With most fantasy football seasons around halfway to the playoffs, it’s time to be aggressive and upgrade your roster wherever you can. With four more teams on a bye in Week 8 and injuries continuing to pile up, it’s time to hit the waiver wire to find some solid options to add. Coming out of an exciting Week 7, let’s look at some of the top names emerging as top Fantasy Football Waiver Wire Pickups for Week 8.
Be sure to stay locked in to DK Network throughout the week and the rest of the season for all the latest news and fantasy impact. We’ll run down a few of the top potential waiver wire pickups for Week 8 in this post, but be sure to watch how the week unfolds and how players recover. Four more teams are on a bye next week, so be sure to have replacements ready if you are counting on the Giants, Saints, Texans and 49ers, since they’ll be taking the week off.
This post is designed to be an early look at some of the names to keep an eye on coming into your preparation for Week 8 and the rest of your fantasy football season.
Top Fantasy Football Waiver Wire Pickups for Week 8
| Player | Position | Team | Week 7 | Why Consider Them? |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Caleb Douglas | WR | Miami Dolphins | 21.0 FPTS | Douglas had two touchdowns and 70 yards on just two catches, showing his speed and upside in his first game back after an ankle injury from Week 2. |
| Dylan Sampson | RB | Cleveland Browns | 10.7 FPTS | Sampson returned from his Week 1 knee injury with 45 rushing yards and 32 receiving yards on three catches. He’s back to his role as the team’s third-down option and has a chance to be productive going forward. |
| Michael Penix Jr. | QB | Atlanta Falcons | 20.42 FPTS | Penix threw three touchdowns and racked up 213 passing yards while leading his team to a huge 29-20 win over the previously undefeated 49ers. He has nine passing touchdowns and one interception in his five starts this season. |
| Mason Taylor | TE | New York Jets | 25.2 FPTS | Taylor had two touchdowns in Week 7, and he’s in a growing role in the Jets’ passing game under Geno Smith. |
| Bengals DST | DST | Cincinnati Bengals | 10 FPTS | The Bengals had an interception and four sacks against the Ravens, including shutting out Baltimore in the second half. They take on the Titans next week. |
Best Fantasy Football Waiver Wire Pickups and Adds for Week 8
One key factor to keep a close eye on every week is new injuries. Here are some new situations to monitor moving forward:
Players with new injuries from Week 7 to watch:
- RB Christian McCaffrey, San Francisco 49ers
- RB Cam Skattebo, New York Giants
- RB Aaron Jones Sr., Minnesota Vikings
- RB Woody Marks, Houston Texans
- RB Tyrone Tracy Jr., New York Giants
- RB Kenny Gainwell, Pittsburgh Steelers
- RB Jaylen Wright, Miami Dolphins
- WR Drake London, Atlanta Falcons
- WR Carnell Tate, Tennessee Titans
- WR Jaylin Noel, Houston Texans
With those injuries in mind, here are some of my early names to watch if you’re shopping on the Week 8 waiver wire.
WR Caleb Douglas, Miami Dolphins
The Dolphins lost rookie receiver Caleb Douglas to an ankle injury in Week 2, and he missed three games before the Week 6 bye. He returned in Week 7, though, and jumped right back into relevance, so hopefully you acted early and already stashed him. If not, he’s a great place to start your shopping on the Waiver Wire Week 8.
Douglas helped the Dolphins claim their first win of the season in his return, catching two of his three targets for 70 yards and scoring two touchdowns.
Douglas showed the ability to be the team’s top receiver before this injury, leading the team with 94 yards in the Dolphins’ loss to the Raiders in Week 1. He left Week 2 with his injury and didn’t return until Week 7. He played 44 snaps (68%), the second-most of all the team’s receivers.
He’s still ramping up and recovering, but he has a strong connection with QB Malik Willis, who got a big boost with Douglas’s return and had his best fantasy performance of the season. The entire rest of the team had only two receiving touchdowns through the first five weeks, and Douglas matched that total in his first two catches after returning. If he was dropped or never added in your league, he’s a great addition now that Miami is past its bye with matchups against the Patriots, Lions, Colts and Bills over the next four weeks.
Other top performances at receiver to consider as you check out the Waiver Wire Week 8 include KC Concepcion (26.2 FPTS), Malachi Fields (12.3 FPTS), and Jordan Watkins (8.6 FPTS).
