Week Eight of the NFL is set to begin, starting with a Thursday night matchup as the Carolina Panthers take on the Green Bay Packers at Lambeau Field. The teams on a bye this week are the Houston Texans, New Orleans Saints, New York Giants and San Francisco 49ers.
Injuries have once again thinned out fantasy lineups, so it's time to restock.
On the bright side, several players who have been sidelined since the start of the season have a chance to return to the field this week. Also, the NFL trade deadline is fast approaching (Nov. 10), so I featured a couple of backup players who could make an impact if promoted to a starting role.
Below is my full waiver wire column going over the players, by position, that managers should target this week. I know some of these players may not be available in every league, so I solely look players rostered in less than 60 percent of leagues.
TOP PLAYERS TO TARGET
Geno Smith – New York Jets (Rostered: 12.9%): Smith has been a fantasy roller coaster this season. The one consistent factor in his game is that he takes advantage of defenses with poor secondaries. On Sunday against the Dolphins, Smith scored 23.48 fantasy points and tossed three touchdowns for the second time since Week Three against the Lions. In the three games prior, against the Bears, Browns and Patriots, he finished with fewer than 12 fantasy points. With the emergence of rookie Omar Cooper Jr. alongside Garrett Wilson and Adonai Mitchell, he is poised to have a big game this week against the Raiders, who’ve allowed the second-most passing touchdowns (16). Smith is one of my favorite streaming options for Week Eight.
Jacoby Brissett – Arizona Cardinals (Rostered: 19.6%): Another quarterback I like as a streaming option is Brissett, who has the Cowboys this week. He’s also a boom-or-bust QB who typically flashes against poor secondaries, including a 25.28-fantasy-point finish in Week Five against the Lions. Dallas’ defense may have improved with the addition of Joey Porter Jr., but I still believe it’s a QB-friendly matchup, as the Cowboys have surrendered 21.28 fantasy points per game to the position this season. Brissett is a great choice if your QB is on a bye.
Malik Willis – Miami Dolphins (Rostered: 6.3%): On Sunday, Willis finished with season highs in completion percentage (66.7 percent), total touchdowns (two passing, one rushing) and fantasy points (26.02) against the Jets. But I don’t recommend starting him this week against the Patriots, who allow the ninth-fewest fantasy points to opposing quarterbacks this season. That said, if you look ahead to his next two matchups, Willis takes on the Lions and Colts, both very favorable QB matchups. Stash Willis on your roster if you have the room to do so.
J.J. McCarthy – New York Giants (Rostered: 21.2%): I don’t want to get too excited about McCarthy because he hasn’t done anything yet to blow my socks off. However, he has had two respectable weeks under center, including on Sunday in his first start for the G-Men, where he went 20-for-28 for 252 yards. McCarthy didn’t score a touchdown and finished under 11 fantasy points, as all four of the Giants’ touchdowns came on the ground, but he looked efficient and got the offense into position to strike pay dirt. The week prior, McCarthy came in during the game for Jameis Winston and threw for 243 yards and a touchdown while also rushing for 26 yards. The Giants have a bye this week and return to play the Eagles on the road. McCarthy is someone to keep a serious eye on to see if he can continue to stack good performances and build confidence.
Kaelon Black – San Francisco 49ers (Rostered: 21.8%): Black had a bigger role than expected on Sunday against the Falcons, with Christian McCaffrey sidelined during the game with a thigh injury. McCaffrey did return to action, but Black led the Niners in carries (12) and rushing yards (63) and scored a 30-yard touchdown. This game was a reminder that fantasy managers need to roster Black in case CMC were to miss any time. Black is the most valuable handcuff in fantasy.
Jonah Coleman – Denver Broncos (Rostered: 24.2%): Coleman is my biggest priority to add on the waiver wire this week. After being on injured reserve nursing an ankle injury, Coleman returned and immediately looked better than the other Broncos backs, J.K. Dobbins and RJ Harvey. He led the team in offensive snaps (50 percent), carries (nine) and rushing yards (54), and caught two passes for 15 yards. In terms of usage, Dobbins played only 21.4 percent of the snaps while Harvey had 25 percent. I still view this Broncos backfield as a three-man committee, but head coach Sean Payton has been a massive fan of Coleman, and he said after Sunday’s game against the Cardinals that they “got to get him more touches.” For the time being, Coleman is the guy to target and could be a league-winning back down the stretch.
