Pigskin Papers Waiver Wire- 2022 Week 8
Hop Aboard the Gus Bus
(Published October 24, 2022)
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Welcome to the Waiver Wire, Week 8! And welcome back to the playing field, Bills, Eagles, Rams and Vikings - you were missed by many. The Waiver Wire isn’t especially deep this week, but because of some key injuries and surprising developments, it’s top-heavy with some very enticing priority targets at RB. I’ll dive into that momentarily.
Each week, I try to identify the top Waiver Wire targets and evaluate the short and long term prospects of those players. I also do my best to identify which players who are coming off a big week are fool’s gold. And finally, as we move through the bye weeks I’ll spend a little time on streamers at each position who might help you in a pinch. Note that this advice is primarily intended for Season-Long leagues, and NOT Dynasty leagues.
Some of the players I’ll talk about won’t be available in your league. As a general rule, I list players who are available in more than 50% of leagues. But what does that even mean? A 10 team league with 6 bench spots will have a much larger free agent pool than a 14 team league with 8 bench spots. Most leagues fall somewhere in between. This isn’t “one size fits all.”
These are your Bye Week teams for Week 8: Chiefs and Chargers. No Mahomes (QB2), no Ekeler (RB1), no Kelce (RB1).
WEEK 9 WARNING: As a matter of strategy, I like to try to plan ahead for Bye weeks when I can, to avoid missing out on guys I might want as fill-ins (or having to overpay for them). That’s more important THIS week than any other week during the year, because while only 2 teams are on a bye this week, SIX teams are on a bye next week: CLE, DAL, DEN, NYG, PIT, and SF. So look ahead at the Week 9 schedule. Now is a great time to pick up a streaming QB, DST, TE or PK for Week 9, if you know you’re going to need one.
Week 8 Waiver Wire:
Danny Dimes Is Getting it Done
QB - I have one long-term play to recommend, and the rest are mainly streaming options.
Daniel Jones has been quietly getting it done, and his average of 17 fantasy ppg is borderline top 10 on the season. His rushing ability gives him a nice floor and he’s really cleaned up the turnovers. I like Jones as a high-end QB 2 the rest of the way. If he’s available and you need help at QB, grab him. This week’s matchup at SEA is a pretty good one.
Jared Goff’s last 2 games have been awful, with a grand total of 0 TD passes and a boatload of turnovers. So how can I recommend him? Well, those 2 games were on the road against tough defenses. In his 3 home games, Goff is averaging over 25 fantasy ppg and the Lions play 5 of their next 7 at home, including the next 2 games. This week they get a Dolphins’ defense that got some turnovers on Sunday night, but that can be had, doesn’t bring much pressure, and ranks near the bottom of the league in a variety of pass defense categories.
In case you didn’t hear, Sam Ehlinger is now the starting QB in Indianapolis, replacing a mostly ineffective Matt Ryan. Ryan’s line wasn’t protecting him, and he has very little mobility. I have no idea what to expect with Ehrlinger, but I do know he can run. He ran for almost 2,000 yards and 33 TDs in college and he also had a great preseason. If you’re in a Superflex league, he’s worth a flier. The Colts have good weapons and maybe this is the wake-up call they need.
Three more streaming options to consider this week, if you’re stuck, are Ryan Tannehill at the Texans, Andy Dalton vs. the Raiders (assuming he starts) and Mac Jones vs. the Colts (ditto).
RB - Here is where you want to spend your FAAB dollars, as there are some priority adds.
Gus Edwards was a big surprise this week - he came off of IR, stepped right over Kenyan Drake into the starter’s role, and put up a solid stat line in his first game back, including 2 visits to paydirt. I mentioned Edwards as a pickup last week, but had him behind Drake in my pecking order - sorry about that. With J.K. Dobbins on IR and likely out 4-6 weeks, Edwards has a clear path to a big role, in an offense where he has always produced when given the chance. He won’t get all the work, but Edwards is a high priority add.
D’Onta Foreman is also a priority add at RB this week. In case you didn’t hear, the Panthers shipped CMC off to San Francisco, and after having supposedly given up on their season they spanked Tom Brady and the reeling Bucs 21-3, with Foreman quickly leapfrogging Chuba Hubbard as the lead back and putting up over 100 yards on 17 total touches. He played well last year in a starting role when Derrick Henry went down, and he should continue to be the 1A with Hubbard as the 1B. More on Hubbard in a minute.
I was all set to make Michael Carter my top priority add this week, with Breece Hall’s very impressive rookie season suddenly over. However, news has broken that the Jets are acquiring James Robinson from the Jaguars, which obviously impacts Carter’s value going forward. I’d still target Carter if you can’t get Edwards or Foreman. He’s going to see an increased workload, showed a lot of promise as a rookie, and is good in the passing game. Even with Robinson joining the team, get Carter if you can.