RB Dylan Sampson, Cleveland Browns
The Browns rallied back against the Titans and improved to 5-2, with both Quinshon Judkins (23.4 FPTS) and Dylan Sampson (10.7 FPTS) contributing out of the backfield. Sampson played 32 snaps compared to 37 for Judkins, which is a significant workload for the third-down change-of-pace back.
Like Douglas, Sampson was returning from injury. He returned a kickoff and played on a third-down play against the Jaguars before exiting in the first quarter of Week 1. Sampson took his six carries for 45 yards and also caught all three of his targets for 32 receiving yards.
Sampson is expected to be the team’s primary running back on passing downs going forward, and if he serves in that role, he could be very productive in the Browns’ much-improved offense.
Sampson and the Browns travel to Pittsburgh next week before taking on the Saints in a very favorable matchup and the Texans in Week 10 before a Week 11 bye. If you need help in the backfield, Sampson is a solid addition from the Week 8 Waiver Wire, especially in PPR leagues.
Other RB options who may be available after big Week 7 performances include Devin Singletary (14.5 FPTS), Sean Tucker (11.2 FPTS) and Kaleon Black (11.9 FPTS).
QB Michael Penix Jr., Atlanta Falcons
The Falcons have won three games in their last five with Michael Penix Jr. (20.42 FPTS) under center after starting the year 0-2 with Cooper Rush as QB. Penix has thrown three touchdowns in each of the last two games, and also threw for over 200 yards in both games. The Falcons lost to the Bears in Week 6, but they bounced back with a nice 29-20 win over the previously undefeated 49ers in Week 7.
Penix completed 74% of his pass attempts and spread the production around. He threw a one-yard touchdown pass to Nick Muse and later connected with Kyle Pitts and then Drake London early in the fourth quarter.
Penix and the Falcons have proven they can produce plenty of points at their best, and next week they’ll head on the road to take on the Bucs. After that they’ll host the Bengals and the Chiefs before their Week 11 bye.
Other available QB options to help you fill in your bye week or injuries include Geno Smith (24.48 FPTS), Malik Willis (26.02 FPTS) and J.J. McCarthy (10.18 FPTS), who is on a bye week next week.
TE Mason Taylor, New York Jets
Despite the Jets losing to the Dolphins, it was a big day for Omar Cooper Jr. (25.5 FPTS), who was in my top waiver wire pickups for last week, and for tight end Mason Taylor (25.2 FPTS). Both pass-catchers had monster games while the Jets were trying to rally from behind.
Taylor celebrated National Tight Ends Day with two touchdowns, catching five of his six targets for 62 yards.
Taylor started ahead of rookie Kenyon Sadiq to begin the season, but he suffered a thumb injury in Week 2. He missed Week 3 and Week 4 with that injury, but he caught all three of his targets for 24 yards in Week 5 and caught four of his six targets for 33 yards in Week 6.
With at least three catches in three straight games and a growing role in the red zone, Taylor is a solid addition if you need a tight end from the Waiver Wire Week 8. Taylor was the second-highest-scoring tight end of the main slate, and he has a great schedule ahead. In Week 8, he’ll face the Raiders, and in Week 9, he’ll face the Chiefs, who both rank in the top 10 in most fantasy points allowed to tight ends.
Other tight ends who may be on the waiver wire and had big Week 7 performances include Davis Allen (18 FPTS), Eli Raridon (14.6 FPTS) and Colby Parkinson (9.8 FPTS).
Bengals DST
The Bengals DST (10 FPTS) struggled in the first half against the Ravens, but they bounced back in the second half and didn’t give up any points in the second half, turning a 13-0 deficit into a 35-13 win. They finished the game with four sacks and also had a fourth-quarter interception.
Next week, the Bengals are home against the Titans in a great matchup to attack. In Week 9, they have a tougher matchup against Penix and the Falcons, but then they face the Steelers, Commanders and Saints to finish the month of November.
Other streaming plays to consider that are widely available include the Lions DST (6 FPTS), who host the Vikings, the Raiders (1 FPTS) against the Jets, and the Commanders DST, who will return from their bye week to face the Eagles on Sunday Night Football.
