Waiver Wire Watch: Week 8 Fantasy Football Targets

Oct 23, 2017

Editor's Note: We're happy to have Brandon Niles on the Waiver Wire Watch this year. He'll work in conjunction with Senior Editor John Paulsen to compile the weekly list of pickups and generate recommended prices for FAAB leagues.

Here is a look at the top waiver wire pickups for Week 8. To be eligible for discussion, the player must be owned in 50% or fewer Yahoo leagues, though we’ll stretch the rules a bit for the RB position, which is usually very thin. We’ll also include suggested bid prices (with a $100 budget) for those leagues that use Free Agent Acquisition Budgets (FAAB). Of course, player value depends on league characteristics and team needs. Players are listed by position in order of importance. For extremely shallow or extremely deep leagues, be sure to review our Rest-of-Season Rankings (updated every Tuesday) to get an idea of how to value players not on this list.

Quarterbacks

Josh McCown, New York Jets ($3)

McCown has four interceptions over his past three games, but he also has seven touchdowns during that span, plus another on the ground. With more easy matchups coming this week against the Falcons and in Week 10 against the Bucs, McCown could have value as a cheap streaming option in deep leagues.

Next up: Falcons, Bills, @ Bucs

C.J. Beathard, San Francisco 49ers ($2)

Beathard struggled to finish drives on Sunday against the Cowboys, but in a lopsided game, he ended up with 38 passing attempts and ran the ball five times. He ended up with 235 passing yards, along with 30 yards and a touchdown on the ground. Beathard is far from a sure thing, but with matchups against the Eagles and Cardinals in the next two weeks, he’s worth gambling on as a streamer or a backup QB option with potential.

Next up: @ Eagles, Cardinals, Giants

Brett Hundley, Green Bay Packers ($2)

Hundley didn’t do well against the Saints on Sunday, throwing for only 87 yards and a pick in a Packers loss. He did run in a touchdown, which gives him promise as a viable fantasy option, but it’s hard to imagine he’ll be a good streamer after the bye this week with Detroit and Chicago next on the schedule. Still, he has more upside than any other option on the waivers for production later in the season, and he’s worth adding on potential alone.

Next up: Bye, Lions, @ Bears

Trevor Siemian, Denver Broncos ($1)

I don’t like Siemian, but I do think he could be a viable streaming option over the next few weeks, and he'll be cheap after 207 yards and a pick Sunday against the Chargers. Siemian faces the Chiefs this week, then the Eagles and the Patriots. All three of those defenses rank in the bottom-five of the league in passing yards allowed per game, and all three teams have good enough offenses to keep Denver throwing the ball.

Next up: @ Chiefs, @ Eagles, Patriots

I’m not buying: Drew Stanton has never been particularly effective when thrust into a starting role. I might consider grabbing him for a one-week rental in Week 9 against the 49ers, but I’ll ignore him with a bye this week. Mitch Trubisky hasn’t done anything to make me think he’s worth grabbing outside of dynasty leagues. I like Blake Bortles in good matchups, but with a bye this week, I’m not considering him, despite 330 yards and a touchdown against the Colts. I don’t want to deal with the uncertainty of Case Keenum, despite a nice matchup with the Browns this week. I think there are better streaming options available.

Deep Stash Options: Andrew Luck is still dealing with a shoulder injury, but his ownership dipped under 50% for the first time this season, and he’s worth stashing if you have the roster space. Teddy Bridgewater has a legitimate chance of playing as early as Week 10. If he can win that job back, he’ll have some weapons to work with in Minnesota. Colin Kaepernick quietly accounted for 18 total touchdowns in 12 games last season for a horrible team. If he lands on a team with some talent around him, he could quickly become a steady QB option.