Another crazy week in the books sees us down to one undefeated NFL team, the Kansas City Referees Chiefs. I am not one who thinks the league is fixed but watching Nick Bosa get held throughout the game with no calls seems a little suspect when adding that to other Chiefs conspiracy theories from the past. I digress. We welcome back both the Cowboys and Bears for Week 8. Let’s be honest, did anyone really miss either team in Week 7? I know I certainly did not. It is always nice when those two fanbases take a week off. The quiet is refreshing.
What now? Well, we look to continue to build rosters to withstand both injuries (Chris Godwin, Brandon Aiyuk, DK Metcalf, Jonathan Taylor, and Browns QBs) and bye weeks. Week 8, with no byes, is the time to prep for the dog days of the season while looking ahead to those bye weeks headed our way. Remember, you simply cannot afford to take any zeros at this point in the season where you have control (no, not looking at you Deebo).
An additional, small consideration for you, the reader, as you move through my weekly columns is to understand that a waiver article is not a mandate from me to add/drop players each week. Sometimes the best move is the one you do not make. I fully understand that waivers and trades are top of the fun list in fantasy football but remember winning trumps all other fun things in fantasy football. Take the following names as options, considerations for your squad versus must-add players. Only add players when it makes sense for you and your team(s).
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WAIVERS:
ADD OF THE WEEK = Our guy Jameis Winston – 1% rostered is back and I could not be happier. Unless your league penalizes minus ten points per interception, it is time to have fun with your roster and fire up Winston. Entering Week 7 as the emergency QB, Winston was just chilling on the sidelines, and then BOOM, Watson down (probably season ending Achilles) followed by DTR departing (finger). In steps our hero (someone please play Foo Fighters here!).
QB: Russell Wilson – 7% rostered cooked the Jets on SNF! After a rough start to the game, one I thought might see him benched to start the second half, Wilson turned a corner and looked serviceable against a beat up and battered Jets secondary. Wilson made George Pickens a thing again, and I am here for it. What Justin Fields showed as a rusher, he lacked as a passer. It appears as if the Steelers prefer the passing QB over the running one, so let’s consider Wilson especially in SuperFlex formats.
Drake Maye – 16% rostered: Maye is making the case to you. Are you even watching, bro? He has quietly put together two solid fantasy starts, averaging 23 fantasy points over the past two weeks. I think that is enough to garner some attention for the rookie. Maye is an absolute consideration in SuperFlex leagues and probably below a fringe, non-bye week in single QB leagues.
Honorable Mention/Cheaper Options:
Andy Dalton – 11% rostered (rough Week 7, but still the starter)
Bo Nix – 13% rostered (doing just enough that we need to keep an eye on him)
Mason Rudolph – 1% rostered (game manager with Will Levis szn possibly over)
RB: Tyrone Tracy – 57% rostered is better than Devin Singletary and we all know it…does Brian Daboll know it, and will he admit it?
Honorable Mention/Cheaper Options:
Ray Davis – 16% rostered (ever so slightly eating into Cooks playing time and touches)
D’Ernest Johnson – 7% rostered (appears to have stand-alone value until ETN returns)
Sean Tucker – 1% rostered (came back to earth Monday night; still involved, but nothing like Week 6.
JaMycal Hasty – 0% rostered (NE RBs are a mess; maybe he is the hot hand/best option?)
WR: Let’s see what Jameis Winston can do for the sophomore WR out of Tennessee. Cedric Tillman – 0% rostered probably has the best opportunity of the waiver wire WRs to make a difference for your fantasy squad. After the Browns dealt Amari Cooper to the Bills, speculation was rampant about who would see the targets in Cleveland, with most ‘experts’ landing on Jerry Jeudy. Well, folks, Cedric Tillman just saw 12 targets, hauling in eight of those for 81 yards while adding a 2-point conversion. We will not know if these numbers will continue until we see at least one more week of real game action. I like Tillman with Winston more than I do with DTR.
WR: Rashod Bateman – 18% rostered. I have never been a big fan of Bateman, but I will not deny the double-digit outputs are nice PLUS he just turned in a huge MNF game with 26 PPR points.
Honorable Mention/Cheaper Options:
Romeo Doubs – 44% rostered (back-to-back 17+ point PPR games; Love loves/trusts him)
Dontayvion Wicks – 27% rostered (came back sooner than expected; guessing the Packers WR of the week is harder than winning in Vegas)
Mecole Hardman – 0% rostered (WR of the week for KC or is this foreshadowing of what is to come from the Super Bowl hero; made the most of three touches)
Gabe Davis – 17% rostered (the real Gabe Davis showed up in Week 7; hard pass for me)
Bub Means – 9% rostered (was not terrible on short week; should be better when Carr returns)
Jalen McMillan/Sterling Shepard – both under 3% rostered (will get more looks with Chris Godwin possibly done for the season (ankle) and Mike Evans to probably miss time (hamstring))
Jauan Jennings/Ricky Pearsall – 31%/14% rostered – (someone will need to step up for Brandon Aiyuk who appears done for the year (leg); I lean Jennings who missed Week 7, and should be back for Week 8)
TE: This position is still anyone’s guess. I am OK adding names like Zach Ertz (solid floor; TD in Week 7), Noah Fant (solid floor; 10 PPR points in Week 7), Hunter Henry (Maye > Brissett), Cade Otton (Baker > everyone), and Ja’Tavion Sanders (appears to be taking TE1 role for CAR) – all under 30% rostered.
Remember, you do NOT have to make a move each week. You do not have to force trades. If you look at your roster and a hole does not immediately jump out to you, then maybe your team is good to go for Week 8. If you see a hole (injury, bye, underperformance), then start looking at options to make your team better.
Follow me @stiles08 on X and send questions comments at the bottom of this article. Make sure you jump around the Razzball site for all your fantasy football needs. We have a ton of free content to include our Slot Versus Wide tool, our Win Versus Loss tool, and many more.
-Stiles-
