We have officially made it past one of the worst bye weeks in recent memory of fantasy football, and some of the bye week fill-ins paid off in a big way.
Cleveland’s D’Ernest Johnson was probably the best example of this, as he came in for Nick Chubb and Kareem Hunt and ran for 157 yards and a touchdown. His 27.6 fantasy points made him one of the best running back plays on the week.
In Week 8, only the Baltimore Ravens and Las Vegas Raiders will be off, but that does mean a fair amount of fantasy options won’t be appearing on your roster.
As we head into another week, we will take a look at the waiver wire. We will consider guys who are available in at least 50% of leagues on ESPN.
Let’s take a look at some of the potential waiver wire pickups heading into Week 8 of the NFL season.
Kadarius Toney, WR, Giants (43.9%)
The rookie wide receiver struggled to get on the field for the first three weeks of the season, but since then he’s been an integral part of the Giants’ offense.
New York’s skill players have been dealing with injuries in recent weeks with Kenny Golladay, Sterling Shepard, Darius Slayton, and Saquon Barkley all recovering. Toney is battling an ankle injury that caused him to miss Week 7, but when he returns to action, he’s sure to be put back in the mix with the starters.
The Giants will play the Chiefs in Week 8 who have been one of the worst defenses in football this season, so Toney could put up numbers if he’s back.
Teddy Bridgewater, QB, Broncos (21.4%)
Bridgewater probably isn’t receiving a lot of confidence right now after the Broncos performance against the Browns in Week 7, but things will get better for the veteran.
Through seven weeks, Bridgewater has averaged 15.8 points per game, making him the 14th-ranked quarterback in fantasy.
Denver may get Jerry Jeudy back this week which could bring the Broncos offense to another level. That would mean a lot for a team that’s playing the Football Team, who are giving up the most points to quarterbacks (31.3 points per game).
Kenneth Gainwell, RB, Eagles (26.3%)
Miles Sanders left the Eagles game against the Raiders with an ankle injury that may hold him out of Week 8. If that’s the case, this opens the door for the rookie to take lead-back snaps.
Gainwell is ranked as the 41st running back in fantasy, as he’s averaged 9.3 points per game. His passing game usage should make him an easy start if Sanders is out, especially with the Lions giving up 21.9 points per week to running backs.
C.J. Uzomah, TE, Bengals (10.1%)
The tight end position has been truly abysmal this season. You have to take whatever points you can get.
Uzomah has been a boom-or-bust play this season, so there’s always a chance he goes off. In Week 7, the Bengals tight end put up 24.1 points, the second time he’s put up at least that much this season.
In an offense that is surprisingly explosive, he could be a good weapon going forward, and they’re playing the Jets who are one of the worst defenses against tight ends in fantasy.
Bengals, D/ST (23%)
It’s tough to recommend two Bengals, but we have to realize that they’re a good team now. The defense has been decent for most of the year, as they’re right in the middle of the defensive rankings.
As previously stated, Cincinnati matches up with the Jets this week who will be without Zach Wilson. Through seven weeks, defenses playing the Jets have averaged 15.3 points per week.
The Bengals defense should be able to get a few sacks and force a turnover or two from backup quarterback Mike White.
1
1