Seth McGowan – Indianapolis Colts (Rostered: 4.0%): The average football watcher has probably never heard of McGowan, but now is the time to get familiar. The reason is that the Colts are in the midst of selling off some of their most talented players due to their 2-5 record. On Tuesday they traded two All-Pros, Quenton Nelson and DeForest Buckner, and now it’s expected that Jonathan Taylor could be the next piece to get shipped away. It’s all rumors at the end of the day, but it doesn’t look good when even Taylor’s girlfriend is feeding into the trade hype. As far as McGowan, he will be the next man up for the Colts in the backfield. He has averaged 4.2 yards per carry this season, the same as Taylor, and on Sunday against the Vikings he finished with a season-high in carries (11) and rushing yards (46). He needs to be rostered and stashed until Taylor ends up in a new uniform.
Rico Dowdle – Pittsburgh Steelers (Rostered: 56.4%): Dowdle has played two games since his toe injury and put up his best performance of the season in Week Seven against the Saints. Despite Jaylen Warren finishing with an impressive 137 scrimmage yards, Dowdle still had nine carries for 41 yards and caught all six of his targets for 45 yards. Pittsburgh’s offense has recently shown that it can support a two-headed backfield in fantasy, going back to last season with Warren and Kenneth Gainwell. Dowdle is a flex-worthy option in most lineups and could have a pivotal role if Warren were to miss games.
Omar Cooper Jr. – New York Jets (Rostered: 34.9%): Cooper continued to build on his explosive stretch with a second straight 100-plus-yard performance against the Dolphins on Sunday. With Garrett Wilson being the main focus for opposing defenses, the rookie has taken advantage of the matchups, with 11 catches for 218 yards and two touchdowns over his last two games. Fantasy managers should expect that Wilson won’t be shut down like this on a consistent basis, but it’s worth getting excited that the first-round receiver is showcasing the traits of a breakout season.
KC Concepcion – Cleveland Browns (Rostered: 43.0%): Concepcion is coming off a monster performance on Sunday against the Titans. The rookie caught eight of 10 targets for 129 yards and had three carries for 23 yards. In five of his last six games, Concepcion has seen six or more targets. He’s someone fantasy managers should prioritize on the waiver wire this week, but I wouldn’t expect him to put up numbers like this routinely. Before Sunday’s game, he was averaging only 6.6 fantasy points per game. Fellow rookie wideout Denzel Boston still had eight targets, and Deshaun Watson is unreliable at supporting multiple wide receivers in the Browns’ offense.
Antonio Williams – Washington Commanders (Rostered: 7.1%): With Terry McLaurin out for the season, it’s very likely Williams will see an increase in snaps, routes and targets. Williams has looked solid for the most part in his rookie season and has seen at least four targets in four of his six games. The Commanders’ top wideout currently is Stefon Diggs, who has dealt with injuries this season, with Treylon Burks flirting with WR2/3 production. Williams should be stashed in deeper PPR leagues.
Ja’Kobi Lane – Baltimore Ravens (Rostered: 11.8%): This is a familiar trend if you haven’t noticed by now: the 2026 draft class of wide receivers is already making flashes this early on, including Lane. He ran 28 routes last week against the Bengals and saw the second-most targets behind Zay Flowers. Lane still hasn’t had a breakout game, but he has shown that he’s a part of the Ravens’ passing attack. Also, he still hasn’t played a full game with Lamar Jackson under center. Lane is a good stash in deeper leagues.
Caleb Douglas – Miami Dolphins (Rostered: 9.7%): Douglas returned to the field after missing a month of action and put up a 21-point performance on Sunday against the Jets. He finished the game catching two of three targets for 70 yards and two scores, including a 63-yard catch-and-run. In the three games the rookie has played, he has eclipsed 14 fantasy points twice and is averaging 20.3 yards per catch. Despite the positive commentary and statistics, Douglas is the most unpredictable receiver of the ones listed and carries a boom-or-bust label. However, I still believe he should be added in deeper leagues.
Jordyn Tyson – New Orleans Saints (Rostered: 34.3%): Like Thanos hunting for the Infinity Stones, I’ve spent this entire section collecting rookie wideouts who can snap your lineup into shape. Tyson is that final stone. He has yet to play a game this season, but he is getting closer to returning. He traveled with the team to London in hopes that he would start practicing, but he did not, which means his 21-day practice window still has not opened. The Saints are on a bye this week, and it’s wise to check whether the rookie is available in your league. If so, he needs to be rostered and stashed in your IR spot.
Brenton Strange – Jacksonville Jaguars (Rostered: 36.0%): It’s a disservice to Strange that he’s rostered in just over a third of leagues. He’s seen great production in an offense with a ton of mouths to feed. He’s caught 19 of 23 targets for 207 yards in the last three games and has shown himself to be one of Trevor Lawrence’s go-to security options. Jacksonville is coming back from a bye, which should help Strange generate attention on the waiver wire this week. Grab him now before it’s too late.
