Cue up the Rocky Theme and dig deep ladies and gentlemen. We are into the home stretch of the fantasy football season and it is crunch time. Now is the time to dig deep into your knowledge banks, monitor the trends, and make moves that will set you up to dominate in the playoff push. The Week 8 waiver wire is surprisingly deep and even has some options available for running backs who could dominate their backfields down the stretch.
Early Week 8 Waiver Wire Fantasy Football
La’Mical Perine (RB) – 11.1% of Rosters
The New Jersey Jets are a “football team” in the loosest sense of the word right now. Their offense is anemic and a disaster. With only four yards of offense in the second half, the Jets were hapless and listless. One small, minute bright spot was the performance of La’Mical Perine. The rookie running back went for 55 yards on 13 touches and punched in a five-yard touchdown run early. Although the Jets were stifled by a resurgent Buffalo defense, there is some hope. Perine has been slowly carving out a larger role in the Jets’ offense and is a capable pass-catcher. The Jets may be behind in upcoming games, but Perine is a more talented receiver than Frank Gore and should be on the field more. Perine should continue to carve out a larger role and could be a fringe RB2 candidate in the weeks ahead.
Trey Burton (TE) – 6.5% of Rosters
Through his first three weeks back Trey Burton has been averaging right around 50% of the Colts’ offensive snaps. Additionally, he has been seeing at least five targets every week since he returned. Philip Rivers loves throwing to his tight ends and Burton appears to be in the process of establishing himself as a reliable target. With very few established pass-catchers in Indianapolis Burton has an opportunity to take over as a dominant fantasy option. He is barely rostered in any league and looks like a consistently reliable option for the rest of the season available on the week 8 waiver wire.
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Carlos Hyde (RB) – 5.0% of Rosters
Chris Carson went down with a foot/ankle injury early in the Sunday night game. Carlos Hyde came on in relief and was highly productive. Hyde is a talented back in his own right and would be a starter on almost every other team in the NFL. If Carson is on your roster, run to waivers to scoop up Hyde in the event he misses time. If you are on shaky footing and need a win in Week 8, go grab Hyde ASAP. Hyde is the kind of one-week fill-in who can turn your season around with a big game. Additionally, if Carson misses extended time, Hyde has the capability to shred some softer run defenses in the weeks ahead. Hyde is a must-add this week and potentially beyond.
Damien Harris (RB) – 29.7% of Rosters
The Patriots’ passing offense has looked abysmal as of late. With that being said, they still have a functioning running attack and will lean on it heavily over the next several weeks. In Week 8 they will host a Buffalo defense that got shredded last week by the Chiefs to the tune of 245 yards on the ground. Damien Harris has been heavily involved since he has come back off of injured reserve. Combine that with Sony Michel still being out, it looks like Harris’ job in New England. Harris was highly drafted by the Patriots and has started looking like he could live up the preseason hype. So long as the Pats do not get blown out, Harris should be able to stay involved in the game script and be a low-end RB2 option for the rest of the season.
Wayne Gallman (RB) – 0.7% of Rosters
When Devonta Freeman went down with an ankle injury Thursday night and that opened the door for Wayne Gallman to dominate the running back touches for the Giants. Gallman has looked as good if not better than Freeman throughout the season so far. Moving forward Gallman should have a larger portion of the workload for the rest of the season. He is widely available and it is often difficult to pick up a running back off of waivers around Week 8. There is volume to be had for the Jersey Giants and Gallman has the versatility to do something with it. He is not a high-upside player at the moment, but if he can keep expanding his role he will have low-end RB2 value some weeks.
JaMycal Hasty (RB) – 3.3% of Rosters
The 49ers running back corps is the biggest enigma of the fantasy football universe. We thought Jerrick McKinnon would be the guy this week with Raheem Mostert down with an injury. However, Jeff Wilson Jr. dominated the touches initially. Then he went down with an injury and it turned into a low-key version of the JaMycal Hasty Show. The rookie from Baylor made the most of the opportunity with 10 touches going for 73 yards. Hasty looks the part of a dynamic offensive weapon. If Wilson and Mostert are out next week, Hasty may be in line for a big game for the 49ers. If you have the bench space or are rostering Mostert or Wilson, pick up Hasty and be willing to roll the dice with him as your flex next week.
Rashard Higgins (WR) – 0.2% of Rosters
Odell Beckham went down with what appears to be a severe knee injury on Saturday. This leaves the Browns’ offense with a big hole to fill. Specifically a hole of 42 targets and 319 yards. Rashard Higgins has been a relevant fantasy option in years past and is capable of filling in for the short term. On Sunday Higgins had six catches for 110 yards. Before the arrival of OBJ last year, Higgins had begun to emerge as a legitimate receiving option with 50 targets in 2017 and 2018. Higgins has the opportunity to carve out a legitimate role for the Browns and could be a WR2, but for the short term add him and consider him as a flex option each week. Higgins is the kind of league-winner you do not usually find on the week 8 waiver wire.
Richard Rodgers (TE) – 4.0% of Rosters
Carson Wentz loves to throw the ball to his tight ends and has done so with Zach Ertz, Dallas Goedert, and more. With Goedert and Ertz hurt that has opened the door for Richard Rodgers. Rodgers was targeted eight times on Thursday and caught six of those passes for 85 yards, a good night from a tight end. Looking ahead, the Eagles have a soft matchup against the terrible Cowgirls’ defense. Rodgers is a reliable option at tight end until Goedert comes back from injury. Scoop Rodgers up and roll with him in the short-term until Goedert comes back.
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