Welcome to the Week 8 edition of Waiver Wired for the 2021 season. Another chaotic slate of injuries has moved a few more backup running backs to the top of the food chain ahead of Sunday. Fortunately, only the Las Vegas Raiders and Baltimore Ravens leave us with minor gaps to fill before four more teams go on bye next week.
As a refresher, The Drop List consists of players who are rostered in at least 50 percent of Yahoo leagues and are no longer must-have assets, recommended additions are available in over 50 percent of Yahoo leagues, the Watch List contains in-depth notes on fringe waiver adds, and Deep Cuts includes player notes on those rostered in five percent or fewer of Yahoo leagues.
The Drop List
QB: Sam Darnold
RB: Mike Davis, Alexander Mattison
WR: Allen Robinson
TE: –
Another terrific matchup is a moot point for Sam Darnold, who has completed 56.3% of his passes for 5.6 yards per attempt and eight total turnovers over his last four games. Currently bereft of the surrounding talent necessary to provide a ceiling in any game, Darnold can be dropped for the prioritized streaming options listed below…Mike Davis’ share of backfield touches has progressively decreased in every game, peaking in out-touching Cordarrelle Patterson 18-9 (66.6%) in Week 1 and bottoming out this past week with a season-low four touches (19%) against the Dolphins. I prefer Kenneth Gainwell over Davis for the rest of the season…Reminder Dalvin Cook returned at full strength before the bye, out-touching Alexander Mattison 31-3 despite the latter’s 153-yard performance in the interim the week prior. Strictly a contingency option for as long as Cook is healthy, Mattison, a league-winning stash in 10-team leagues, may not be able to stay rostered on shallower benches while patching for injuries…Even with 18 of the Top 50 receivers in fantasy points per game either injured or on bye in Week 7, Allen Robinson finished as the overall WR69 with a season-low 12.5% target share on Justin Fields’ season-high 32 passes. Assuming Kenny Golladay (knee), Kadarius Toney (foot), and Sterling Shepard (hamstring) remain out, Darius Slayton (see below) is an outright better play than Robinson in Week 8.
Overall Top 5
1. Kenneth Gainwell
2. Samaje Perine
3. Darius Slayton
4. Allen Lazard
5. Boston Scott
High-Stakes Top 5
1. Darius Slayton
2. Boston Scott
3. Brandon Bolden
4. Salvon Ahmed
5. Michael Gallup
For those looking to roster the best available player(s) regardless of position, the rankings above take into account every factor from the positional lists minus players’ actual positions for both recreational and high-stakes (FFPC, NFFC, etc.) formats, the latter which have far fewer viable players available with every passing week. These are listed in the precise order I would prioritize waiver claims in those leagues ahead of Week 6. Adjust accordingly for what you need on your roster — touches, high-upside bench stashes, targets, one-week spot-starters, etc.
Contingency Top 10
1. Alexander Mattison
2. Sony Michel
3. Samaje Perine
4. Ronald Jones
5. Jermar Jefferson
6. Carlos Hyde
7. Ty’Son Williams
8. Trey Sermon
9. Peyton Barber
10. Anthony McFarland
For those looking to stash the best available backup(s) with minimum standalone value, the rankings above were designed to help prioritize direct backups in the event a player in front of them were absent. These are listed in the precise order I would stash them ahead of Week 6. Presumed targets, touches, environment, remaining schedule, etc. are included in the process.
Quarterbacks
1. Trevor Lawrence
2. Tua Tagovailoa
3. Daniel Jones
4. Carson Wentz
Running Backs
Myles Gaskin rostered in 79 percent of Yahoo leagues. No. 1 RB add if available.
Khalil Herbert rostered in 59 percent of Yahoo leagues. No. 2 RB add if available.
J.D. McKissic rostered in 62 percent of Yahoo leagues. No. 3 RB add if available.
1. Kenneth Gainwell
2. Samaje Perine
3. Boston Scott
4. Brandon Bolden
5. Salvon Ahmed
Wide Receivers
Cole Beasley rostered in 56 percent of Yahoo leagues. No. 1 WR add if available.
1. Darius Slayton
2. Allen Lazard
3. T.Y. Hilton
4. Dante Pettis
5. Michael Gallup
6. Kalif Raymond
7. Jamal Agnew
Tight Ends
1. Evan Engram
2. Pat Freiermuth
3. Dan Arnold
4. C.J. Uzomah
5. Mo Alie-Cox
Defense/Special Teams
1. Cincinnati Bengals
2. Atlanta Falcons
3. New York Giants
Kickers
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