Week seven of the 2023 NFL season is over and we are at the halfway point. Some of you are riding high, but most of you have been performing triage on your fantasy roster like a rerun of M.A.S.H. Only your version has fewer martinis and more meth. How else are you going to compete with the horrors of fantasy football? War doesn’t compare. Just ask Kellen Winslow Jr. Your fantasy football season now hangs in the balance and there is only one place left to turn – the waiver wire. I’m going to provide you with the best options available. If I don’t mention someone whom you think I should be talking about, just know there are many reasons why I overlooked them. Maybe they are owned in most leagues. Maybe they are so bad I don’t even consider them. Maybe it’s because your opinions cannot be trusted. After all, you are here. So let us examine who our best week eight waiver wire players for your championship run are…
Week Eight Waiver Wire QBs
Kyler Murray, Arizona Cardinals (31% rostered)
If you need quarterback help, it is time to go for a Hail Mary. Kyler Murray has just been activated off of I.R. and will be promoted to the active roster in the next couple of weeks. The fact is, none of your choices on the waiver wire are good at this point. Kyler Murray represents the potential for top-ten quarterback play the rest of the season. If he is available in your league and you have been streaming, it is time to get yourself a set-and-forget starter.
Week Eight Waiver Wire RBs
Pierre Strong Jr., Cleveland Browns (1% rostered)
With Jerome Ford expected to miss a couple of weeks with an ankle sprain, Pierre Strong is the next man up. If you need running back help, Pierre Strong needs to be the number one waiver priority for week eight. In week seven, Strong had 8 carries for 25 yards. While those numbers are not impressive, Strong should see sufficient volume to be better than your other options.
Ezekiel Elliott, New England Patriots (39% rostered)
Here is the thing. Even though the Patriots suck donkey balls on offense, you probably need to be rostering Ezekiel Elliott. Zeke is getting an even split of the red zone looks for the Patriots and a majority of the running back touches inside the 10. If you need running back help and can stomach having a share of the Patriots’ offense, you probably should get Zeke.
The Rest of the Running Backs
Honestly, I don’t even know what to tell you with the rest of the running backs. We all targeted Zach Evans last week and then Sean McVay immediately went and signed Darrell Henderson Jr. and Royce Freeman. Two weeks ago, we got Emari Demercado on waivers and that week he barely gets a look. Once we cut him from our rosters, Demercado gets 75 all-purpose yards. And now, after leading the backfield of the Rams in carries this week, Henderson has been relegated back to the practice squad! NONE OF THIS MAKES ANY SENSE! All I do know is the Rams and Cardinals can go to hell with their running back management!
Week Eight Waiver Wire WRs
Josh Downs, Indianapolis Colts (33% rostered)
It is really quite annoying when you tell someone for weeks to get a player, they continue to do well, and they also continue to sit on the waiver wire. I believe this is the fourth week in a row I have told you to look at picking up Josh Downs. This week, he finished as the WR2 in half PPR, with 5 catches for 125 yards and 1 touchdown. If Josh Downs literally winning matchups is not enough to get you to claim him in your leagues, I’m not sure what else I can say.
Rashee Rice, Kansas City Chiefs (47% rostered)
Slightly less annoying is when you have brought someone up for the last couple of weeks, you urge your readers to be monitoring and picking said player up, and then Rashee Rice only finishes with 5 catches for 60 yards and 1 touchdown, ending as the WR14 in half PPR for the week. Not quite as annoying as those of you letting Downs stay on the waiver wire, but still kind of annoying. Of course, I wasn’t as high on Rice as Downs, so if you missed Rice because you were listening to me and got Downs, you did well. Just remember there is no rule saying you can’t have two guys from the waiver wire on your team. Go get Rashee Rice.
Kendrick Bourne, New England Patriots (23% rostered)
Imagine my surprise when there was a receiver I hadn’t talked about on the waiver wire. Truth be told, I have been hesitant to talk about Kendrick Bourne. Yes, he is the WR25 on the season. Sure, he has the 19th most targets of any wide receiver. The problem is he plays for the New England Patriots and I just don’t want shares of that offense. But after finishing week seven as the WR16 with 6 catches for 63 yards and 1 touchdown, I now declare him my new Jakobi Meyers. A Patriots receiver who seems to overcome being a Patriot. Bourne leads all Patriots receivers in routes run and targets. He has done enough that he should be rostered in all leagues.
Week Eight Waiver Wire TEs
Dalton Kincaid, Buffalo Bills (38% rostered)
With Dawson Knox undergoing wrist surgery, thousands of Dalton Kincaid dynasty owners finally have a chance to tell us they told us so. Last year, Knox saw 78% of the tight-end splits without Kincaid. This year, they were in an even split. There is a good chance that Kincaid could find himself with an elite target share in one of the best-scoring offenses in football. While I am not normally a fan of using a waiver priority on a tight end, if I don’t have a top-flight guy, Kincaid is worth the investment.
