This is probably the single most important week for this column. Why? Because there are six, count ‘em six, teams on bye in Week 8.
That means the player pool is two teams smaller than it typically is during the mid-part of the season and that people will be scrambling for fill-ins during the early part of the week.
Get a head start on your competition by knowing who the Week 8 diamonds in the rough are. Everyone in this post should help you in a pinch this week.
Fantasy Football Week 8 Waiver Wire Sleeper Targets
The following teams are on by in Week 8:
- Falcons
- Ravens
- Bears
- Browns
- Giants
- Eagles
Remember, the rules for this post are that a player must be owned in less than 50% of Yahoo leagues to be included. And I focus on guys who are playing in Week 8, although I’ll recommend players on bye if they especially stand out as valuable long-term acquisitions.
Fantasy Football Week 8 Waiver Wire Sleeper Targets: QB
Chad Henne, Miami Dolphins (at Cincinnati, 41%)
Henne is not spectacular, not by any means. He is, however, a productive fantasy quarterback. He has thrown a TD pass in every week but Week 1 this season, and he faces a Cincinnati defense that allowed Matt Ryan and Roddy White to torch it for 299 yards and 3 TDs last week.
With Brandon Marshall and Davone Bess, Henne has two very solid targets to throw to. Also, the Miami running game continues to struggle, meaning that Henne’s streak of four straight games with 36 or more pass attempts could continue.
Matthew Stafford, Detroit Lions (vs Washington, 30%)
Don’t sleep on Matthew Stafford just because he hasn’t played in a while. Shaun Hill threw 9 TDs while filling in for Stafford, and Stafford is the better QB. He had a great preseason and was well on his way to a solid regular season before getting hurt in Week 1.
Helping Stafford out in Week 8 is the matchup: Washington. The Redskins picked off Jay Cutler 4 times in Week 7, but they also allowed 280 yards passing and a TD…and that’s one of their best performances of the year. Washington was 31st in the league against the pass coming into Week 7. With Calvin Johnson to help ease his transition back, Stafford will be able to take advantage.
Matt Cassel, Kansas City Chiefs (vs Buffalo, 40%)
I have been down on Cassel two straight weeks despite really good matchups. What has Cassel done? Make me look like a fool by throwing for 5 TDs and no INTs. While the Bills were good against the pass last year, they’ve given up 14 TDs and 1 INT in 2010. I still don’t trust Cassel long term, but he’s proven he can take advantage of good matchups. This qualifies.
Others to watch:
- Sam Bradford (42% owned) is always a solid option, even against the decent pass D of Carolina.
- Ryan Fitzpatrick is barely a sleeper now that he has 11 TDs in four games, but he’s still only owned in 9% of leagues. I’m not crazy about his matchup against Kansas City, but he’s produced against the Jets and Ravens, so why not the Chiefs too?
Fantasy Football Week 8 Waiver Wire Sleeper Targets: RB
Fred Jackson, Buffalo Bills (at Kansas City, 46%)
The guy I call FJax certainly isn’t on this list because of matchup, as Kansas City’s D is very good this year against the run. Rather, he is on this list because of opportunity.
Jackson is a guy who produced very well last year in a platoon with Marshawn Lynch. Now that Lynch is gone, Jackson is the guy. He’s not going to explode, and he only scores TDs rarely, but he did get 23 carries in Week 7 and will catch passes out of the backfield. In yardage leagues, he’s a solid piece of winning lineup.
When you’re looking for fill-in RBs, look for expected touches over anything else; you won’t find anyone expected to get more than Fred Jackson.
Cadillac Williams, Tampa Bay (at Arizona, 43%)
Yes, I know that LeGarrette Blount got more carries in Week 7 (and is another guy to keep an eye on), but Cadillac actually had more touches (12 to 11). The Bucs seem to be making a concerted effort to get Caddy the ball out of the backfield as a receiver, and he now has 15 receptions in the last two games. He also got into the end zone in Week 7, which was a welcome sight to anyone who has stayed patient with Caddy.
Once again, you need touches from fill-in RBs. Epecially in PPR leagues, Cadillac is a guy who can be a nice one-week stopgap.
Donald Brown and Mike Hart, Indianapolis Colts (vs Houston, 25% and 6%)
Joseph Addai is expected to miss the Colts’ Week 8 battle against Houston. That means you need to keep your eye on Brown’s health and snatch whichever of these two is expected to start. Right now, it looks like Brown will be the guy, but his health is never a sure thing.
Houston is middle of the pack in the league against the run, and they do give up an average of one touchdown per game. Regardless, any running back starting for the Colts is a guy you want in your lineup. Keep your eye on these guys and pounce after double-checking the latest injury reports.