Chuba Hubbard isn’t a priority add but is worth rostering, as this definitely will be some type of committee going forward. The note of caution with both Panthers backs is that this offense has really struggled this year and is one of the worst in the league. Plus Hubbard got banged up last week. But both backs are going to get opportunities to produce, and that’s half the battle.
Lat Murray was in this column last week and I’ll mention him again, although I suspect he’s more than 50% rostered on most platforms. He’s not going to blow up but he’s a good depth add and especially with Mike Boone on IR.
Isiah Pacheco “started” for the Chiefs yesterday, but that only amounted to 8 carries. They’re still rotating 3 RBs, and CEH was the one who ran for a TD on Sunday. I guess you can pick him up if you’re desperate, but know what you’re getting. I’ll continue to pass on him. Speaking of which…
Mecole is a Hard Man to Trust.
WR - There are some decent depth adds:
Mecole Hardman broke out this week and scored 3 TDs - 2 of the rushing variety. That brings him up to 5 TDs on the season, so he can’t be ignored. At the same time, the usage is very hard to trust. Hardman only had 6 touches on Sunday, and that’s pretty standard for him as he only has 29 touches across 7 games. Yes, the Chiefs are trying to find creative ways to use his speed and the hope is that the opportunities will increase, but if you pick up Hardman (or MVS, who also had a nice game so I’ll mention him too), know what you’re getting. Hardman is NOT my first choice for a WR add this week.
Marquise Godwin is another player who surprised with multiple TDs this week. If D.K. Metcalf’s injury is serious, then Goodwin should see increased opportunities and is worth a pickup for depth. I wouldn’t go crazy to get him, but the Seattle offense has been a big surprise and I’m done underestimating them.
If the Elijah Moore manager in your league got frustrated enough that they dropped him, pick him up and stash him. You might get little out of it, but Moore has too much talent to do nothing all year, and with Corey Davis getting hurt Sunday in addition to Hall, there could be an opportunity for him to finally become a significant cog in this offense.
I’ll repeat the 2 rookies I mentioned from last week: Wan’Dale Robinson and Tyquan Thornton. If either one made it through waivers last week, get him. Both could emerge as fantasy starters in the second half of the season, and Robinson already is becoming pretty intriguing as a flex option. Thornton is still just a stash. Remember what ARSB did last year? He was barely on the radar heading into Week 8.
I’ve mentioned Devin Duvernay a few times in this column this year. He continues to be worth a roster spot. Ditto Isaiah McKenzie. Ditto Josh Palmer, who should return from his concussion after the bye week, and could see added opportunities with Mike Williams likely to miss some time.
Paris Campbell has seen increased usage and good production the last 2 weeks, but with the Colts switching QBs I’d proceed with caution.
I’ve mentioned both Jameson Williams and OBJ as stashes before, and I’ll do it again. If you have the roster space and can sit and wait, why not?
The Broncos Only Have 8 TDs - This Guy has One of Them
TE - Help!
I mentioned Greg Dulcich last week and I’ll recommend him again. Yes, this is a bad offense that doesn’t score TDs. That said, we are talking about the TE position and Dulcich has very quickly become heavily involved. He was targeted 9 times on Sunday and had 6 catches for 51 yards. This was just his second start, and he scored in his first one. I’ll take that from a TE every week these days. This feels a little like Pat Freiermuth 2021.
If you’re desperate: Harrison Bryant steps in for the injured David Njoku, Cade Otton continues to start with Cam Brate out, and 2 names that are always in streamer consideration are Hunter Henry and Irv Smith, Jr. (Smith faces the Cardinals who have allowed the most fantasy points to TEs).
NOTE FOR PK and DST, I’m only listing streaming options that are likely to be rostered in less than 50% of leagues.
PK
Streaming Options for Week 8: Jason Myers (vs. NYG), Jason Sanders (@ DET), Greg Joseph (vs ARI), Jake Elliott (vs. PIT), Nick Folk (@ NYJ)
D/ST
Streaming Options for Week 8: TEN (@HOU), ATL (vs. CAR), JAC (vs. DEN)
Good luck with your Week 8 Waiver claims.
DH
***This column (Waiver Wire) and the Weekly Fantasy Recap appear each Monday and Tuesday, and the Weekly Fantasy Preview each Thursday. Please bookmark the site and come back often. You can also follow on Social Media - on Instagram (thepigskinpapers) and Twitter (@PigskinPapers). I appreciate your patronage and welcome your feedback. You can post in the comment boxes or email pigskinpapers@gmail.com.***
