Welcome to my fantasy waiver wire breakdown ahead of Week 8.
This breakdown is not a “one size fits all” kind of thing. Every league is different, and I don’t know the situation you’re in. I can’t tell you how much you should bid on any given player.
If you’re in first place and stacked at running back, you don’t need to spend big on a player who might only be relevant for a few games. If you're toward the bottom of the standings and fighting for your life, go get him!
The point of this breakdown and my analysis is to give you the tools to make the best decision possible. I’ll provide as much detail as I can and encourage everyone to subscribe to my weekly rankings and check those on Wednesday night.
RB Darrell Henderson
At this time last week, it was anyone's guess about how the Rams backfield was going to shake out with Kyren Williams and backup Ronnie Rivers hurt.
The Rams naturally turned to former lead RB Darrell Henderson, who handled the majority of early-down and passing-down work en route to a fairly productive 18/61/1 rushing line and 1/5/0 receiving line.
Royce Freeman mixed in enough to label this as more of a 50/50 committee but considering Henderson was likely eased back into action after being away from the team for so long, we could see his workload increase going forward.
Sean McVay is one of the more unpredictable coaches when it comes to how he will handle his RB situation week-to-week. Henderson likely won’t see a full workload like Williams did, but we can treat him as an RB3/Flex option for Week 8 in a tougher matchup against the Cowboys. If his usage increases this week, he could push RB2 value in Week 9 against the Packers.
The Rams are then on bye in Week 10, though, and have a tough matchup against the Seahawks in Week 11. Williams could then potentially return in Week 12. So, you might get an RB3, RB2, BYE, RB3 out of Henderson before he turns into a high-upside backup stash option for your bench.
RB Pierre Strong
Jerome Ford’s ankle injury could cost him 1-2 games, but it’s still too early to tell.
Kareem Hunt would be the priority add considering he would be expected to be the lead back if Ford misses any time. Hunt was dealing with a thigh injury, and there was a chance he was going to miss Week 7. His snaps were probably limited, even after Ford left the game as a result.
That injury likely led to Pierre Strong seeing more snaps than he would typically have seen if Hunt was 100%.
Strong is worth a flier in deeper leagues in case Ford’s injury ends up missing two or more games, and there's a chance Hunt still isn't 100% over his thigh injury. That could lead to Strong commanding a bigger workload given how efficient he has been with the Browns.
Think of Strong as a flier with short-term upside rather than some must add. Cleveland has a tough matchup this week against the Seahawks' No. 1-ranked run defense, per DVOA. However, a Week 9 matchup against the Cardinals could find both Hunt and Strong in the RB3/Flex mix (or better).
WR Josh Downs
I highlighted in my Tiers last week that Gardner Minshew taking over as the Colts starting QB would boost the value of both Michael Pittman and Josh Downs given the added pass volume. Sure enough, Downs erupted for a 5/125/1 receiving line against arguably the best defense in the NFL heading into Week 7.
Downs opens Week 8 as my WR40. If you're in the market for a talented rookie who is a WR4/Flex option with upside for more moving forward, Downs is your guy. He’s going to be a bit more valuable in PPR formats and should be more of a high-floor type of player going forward.
TE Taysom Hill
Taysom Hill has been playing a much more traditional pass-catching TE role over the past two weeks, posting receiving lines of 7/49/0 and 4/50/0. He also chipped in 18 yards and a TD on the ground last week.
Hill is the most versatile TE in the league and offers multiple different paths to TE1 value every week. He’s going to have a much lower floor than most TEs in the TE1/2 range, but it’s not like many TEs are consistently producing every week in that range either.
I have long advocated for Hill as a potential TE streamer because of his potential weekly ceiling. He’s better suited for managers who are the underdog in an upcoming matchup.
It’ll be interesting to see when Juwan Johnson returns, which could be as soon as this week, if Taysom maintains as large of a role in the passing game. There's a chance he won’t, which is why I would be careful with him if/when Johnson returns (until we see how their usage shakes out).
