Skip to main content

Waiver Wire Rankings and FAAB Advice: Week 8 (2020 Fantasy Football)

Waiver Wire Rankings and FAAB Advice: Week 8 (2020 Fantasy Football)

Week 7 was another exciting and unpredictable week of action in the NFL, and we were treated to some entertaining matchups and forced to deal with another rash of injuries.

As we reach the mid-point of the fantasy regular season, it’s as important as ever to utilize the waiver wire in preparation for bye weeks and unexpected postponements. Need a hand in making your waiver wire selections? No problem. We’ve got you covered!

Here are Dan Harris, Mike Tagliere, and Kyle Yates with their waiver wire rankings and FAAB recommendations for Week 8:

Import your team to My Playbook for instant Waiver Wire advice partner-arrow

Waiver Wire Rankings powered by FantasyProsECR ™ – Expert Consensus Rankings

 

Q1. Who is your top waiver wire option of the week, and why?

It’s hard to find a starting running back on waivers, so you should probably go out there and snag Carlos Hyde. Sure, he’s going to be going against his former team the 49ers in Week 8, which is no cakewalk, but playing alongside Russell Wilson sure has its benefits and opens lanes. We don’t have specific details on Chris Carson‘s injury just yet, but he’s expected to miss some time. Hyde should be locked into 15 touches during that time, which is worth the No. 1 waiver wire pickup.
– Mike Tagliere (@MikeTagliereNFL)

The severity of Chris Carson’s foot sprain is unclear, but it sounds likely to keep him out at least next week against the 49ers. Travis Homer also left Sunday night’s game with a knee contusion, so it could legitimately be Carlos Hyde and DeeJay Dallas next week. Hyde is a perfectly capable back, and he did well with his 18 touches in last night’s game. He’s reportedly dealing with some hamstring tightness, but there’s nothing at this point to suggest it will threaten his availability this weekend, though if you have the room, it probably makes sense to also try to add Dallas to be on the safe side. With no clear-cut option on the wire at running back, and a generally weak waiver-wire week, I’d prefer to add the one player with guaranteed touches coming into Week 8 (and potentially beyond). That’s especially true when we just saw how much it can work out with players like Gio Bernard and Jamaal Williams.
– Dan Harris (@danharris80)

Tevin Coleman is reportedly close to returning and has a chance to play in week 8. With McKinnon being a non-factor in this offense, Mostert landing on IR, Wilson suffering an ankle injury Sunday night, and Hasty being the only other option on this roster, Coleman could be a starting RB in a dynamic offense. At this point of the season, a starting running back that’s healthy is absolutely worth picking up.
– Kyle Yates (@KyleYNFL)

Q2. Which notable waiver wire option for Week 8 was the most difficult to rank?

It’s probably Tevin Coleman. Look, we know that Kyle Shanahan loves Coleman and has played him much more than he rightfully should’ve. The 49ers have a litter of running backs now and it causes a headache for fantasy managers, as you never know who’s going to get the most carries. We’ve seen Raheem Mostert, Jerick McKinnon, Jeff Wilson, and JaMycal Hasty all lead this team in rushing, so nothing should surprise you.
– Mike Tagliere (@MikeTagliereNFL)

Tevin Coleman. There’s an outside chance that Coleman can play in Week 8, though I’m not expecting him to.  Even if he does, he’ll likely be eased in. But there’s also plenty of short-term opportunity (at least) with the 49ers, with Raheem Mostert on IR, Jeff Wilson perhaps heading there, and Jerick McKinnon barely being used. If Coleman does come back this week or even next, there’s a potential for him to provide RB2 value for several weeks. But trusting ANY San Francisco running back other than Mostert is a recipe for disaster usually. Coleman’s value over the next few weeks contains an enormous range of outcomes.
– Dan Harris (@danharris80)

Aiyuk has shown flashes of his talent in this offense and has even made an appearance in this article earlier this season. However, his usage in this offense is simply too unpredictable to project his fantasy outlook any given week. He deserves to be added and rostered based on what he did last week, but it’s hard to feel confident recommending that people spend significant FAAB to acquire him.
– Kyle Yates (@KyleYNFL)

Q3. For managers streaming a D/ST in Week 8, what readily available option (under 40%) should they target?

