With six teams on bye in Week 7 and a plethora of injuries affecting the running back and wide receiver landscapes, things have started to get weird in fantasy football. The waiver wire is starting to get really thin, and it has never been more crucial to anticipate breakouts, stock up on handcuffs, and monitor workloads/depth charts. Our Week 8 waiver wire watchlist will highlight the free agents you should consider stashing, streaming, or at least watching.
Yours truly has pinpointed studs before their breakouts all season, a big reason why most of my fantasy teams have enjoyed strong seasons despite myriad injuries. Our lookahead watchlist has pointed readers in the direction of C.J. Stroud, Kyren Williams, Zack Moss, Puka Nacua, and Tank Dell when they were all under 50-percent rostered. Now, those guys look like league-winners — not bad for speculative adds that cost $0 in FAAB and didn't use up a waiver priority.
We've been telling you for weeks to make the most of your open roster spots or one of your opponents will. Try to anticipate who will be Week 8's top pickups after strong performances this weekend. Be proactive about your bye weeks (even with none in Week 8) and bad matchups by choosing your upcoming streamers now. By adding potential boom players as free agents before their breakouts, you find solid production without burning a valuable waiver claim or FAAB money.
WEEK 7 FANTASY ADVICE:
Sleepers | Busts | Projections | Start 'em, sit 'em
Weeks 7 and 8 mark the timeframe in which fantasy owners start playing matchups a bit more often. If you are, it's smart to plan ahead and get your first choice before other owners jump into the frenzy once new information emerges. Our waiver wire watchlist helps you think about the future while the rest of your league is thinking about the present.
Some shallower leagues don't feature enough roster spots to really take advantage of "planning ahead," but for those in leagues that do, our week-ahead watchlist will be helpful all year long. Even though you won't pick up most (or in some cases, all) of these players, it's worth watching their snap counts and target shares to file away for later.
WEEK 7 DFS:
DK lineup | FD lineup | Best values | Best stacks
Fantasy Football Waiver Wire Watchlist
Reminder: This list was put together in the lead-in to Week 7, looking forward to the players who could be popular waiver wire targets ahead of Week 8. If you have a roster spot to play with, these are free agent options you could grab early to beat the waiver buzz.
All these players are below 50 percent ownership on Yahoo unless otherwise specified.
Week 8 Fantasy Waiver Wire Watchlist: QB
WEEK 8 BYES: NONE
Sam Howell, Commanders vs. Eagles in Week 8 (52 percent rostered)
Howell has been so damn good this season that I dropped Geno Smith in one league because I have Howell and Brock Purdy. How can you blame me? Sam the Man has posted fantasy totals of 24.5, 32.3, and 25.9, respectively, over the past three weeks despite having two road matchups.
Now Howell draws the down-and-out Giants in Week 7, and in Week 8 he will once again face the Eagles — this time at home. Philadelphia has been surprisingly generous to QBs this season, allowing the sixth-most points in the NFL to the position. As Howell continues to evolve and gain confidence, his connections with Terry McLaurin, Curtis Samuel, and Logan Thomas keep getting stronger.
This guy should absolutely be rostered in at least 75 percent of leagues, if for no other reason than the fact that he faces the Giants twice, the Eagles, and Dolphins over the next seven games. If he posts another performance in the 24-32-point range this weekend, it will be very difficult to land Howell on waivers or in the FAAB market. Act now unless you have an elite QB with no upcoming bye issues.
Derek Carr, Saints at Colts (30%)
Carr has certainly not been great this season, but he gave us hope in Week 6 when he loaded Chris Olave with targets and they connected for 96 yards. He should consider Olave his new Davante Adams, even though he will never be as good of a wideout as Davante. Olave gets open quite a bit, and he's masterful at coming away with 50-50 balls.
With a Week 8 tilt against the Colts and juicy matchups against the Bears and Vikings looming in Weeks 9 and 10, Carr seems like a no-brainer add if you're struggling with QB injuries or have upcoming bye weeks.
