Week 8 of the NFL season was both confusing and frustrating.
A Matt Nagy-less Justin Fields finally popped off for fantasy — on most managers' benches. Rob Gronkowski returned from a rib injury, only to be knocked out of the game with back spasms. Calvin Ridley, Jamaal Williams and Dak Prescott were late scratches. James Robinson, Derrick Henry and Jameis Winston all suffered injuries. And Mike White might be the Jets' best quarterback.
We have four teams on bye in Week 9, meaning managers will need to find replacements for the following players:
- Bucs: Tom Brady, Chris Godwin, Mike Evans, Antonio Brown, Leonard Fournette, Rob Gronkowski
- Lions: T.J. Hockenson, D'Andre Swift
- Seahawks: Tyler Lockett, D.K. Metcalf
- WFT: Antonio Gibson, Terry McLaurin
Managers will also need long-term replacements for Henry and Winston, who will be out for at least the remainder of the fantasy season.
Whether you need an injury replacement, bye week fill-in or a Week 9 streamer, make sure to check out The Action Network's top targets at each position — all of which are available in at least 50% of Yahoo! leagues — that you should prioritize come Tuesday night.
Note: Yahoo! roster percentages are reflected in parenthesis and as of Monday.
Fantasy Waiver Wire Pickups
Fantasy Waiver QBs to Target
Taysom Hill, Saints (2% rostered)
Hill was inactive for the Week 8 matchup against the Buccaneers while in the concussion protocol, which actually forced the Saints to turn to Trevor Siemian after Jameis Winston suffered his season-ending ACL/MCL injury. Now, Hill will likely be named the Week 9 starter.
This is a plush matchup against Atlanta's highly exploitable defense, though Hill could be much more than a one-week fill-in. His rushing and versatility offer significant upside as a fantasy asset.
Priority: Highest.
Mike White, Jets (2%)
Who is the Jets' best quarterback and why is it Mike White?
In all seriousness, White looked phenomenal in his first NFL start and completed 37-of-45 attempts for 405 yards, three touchdowns and two interceptions in the Jets' upset win over the Bengals. He scored 28 fantasy points in the contest — nine more points than Zach Wilson has tallied in any week all season.
Wilson remains "the guy" moving forward, but he will be sidelined for at least another two weeks. That means White is absolutely worth rostering in two-quarterback and superflex formats.
The Jets face the Colts this week, whose secondary does not inspire much fear.
Priority: Medium to high in two-quarterback/superflex formats.
Tua Tagovailoa, Dolphins (35%)
Tagovailoa struggled, as predicted, against the NFL's top pass defense in Buffalo. He completed 21-of-39 attempts for 205 yards, one touchdown and one interception, finishing as the QB13 with one game left to be played.
He has a much easier matchup this week against the Texans, who are allowing the ninth-most fantasy points to quarterbacks this year, and will be in the streaming conversation with four teams on bye.
Priority: Medium if streaming quarterbacks.
Jimmy Garoppolo, 49ers (11%)
Garoppolo stumbled in his Week 7 return, throwing for 181 yards, one touchdown and two interceptions. He bounced back in a tough matchup against the Bears, completing 17-of-28 attempts for 322 yards, tacking on five rushes for four yards and two touchdowns.
The 49ers have a tough two-week stretch against the Cardinals and Rams, which puts Garoppolo squarely in QB2 territory.
Priority: Medium in two-quarterback/superflex formats.
Fantasy Waiver RBs to Target
Adrian Peterson and Jeremy McNichols, Titans (4%, 8% rostered)
News of Derrick Henry's potentially season-ending injury sent shockwaves throughout the fantasy community. Henry has suffered a Jones fracture in his foot and will likely miss eight weeks, or the remainder of the fantasy season. It's a shame for many reasons, one of which is that we won't get to see Tractorcito season this year.
The Titans worked out Peterson, who promptly signed onto the practice squad and is expected to be added to the active roster.
In theory, Peterson would be an immediate volume play, though head coach Mike Vrabel did indicate the team will likely turn to a committee situation, which gives me Ravens-esque vibes.