The Titans haven’t been the most consistent defense to this point, but they have generated at least two sacks in three of their last five games and have forced at least two turnovers in four of their last five games. They’ll be going against a Bengals offensive line that’s allowed Joe Burrow to be sacked 28 times through seven games.
– Mike Tagliere (@MikeTagliereNFL)

It’s not a great week for streaming D/STs, but I’d roll the dice with Green Bay against the Vikings. Minnesota hasn’t been overly generous to opposing offenses, but Kirk Cousins always offer the potential for  three-turnover game like he had last week. The Vikings put up plenty of points in Week 1 against Green Bay but a lot of that was in comeback mode, and Kirk Cousins has already been sacked 14 teams this year, 10th most in the league despite having a bye. Again, it’s not an elite option, but they’re worth rolling with if you are looking for a readily available option.
– Dan Harris (@danharris80)

There aren’t a lot of DST options that jump off the page that are under 40% rostered, so I’ll go with the best available of the lot. The Green Bay Packers take on the Vikings and Kirk Cousins, who should be good for a couple of turnovers. However, I’m not particularly excited about starting them.
– Kyle Yates (@KyleYNFL)

Import your team to My Playbook for instant Waiver Wire advice partner-arrow

Notable Week 8 FAAB Recommendations (in %)

POS PLAYER TEAM HARRIS TAGS YATES AVG.
RB Carlos Hyde SEA 15 25 12 17.3
WR Sterling Shepard NYG 12 15 8 11.7
RB Tevin Coleman SF 8 10 15 11.0
WR Brandon Aiyuk SF 12 10 10 10.7
WR Rashard Higgins CLE 10 5 10 8.3
RB JaMycal Hasty SF 8 7 10 8.3
WR Jalen Reagor PHI 5 8 10 7.7
WR Russell Gage ATL 3 8 7 6.0
TE Irv Smith MIN 3 5 7 5.0
RB Lamical Perine NYJ 3 6 5 4.7

__________

Q4. Which Week 8 waiver wire option carries the biggest risk of being a waste of FAAB dollars?

It’s probably Carlos Hyde if we’re being honest, though you have to take on the potential risk when going after a starting running back if Chris Carson were to miss multiple weeks. Fantasy managers will have a bad taste in their mouth after they picked him up a few weeks back, and knowing Carson is determined to play through injuries, we could see him return faster than expected.

I don’t think fantasy managers should be spending a ton on any option this week, but I’ll go with Coleman for the reasons described above. He will be a hot waiver-wire pickup who will probably require a decent FAAB bid, but he also may legitimately provide no value if he can’t return this week or next. My recommended bid for Coleman isn’t particularly high, because I generally fade injuries, but if you do spend up for him, understand that there’s risk.
– Dan Harris (@danharris80)

Until we get more news on the injury front for Chris Carson, Hyde looks like he could be a top-tier pickup. However, we’ve seen Carson be projected to miss time before and somehow come back early. Hopefully we can get some news on Carson before waivers run, otherwise Hyde could end up being a waste of FAAB yet again.

– Kyle Yates (@KyleYNFL)

Import your team to My Playbook for instant Waiver Wire advice partner-arrow


SubscribeApple Podcasts | Spotify | Google Podcasts | Stitcher | SoundCloud | iHeartRadio

More Articles

RB3s with RB1 Potential (2024 Fantasy Football)

RB3s with RB1 Potential (2024 Fantasy Football)

fp-headshot by TJ Horgan | 3 min read
Best Ball Strategy & Advice: Draft Targets by Round (2024 Fantasy Football)

Best Ball Strategy & Advice: Draft Targets by Round (2024 Fantasy Football)

fp-headshot by Tera Roberts | 3 min read
NFL Draft Burning Questions: J.J. McCarthy, Drake Maye, Caleb Williams (2024 Fantasy Football)

NFL Draft Burning Questions: J.J. McCarthy, Drake Maye, Caleb Williams (2024 Fantasy Football)

fp-headshot by Joe Pepe | 3 min read
Thor Nystrom’s 2024 NFL Draft Prospect Rankings: Running Backs

Thor Nystrom’s 2024 NFL Draft Prospect Rankings: Running Backs

fp-headshot by Thor Nystrom | 1 min read

About Author

Hide

Current Article

4 min read

RB3s with RB1 Potential (2024 Fantasy Football)

Next Up - RB3s with RB1 Potential (2024 Fantasy Football)

Next Article