With six teams on a BYE in Week 8, scouring the fantasy football waiver wire for talent is going to take more effort now than ever.
I hope you listened to me earlier in the season when I suggested you pick up Jay Ajayi in my first installment of this column. After his performance in Week 8, he became just the fourth running back in NFL history to run for 200 yards in back to back games.
With yet another TD on Sunday, I’m confident you all picked up James White by now, so I’ll leave him out of this week’s column
Worthy Of Your First Waiver Claim:
Davante Adams
The game flow on Thursday night’s win for the Green Bay Packers was not typical since the only true running back they dressed was promoted from the practice squad last week. Aaron Rodgers threw the ball over 50 times, completing at least 10 passes to three different receivers.
One of those receivers happened to be Davante Adams, who tallied 13 receptions for 132 yards and two scores. Adams will mostly likely not reach those numbers in a single game the rest of the way, but he is a nice stash and play.
He’ll draw the Falcons in Week 8 and already had his bye week. Better yet, he will face off against this same Bears team in Week 15 (semi-finals for most leagues).
Jacquizz Rodgers
I wasn’t a believer in Jacquizz Rodgers for a couple of reasons. He wasn’t all that impressive when given starters reps in the past and Doug Martin was supposed to be back in Week 7. Well, it appears that Martin’s timetable for return isn’t all that clear and in the meantime, Rodgers has run wild for 255 yards on 56 rushing attempts. Even when Martin returns, Rodgers will be the backup in an above average offense that faces off against some below average defenses down the stretch. Rodgers is a must own, especially for Martin owners.
Well, it appears that Martin’s timetable for return isn’t all that clear and in the meantime, Rodgers has run wild for 255 yards on 56 rushing attempts. Even when Martin returns, Rodgers will be the backup in an above average offense that faces off against some below average defenses down the stretch. Rodgers is a must own, especially for Martin owners.
Worthy Of Your Second Waiver Claim:
Jack Doyle
If you need a tight end, could I interest you in some Jack Doyle? The Colts tight end has filled in rather nicely for the injured
The Colts tight end has filled in rather nicely for the injured Dwayne Allen. While Allen has been out with an ankle injury, Doyle has racked up over 130 yards and two touchdowns in the past two weeks. He has clearly emerged as the number two option in this offense behind
He has clearly emerged as the number two option in this offense behind T.Y. Hilton. As long as Allen remains out is how long Doyle should be in your starting lineup.
Chris Thompson
For all of the hype surrounding starting running back Matt Jones entering the season, Chris Thompson has actually put up respectable numbers in a backup role. He has about half of Jones’ fantasy points through seven weeks in a limited capacity.
After Jones fumbled twice on Sunday against the Lions, he was relegated to the bench for the rest of the game. All Thompson did in his place was rush for 73 yards and pull in 40 yards on seven catches.
It will be interesting to see what head coach Jay Gruden does with the running back situation moving forward, but Jones’ eight fumbles since the start of last year probably won’t be accepted much longer.
If You’re Desperate:
Brock Osweiler
Odds are your QB isn’t on a bye this week but if he is or has a tough match-up in Week 8, Brock Osweiler is a great option. While he hasn’t exactly lit it up yet this season, facing a Detroit Lions secondary that had given up the most fantasy points to quarterbacks through seven weeks should certainly help things.
The Lions gave up another 300 yards and a passing touchdown to Kirk Cousins in Week 7, so plug in Brock if you need a fill-in.
Getting Defensive:
So the Bengals didn’t do as well as I projected, finishing 14th in standard scoring among games played through Sunday night. Maybe the Browns offense isn’t the doormat for opposing defenses we thought they were.
That being said, the New York Jets D/ST is still a good option against the Browns in Week 8. My suggestion for Week 8 is the Raiders defense against a Tampa Bay Bucs team that has allowed the second-most fantasy points to opposing defenses this season. The Raiders have scored at least five points in four out of seven weeks this season, so you could do worse at this position in Week 8.
