Week 7 featured some awesome matchups and statement wins. The Lions knocked off the Vikings in an important NFC North matchup, but the Packers kept pace with a huge win of their own over the Texans. In the late games, the Commanders cruised past Carolina despite a Jayden Daniels (ribs) injury, and the Chiefs beat the 49ers again in a Super Bowl rematch.
In each of the last few weeks, many fantasy matchups were decided by big-name players leaving early due to injury or illness and not returning. Whether those injuries helped or hurt you this week, they could open up potential opportunities for other players going forward. Stay active on the waiver wire to fine-tune your team heading down the stretch.
Looking ahead to Week 8, the Bears and Cowboys will be back from their bye, and no other teams are on bye weeks. With all 32 teams in action, there are 13 games on Sunday afternoon in a jam-packed schedule.
Week 7 brought a whole slew of new injuries, and here are some of the players who left early with new injuries to monitor:
New Week 7 Injuries to watch:
- QB Jayden Daniels, Washington Commanders
- QB Deshaun Watson, Cleveland Browns
- QB Aidan O’Connell, Las Vegas Raiders
- QB Tyler Huntley, Miami Dolphins
- RB David Montgomery, Detroit Lions
- WR Deebo Samuel, San Francisco 49ers
- WR Brandon Aiyuk, San Francisco 49ers
- WR DK Metcalf, Seattle Seahawks
- WR JuJu Smith-Schuster, Kansas City Chiefs
- WR Demario Douglas, New England Patriots
- WR Ja’Lynn Polk, New England Patriots
- WR Curtis Samuel, Buffalo Bills
With those injuries in mind, here are some of my top names to watch for on waiver wire Week 8:
WR Cedric Tillman, Cleveland Browns
The Browns’ offense had a rough week. They traded Amari Cooper ($5,800; 16.6 FPTS) to the Bills and lost Deshaun Watson ($4,900; 5.12 FPTS) to a serious injury that is expected to be season-ending.
Out of the ashes, though, Cedric Tillman ($3,000; 18.1 FPTS) looks ready to rise. Tillman worked with Watson, Dorian Thompson-Robinson ($4,000; 5.68 FPTS) and Jameis Winston ($4,900; 8.68 FPTS) and finished second on the team with 12 targets. He hauled in eight catches for 81 yards, a two-point conversion and 18.1 fantasy points.
Tillman led the team in receiving yards and will likely take over as the team’s top down-field threat. Jerry Jeudy ($4,800; 2.8 FPTS) was not very involved at all and has been a huge disappointment since coming to Cleveland via trade. Tillman is almost universally unrostered but should be involved in the new-look offense.
There are a lot of young receivers with the chance to step up in the next few weeks. With Brandon Aiyuk’s injury, Ricky Pearsall ($3,400; 5.1 FPTS) could quickly become a hot commodity on the waiver wire. My colleague, Dan Johnson told you to stash Pearsall on Saturday, so maybe you got ahead of the rush, but if not, there’s plenty of room on the Pearsall bandwagon. Troy Franklin ($3,100; 10 FPTS) of the Broncos is also worth a deep-league look and my sleeper stash Jalen Coker ($3,000; 2 FPTS) is still someone I have my eye on long-term
Some other names to look for on the waiver wire this week include Romeo Doubs ($5,500; 17.4 FPTS) of the Packers, Kalif Raymond ($3,300; 12.9 FPTS) of the Lions and Cedrick Wilson Jr. ($4,100; 17.7 FPTS) of the Saints.
RB Kendre Miller, New Orleans Saints
The Saints did not look good on Thursday night in their loss to the Broncos, but one bright spot was that Kendre Miller ($4,500; 5.7 FPTS) was able to return from the IR. After the game, coach Dennis Allen said “I thought he played well… When we handed him the ball, I thought he did some good things… I was impressed with what I saw out of Kendre. I think that’s a guy that can help.”
Miller missed nearly all of training camp and the first six weeks of the season with a hamstring strain. He played 20 snaps (29%) against the Broncos but could be in for an expanded role as he gets ramped back to full strength. He took six carries for 36 yards and caught two passes for one yard. Miller just missed on a potential big play over the middle when he couldn’t quite haul in a pass from Spencer Rattler ($5,200; 8.28 FPTS).