Peterson is the preferred add over McNichols, who has been backing up Henry, but has seen just eight rushing attempts all year. McNichols is a deep-league PPR add only.
Priority for Peterson: Medium to high if needy at RB
Priority for McNichols: Low in PPR formats
Carlos Hyde and Devine Ozigbo, Jaguars (7%, <1%)
James Robinson exited the Jaguars' Week 8 matchup against the Seahawks early with a foot injury. It was reported that he escaped a major injury and is considered day-to-day, which is good news for fantasy managers.
That said, there is still a looming possibility he misses at least one week.
Hyde picked up some work with Robinson sidelined and rushed nine times for 32 yards and caught 6-of-8 targets for 40 yards. He will be the preferred add over Ozigbo, who was just claimed off waivers this week.
Priority for Hyde: Medium
Priority for Ozigbo: Low
Boston Scott and Jordan Howard, Eagles (20%, 2%)
Please redirect your Kenny Gainwell-related anger at Nick Sirianni.
I deeply apologize for suggesting Gainwell would be the heir apparent with Miles Sanders ruled out for Week 8. Gainwell, Scott and Howard ended the game with nearly the same amount of touches, though almost all of Gainwell's work came very late in the game — well after it had gotten out of hand. He ended with 13 carries for 27 yards and just three fantasy points, while Scott and Howard each found the end zone two times.
I would rather avoid this backfield altogether, though we have seen Scott become a usable fantasy asset in a pinch. He is the preferred add over Howard.
Priority for Scott: Medium
Priority for Howard: Low if needy at RB
Latavius Murray and Devonta Freeman (40%, 22%)
Murray missed the Ravens' Week 7 matchup against the Bengals and will be well-rested coming off of the Week 8 bye, as will Freeman. Both are worth adding in deeper formats, though it'll be a weekly headache figuring out which of the Ravens' running backs finds the end zone each week between Murray, Freeman, Le'Veon Bell and Ty'Son Williams. Murray is the preferred add of the quartet, though there is no guaranteed volume.
Priority for Murray: Medium
Priority for Freeman: Low if needy at RB in deeper leagues
Jermar Jefferson, Lions (<1%)
Jefferson made his rookie debut in Week 8 with Jamaal Williams being a late scratch. Jefferson tallied two carries for six yards and a touchdown and caught 4-of-4 targets for 23 yards.
D'Andre Swift is the unchallenged alpha in this backfield, but Jefferson is definitely worth a look if Williams misses any more time.
Priority: Low to medium; higher in dynasty/keeper formats.
Mark Ingram II, Saints (37%)
Ingram was immediately utilized after being dealt to the Saints. He saw six carries for 27 yards and caught two passes for 25 yards in a tough matchup against the Bucs' run defense.
I could definitely see the Saints leaning more on the run game with Winston out for the year, especially given Ingram's preexisting familiarity with New Orleans' system. The team faces off against Atlanta in another NFC South showdown this week, which is a plus matchup for Ingram, who could also be a valuable insurance policy for Alvin Kamara.
Priority: Low to medium.
Ty Johnson, Jets (5%)
It was the Michael Carter show in Week 8 as Carter (68% rostered) tallied 15 carries for 77 yards and a touchdown and caught 9-of-14 targets for 95 yards. Johnson was also mixed in and saw four carries for 15 yards and caught 5-of-6 targets for 71 yards and a touchdown.
It appears backup quarterback Mike White likes to target his running backs, which is good news for both Johnson and Carter for the next two weeks. The Jets do face the Colts' and Bills' stout run defenses in Weeks 9 and 10, but I anticipate both will be involved in the short yardage passing game.
Priority: Low.
Fantasy Waiver WRs to Target
Rashod Bateman, Ravens (31% rostered)
Bateman missed the first five games of the season with a groin injury. He returned in Week 6 and saw a healthy six targets in each of the two games he played. He'll be well-rested coming off of the Ravens' bye to face the Vikings, who are middle-of-the-road against fantasy wideouts.
Bateman provides exposure to the Ravens' high-scoring offense and is worth adding in most formats.
Priority: Medium to high; higher in dynasty/keeper formats.
