The fantasy football regular season has officially passed its midpoint, and by now, you should know whether or not you have a team that can compete for a championship.
That determination has a lot to do with your waiver wire decisions entering Week 8.
If you're on the fringe of contention, you're probably looking for players who can contribute immediately. As usual.
However, if you're in solid position in the standings, this might be a good week to see about possibly stashing players who could be more valuable later than sooner. Someone who could benefit if a higher-profile teammate is traded in the next couple weeks. Or what about a player who's going to be on bye this week and might be overlooked by your win-now leaguemates.
RB Kaelon Black (28%
rostered), RB Tyrone Tracy (27%) and WR Malachi Fields (4%) might end up being very useful players after they return next week. (And as always, check out last week's waiver recommendations to see if those players might still be available.)
ON BYE: Houston, New Orleans, N.Y, Giants, San Francisco
Fantasy football players to add for Week 8
Due to the wide variance in types of leagues and individual team needs, the players listed here include their availability in Yahoo leagues, which may or may not match roster rates on other platforms. Suggested bid values based on $100 free agent acquisition budget (FAAB) for the season.
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RB Jonah Coleman, Denver Broncos (35% rostered)
Coleman is the prime pickup this week, especially in leagues where he couldn't be stashed on injured reserve while he was recovering from an ankle sprain that had kept him out since Week 2. The rookie fourth-round pick led the Broncos with nine carries for 54 yards and caught two passes for 15. Afterward, coach Sean Payton said the team needed to get Coleman more touches. Let's go! (Recommended FAAB bid: $21)
RB Seth McGowan, Indianapolis Colts (8% rostered)
Here's another rookie (7th round) who has a chance to make a major impact down the stretch. His snap counts have been gradually increasing, to a season-high 20 in Week 7. He also had his best day as a pro (at Minnesota, even!) with 11 carries for 46 yards on Sunday. But McGowan's real value could come if the Colts decide to trade star RB Jonathan Taylor before the Nov. 10 trade deadline. Stash McGowan now while he's cheap. (FAAB bid: $9)
WR Caleb Douglas, Miami Dolphins (10% rostered)
Like Coleman, Douglas hadn't played since Week 2 due to an ankle sprain. But he showed his big-play ability by catching a pair of touchdown passes from Malik Willis as the Dolphins won their first game of the season. Coincidence? Yeah, probably. But the Dolphins will be forced to throw a lot the rest of the way and Douglas may be their best downfield option. (FAAB bid: $8)
RB Samaje Perine, Cincinnati Bengals (12% rostered)
Perine continues to deserve a mention, and he may have fallen back into the player pool while the Bengals had their bye week. He didn't do a whole lot in Week 7 with four rushes for 16 yards, but one of those carries was from the 1-yard line. And he punched it in. If the Bengals are going to give Perine the red-zone carries over Chase Brown, he will have value. (FAAB bid: $7)
TE Chig Okonkwo, Washington Commanders
The Commanders were off in Week 7, but with the offense struggling to make plays, it's hard to find anyone under-the-radar to add. With top receiver Terry McLaurin out for the season and Stefon Diggs battling injuries, Okonkwo could emerge as an even bigger part of the passing game. With George Kittle, Isaiah Likely and Dalton Schultz all on bye, he makes an interesting dart throw. (FAAB bid: $3)
TE Mason Taylor, New York Jets (0% rostered)
We've already had Kenyon Sadiq hype week, but Week 3 now seems like a long time ago. And the rookie has caught a total of four passes since then. Taylor is now the man of the hour. He caught a pair of TD passes and added a 2-point conversion for good measure as part of a five-catch, 62-yard day. After missing Weeks 3 and 4 with a thumb injury, Taylor has 12 receptions in the last three games. (FAAB bid: $2)
QB Geno Smith, New York Jets (18% rostered)
Someone had to get Taylor the ball this past week, and Smith did a nice job of it. He completed 23-of-30 passes for 287 yards and three TDs, with the other score going to rookie wideout Omar Cooper Jr. If the Jets get RB Breece Hall back into the mix this week, it could be another solid week for Smith in a "revenge game" at home against his former team, the Raiders. (FAAB bid: $2)
WR Xavier Hutchinson, Houston Texans (1% rostered)
One last bye-week stash: The Texans are having trouble running the ball. And they have a wealth of options in the passing game. Maybe this past week was an anomaly; certainly Nico Collins needs to have more than two catches for 6 yards. But the team leader in targets (6) and receptions (3) against the Giants wasn't Collins or Marvin Harrison Jr. or Jaylin Noel or even Tank Dell. It was Hutchinson, who also caught a touchdown pass. With Houston off this week, take a shot if you have an open roster spot. (FAAB bid: $1)
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Best fantasy football waiver wire pickups: 8 players to add for NFL Week 8