In the next two weeks, Miller and the Saints are on the road taking on the Chargers and Panthers. He’s a great option to stash to see his role even if you don’t feel comfortable starting him right away.
Other emerging options to consider in the backfield this week are Ray Davis ($5,200; 11.7 FPTS) of the Bills, who stayed involved even with James Cook ($7,000; 9.2 FPTS) back from injury. In London, JaMycal Hasty ($4,000; 15.7 FPTS) had a big game for the Patriots and seemed a big part of their passing offense.
QB Bo Nix, Denver Broncos
On the other side of that Thursday Night Football game, Bo Nix ($5,400; 14.06 FPTS) led his Broncos to their fourth win in the last five games. He only completed 16-of-26 passes for 164 passing yards, but he added an impressive 75 rushing yards on 10 attempts. He wasn’t part of any of Denver’s touchdowns but he still finished just outside the top 10 in fantasy QBs.
Nix is owned in under 20% of leagues but has shown plenty of upside due to his dual-threat ability. He ran for 61 yards against the Chargers in Week 6 and threw for two touchdowns on his way to 26.9 fantasy points. He has over 20 fantasy points in three of his last five weeks and over 25 fantasy points in two of those contests.
With that much upside, he’s definitely worth a look for the next two weeks. Next week, he and the Broncos host the struggling Panthers, and then they travel to Baltimore to face the Ravens, who have allowed the second-most fantasy points to opposing QBs coming into this week.
If you need an option looking further down the road, Drake Maye ($5,300; 20.84 FPTS) continues to look solid, but plays against the Jets next week, so Nix is a better short-term rookie add, even though Maye has good upside the rest of the season as well. It’s also worth keeping an eye on what the Steelers do at QB with Russell Wilson and Justin Fields possible options in a favorable matchups against the Giants in Week 8.
TE Jonnu Smith, Miami Dolphins
I highlighted Jonnu Smith ($3,400; 22.6 FPTS) as a strong pickup and stash option for Week 6 as he was headed into his bye week. He had another huge week coming off the bye in Week 7, hauling in all seven passes thrown his way for 96 yards, a touchdown and 22.6 fantasy points. He posted the second-highest total of all tight ends in Week 7 behind only David Njoku ($4,100; 23.6 FPTS).
Before the bye week, he had five catches for 62 yards against the Patriots, but he’s still owned in under 5% of leagues. Part of the hesitancy may have been that the Dolphins’ passing offense has been a little scary under Tyler Huntley ($5,100; 9.48 FPTS). With Tua Tagovailoa (concussion) returning soon, Smith has an even higher ceiling, although he remains “boom-or-bust” since the offense is still changing and evolving.
Other tight ends with big weeks that could be worth a look on the waiver wire include Hunter Henry ($3,700; 17.2 FPTS) once again, Zach Ertz ($3,900; 14 FPTS) once again and Ja’Tavion Sanders ($2,900; 12.1 FPTS), who has been a recurring sleeper pick but is starting to get regular work in Carolina.
Lions DST
The Lions DST ($2,800; 6 FPTS) won’t have Aidan Hutchinson for a while, but their defense still looked strong on Sunday vs. the Vikings. They had four sacks and an interception and have a total of 19 sacks and 11 forced turnovers in their seven games this season.
Next week, the Lions are home against the Titans, who have given up the most fantasy points to opposing fantasy defenses this season. Whether Will Levis or Mason Rudolph starts, the Titans don’t have the offense to keep up with the high-powered Lions’ offense, and when they try, the Lions should be able to take advantage of the matchup for another big week. They are available in over 80% of leagues after their tough matchup with the Vikings this week.
Other options that are widely available but can work as streaming options for Week 8 include the Chargers DST (vs. the Saints), the Cardinals DST (at Dolphins especially if Tua does not return) and the Bengals DST (vs. the Eagles).
All odds provided by DraftKings Sportsbook and all odds subject to change.
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