DeVante Parker, Dolphins (35%)
Parker saw a season-high 11 targets in the Dolphins' Week 8 loss to the Bills. He made eight catches for 85 yards and led the team in receiving; Mike Gesicki and Jaylen Waddle were mostly non-factors.
Parker should be a viable flex play rest-of-season with upside, especially against Houston's exploitable pass defense this week.
Priority: Medium to high.
Jamison Crowder and Elijah Moore, Jets (19%, 16%)
There were a lot of surprises in the Jets' second win of the season, aside from the obvious upset over the Bengals.
Michael Carter saw a whopping 26 touches for 172 all-purpose yards and a touchdown and Mike White actually looked good — potentially even an upgrade from Zach Wilson for the passing game. Both Crowder and Moore were solid in the contest with Crowder reeling in 8-of-9 targets for 84 yards and Moore catching 6-of-6 targets for 67 yards. Both could be worth adding in deeper formats as dart throws, especially with White under center.
The Jets face the Colts this Thursday, which should be a plus matchup for the receivers.
Priority: Low to medium; higher for Moore in dynasty/keeper formats.
Bryan Edwards, Raiders (13%)
Edwards found the end zone for the first time this season (and second time in his career) in Week 7 vs. the Eagles.
He'll be well-rested coming off the team's bye to face the Giants on the road, who are average against fantasy wide receivers and have allowed the ninth-most overall points this year. With the highest over/under of Week 9 (check real-time NFL odds here), this should be a shootout. The Raiders face the Chiefs in Week 10, which also has shootout potential.
Priority: Low to medium.
Van Jefferson Jr., Rams (9%)
Jefferson was the team's third-most targeted receiver in Sunday's win over the Texans. The Year 2 wideout caught 3-of-6 targets for 88 yards and could vie for the Rams' No. 2 receiver spot week-to-week behind Cooper Kupp.
The Rams face the Titans this week, whose pass defense ranks at the very bottom of the NFL. Jefferson could be a deep league dart throw in a plus matchup.
Priority: Low; higher in dynasty/keeper formats.
Jamal Agnew, Jaguars (2%)
Agnew nearly doubled his previous season-high for targets this week and caught 6-of-12 passes for 38 yards and a touchdown against the Seahawks. He led the team in targets, but trailed both Dan Arnold and Carlos Hyde in yards.
Agnew has been surprising good over the past three games, though that could come to a halt against Buffalo's scary pass defense. He's worth adding in deep leagues in a week very lean for waivers.
Priority: Low in deep leagues.
Fantasy Waiver TEs to Target
Pat Freiermuth, Steelers (10% rostered)
Freiermuth found the end zone for the second time this season and tallied four catches on seven targets for 44 yards. It's worth noting that Eric Ebron was inactive for this game, which could have impacted Freiermuth's usage, though the rookie did see seven targets in the Steelers' last game versus the Seahawks.
He has the build, athleticism and pedigree to be a star tight end in this league, especially if Ben Roethlisberger can hold up for the rest of the season (which admittedly is a big "if").
Consider Freiermuth a high-end TE2 moving forward.
Priority: Medium.
Tyler Conklin, Vikings (25%)
Conklin saw the second-most targets behind Adam Thielen in the Vikings' nail-biter against the Cowboys. Conklin caught 5-of-7 targets for 57 yards but hasn't found the end zone since Week 3. That said, tight ends getting that much volume are few and far between.
Conklin is a serviceable TE2, especially with the team's bye out of the way and a fairly positive schedule coming up: The Vikings face the Ravens, Chargers, Packers, 49ers and Lions over the next five weeks, none of whom inspire much fear.
Priority: Medium.
Dan Arnold, Jaguars (5%)
Arnold saw a team-high and season-high 10 targets in the Jaguars' positive Week 8 matchup against the Seahawks. He reeled in 8-of-10 passes for 68 yards for a season-best TE5 finish with one game left to play.
Unfortunately, the Jaguars face the Bills this upcoming week, whose defense ranks near the top in almost every category and this Jaguars offense is extremely unpredictable. He's a desperation play, at best.
Priority: Low.
