It felt like a low scoring fantasy week — unless you had one of the amazing running backs carrying you through Week 7. One thing is for sure — if you win your fantasy league this season you should wear it as a badge of honor and tell everyone you meet, because the injuries have not slowed down. 

The fantasy landscape is going to be defined by how you navigated the waiver wire with key players still missing time or having their season ended by injury. But that's why we are here to help! We have no teams on a bye in Week 8, so that makes things a little easier; but it is still wise to look ahead a little to Week 9, when the Pittsburgh Steelers and San Francisco 49ers both have a bye.

Before we dive into the fun, I want to point you in the direction of our waiver wire tool, which is an awesome way to visualize what I have below AND take advantage of some “wisdom of the crowd”-ing, as you can drop your FAAB bids in and see what other people are thinking of spending:

The names below are in order of priority and all players listed are under 40% rostered (except for one — you'll see!). Good luck!

INJURY ROUNDUP

  • Browns: Deshaun Watson (achilles), Dorian Thompson-Robinson (finger)
  • Chiefs: JuJu Smith-Schuster (hamstring)
  • Raiders: Aidan O'Connell (thumb)
  • Dolphins: Tyler Huntley (shoulder)
  • Patriots: DeMario Douglas (illness), Ja'Lynn Polk (concussion)
  • Seahawks: DK Metcalf (knee)
  • Commanders: Jayden Daniels (ribs)
  • 49ers: Brandon Aiyuk (ACL), Deebo Samuel (pneumonia), George Kittle (foot)
  • Saints: Rashid Shaheed (season-ending knee surgery)
  • Bills: Curtis Samuel (shoulder)

FANTASY FOOTBALL WAIVER WIRE ADDS FOR WEEK 8

Tua Tagovailoa, QB, Dolphins (45% rostered) 

According to multiple reports, the Miami Dolphins could be getting Tua Tagovailoa back in Week 8. And wow, is it needed. On Sunday against the Colts, quarterback Tyler Huntley went down in the third quarter with a shoulder injury and was unable to return. Tim Boyle (who was signed to the active roster on Saturday) finished the game 8-of-13 for 74 yards.

Tagovailoa is expected to return to practice on Wednesday with the hope that he can return on Sunday to play against the Cardinals. I know it's cheating since he's over 40% rostered, but he's important enough to highlight here (and my column, my rules, people!!). Heading into their Week 7 matchup, the Dolphins were averaging a league-worst 12.0 points per game.

Ricky Pearsall, WR, 49ers (13% rostered)

The 49ers were basically without all their receivers on Sunday — Deebo Samuel had an illness, Jauan Jennings was out with a hip issue, and then the team lost Brandon Aiyuk to a season-ending ACL injury (they really just cannot catch a break). Ricky Pearsall was shot in the chest in training camp and returned just 50 days later to play in his first game of the season — he finished with 3 receptions on 5 targets for 21 yards. As Dwain McFarland pointed out in the Utilization Report, Pearsall had an 86% route participation and 18% target share but only came up with 5.1 fantasy points (and a 4.7 UR Score) — but that should improve. 

The team will need both Pearsall and Jennings to step up with Aiyuk out. We will need to watch the injury reports to see if Jennings will be ready to play in Week 8. It's not an ideal situation in this receiver room, but I know Pearsall will be more readily available across leagues than Jennings, plus he has first-round draft capital tied to him. Continue reading, though, for a deeper play you could look at in this 49ers offense!

Jalen McMillan, WR, Buccaneers (2% rostered)

What a way to be thrust into a more prominent role. In a rough Monday night game against the Ravens, Mike Evans suffered a hamstring injury and later Chris Godwin sustained what is believed to be a dislocated ankle that could be a season-ender. Next man up is Jalen McMillan, who was selected in the 3rd round of the 2024 NFL Draft out of Washington. He was Rome Odunze's sidekick in that high-flying Huskies offense. 

McMillan had been eased into the offense, receiving no more than 3 targets in a game before Week 7, when he drew 8 mostly after Evans left the game. With both of Tampa's top targets set to miss some time, McMillan is not Evans or Godwin, but he's a talented yound wideout who should see plenty of targets from Baker Mayfield, who entered Week 7 as QB3 on the season. 

Drake Maye, QB, Patriots (16% rostered)

This is one of those situations where the Patriots are a really bad real-life team, but for fantasy we are still getting production from rookie quarterback Drake Maye. He finished 26-for-37 for 276 yards with two touchdowns and no interceptions, which totaled 20.8 fantasy points. The offensive line isn't good, he doesn't have solid weapons and Maye is still a rookie — we are going to see up and down games. 

Be cautious when picking up Maye for the next few games, though. The Patriots face the Jets, Titans, and Bears in their next three matchups and according to PFF, they rank third, 12th and and second when preventing fantasy points to opposing quarterbacks. In a pinch Maye is a good option in superflex formats.

Jameis Winston, QB, Browns (1% rostered)

Browns head coach Kevin Stefanski told reporters on Sunday that quarterback Deshaun Watson is believed to have suffered a season-ending Achilles injury, but he will undergo tests before that is confirmed. 

Jameis Winston was actually inactive for this game, so Dorian Thompson-Robinson replaced Watson — he went 11-of-24 for 82 yards and two interceptions before injuring his finger in the fourth quarter. Winston — the emergency third QB — ended up finishing the game and completed five passes for 67 yards with a touchdown to David Njoku to finish things off. 

