Week 8 2021-22 Fantasy Football Season

We made it through a six team bye week and now have a lighter bye week where only two teams, the Baltimore Ravens and Las Vegas Raiders, are on byes.

In week seven we saw a couple injuries and players step up for their teams finally after they were projected to be productive fantasy players in the preseason and have finally found fantasy relevance. 

Let’s get into the top waiver wire pickups for week 8, some sit and starts, and compare some players one on one for roster spots in your week eight lineups.

RB’s For Week 8

Starting at running back waiver wire pickups, because that seems like where the top pickups are every week, we have two Philadelphia Eagles running backs. 

Miles Sanders Injury

The unfortunate injury to Miles Sanders as the Eagles were just starting to try to utilize him more came in week seven when Sanders turned his ankle.  He is likely out a few weeks which makes both of his backups good options. 

Miles Sanders Backups

The first is Kenneth Gainwell, the rookie who scored a touchdown last week with 61 total yards from scrimmage and four catches is a top target. 

The second is the other Eagles running back, Boston Scott, who saw more carries than Gainwell, five to seven, and scored a rushing touchdown on Sunday.  Scott may be in line for more carries but Gainwell’s ability to make big plays and catch the ball make him the best running back pickup of the week. 

Philadelphia gets a great matchup against the Detroit Lions in week eight who were motivated against the Rams last week in Goff’s return to play his old team.  They are a beatable team on the ground normally as they have allowed a handful of 100 yard rushers so far on the season. 

Marlon Mack

Others to add for the future are Marlon Mack who could be traded to a team soon who needs a running back where he could be the featured back. 

Devonta Freeman

The other is Devonta Freeman who keeps getting more and more involved in Baltimore’s offense who is committed to the run, however the Ravens are one of the two teams on a bye this week.

WR’s For Week 8

Looking at wide receivers we have some here that were highly drafted but have been fantasy duds. 

Russell Gage

The first is Russell Gage who was expected to be a player who filled some of the big void in the receiving game for the Atlanta Falcons after Julio Jones left to the Titans.  Gage had 72 catches for 786 yards and four touchdowns as the number three wide receiver in 2020 for the Falcons, yet so far this season as the number two wide receiver has only played in three games and had just five catches for 28 yards going into week seven. 

In week seven however, Gage looked like the receiver we thought we were drafting in an Atlanta offense that passes a lot.  He had four catches for 67 yards and a touchdown on six targets. 

Allen Lazard

The next pickup is another wide receiver who was expected to be the third wide receiver if not the second wide receiver for the Green Bay Packers is Allen Lazard.  Lazard hit a season high of 60 receiving yards last week against Washington which is not that exciting but he also saw a season high in catches and targets.  He also has had back to back games with a touchdown. 

Davante Adams

Plus, Davante Adams just got put on the COVID list and is most likely out for Thursday’s game against the Cardinals which will be a high scoring affair. 

Quarterbacks For Week 8

Daniel Jones

At quarterback a pickup to look at is Daniel Jones who had a solid fantasy game in week seven even with Barkley and three of their top wide receivers out.  With those receivers back, Jones should get back to having big fantasy games like he did earlier in the year. 

Jones even had a nice catch showing off his athleticism last week.  He gives you that rushing upside as well with five games this year with at least 27 rushing yards and one game with 95 rushing yards.  The next game for him is against the Chiefs who have been giving up a bunch of points and yards to opposing offenses. 

Deshaun Watson

A quarterback to pickup based on hype is Deshaun Watson who is a dynamic fantasy quarterback and will be a top 10 quarterback for the rest of season when he gets on with another team, if not higher.  The teams he is rumored to go to is the Dolphins where Tua has had two monster fantasy games in his return to the lineup and also Carolina who was a good team in the beginning of the year but now it seems Sam Darnold is holding them back.

TE’s For Week 8

CJ Uzomah

Tight end pickups are slim this week unless CJ Uzomah is still available.  He may seem like a great pickup but there may be some luck involved with his recent fantasy success. 

Uzomah is only averaging 2.7 targets per game but seems to only catch big touchdowns.  It is entirely possible he goes weeks without another big touchdown and scores five points or less per week or he could have more long touchdown plays but he will continue to have limited opportunities. 

Others to pick up could be Tyler Conklin or Mo Alie-Cox for next week.

What Should BE Your Lineups This Week?

With just two teams on bye this week there are a lot of options that can be in your lineups this week. 

