10 Fantasy Football Waiver Wire Targets Heading Into Week 8

By now, most of the early breakout players have been added to fantasy rosters, so identifying pickups can require more nuance. Unless, of course, injuries are opening a path to production for certain options.

Here are some of the best additions you can make to your squads based on everything we know so far. (I'll mostly stick to players rostered on 50% or fewer of Yahoo teams and also list some other viable pickups who may be available in shallower leagues or relevant only in deeper leagues).

Quarterbacks

Daniel Jones, Giants

Roster Percentage: 28%

A guy like Daniel Jones may not burst off the page for folks in fantasy circles, and he certainly didn't do much in Week 7. He only passed for 203 yards and a score while adding 28 yards as a runner.

While Jones only has one 300 yard passing game to his name, he likely pushes into the QB1 conversation with a game against the Kansas City Chiefs; they've allowed the second-most FanDuel points to opposing quarterbacks so far. Only Taylor Heinicke failed to secure a top-five quarterback performance against the Chiefs' D in the last six weeks.

Jones is a spicy addition for Week 8 if you're streaming at quarterback.

Taylor Heinicke, Washington

Roster Percentage: 14%

The Konami code in fantasy football is attempting to find the elusive signal-caller that provides solid passing work while also using their legs to secure some rushing upside. Taylor Heinicke definitely makes his mark in that area.

In fact, Heincke's Week 7 was salvaged by his rushing alone. He racked up 95 rushing yards on Sunday, and arguably, he should have been credited with a rushing touchdown that was waived off due to a freak occurrence at the goal line. He did throw for 268 yards and a score against the Packers as well.

Now, there are some warts here. The Denver Broncos, his Week 8 opponent, are tough and have been pretty stingy against opposing passers. But, their 0.09 Passing Net Expected Points (NEP) per drop back is just slightly below average, and Case Keenum was able to post 6.0 yards per attempt on them.

Others to Consider:
Trevor Lawrence (40%; vs. Seattle), Ben Roethlisberger (20%; at Cleveland), Carson Wentz (36%; vs. Tennessee)

Running Backs

Brandon Bolden, Patriots

Roster Percentage: 6%

In point-per-reception (PPR) formats, with James White out for the rest of the season, Brandon Bolden of the New England Patriots seems to have assumed the pass-catching role in the backfield. That makes him a very viable option worthy of a fantasy add.

In a game where the Pats went absolutely nuts, Bolden managed to absolutely smash his way for 6 catches (on 7 targets), 79 receiving yards, and a touchdown. While he did only carry the ball twice, he's clearly got a place in this offense. He really was not utilized the entire day either, playing just 27% of the snap with the Jets getting thrashed

The Chargers have allowed the fifth-most points to opposing running backs, so take a peek and see if Bolden is available since Damien Harris likely is not.

Kenneth Gainwell, Eagles

Roster Percentage: 21%

Injuries are not a great way to introduce role changes, but they are unfortunately part of the game. While teammate Miles Sanders was going bananas in the first quarter, after his exit, Kenneth Gainwell looks to be the man to roster in the backfield.

Gainwell rushed 5 times for 20 yards, but more importantly, he saw 8 targets compared to just 2 for Boston Scott. Gainwell also ran 12 more routes than Scott on a 50% snap share overall.

It's hard to know if and/or when Sanders will be eligible to return, but until then, he should see high-quality chances in the Eagles' offense. He's likely available in nearly all leagues, and he could be a home run addition if he merits Sanders' snap role before the injury.

Others to Consider:
Kenyan Drake (63%), Khalil Herbert (59%), Rashaad Penny (33%), Devonta Freeman (43%), JaMycal Hasty (4%), Peyton Barber (2%)

Wide Receivers

Allen Lazard, Packers

Roster Percentage: 4%

Last week, Allen Lazard of the Green Bay Packers found paydirt with a touchdown reception, but the stat line looked relatively quiet; he only had 3 catches and 27 receiving yards.

Lazard one-upped that on Sunday. He did some major damage to the Football Team in a late first-half drive with five catches, 60 yards, and a score. Lazard's overall role is good, though. He's accrued a 17% target market share or better in back-to-back contests, and while it's obvious Adams is the man in Green Bay, the second fiddle role could is definitely still available.

