Nick Mimi @nmimi
Waiver Wire Week 8
Coming off a crazy and wild week 7, the playoff push is well underway all over. We saw Kenyon Drake and Chris Carson injuries which now boost their backups to the top of the wire. Some alumni on this article are absolutely crushing it. Justin Herbert tops that list with Tee Higgins shortly behind. I also had Tua Tagovailoa a few weeks prior to him getting the starting nod.
This could be the make or break week for teams to make a playoff push. Don’t be left behind! It’s time to use that FAAB and that high waiver claim. A big bit of advice. Check on your sites the free agents who are most rostered. I just discovered DeVante Parker was dropped in a home league. I was able to snag D’Andre Swift as well using this tactic. Be smart and always check your feed for these sort of drops. If you can do an IR stash on a FA, do it!
RUNNING BACK Chase Edmonds / Cardinals / 63% rostered
Likely he may be already rostered. If he is not, this 100% has to be the top waiver add. Before the Drake injury, Edmonds was cruising along making his own stand alone flex value. Now he becomes a true RB1 while Drake is injured, and early reports are he will hit IR. This past Sunday alone, Edmonds crushed it for 5 carries for 58 yards to go along with 7 catches for 87 yards. The Cardinals are on a bye this week, but that shouldn’t deter you from making a claim for Edmonds, but it might save you a few FAAB dollars. Safe to go more than 50% of remaining budget.
Carlos Hyde / Seahawks / 12% rostered
Chris Carson is a tough football player, but this mild foot sprain has him week-to-week. Hyde filled in and had 15 carries for 68 yards and a touchdown to go with 3 catches for 8 yards. This is a high powered offense and I want anyone involved in that high powered offense. Hyde, outside of Edmonds, should be the 1st or 2nd waiver claim this week. Keep an eye on hamstring tightness as Pete Carroll stated. 50% of budget
JaMycal Hasty / 49ers / 21% rostered
Raheem Mostert is on IR and now Jeff Wilson who dominated on Sunday will also likely hit IR. Hasty did most of his damage in the 2nd half, but produced with 9 carries for 57 yards and 1 catch for 16 yards. As of now Hasty seems to be the top option even with Tevin Coleman coming back next week. If you need a short term solution at RB, Hasty is your pick. 35% of budget
La’Mical Perine / Jets / 16% rostered
J-E-T-S JETS JETS JETS!! Adam Gase is still around but gave up his play calling duties, finally. As a result, La’Mical Perine was able to show some flashes. He had 11 carries for 39 yards and a touchdown to go with 2 catches for 16 yards. The Jets had Mekhi Becton back on Sunday and he was fantastic which will open up some room to run on the left. With the Jets are tanking for Trevor, logic says Frank Gore should see less carries so the rookie can showcase his ability. Then again, it’s the Jets. 15% of budget
Eno Benjamin / Cardinals / 0% rostered
Chase Edmonds produced fantastic fantasy value as the leagues top backup. Now with Edmonds filling the lead role, Eno Benjamin steps in as the main backup. The 7th round rookie out of Arizona State could produce sneaky value if called upon. I don’t suggest him in 10 or even 12 man leagues, but depending on the game flow, we should see the rookie take some action after the Cardinals bye. He is a good dynasty flier, and could be a 5-8 ppr poiny bye week filler. 5-10% of budget
WIDE RECEIVER
Rashard Higgins / Browns / 1% rostered
OBJ is done for the year. Insert Rahard Higgins. Higgins took the opportunity and ran with it. He had 6 catches for 110 yards. With OBJ now done, Higgins becomes a must add for teams in need of WR help. The Browns offense will get Austin Hooper back soon, but Higgins should continue to build on Sundays performance with the red hot Browns. 20% of budget
Donovan Peoples-Jones / Browns / 0% rostered
With OBJ done for the year, DPJ stepped in and produced big time numbers. He is set to be the WR3 in Cleveland now and brings some value. He had 3 catches for 56 yards and a touchdown. The 6th round rookie has a chance to make an impact, and is a nice flier in 12 or more league teams for pure upside. 15% of budget
Cole Beasley / Bills / 41% rostered