Let’s take a look at some of those players who you should sit or start in lineups for week 8 starting off with running backs. 

Running backs

Darrell Henderson

Darrell Henderson is a running back who struggled against a Lions team that hasn’t been tough on running backs this year but did hold him in check.  Henderson will get another good matchup here in week 8 and you shouldn’t be moving away from him in your lineups. 

He was held to only 64 total yards with no touchdowns but still managed 15 carries to only two for Soney Michel.  Against the Texans in week eight he should get 15+ touches again but do more with them and has a high probability of scoring  a touchdown. 

Chuba Hubbard

The next player to not bench in week 8 is Chuba Hubbard.  He struggled similarly to Henderseon in week seven but now faces the Atlanta Falcons which should get him and the Panthers back on track. 

This was Hubbard’s lowest rushing yard output in the last five weeks and he hasn’t had less than 52 rushing yards in that span.  He was also more involved in the passing game in week seven with four catches for 28 yards. 

Mike Davis

A running back to sit this week is Mike Davis who last week only saw four carries after getting 12+ the previous three weeks.  He has finally been surpassed by Cordaralle Patterson as the lead back and as long as Patterson is healthy he won’t see many more touches.

Wide Receivers

Ja’Marr Chase or Tee Higgins

Looking at the wide receivers in week 8 Ja’Marr Chase gets all the attention and love in Cincinnati, and for good reason, but Tee Higgins is a very underrated fantasy wide receiver who is just one play away from breaking out. 

A lot of rankings have him only as a top 35 wide receiver play this week but Higgins should be a start and saw 15 targets last game and hasn’t had less than three catches in a game this year. 

With that many targets and Burrow playing out of his mind, Higgins will have a monster 100+ yard with a touchdown game sooner rather than later. 

Michael Pittman

Another wide receiver to start is Michael Pittman from the Colts.  When T.Y. Hilton is not playing, Pittman commands the bulk of the targets.  Pittman managed 105 yards and a touchdown against the 49ers in a game where it was raining heavily and the Colts only managed 150 yards passing total. 

Jarvis Landry vs Mayfield

Jarvis Landry finally made his return to the lineup but now Baker Mayfield is out of the lineup.  This makes Landry a sit as he managed some nice plays but only on short completions.  Until Mayfield returns, Landry’s fantasy value is limited.

Joe Burrow

Coming off of his best game as a pro, Joe Burrow looks like a good play again this week and should be considered a top 10 quarterback in week 8. 

Burrow had 416 passing yards with three touchdowns against the Ravens to take over first place in the AFC North.  He also has some of the best weapons in the NFL with Chase, Higgins, Boyd, and Uzomah as a big play tight end. 

The Bengals face the Jets in week 8 which should prove to be another game where the Bengals can run up a lot of points again.

Ryan Tannehill

Ryan Tannehill put together one of his best fantasy games of the season so far in week seven against the Chiefs but don’t expect that to continue.  He managed a rushing touchdown which boosted his value as well as his third highest yardage total at 270 but still only has seven touchdown passes in seven games.  This offense is run first and will go to Derrick Henry in the red zone almost every time which hurts Tannehill’s value. 

Tight Ends

Is Ricky Seals-Jones Better Player Than Logan Thomas?

One of the tight ends who has had his best season of his career so far is Ricky Seals-Jones.  He is taking advantage of Logan Thomas being out for Washington and Jones has filled his spot arguably better than Thomas. 

In the last three games Jones has averaged five catches, seven targets and 50 yards with one touchdown.  That is definitely worthy of a starting tight end on your roster unless you have one of the top guys.

Gerald Everett

A tight end to sit is Gerald Everett who has not seen more than five targets in a game this year after he was expected to be a big part of the Seahawks offense before the season.  Now, with Wilson out, his fantasy value is very limited but could be one to hold onto until Wilson returns.

Players To Consider On Your Roster In Week 8

For the last segment let’s look at some players that you potentially could have on your roster and are considering them against some other players for week 8. 

Alex Collins or Myles Gaskin

The first to look at for running backs is Alex Collins who struggled against the Saints in week seven. The Seahawks now have four healthy running backs which immediately hurts Alex Collins with Penny back and DJ Dallas and Travis Homer getting third down work. 

It looked like Seattle wanted Penny to split carries with Collins in his return but he managed just nine yards on six carries and then Seattle went back to Collins. 

