Seven days ago, before this Week 8 Waiver Wire Adds column, I began last week’s article with a list of injuries to a number of Fantasy Football’s top flight talents. This week is no different. The 2013 Fantasy Football landscape has been ravaged with injuries, it is unlikely that anyone has avoided the carnage and the challenge is upon us all to rebuild our squads.
Doug Martin, see your in 2014. Reggie Wayne, will you return for one more season? Sam Bradford, Jermichael Finley, Jay Cutler, Nick Foles and Arian Foster, all are dealing with injuries of various seriousness too. No one is safe and there are others on the mend too.
What makes matters worse for Fantasy Owners is in Week 8, there are 6 teams on a Bye. The Chargers, Colts, Bears, Ravens, Texans and Titans are all taking a week to get healthy, which likely couldn’t come at a better time for any of them.
With both the Saints and Raiders returning from their Bye Week, take a peek to make sure no one dropped any players who could help your club going forward.
Lastly, before we get to the top Week 8 Waiver Wire Adds. I asked Jon Collins from Fantasy Sports Locker Room to toss me his top options at each offensive position. We’ll start there.
Mr. Collins’ Week 8 Waiver Wire Adds
QB Mike Glennon, Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Discussions of Glennon’s under-preparedness will soon fade as he continues to deliver competent QB play in Tampa Bay. He’s not a guy I’m adding and projecting to start over a legit QB1 candidate, but, if you’re scrambling Glennon’s willingness to feed the ball to his top receiver helps his fantasy value significantly.
This week he targeted Vincent Jackson 22 times and was handsomely rewarded. In his last two games Glennon has thrown for over 500 yards with 4 TDs and two turnovers.
RB Mike James, Tampa Bay Buccaneers
It’s only so often that a starting RB comes open on the free agent market so James is going to be on top of most priority lists. Tampa’s suspect blocking leaves him with a fairly low ceiling – if Doug Martin wasn’t producing let’s not expect James to give start-worthy numbers every week – but by projected volume alone he’s got to be on your roster.
The schedule isn’t friendly either, with Carolina, Seattle and Miami on deck, there might be little running room for Mr. Mike James. That is a difficult schedule to get thrown into. Then Buffalo, Carolina and San Francisco down the stretch is just as tough.
Harry Douglass had a breakout Week 7 performance.
(Photo Credit: Atlanta Falcons)
WR Harry Douglas, Atlanta Falcons
This Wide Receiver add is obvious, after Douglas made good on all 7 of his targets for 149 yards and a score against Tampa Bay. With a performance like that and the reality that he is going to continue to see lots of looks from Matt Ryan even when Roddy White returns, Douglas simply should not be available in leagues.
Douglas isn’t as skilled as Julio Jones, but that doesn’t mean he can’t post similar fake numbers. With the Falcons needing a strong run to get into the Playoffs, expect their offense to post big numbers weekly and Douglas will get his.
WR Darrius Heyward-Bey, Indianaplois Colts
Heyward-Bey will be a popular Week 8 Waiver Wire add. With Reggie Wayne gone for the year, the top 2 Wide Receivers in Indianapolis are set in stone and Heyward-Bey will be on the field a lot, but T.Y. Hilton is the better pass catcher and Coby Fleener is still in the picture.
I also wouldn’t be surprised if the Colts try to add another Wide Receiver limiting his potential value. Heyward-Bey has only ever shown upside in bursts and isn’t a trust-worthy Fantasy option due to his boom or bust, big play skill set.
WR Kendall Wright, Tennessee Titans
Kendall Wright is available in far too many leagues. Coming off his most targets (12) and yards (98) of the season, he’s a viable WR3 every week with Jake Locker in the lineup. On the season, Wright is averaging 5.7 receptions and 61.9 yards per game, if he starts finding the End Zone you’ll be happy to have him on your roster.
Wright will be a sneaky add too, as the Titans are on their Bye Week, so he may not be as heavily coveted. Additionally, from here out, there are favorable matchups for the Titans all the way through to Fantasy Title Town, USA.
TE Jordan Reed, Washington Redskins
Washington hoped that Reed would develop into a replacement for Fred Davis over time, it just seems that the University of Florida product is accelerating the timeline. He was on the radar all along, but, a 9 catch 134 yard effort in Week 7 makes him impossible to ignore.
He comes out of that contest banged up a bit, but, even if he misses Week 8, Reed has solid long term value. His snap count has risen steadily over the last few weeks and the Washington TE job seems to belong to him. On a team that doesn’t boast a strong receiving threat outside of Pierre Garcon that should mean plenty of targets on a weekly basis.
Parks’ Rapid Fire Week 8 Waiver Wire Adds
QB Ryan Tannehill, Miami Dolphins: The Pats are banged up on defense and have been a friendly matchup for Fantasy Quarterbacks in 3 of their last 4 outings.
RB Chris Ivory, New York Jets: The Bengals are a horrible upcoming matchup, but Ivory took hold of the Jets’ backfield against the Pats this week.
RB Roy Helu, Washington Redskins: Last season, the Shanahanigans disappeared, but the coach didn’t have a healthy Roy Helu. Helu has 5 scores in his last 4 games.
RB Shane Vereen, New England Patriots: If you somehow have bench space to add the Patriot, he should see plenty of work once he returns. A Week 11 return is still the goal.
RB Andre Brown, New York Giants: It has been a messy backfield all season, but if Brown returns to health and form, there might finally be stability. He knows how to score and is practicing.
WR Jarrett Boykin, Green Bay Packers: It was a big game on Sunday for Boykin and being involved in a prolific offense is a huge bonus in Fantasy Football.
WR Jermey Kerley, New York Jets: This isn’t the offense most projected for the Jets heading into the season. Geno Smith has shown flashes and Kerley, though not reliable, can spot start.
WR Michael Crabtree, San Francisco 49ers: The Niners’ Wide Receiver should return within a month, so if you have the bench space he could be a great addition when it counts most.
DST New Orleans Saints: The Saints have been a surprisingly sound defense this season, who’ve even flashed some big play ability. The fact that they’re fresh off their Bye Week and hosting the Bills makes them a great play.
Expect the Saints Defense & Special Teams to give Fantasy Owners something to cheer about Sunday. (Photo Credit: Alfred Benway)
Week 8 Waiver Wire Adds – Bye Week Quarterback Replacements
Carson Palmer, Arizona Cardinals: It has been a rocky season for the veteran, but facing a weak Falcons’ defense at home might be exactly what Palmer needs to get on track.
Week 8 Waiver Wire Adds – Bye Week Tight End Replacements
Tyler Eifert, Cincinnati Bengals: Look for the rookie to build on a solid Week 7 effort, where he scored, against the Jets this week. New York has slowed a Tight End down in weeks.
Are there players that were left off of the Week 8 Waiver Wire Adds list? Who are you targeting?
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