Hunter Henry – New England Patriots (Rostered: 47.2%): Henry has stacked four excellent performances over the last month. He has scored 11.2, 13.4, 14.8 and 14.1 fantasy points, and he saw a season-high seven targets and finished with 71 yards last week against a Bears defense that is stingy against tight ends. Drake Maye is also trusting Henry more to come up with plays in critical situations, which makes it easy to have him as a must-start. He might be a low-end TE1, but the position in general is a thin one. Henry needs to be rostered in all leagues.
Terrance Ferguson – Los Angeles Rams (Rostered: 12.5%): Ferguson is eligible to come off injured reserve this week. However, Adam Schefter reported that he isn’t expected to be ready to return to the field. While it will take some time for him to fully recover from his ankle injury, it’s wise to do a quick check to see if he’s available in your league. He’s a viable stash until he’s prepared to make a comeback.
Chig Okonkwo – Washington Commanders (Rostered: 4.9%): Similar to Antonio Williams, Okonkwo is another Commanders pass catcher who should receive more routes and targets with Terry McLaurin sidelined for the remainder of the season. He is my biggest sleeper on this week’s waiver wire. Okonkwo has had four or more targets and 60 or more yards in back-to-back games. In his last game against the Niners, he was the second-most-targeted option behind Stefon Diggs. Okonkwo has the potential to hit TE1 territory in PPR formats.
Cincinnati Bengals Defense (Rostered: 16.2%): The Bengals’ defense has quietly put up seven or more fantasy points in four of its last six games. A big reason is Cincinnati’s ability to get after the quarterback, with the second-highest sack rate (8.8 percent) in the league behind Minnesota (10 percent). This week they have a juicy matchup against the Titans, who’ve surrendered the sixth-most giveaways and the sixth-most fantasy points to opposing defenses this season.
Jacksonville Jaguars Defense (Rostered: 28.0%): The Jaguars return from the bye to take on Daniel Jones and the Colts’ struggling offense. Indianapolis has allowed the third-highest pressure rate (43.4 percent), the fourth-most sacks (19), the fifth-most giveaways per game (1.7) and the fifth-most fantasy points to opposing defenses. Whether or not Jonathan Taylor is traded away by then, Jacksonville has been stellar at stopping the run, allowing the fewest yards per game (72.2). If the Colts can’t run the ball in this one, they will have a long day finding a way to score points.
Washington Commanders Defense (Rostered: 2.6%): I will never recommend picking up, let alone starting, the Commanders’ defense, but the Week Eight matchup against the Eagles is hard to ignore. Philly has allowed the fifth-most sacks this season and will likely be without DeVonta Smith and Dontayvion Wicks again. Both Saquon Barkley and Dameon Pierce exited Monday’s game with injuries and are at risk of missing action this week. Washington is a safe streaming option.
OTHER PLAYERS TO TARGET/STREAM/KEEP AN EYE ON
QBs
Aaron Rodgers (Pittsburgh Steelers - Rostered: 55.3%)
Kirk Cousins (Las Vegas Raiders - Rostered: 56.8%)
Michael Penix Jr. (Atlanta Falcons - Rostered: 12.8%)
Tanner McKee (Philadelphia Eagles - Rostered: 5.8%)
RBs
Devin Singletary (New York Giants - Rostered: 1.7%)
Kendre Miller (New Orleans Saints - Rostered: 41.5%)
Dylan Sampson (Cleveland Browns - Rostered: 8.6%)
Bam Knight (Arizona Cardinals - Rostered: 16.6%)
WRs
Makai Lemon (Philadelphia Eagles - Rostered: 37.4%)
Treylon Burks (Washington Commanders - Rostered: 0.5%)
Keenan Allen (Indianapolis Colts - Rostered: 43.6%)
Khalil Shakir (Buffalo Bills - Rostered: 57.7%)
Keon Coleman (Buffalo Bills - Rostered: 28.7%)
TEs
Mason Taylor (New York Jets - Rostered: 0.3%)
Colby Parkinson (Los Angeles Rams - Rostered: 6.5%)
Greg Dulcich (Miami Dolphins - Rostered: 1.0%)
AJ Barner (Seattle Seahawks - Rostered: 6.2%)
D/ST
New England Patriots Defense (Rostered: 59.7%)
Green Bay Packers Defense (Rostered: 11.5%)
Las Vegas Raiders Defense (Rostered: 5.0%)