MORE POTENTIAL WEEK 8 QB STREAMS: Kenny Pickett, Steelers vs. Jaguars (19%); Desmond Ridder, Falcons at Titans (11%); Mac Jones, Patriots at Dolphins (9%): Zach Wilson, Jets at Giants (6%)
WEEK 7 PPR RANKINGS:
QBs | RBs | WRs | TEs | D/STs | Kickers
Week 8 Fantasy Waiver Wire Watchlist: RB
WEEK 8 BYES: NONE
Zach Evans, Rams (50 percent rostered)
Evans makes the list today, but by the time you read this, he's probably going to be rostered in more than 50 percent of leagues. The reason: Rams breakout running back Kyren Williams has an ankle injury that could cost him multiple weeks, and backup Ronnie Rivers has a PCL sprain that could sideline him for two months. The floor is yours, Mr. Evans!
A sixth-round pick out of Ole Miss, Evans has good strength and burst and has been compared to Melvin Gordon III. He has lead-back size and never shies away from contact when fighting for extra yards. With Pittsburgh, Green Bay, and Minnesota all on schedule in the not-so-distant future and RB as shallow as ever, Evans seems like a must-roster asset right now.
Latavius Murray, Bills (16%)
Many don't realize it — or want to avoid it because Murray is an unexciting vet — but this guy has been seeing plenty of action in Buffalo lately. In fact, the 10-year journeyman garnered a dead-even carry and snap split with second-year back James Cook last week. Murray is a power back and red-zone guy while Cook is more of a versatile, between-the-20s back, so the 33-year-old merits a roster spot wherever an RB is needed.
Jordan Mason, 49ers (41%)
Mason has scored in each of the past two weeks, and he received the bulk of the RB reps after Christian McCaffrey (oblique) went down last week. Elijah Mitchell figures to split time and touches with Mason, but we like what we've seen from the second-year back through six games. He's averaging 5.6 yards per carry and has a stud o-line going into Minnesota in Week 8. Don't let him sit on the waiver wire, people!
MORE POTENTIAL RB PICKUPS: D'Onta Foreman, Bears (47%); Tyjae Spears, Titans (43%); Ezekiel Elliott, Patriots (44%); Zach Charbonnet, Seahawks (47%); Justice Hill, Ravens (40%); Keaontay Ingram, Cardinals (20%); Salvon Ahmed, Dolphins (17%); Craig Reynolds, Lions (15%); Devin Singletary, Texans (14%); Keaton Mitchell, Ravens (12%); Rico Dowdle, Cowboys (4%)
WEEK 7 STANDARD RANKINGS:
QBs | RBs | WRs | TEs | D/STs | Kickers
Week 8 Fantasy Waiver Wire Watchlist: WR
WEEK 8 BYES: NONE
Curtis Samuel, Commanders (46 percent rostered)
Howell and Samuel have developed a Sam-to-Sam connection this season, and suddenly Curtis is everything we thought Jahan Dotson would be this season. The veteran wideout has averaged 14.6 PPR points per game over Washington's past three contests, and he has a few enticing matchups slated over the next six weeks. If he shows out once again this weekend against the Giants, his rostered rates will skyrocket. Beat the crowd and sign Samuel now.
Josh Downs, Colts (34%)
Downs just keeps producing, and Gardner Minshew keeps targeting him. Yet, the young receiver's ownership levels remain low. What gives? Is it because Indy rarely gets nationally televised? Is it because the Colts' offense has been a bit boring? Who knows, but all I know is I have him rostered in multiple leagues and I'm more than comfortable slotting him into my flex spots whenever I need a spot start.
Wan'Dale Robinson, Giants (22%)
Like Downs, Robinson is a lesser-known name on an underwhelming offense — but he's getting plenty of work. Easily the G-men's most sure-handed receiver, Wan'Dale has caught 22-of-25 targets for 141 yards. It's no coincidence that the second-year wideout's best game of the season came last week when Daniel Jones (neck) was on the sideline. Tyrod Taylor hit Robinson on all eight targets for 62 yards against a strong Bills defense. He gets an easier matchup this weekend in Washington, the sixth-most generous defense to fantasy WRs this season. Get Wan before he's gone!