Winston is the quarterback you want to target on the waiver wire, but we'll see later in the week if the team even turns to him or if they stick with Thompson-Robinson. It truly couldn't have been worse for the Browns when Watson was under center; he posted the lowest QBR of all qualified passers.

Cedric Tillman, WR, Browns (1% rostered)

This is a pick-up to make if the Browns announce that Jameis Winston is their starting quarterback moving forward. Cedric Tillman scored 16.1 fantasy points between all three quarterbacks on Sunday and had an 82% route participation and 24% target share off 12 targets, taking over a starting role with Amari Cooper no longer in the picture. 

His 39% air yards share also led the team, and Tillman could seriously be a boom-bust WR4. He doesn't need to be a priority add, but could be a great stash play until we see what the Browns' plan is at quarterback. Here is how Dwain McFarland is playing it from the Utilization Report:

“If Winston is the starter, Tillman becomes an upside WR3. However, with Dorian Thompson-Robinson at the helm, he is a boom-bust WR5.”

Hunter Henry, TE, Patriots (31% rostered)

The Patriots might be "soft," according to their head coach, but if you streamed Hunter Henry this week then you're a happy fantasy manager! Henry actually leads the team in targets since Maye became the starting quarterback and is averaging 15.2 fantasy points per game. The Patriots have a tough matchup against the Jets in Week 8 — they faced each other in Week 3 and the Jets held Henry to only 2.9 fantasy points, but we should see a little more with Maye at the helm. 

Jalen Tolbert, WR, Cowboys (20% rostered)

The Cowboys were on a bye in Week 7 so now is a good time to remind you to take a look at Jalen Tolbert. Brandin Cooks is still on IR, which means we will continue to see more of Tolbert — he had 21.5 fantasy points in Week 5 and 8.3 in Week 6. From the Utilization Report:

Luckily, the Cowboys are on the road (so they'll have a chance to win) and they'll be facing the decimated 49ers. We need to see more out of this Dallas team — in their last three weeks of play they have notched 20 or fewer points. Here's hoping they got some rest during the bye week and we see more points, which would equal more production for Tolbert.  

Tyler Goodsen, RB, Colts (14% rostered)

We mentioned Tyler Goodson last week when Trey Sermon was coming in with an injury, and, lo and behold, Goodson finished with 14 carries for 51 yards and a touchdown. Goodson edged out Sermon with 39% of the team's rushing attempts compared to Sermon's 22%. Until Jonathan Taylor returns, Goodsen is a deep flex candidate in your lineups because he has had more productive days than the current starter Trey Sermon. 

Dontayvion Wicks, WR, Packers (27% rostered)

This is the third healthy game in a row where Dontayvion Wicks has led the team in targets per route run. The role between Christian Watson and Wicks seems to be split — Watson had a 50% route participation and Wicks had a 47% route participation on Sunday. Wicks has also outplayed Watson when they've shared the field. Wicks could continue to prove himself (he was playing through a shoulder injury) and is worth keeping on your bench.   

Noah Fant, TE, Seahawks (30% rostered)

While I believe Tyler Lockett and Jaxon Smith-Njigba will be the biggest players to rise because of DK Metcalf's knee injury, it's still worth noting that tight end Noah Fant has over 60 receiving yards in two straight games. If you're streaming tight ends, Fant is worth a look. He is sharing time with A.J. Barner, but it hasn't mattered too much; according to PFF the Seahawks have run 307 pass plays (25 more than any other team). They face the Bills, Rams, 49ers and Cardinals in their next four games.  

Jacob Cowing, WR, 49ers (0% rostered)

Listen, the 49ers are banged up at receiver right now and if you need a deep play in your league then Jacob Cowing is the player to target. He started the season as San Francisco's primary punt returner, but on Sunday he got more work because of all the injuries. Cowing caught 2 of 3 targets for 50 yards against the Chiefs. This is a deep play and, of course, it might not result in any fantasy goodness, but if Jauan Jennings is unable to go in Week 8 (and potentially beyond) then Cowing could have some worth as a stash on your bench.

Kendre Miller, RB, Saints (7% rostered)

Hopefully Saints head coach Dennis Allen likes Kendre Miller again, because we are suggesting him on the waiver wire this week! This is more of a stash play than anything else, but Miller found some playing time in Week 7 after his stint on IR to start the season. 

He is the RB2 after leading the team with 36 rushing yards on six carries. It is obvious that the team will turn to Miller instead of Jamaal Williams if anything were to happen to Alvin Kamara. Depending on how the rest of their season goes (if they keep losing) we could see Miller get a bigger role toward the back half of the year. 

Jonnu Smith, TE, Dolphins (4% rostered)

Jonnu Smith had an 84% route participation against the Colts and had a 32% target share to lead the team. I think we need to be careful here — while he was on the field more with a bigger receiving role coming out of the team's bye week, we have seen this before in Mike McDaniel's offense and it has been very touch and go. If we see this trend again in Week 8 (with a potential return of Tua Tagovailoa) then maybe we can start getting excited. Stash in deeper formats, but don't automatically put Smith in your starting lineups.  

Stashes

  • Jaylen Wright
  • Kimani Vidal
  • Ray Davis
  • Braelon Allen