Beasley absolutely dominated against the Jets weak defense. He had 11 catches on 12 targets for 112 yards. All he does is show up week after week and produce ppr points. With a matchup against the Patriots coming and Diggs likely being shadowed by Gilmore, Beasley should dominate again. The Bills game schedule is now back to normal after being affected the last 2 weeks, so after beating the Jets, the Bills look to get a hot streak once again. 15% of budget
Tim Patrick / Broncos / 26% rostered
Be aware he is battling a hamstring injury, but has a shot to play next week. Tim Patrick has been getting better every week but slowed this past week. He only had 3 catches for 44 yards prior to leaving in the 4th quarter of Sundays game. If healthy, I am confident in Patrick’s WR3/Flex status. 15% of budget
Denzel Mims / Jets / 4% rostered
The Jets 2nd round pick made his debut this Sunday against Buffalo. The first half he brought in 4 catches for 42 yards on 7 targets. Sam Darnold missed Mims wide open at one point for a walk in touchdown. This stat line could have been much greater if this happened. The 2nd half game plan for the Jets fell apart, but Mims looked good in his debut. 10% of budget
Allen Lazard / Packers / 31% rostered
There is a good chance he was dropped. If your league allows IR stashes, this is a no brainer. If
you have the space, he should be back in a few weeks ideally. Stash and hold if possible. Sneaky 5% of budget
QUARTERBACK
Tua Tagovailoa / Dolphins / 29% rostered
This is it! This is your last chance to grab Tua. After seeing Joe Burrow and Justin Herbert succeed, all eyes are on Tua to continue that trend. With DeVante Parker, Mike Gesicki, Preston Williams, and Myles Gaskin surrounding him, I expect Tua to take off. He's proably gone in your superflex leagues, but worth a stash in one QB leagues if you've been streaming.
Baker Mayfield / Browns / 33% rostered
Baker started off awful but recovered with 21 consecutive completions. He lost OBJ for the year but Baker looked good on Sunday completing 22 of 28 passes for 297 yards and 5!!! Touchdowns with a INT. Baker is becoming a borderline QB1 and a must start in all super flex.
TIGHT END
Harrison Bryant / Browns / 1% rostered
Bryant has been getting a consistent 40% snap share week after week and the development is there. This week with Hooper and Beckham out, he was the TE1 on the week as his snap count rose to 77% and he converted the opportunity into 2 TD. The position is kind of murky this year, and you can insert Bryant in to the list of streaming options. If somehow your dynasty league he is unowned, push in hard...he will be a TE 1 annually once Hooper is off the team.
Trey Burton / Colts / 21% rostered
Coming off of a 2 touchdown game, Burton looks to establish himself as an every week TE1/TE2. If you’re in need of a TE, Burton has been showing he may be able to fill that role.
Dallas Goedert / Eagles / 47% rostered
Grab him now if you can. When Goedert comes back he may be filling in as an immediate TE1 with Ertz seemingly out for a while. He is looking to come back week 10, so this is a nice case of stash and place in IR if possible. Ertz won't be back with the Eagles next year, so he is an amazing buy low in your dynasty leagues
Mike Gesicki/Dolphins/ 65% rostered
He may be on your wire coming out of the bye. Your league mates don't realize that he is really a slot receiver with a TE designation, and Tua absolutely fed his slot receiver, Jerry Jeudy back at Alabama. Gesicki has been running many scout team reps in practice this year, a brilliant move by coach Brian Flores to get the two on a full-speed rhythm together. He's been quite inconsistent, but the chance for that to change is pretty great here.
STREAMING DEFENSES
Chiefs
This weeks winner in “we play the Jets” are the KC Chiefs. They crushed the Broncos with a pick 6 and a kickoff for a TD.
Eagles
Dallas may be without Dalton and they may be worse next week (if that’s possible). Play the Eagles with confidence.
Packers
They play the Vikings who are struggling for a win. If you strike out on the top defensive options, GB is a nice fall back.
Bills
Patriots look awful. I can’t believe I am typing this. Buffalo held the Jets in check (not shocking), but look to continue this against the Patriots who benched Cam Newton on Sunday