MORE POTENTIAL WR PICKUPS: Rashee Rice, Chiefs (52%); Jaxon Smith-Njigba, Seahawks (50%); Tutu Atwell, Rams (48%); Tyler Boyd, Bengals (47%); Jameson Williams, Lions (50%), Brandin Cooks, Cowboys (41%), Rashid Shaheed (35%), Michael Wilson, Cardinals (20%), Rondale Moore (9%)
Week 8 Fantasy Waiver Wire Watchlist: TE
WEEK 8 BYES: NONE
Michael Mayer, Raiders at Lions in Week 8 (15%)
Mayer might be the next big TE breakout, as he just caught five-of-six targets for 75 yards against a pretty stiff tight end defense in the Patriots. He now has cake TE matchups in three of the next four games (@ CHI, @ DET, vs. NYJ), and we envision a ton of gold at the end of that rainbow. The Bears, Lions, and Jets all rank among the seven most generous defenses to TEs in fantasy.
Logan Thomas, Commanders vs. Eagles (48 percent rostered)
Thomas had an awful Week 6 in Atlanta, catching just one ball for two yards. That halted his momentum from Week 5, in which he accumulated nine catches on 11 targets for 77 yards and a TD. The Giants and Eagles this week and next should be a little more forgiving, so look for a bounce-back from Thomas if you need a TE stream.
MORE POTENTIAL WEEK 8 TE STREAMS: Jonnu Smith, Falcons at Titans (31%); Luke Musgrave, Packers vs. Vikings (24%); Gerald Everett, Rams vs. Bears (25%)
Week 8 fantasy defense streamers and sleepers
WEEK 8 BYES: NONE
Seattle Seahawks vs. Browns (47 percent rostered)
The Seahawks have one of the most underrated defenses in the NFL this season. Meanwhile, the Browns have been awful on offense. Whether it's P.J. Walker or a banged-up Deshaun Watson (shoulder) entering Seattle, it's going to end poorly.
Los Angeles Rams at Cowboys (32%)
At first glance, this might not look like a worthwhile stream, but let's face it: Dallas has been atrocious on offense this season. Dak Prescott remains turnover-prone and can't sneak the ball one yard to move the chains. Tony Pollard has been mediocre in his first year as the Cowboys' workhorse, mostly due to the usually dependable o-line being banged up and inefficient. If L.A.'s pass-rush can make Dak uncomfortable and the Rams can contain CeeDee Lamb, this should be a fruitful stream.
Jacksonville Jaguars at Steelers (26%)
The Jags have quietly been pretty good on the defensive side of the ball, so we're fine with plugging them in against Kenny Pickett and the Steelers. Pittsburgh ranks 30th in both scoring and total yards. Even worse, Mike Tomlin's squad is dead-last in total first downs and red-zone TD rate.
Atlanta Falcons at Titans (22%)
The Titans might have gone from bad to worse with the loss of starting QB Ryan Tannehill to a high-ankle sprain. The Falcons, meanwhile, have a surprisingly good pass-rush and a halfway-decent secondary capable of capitalizing on poor throws.
Indianapolis Colts vs. Saints (9%)
The Colts have looked pretty good on defense this season, save for last week against a hot Jaguars offense. Indy has held the Titans, Ravens, and Texans to 20 or fewer points, and the ever-abysmal Derek Carr might help make the Saints the fourth on that infamous little list.
Los Angeles Chargers vs. Bears (7%)
Even when Justin Fields (thumb) was healthy, the Bears were one of the most generous teams to fantasy D/STs. With Fields banged up, just imagine how much havoc L.A.'s fierce pass rush can wreak.
Houston Texans @ Panthers (7%)
Bryce Young has struggled in Year 1, and the Texans have recorded multiple takeaways in four-of-six games this year. Expect them to make it five after their bye week.
New York Giants vs. Jets (2%)
The Giants' D/ST has come to life the past couple of weeks, posting three takeaways and a defensive TD against Miami before limiting the Bills to just 14 points while recording two more takeaways. Zach Wilson and the Jets aren't quite as bad as many expected, but this is still a favorable matchups for the opportunistic G-Men.