Fantasy Football Week 8 Waiver Wire Sleeper Targets: WR
Davone Bess, Miami Dolphins (at Cincinnati, 40%)
Davone Bess is emerging as legitimate comparable to Wes Welker. He’s a little guy, he catches short passes, and he does a good job of getting yards after the catch. Here are Bess’ last four weeks:
- 6 catches, 86 yards vs the Jets
- 8 catches, 96 yards, TD vs New England
- 5 catches, 37 yards, TD vs Green Bay
- 6 catches, 66 yards, TD vs Pittsburgh
Folks, that is among the best in the business over the last four weeks, and you saw above that I think Chad Henne will continue to throw the ball 30+ times. Bess should absolutely be owned in 100% of leagues. Snatch him up now if you’re lucky enough to be in a league where he’s available. The Dolphins recently signed him to an extension for a reason.
Steve Johnson and Lee Evans, Buffalo Bills (at Kansas City, 34% and 30%)
No, the matchup isn’t that outstanding, it’s just okay, but neither was the Baltimore matchup…supposedly. Yet, all these two did is combine for 14 catches, 263 yards, and 4 TDs, and it wasn’t in garbage time. Buffalo led much of this game and legitimately played Baltimore toe-to-toe.
It’s time to start taking the Bills’ passing game seriously now that Ryan Fitzpatrick is firmly entrenched as the starter. That means Evans and Johnson are becoming weekly starts.
Do you realize Johnson now has 5 TDs, all in the last four weeks with Fitzpatrick at the helm? And do you realize that Evans has 4 TDs in the last two weeks? It’s remarkable what these two have done. They cannot be ignored any more.
Mike Williams, Seattle Seahawks (at Oakland, 30%)
I am a late arrival on the Mike Williams Rejuvenation Tour, but it’s now time to take him seriously. Williams had 14 catches for 155 yards in Weeks 5 and 6, and then he backed it up by putting one in the end zone in Week 7. He is clearly developing a rapport with Matt Hasselbeck and is a solid option to fill in for a receiver in Week 8 against Oakland.
Anthony Armstrong, Washington Redskins (at Detroit, 9%)
This my deep sleeper at WR. Here are Armstrong’s last five games:
- 2 receptions, 36 yards
- 1 reception, 57 yards
- 3 receptions, 84 yards, TD
- 5 receptions, 46 yards
- 2 receptions, 42 yards
What can we glean from this? First off, Armstrong will do something. That’s important for a bye week guy. No goose eggs allowed. Secondly, we know that he’s a big play guy. While he only has one TD, there have been some other opportunities where he’s been close to scoring, and no one loves to drop back and air it out like Donovan McNabb. Against a Detroit D that has given up 10 passing TDs this year, taking a flyer on Armstrong if you’re in a need is not a terrible option and could actually pay nice dividends.
Other WRs to watch:
- In David Gettis’ (2% owned) first action of 2010, he torched the 49ers for 8 catches, 125 yards, and 2 TDs. I’m not going to go overboard with excitement, and the Rams present only a decent matchup in Week 8, but Matt Moore clearly was looking his way. He should at least get a decent amount of targets next week.
- I talked a lot about Patrick Crayton and Buster Davis before Week 7. With Malcom Floyd likely out again this week, Crayton and Davis are obviously nice options again, even with Tennessee on the schedule.
- If Bruce Gradkowski gets back on the field, Louis Murphy becomes an option again.
- Danny Amendola got into the end zone in Week 7. He’s going to be Sam Bradford’s #1 target and is still only owned in 35% of leagues.
Fantasy Football Week 8 Waiver Wire Sleeper Targets: TE
Tony Moeaki, Kansas City (vs Buffalo. 38%)
The rookie is nothing special, but after seeing what Todd Heap did against Buffalo in Week 7 (2 TDs), and understanding that he’s caught at least 3 passes in all but one game this year, Moeaki is a solid option for Week 8.
Rob Gronkowski, New England Patriots (vs Minnesota, 6%)
Gronkowski is not a great option in PPR leagues, because he doesn’t catch a lot of passes, but he has proven to be a solid red zone target this year if you’re in a pinch and need some upside.
Fantasy Football Week 8 Waiver Wire Sleeper Targets: D/ST
Kansas City Chiefs (vs Buffalo, 29%)
The Chiefs continue to be the most surprising fantasy defense in football this year. Though they gave up 20 points to the Todd Bouman-led Jacksonville Jaguars, they also picked off two passes and scored a defensive TD. Plus, you have the perpetual threat of Dexter McCluster in the return game.
Dallas Cowboys (vs Jacksonville, 47%)
Dallas’ D has little upside because they rarely force turnovers or score TDs, but they do face a Jags offense dealing with major QB issues. Also, the game is in Dallas, and Jacksonville tends to not be a great road team.