It's on to Week 8, and we're nearly halfway to a fantasy football championship, which is wrapped up in either Week 16 or Week 17 in most leagues. Where has the time gone?
Hopefully, you're at or near the top of the standings, or you're at least keeping your head above water and in the hunt for the playoffs. We're going to keep scouring the waiver wire looking for mines to gem, helping you avoid those landmines as bye-week season is in full effect. The good news from Week 7 is that there weren't really a lot of injuries changing the fantasy landscape. For that, we're very thankful.
We're going to list two to four players by position below, and they're listed from top to bottom, by priority. The top guys are high-priority options for every manager.
Some of the others are more speculative OR if you already have a winning roster but want some insurance policies for down the road.
Let's get started and find some replacements.
Ownership percentages courtesy of Yahoo.
QUARTERBACKS
Kirk Cousins, Las Vegas Raiders (57% owned)
Cousins remains available in 43% of all fantasy leagues, and his number actually decreased from 63 to 57% owned in the past week. The effrontery! Cousins is fourth in fantasy points among all quarterbacks, and he leads the NFL with 16 touchdowns, and he is in solo possession of that lead over Joe Burrow and Brock Purdy (15). Cousins continues to fend off No. 1 overall pick Francisco Mendoza for now, but that change is coming if the Raiders continue to lose. Therein lies the rub, as some fantasy managers just can't hold their nose and keep Cousins rostered. However, if you're in a bind due to bye weeks, or you've had your quarterback bitten by the injury bug, know that Cousins is not only a decent short-term fantasy option, but he continues to be quite effective, as Brock Bowers, Tre Tucker and Ashton Jeanty have made him look good in recent games. I'll keep ringing the Cousins bell as long as people will listen.
Jacoby Brissett, Arizona Cardinals (27% owned)
With the aforementioned Purdy, rising fantasy staple C.J. Stroud and former New Orleans Saints waiver-wire darling Tyler Shough on bye weeks, several fantasy managers are going to need a viable replacement in Week 8. Brissett has one of the best at his position in Trey McBride, as well as the dynamic Michael Wilson and dependable veteran Kendrick Bourne. All of that is well and good, but more importantly, Brissett gets a crack against the Dallas Cowboys in Week 8. The Cowboys have been somewhat pathetic against the pass, allowing 7.6 yards per pass attempt, which is tied for the sixth-highest mark in the NFL. Furthermore, Dallas has allowed 12 passing TDs with just two picks while yielding 23 pass plays over 20 yards with a 105.2 QB rating. Yuck.
Sam Darnold, Seattle Seahawks (36% owned)
A lot of fantasy managers have soured on Darnold, who just won Super Bowl LX. Yeah, he has made a lot of stupid decisions this season, which have led to eight interceptions, equaling his touchdown total. That's Jameis Winston Turnover Machine territory there. Nevertheless, Darnold is a winner, and, more importantly, the run game is about to get a big boost with Zach Charbonnet (knee) nearing a return and the team trading for stud guard Quenton Nelson. Once Seattle has the threat of a viable running game again, things will open up for Darnold. Even better, when you start Darnold in fantasy, you have him throwing to WR Jaxon Smith-Njigba. Seattle's Week 8 opponent, the Chicago Bears, has allowed a league-high 8.7 yards per pass attempt this season.
RUNNING BACKS
Rachaad White, Washington Commanders (56% owned)
White's fantasy ownership is quickly on the rise, as he takes over as the de facto No. 1 tailback in the nation's capital for the injured Jacory Croskey-Merritt (groin). As long as Bill is on IR, White has some fantasy staying power. I am not terribly concerned about Jeremy McNichols eating into White's backfield touches, and it isn't five years - and multiple injuries - ago for RB Austin Ekeler to be a threat. The 27-year-old White has yet to find the end zone via the rush, but he has a pair of receiving scores in the past three games, and that's where he might help fantasy managers the most, particularly in PPR.
