Matt Asiata should see a heavy workload if Jerick McKinnon is sidelined
Jamie Calandro provides suggested FAAB waiver wire bids for Week 8.
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Can you believe we’re at the halfway point for the NFL season? More importantly, week 8 is the first of two incredibly difficult slates that feature six teams on bye. That should mean the waiver wire will be exceptionally busy, and luckily there are several viable RBs and TEs to ease your bye week woes. Let’s see what we can come up with, and make sure to check out all my DFS work over at www.fantasyteamadvice.com (and follow me on twitter @jac3600).
NOTE – As always, these recommendations are for players available in over 50% of Yahoo! Leagues. Also, the FAAB bids may seem a little higher this week due to more of a need to fill roster spots with all the byes.
RUNNING BACK
Mike Gillislee (BUF): 51% owned
OK, so I’m cheating on my ownership rule right off the bat, but close enough. Everybody that has ever watched a football game knew LeSean McCoy wasn’t healthy enough to play in Week 7, but his coaches apparently were oblivious. Now he’s potentially looking at a multi-week absence and Gillislee should be looking at the lion’s share of carries (it’s certainly not going to Reggie Bush). Gillislee isn’t looking at the greatest immediate matchup against the Patriots but he has RB2 status every week McCoy is on the shelf.
SUGGESTED FAAB BID – 15-18% of your budget (more if McCoy is out awhile)
Knile Davis (GB): 36% owned
Ugh. I hate this pick so much, but it has to be done. Eddie Lacy is on IR, James Starks is out a month, and newly-promoted Don Jackson left with an injury as well. Knile is not a good runner and only logged two carries against the Bears, but keep in mind he only had about a day to learn the playbook. He is literally the ONLY healthy between-the-tackles runner (Ty Montgomery isn’t getting 20 carries) and should get double-digit touches against an Atlanta team that ranked 26th in DVOA against the run before letting Melvin Gordon plod his way to multiple TDs.
SUGGESTED FAAB BID – 6-8% of your budget
Matt Asiata (MIN): 21% owned
This pick is completely tied to Jerick McKinnon’s health. He injured his ankle, returned to the game, and then re-aggravated it later on in the same game against the Eagles. Asiata is another plodder who is almost impossible to watch, but he did average 4.6 YPC after McKinnon left while also catching six passes. The Vikes don’t play till Monday night so this is a tricky proposition, but continue to monitor it all week.
SUGGESTED FAAB BID – 6-8% of your budget (much more if you were going to start McKinnon this week)
WIDE RECEIVER
Davante Adams (GB): 19% owned
Um…what? Adams almost wasn’t even active in this game after sustaining a concussion, and then went on to catch 13 of 16 targets for 132 yards and two TDs. It’s not like this upside wasn’t always there (I drafted him in the fourth round last year), and the Packers should be almost exclusively a passing team now. Adams is still a distant third to Jordy Nelson and Randall Cobb in snaps so be prepared for some bust games, but he needs to be owned in all formats and can be plugged into the bye week for any league size.
SUGGESTED FAAB BID – 10-12% of your budget
Brandon LaFell (CIN): 12% owned
LaFell’s recent hot streak may come to a halt with Tyler Eifert returning to full strength, but you can’t ignore his four TDs’ the last three weeks. Believe it or not, he’s actually played more snaps than A.J. Green and has averaged 2.1 fantasy points per target which ranks him tenth in the NFL. Much like Davante Adams, he’ll be prone to busts since he’s not the No. 1 (or even No. 2) guy, but he’s more than adequate for the bye weeks.
SUGGESTED FAAB BID – 6-8% of your budget
TIGHT END
Jack Doyle (IND): 31% owned
As long as Dwayne Allen is out, Doyle is a TE1. He received 10 targets in his first game as the main guy and should be easily seeing at least 6-7 per week. In addition, his size and athleticism make him a perfect red zone target. With some decent TEs on bye, this is not something that should be ignored.
SUGGESTED FAAB BID – 8-10% of your budget (less if Dwayne Allen’s prognosis improves)
Vernon Davis (WAS): 22% owned
Jordan Reed is currently suffering from his sixth concussion and has a lengthy injury history apart from that. He has already been ruled out for Week 8 and Davis makes for a solid streamer with some upside for multiple weeks if Reed can’t come back. The Redskins are averaging 39.4 passing plays per game and Davis has caught eight of 12 targets over the past two weeks with a touchdown as well. The Bengals have a solid defense but have struggled lately while allowing the fourth-most FPPG to opposing TEs.
SUGGESTED FAAB BID – 3-4% of your budget
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