In a massive showdown against the undefeated Cardinals on Thursday, who've allowed the 10th-most fantasy points to wide receivers, Lazard makes a lot of sense.

Van Jefferson Jr., Rams

Roster Percentage: 9%

Second-year wide receiver Van Jefferson is still finding his way in a dynamic offense with plenty of veterans ahead of him. He played in all 16 games a season ago, but his rookie campaign was relatively quiet with just 19 catches.

Jefferson has nearly bested that mark this season already, and after a slow start to the year, Jefferson has logged six or more targets in three of the last five contests. What's interesting is that in this particular contest against Detroit, his seven targets were one more than Robert Woods. Jefferson played 95.1% of the snaps on Sunday as well.

Both Woods and Jefferson should see better days soon. It's unlikely Cooper Kupp becomes the all-time receiving leader for a season in all categories, so he is due for -- at the least -- touchdown regression moving forward. Los Angeles also sees Houston and Tennessee in their next two weeks of action.

Darius Slayton, Giants

Roster Percentage: 15%

After pacing the New York Giants offense in a surprisingly easy Week 7 win, Darius Slayton makes for an interesting pickup to consider.

The Giants, forced to play with a trio of Slayton, Dante Pettis, and John Ross, Slayton led the team with nine targets and 63 receiving yards on the week. He logged a 27% target market share on the week, and it's probably not a bad assumption that the injuries to will plague the Giants for another week.

While Sterling Shepard might be closer to playing as a game-time call this past Sunday, Kenny Golladay and Kadarius Toney were ruled out well before the game. They may not be returning for a while.

Like his quarterback Jones, Slayton's matchup in Week 8 against the Chiefs is incredible. They have allowed 0.30 Passing NEP per drop back this season, which is the worst mark in the NFL by a wide margin to this point.

Others to Consider:
Rashod Bateman (32%), Demetric Felton (20%), Elijah Moore (16%), Russell Gage (10%), Kalif Raymond (3%), Dante Pettis (1%)

Tight Ends

Cole Kmet, Bears

Roster Percentage: 26%

It's completely fair to want to run and hide your eyes in witnessing the Chicago Bears offensive performance in Week 7. Chicago was absolutely obliterated by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

But, it is worth highlighting that Cole Kmet led the Bears in both targets and receptions in the contest. He's got 11 targets over the last two games, and he has added 40-plus receiving yards in those same contests. Even with splash performances on "National Tight Ends Day", those have been passable at tight end most of the season.

If you are looking to bolster your tight end spot in a deeper league, Kmet is certainly worth consideration.

Robert Tonyan, Packers

Roster Percentage: 51%

Robert Tonyan's production has been a yo-yo.

From Week 3 to Week 6, Tonyan racked up a total of six catches. Then, in Week 7, Tonyan posted 4 catches (on 5 targets) for 63 yards and a score.

Even though his production hasn't soared like expected without Marquez Valdes-Scantling, the Packers' tight end now has run 65.6% of his team's routes and seen a 14.5% target share in the past two weeks.

The targets are quality ones from Aaron Rodgers, who may turn more to Lazard and Tonyan as teams continue to smother Davante Adams.

Others to Consider:
Jonnu Smith (38%), Evan Engram (31%), C.J. Uzomah (18%), Mo Alie-Cox (17%)

Defenses

Seattle Seahawks D/ST

Roster Percentage: 10%

The Seattle Seahawks D/ST is in a great spot in Week 8 versus the Jacksonville Jaguars.

The Jags are coming off their first win of the season, but they have yet to score over 25 points this season. Rookie quarterback Trevor Lawrence has been sacked at least one time in every game this season, and Lawrence's 4.7% turnover-worthy play rate is still 4th in the NFL behind Zach Wilson, Davis Mills, and Sam Darnold.

Likely rostered in just a few leagues after struggling for a while this year, Seattle could tee off on the Jags.

Others to Consider:
Cincinnati D/ST (16%, vs. New York), Atlanta D/ST (8%, vs. Carolina), Philadelphia D/ST (6%, vs. Detroit)