Bam Knight, Arizona Cardinals (24% owned)
Knight has slid into the starting lineup recently with the rookie Jeremiyah Love on the shelf, and the former NC State standout has racked up 160 yards on 25 carries, which is 6.4 yards per carry. In the last two games, he has posted five receptions for 33 yards, too. If he can continue to catch balls out of the backfield, that enhances his fantasy value even further. The Cardinals aren't going to give up on Love, and RB Tyler Allgeier remains very much in the mix, too. However, Knight has been effective when leaned upon. FYI: some sites still might have him listed as Zonovan Knight, his given name.
Seth McGowan, Indianapolis Colts (8% owned)
This is a bit of a speculative pick, but there are trade winds swirling at hurricane force, speculating that the Colts might be considering a trade of Jonathan Taylor prior to the deadline. If that were to occur, it's possible they could acquire a tailback to take his place. However, if not, McGowan has shown some signs of life when given the opportunity. Will the Colts realistically part with Taylor? Maybe not. If they do, however, you could scoop up a starting tailback on the cheap.
Kaelon Black, San Francisco 49ers (27% owned)
I know the Niners are on a bye this week. However, if you have the roster flexibility and can stash a guy for a week or two, grab Black now before everyone gets the bright idea next week. The rookie from Indiana has been effective when given the chance, and RB Christian McCaffrey entered the bye with a hamstring injury. While head coach Kyle Shanahan said it is mild, we've seen mild injuries for CMC linger for a while in the past.
WIDE RECEIVERS
Tre Tucker, Las Vegas Raiders (59% owned)
While his quarterback saw a dip in ownership, Tucker actually shot up 14%. Pretty soon, we'll have to stop beating the drum for him and talk about somebody else. Tucker has 47 targets on the season, and 29 receptions for 474 yards with four touchdowns, yet he is widely available. It's an anti-Raiders or anti-Cousins bias that makes no sense. Yes, Brock Bowers dominates the target share in Sin City, but there is plenty of room for Tucker to be useful as a WR3 or flex fantasy option. Give him a shot already.
KC Concepcion, Cleveland Browns (61% owned)
The rookie blew up in Week 7 at Tennessee, hauling in eight receptions for 129 yards on 10 targets, while also running three times for a season-best 23 yards, too. Concepcion isn't a downfield threat like fellow rookie WR Denzel Boston, but if Concepcion can maintain this kind of volume, he is a must-have in PPR formats. He could put up Keenan Allen or Cooper Kupp prime-of-their-career numbers if he is used correctly. Let's face it, Deshaun Watson doesn't have a lot of time to operate behind a Swiss cheese offensive line, so an effective pass catcher on short to intermediate pass routes scratches his itch.
Ryan Flournoy, Dallas Cowboys (24% owned)
Going a little deeper into the bag, Flournoy is worth a roster spot for fantasy owners looking for a little bit of depth. He isn't taking targets from CeeDee Lamb or George Pickens, but he has proven to be effective in his own right. He has 27 receptions for 304 yards and a touchdown on 40 targets this season. If you saw those numbers and didn't know the team or situation, you'd swear he is a low-end WR2 or high-end WR3. Dallas should continue to be pass-happy, and there is room for the No. 3 wideout to be productive.
TIGHT ENDS
Pat Freiermuth, Pittsburgh Steelers (47% owned)
This isn't a fancy pick-up by any means, but Freiermuth is having a bit of a resurgence. Mike McCarthy has long leaned on his tight ends, and Freiermuth has managed four touchdowns with 33 targets, 23 catches and 200 yards. He has to contend with the bulky Darnell Washington in the red zone, but there is plenty of room in two-tight sets for Freiermuth to still be beneficial to fantasy managers.
Cade Otton, Tampa Bay Buccaneers (6% owned)
Going down the line a little, we see Otton on rosters in the single digits. That's about to take off exponentially. Baker Mayfield is back and Emeka Egbuka has been dinged up. There are targets and catches available in Tampa, and Otton has proven to have a nice rapport with the Bake Show in the past. As a TE2, you could certainly do worse.
This article originally appeared on The Huddle: Waiver Wired - Week 8
