The Bye Weeks are in brutal form and if you’re not missing key multiple players of your rosters then you’re in a blessed situation. The waiver wire is looking particularly thin and if you don’t want to be competing with your entire league for these players, get ahead of them and sneak them onto your roster now.

Matt Ryan (QB – IND) – 53% Rostered

The low moments for Matt Ryan have been pretty low but the high moments have also been pretty high. Coming off a week where Ryan posted his best fantasy performance in over a year as he passed for 389 yards and three touchdowns, and now has had three top fifteen performances in six games. The Colts take on the Titans and Commanders in the next two games and whilst the Commanders have been a good run defense, they’ve allowed more production through the air, allowing the second-most passing touchdowns in the league (12) and the eighth-most fantasy points to quarterbacks.

Matt Ryan played so well he broke NGS pic.twitter.com/F5nTv5uigi

— Benjamin Solak (@BenjaminSolak) October 16, 2022

Daniel Jones (QB- NYG) – 37% Rostered

The Giants have been one of the most pleasant surprises of this season and if they weren’t so banged up at receiver they could be viewed as a team with some staying power. Through six games Jones’s average weekly finish is the QB17, which is by no means league-winning, but he has displayed a higher floor than we’ve seen from him at times in his NFL career and 7.8 rushing attempts per game helps that floor stay higher than some. In Week 8 Jones and the Giants will play the Seattle Seahawks, who have allowed the most fantasy points to the position through six games.

Tyler Allgeier (RB – ATL) – 42% Rostered

The Falcons are a hard team to trust in fantasy football right now, but it’s much more about the passing game where Marcus Mariota averages 11.8 completions per game than it is about the rushing game. Allgeier is stuck in a committee with Caleb Huntley but he is still getting a healthy amount of carries, averaging 12.6 carries per game. The fantasy performances haven’t happened yet but Allgeier and the Falcons have a game coming up against the Chargers in Week 9 and the Chargers have allowed the sixth-most fantasy points to running backs so far this season.

Tyler Allgeier. That’s the tweet. pic.twitter.com/lBEiXGpZJs

— Daily Universe Sports (@DailyUnivSports) October 2, 2022

Rachaad White (RB – TB) – 31% Rostered

The Buccanneers have moved slightly away from the run, favoring the pass heavier now that they have Chris Godwin back. Regardless though, the running backs in this offense remain strongly utilized and White has established a consistent role with at least eight touches in his last three games, including reliable work in the passing game. White has been in this column for a few weeks now and I’ll maintain that he’s one of the most valuable handcuffs in fantasy.

Kyren Williams (RB – LAR) – 19% Rostered

Before Kyren Williams was injured early in the opening game of the season, ESPN’s Adam Schefter had reported that the Rams planned to use Williams extensively and wanted him to play a big role. Now, with Cam Akers in the bad books, there is a clear opportunity for Williams to carve out a role for himself alongside Darrell Henderson who the team has been hot and cold on. The Rams are on a bye week currently, and picking him up now will allow you to be ahead of any hype that comes from the team as they get ready for Week 8.

Alec Pierce (WR – IND) – 54% Rostered

Over the last three weeks, Pierce has created a solid and reliable role for himself in this Colts passing offense, averaging 70 yards a game and 7.3 targets. This week the Colts play the Titans who allow the most fantasy points to receivers, if Pierce has another good game he could be a popular name on the waiver wire for Week 8. I would grab him now, and potentially even start him this week.

Ladies & gentlemen, @AlecPierce.

📺: CBS pic.twitter.com/A9tN0XeiCv

— Indianapolis Colts (@Colts) October 16, 2022

Elijah Moore (WR – NYJ) – 48% Rostered

On Thursday the news came out that Elijah Moore had requested a trade from the Jets, due to being unhappy with his current role and it’s understandable. In 2021 from Week 7 onwards Moore averaged 8.14 targets per game and was the PPR points per game WR6 from then to the end of the season. If Moore ends up somewhere else it’s unlikely he sees a reduced role if a team is paying what would no doubt be a costly price to acquire him. Even if Moore stays in New York it’s unlikely the team don’t make more of an effort to placate him.

Wan’Dale Robinson (WR – NYG) – 27% Rostered

In Week 7 Robinson saw his snaps increase and the team started to work him in more as he returns from injury. Robinson’s touchdown against the Ravens came on a designed play and should be seen as further evidence that the team wants him heavily involved. Robinson has played over 70% of his snaps from the slot so far and we’ve seen Daniel Jones lean on his slot receivers with Sterling Shepard averaging 8.3 targets per game when the two played together.

Irv Smith Jr. (TE – MIN) – 46% Rostered

If there’s one position that could do without bye weeks it’s the tight ends. An already razor-thin group becomes even thinner when these bye weeks hit and Smith has been dropped in a lot of leagues, at a time when he shouldn’t be. The Vikings play at home to the Cardinals in Week 8 and that’s as friendly a matchup as possible for tight ends, with Arizona surrendering the most points to tight ends of any defense. In recent weeks they have surrendered big PPR days to Juwan Johnson (22.70), Noah Fant (13.5), Dallas Goedert (21.5) and even Tommy Tremble of the Panthers scored 7.9 PPR points, which was a dramatic rise from his series average of 0.78 across his other five games.

Evan Engram (TE – JAX) – 38% Rostered

I know that the majority of us have been stung by Evan Engram at one time or another in fantasy football but his current position seems rather stable. Engram averages over 70% of snaps and has seen 5.3 targets per game so far this season. Week 7’s matchup with the Broncos isn’t a standout but the following week Engram will play a Raiders side that has allowed the fourth-most fantasy points to the position. At a thin position group, I’d be content to hang my hat on that through these messy bye weeks.

Cincinnati Bengals – 42% Rostered

The Bengals are slowly righting the ship and have looked like a more complete team in recent weeks. This weekend they play the Falcons who whilst pleasantly surprising haven’t been perfect and then the Bengals will take on the Jacoby Brissett-led Browns followed by the Panthers and whichever quarterback is deemed the most trustworthy for that week.

Indianapolis Colts – 34% Rostered

In Week 8 the Colts will play the Washington Commanders, who will likely have Taylor Heinicke at quarterback. In 2021 Heinicke was a pleasant surprise with some good moments for the Commanders, but he averaged two turnover-worthy plays per game and took an average of two sacks per game also. The Colts’ defense hasn’t been special, but it’s not been bad either, and can have a good day in Week 8 at the very least.

If you want to dive deeper into fantasy football, be sure to check out our award-winning slate of Fantasy Football Tools as you navigate your season. From our Start/Sit Assistant – which provides your optimal lineup based on accurate consensus projections – to our Waiver Wire Assistant – which allows you to quickly see which available players will improve your team and by how much – we’ve got you covered this fantasy football season.