid of any semblance of a passing game since Baker Mayfield left town.
It’s been a minute, but when he was with the New Orleans Saints in 2022, it was the last time Winston started. Across the three games in which he opened that season as the lead signal-caller, Winston averaged 286 passing yards and 24.7 rushing yards per game.
By contrast, Watson has thrown more than 250 passing yards twice as a Browns player, the last instance coming in Week 3 of 2023.
Any long-time fantasy manager knows what Winston means for this offense, and it’s undoubtedly great news for other skill players like TE David Njoku, RB Nick Chubb, and a wideout we’ll discuss later on here.
The only element of risk is that perhaps head coach Kevin Stefanski and company opt to ride with Dorian Thompson-Robinson as the starter moving forward, but you’ll likely be privy to that information by the time waiver claims must be submitted.
Assuming he is named the starter, Winston is a must-add in all superflex formats and should at least be considered a streaming option in 1-QB leagues.
Ray Davis, RB, Buffalo Bills
- ESPN Rostership: 14.7 percent
- Yahoo Rostership: 26 percent
Though he received just seven touch opportunities (carries + targets) in Week 7 vs. the Tennessee Titans, Ray Davis continues to impress in Buffalo.
The rookie recorded a total of 47 scrimmage yards in the contest, including this excellent 22-yard scamper for a score in the fourth quarter of play:
Ray Davis cannot be stopped!!! 😤
— Buffalo Bills (@BuffaloBills) October 20, 2024
📺: @paramountplus pic.twitter.com/qQyaqrxfUL
It’s also notable that even though he ran a similar number of snaps as teammate Ty Johnson, Davis is the only other Bills back to record a touch on Sunday. Moreover, knowing that starter James Cook received a mere 12 touches serves as valuable context to the argument that Davis is earning his spot as the Bills' RB2.
How much will that mean weekly?
It’s still unclear; we only have a two-week sample of Davis receiving substantive work. Regardless, it’s evident that the former Kentucky alum is perhaps a vital handcuff option with potential standalone value moving forward.
Sure, it’s speculative, but Davis should be on benches across all leagues.
D’Ernest Johnson, RB, Jacksonville Jaguars
- ESPN Rostership: 14.1 percent
- Yahoo Rostership: 7 percent
Travis Etienne Jr.’s absence from Sunday’s game vs. the New England Patriots due to a hamstring injury opened the door for primary backup Tank Bigsby to serve as the starter.
For as dominant as Bigsby was (26 carries, 118 yards, two rushing touchdowns), he’s already rostered in almost all leagues and doesn’t even remotely qualify for this article. I hope you took note weeks ago when he was featured multiple times, but that won’t help anyone now.
But something, or rather someone, who can help now is D’Ernest Johnson. The former UDFA registered 70 scrimmage yards on 11 touches, serving as the RB2 for Jacksonville, resulting in an even 10 points in point-per-reception (PPR) scoring for fantasy managers.
Should Etienne continue to miss time, there could be a flex-worthy appeal to Johnson.
Are there more appealing options than someone who may only receive one-third of the backfield touches in an offense? Yes, indeed, but with injuries and bye weeks abound, beggars cannot be choosers.
Consider Johnson a viable pickup anywhere from a 12- to 16-team league and beyond. Any shallower, and there are likely stronger options out there.
Cedric Tillman, WR, Cleveland Browns
- ESPN Rostership: 0.3 percent
- Yahoo Rostership: 0 percent
Here’s where we want to be a bit cautious.
We only have about two and a half quarters of football to go off of when it comes to projecting the Browns’ offense forward in a post-Watson era.
Still, there are some wide receivers who will step up in the absence of the recently traded Amari Cooper. Our best guess is second-year WR Cedric Tillman, a player who went off on Sunday vs. the Bengals:
To be clear, I would only consider Tillman in leagues with 14 teams or more as of now.
I’d argue the primary beneficiary of a quarterback change is TE David Njoku. He’s likely the top option in the passing game, as evidenced by his output last year (20.1 percent target share ranks fifth among tight ends in 2023, per Fantasy Points Data).
So, unless your 10- or 12-team league has exceptionally deep benches, you don’t need to take on this lottery ticket. But if you need a prayer at wide receiver in your league, give Tillman a shot.
Jonnu Smith, TE, Miami Dolphins
- ESPN Rostership: 1.7 percent
- Yahoo Rostership: 4 percent
The Dolphins’ offense is performing at a much lower level of effectiveness and quality without QB Tua Tagovailoa under center.
He may return in Week 8, so that’s the primary risk associated with the last player on our list. Even so, there’s still a decent chance Tyler “Snoop” Huntley will continue to be under center in Miami for a while out of caution for Tagovailoa’s health.
If that comes to fruition, Jonnu Smith becomes an interesting waiver add.
Per FantasyData, the speedy tight end has averaged 7.5 targets and 79 receiving yards per game in the past two games (Week 5 and Week 7, with the team on a bye in between), topping the efforts of WRs Tyreek Hill and Jaylen Waddle.
We rarely see someone like Smith become the lead target on a team, but as long as Huntley keeps playing, that statement will continue to be true.
Those struggling at the tight end position may want to consider giving him an opportunity in lineups, though following news related to Tagovailoa will be crucial in those considerations.