Now, the Seahawks get a nice matchup against the Jaguars and should go back to Collins but there is still some risk of him splitting carries. 

Collins still looks like a better play than Myles Gaskin who had one of his best games of the year last week but now faces the Bills where he most likely won’t see close to 20 touches again.

Collins or Zack Moss

Another that Collins looks better than is Zack Moss.  Moss is very touchdown dependent and has Allen and Singletary who could take away from him in the red zone. 

Also, in four games this year Moss has eight or less carries. Collins will get more touches and more guaranteed red zone carries. Some guys who look better are Devontae Booker against the Chiefs and Damien Williams in the same game against the Giants.  All three of Booker, Williams, and Collins should expect about the same carries but Booker and Williams will get more work in the passing game. 

Khalil Herber, Damien Harris or Antonio Gibson

Another player to look at is Khalil Herbert who plays the 49ers when the Bears welcome them to Soldier Field this Sunday.  Herbert has been great in place of Montgomery and finds himself inside the top 20 running backs in a lot of rankings for week eight. 

You probably have two or three other running backs you are considering for this week such as Damien Harris who may be close but not as good of a play due to his matchup against the Chargers.

Antonio Gibson also would be a close call but seems like a better play than Herbert due to Herbert’s matchup where San Francisco has done pretty well against the run but struggle against the pass.

Wide Receiver Options For Week 8

There are a ton of good wide receiver options on a week where there are only two bye teams and looking at players ranked around 30 it gets really tight in who is being ranked where and who you should play.

Who’s Better? Jaylen Waddle or Marvin Jones

A wide receiver to look at is Jaylen Waddle who is ranked right around 30 on a lot of expert’s rankings. Waddle looks like a nice play as he has strung two good games together with Tua and now faces the Bills who can be thrown on. He looks better than Marvin Jones against the Seahawks who looked good defensively on Monday Night Football and Jones only has two games this year with over 62 yards, so he is fairly touchdown dependent. 

Emmanuel Sanders or Waddle

Emmanuel Sanders is a player that looks to be a better and safer play than Waddle, however. Sanders has three games with 74 or more yards and two games with two touchdowns and should have many opportunities to get even more touchdowns against Miami. 

Courtland Sutton

Another receiver to look at is Courtland Sutton who has had a few massive games this season with a 120 and 159 yard game on the season. This week however, Jerry Jeudy may be back and Bridgewater has been struggling. This could hurt his target share and production but he still seems like a better play than any of the Cardinals wide receivers, aside from Deandre Hopkins, as there are a lot of mouths to feed in that offense.

Sutton or DK Metcalf

A guy who looks better than Sutton is DK Metcalf, even with Geno Smith at quarterback.  DK had an 84 yard touchdown catch but then only had one 12 yard catch after that.  He should be more involved next week against Jacksonville and have a good fantasy week.

Quarterbacks

Kirk Cousins vs Justin Herbert

Looking at quarterbacks we have Kirk Cousins coming in right around the 10th best quarterback play in most week 8 rankings which makes him a borderline QB1 play in 10 team leagues. 

Cousins plays the Dallas Cowboys in one of the highest expected scoring games on the week at a 54.5 projected point total. Cousins has had monster games and this could be another as he looks like he could be a better play than Justin Herbert in just a 48 total point game.  It is a close call but after Herbert threw for under 200 yards in his last game it could be worth it to take a chance on Cousins in a shootout game. 

Jalen Hurts Not A Good NFL Quarterback

Jalen Hurts may not be a good NFL quarterback, at least yet, but he is a tremendous fantasy quarterback and has a safe floor and higher ceiling than Cousins.

Hurts also plays against the Lions who the Eagles may be able to move the ball on but regardless of that, Hurts is currently the second highest scoring fantasy quarterback on the season so far. 

Tight Ends

Mike Gesicki

A tight end who has been great this year after a rough start is Mike Gesicki.  He looks like a TE1 for week 8 but there are some other options you may have and play over him. 

TJ Hockenson

One of those options is TJ Hockenson who had an extremely hot start but has now cooled off a bit but faces the Eagles here in week 8 and should be able to have a good, if not great game.  He looks like a better play than Gesicki just because the matchup is a lot better. 

Hunter Henry

Next option is Hunter Henry who has had a touchdown in his last two games but Gesicki looks better than him here. Gesicki has had two monster games in a row and even without scoring a touchdown he could still outscore Henry even if he has a touchdown catch in week eight.