Waiver Wire Targets: Week 8

The difference in your week one game may have been changed based on one injury or one player putting up a dud. In order to prevent that from happening next week and each week following, here are a couple guys at each position who are owned in 50% of leagues or less according to NFL.com:

Quarterback:

Mitchell Trubisky, Bears – Owned in 21.9% of leagues

Trubisky may have started off the season very rough, but he is bouncing back in a big way. He has 34.1 points per game over his last three games. That is eight points more than any other quarterback over that time. With his bye week already out of the way, Trubisky is a must pick-up for anyone who is in need of a QB moving forward in the season.

Case Keenum, Broncos – Owned in 6.8% of leagues

Case Keenum has not been overly exciting this season, but he does have one of the better WR groups in the league. With Royce Freeman now dealing with injury and a difficult matchup against the Chiefs’ offense, expect more passing that usual for Keenum this week and those increases in attempts should open more opportunities for fantasy points.

Baker Mayfield, Browns – Owned in 17.1% of leagues

Despite playing last week while dealing with an injury, Mayfield was still able to put up 20+ fantasy points. He is clearly the leader Cleveland has needed at QB for years and he should only continue to improve as the season goes on. With a plus matchup this week against the Steelers (4th most points allowed to opposing QBs), expect Mayfield to have another good game and he is a great streaming option for anyone with a QB on bye.

Running Back:

Doug Martin, Raiders – Owned in 3.8% of leagues

With Marshawn Lynch officially being placed on IR, expect Doug Martin to take over the lead RB role with Jalen Richard being mixed in on passing situations. Martin’s career has been one with many ups and downs. According to reports, Martin has impressed Coach Gruden so far this year and he remains most likely to benefit from the loss of Lynch.

Kenjon Barner, Patriots – Owned in <.1% of leagues

Barner must be one of the luckiest RBs in the NFL. He has worked his way up to touches after the Patriots lost Michel to injury this past week. Barner will be splitting the load with James White and there is a chance that the Patriots still sign another back to compete with him. Until that happens, expect Barner to get a significant amount of opportunity, even if it is just for a week or so.

Jalen Richard, Raiders – Owned in 2.5% of leagues

Even though Richard will likely not be the primary back for the Raiders, he is still definitely a player worth picking up. He has put up over five points in four out of six weeks while operating as the third RB for the Raiders. Richard will still keep his third down role and he should see extra snaps and touches throughout the game.

Chris Ivory, Bills – Owned in 0.6% of leagues

Despite playing on one of the worst offenses in the NFL, Ivory and the other Bills RBs have had some success running the football. LeSean McCoy left Sunday’s game with a concussion after taking a scary hit so Ivory stepped in his place and was able to get 106 yards from scrimmage. While Ivory may not be a long term fix at RB, he should be a great spot start this week for anyone in need of a RB.

Raheem Mostert, 49ers – Owned in .4% of leagues

Unsurprising to most fantasy owners, Breida left the 49ers game early due to his injured ankle. Breida has continually dealt with injuries throughout the first half of the year and it would not be surprising if the 49ers decide to be very cautious for the next time they let him play again. If Breida is forced to miss time, Mostert has been the better backup in recent weeks. He has taken advantage of his limited opportunities and shown a unique ability to come up with big plays.

Wide Receiver:

John Brown, Ravens – Owned in 39.6% of leagues

If you are in one of the leagues that John Brown is not on a team, you need to pick him up as soon as possible. He has proven week after week that he is the number one target of Joe Flacco and he will continue to put up big numbers throughout the rest of the season. He is currently the 12th WR in fantasy and it blows my mind that he is still available in over 50% of leagues.

Geronimo Allison, Packers – Owned in 6.3% of leagues

After missing two weeks due to injury and another due to the Packers’ bye week, some may have forgotten how productive Allison had been during the beginning of the season. Over the first four weeks, Allison averaged over 10 fantasy points per game. He also finished each of those weeks with at least 60 yards receiving. Now that Allison has returned to practice, expect him to pick up where he left off in the beginning of the season.

Jakeem Grant, Dolphins – Owned in 0.6% of leagues

The Dolphins lost some significant pieces to their offense this Sunday after losing Albert Wilson and Kenny Stills. Considering the Dolphins’ offense has been built on big play guys, losing both of them leaves one big play receiver left. Grant has shown flashes of tremendous potential due to his ability to outrun the defense. If he can find some consistency within his game, he will be a big part of the offense throughout the rest of the season.

Martavis Bryant, Raiders – Owned in 2.5% of leagues

Amari Cooper is now on the Cowboys. Since he was previously the best and number one WR on the Raiders, every Raiders receiver will be taking a step up after this move. Martavis has not lived up to the expectations many people had for him after his success in Pittsburgh, but he is still a tremendous talent and he should receive more opportunities during the rest of this season.

Tyrell Williams, Chargers – Owned in 6.5% of leagues

Tyrell Williams has really come out of nowhere and been one of the more reliable receivers for Phillip Rivers this season. Over the last two weeks, he has outscored every WR in fantasy except Tyreek Hill. He will likely remain dependent on long touchdown catches for him to continue to produce, but in a pinch, he can easily fill in for teams who may be having trouble at the WR or Flex spot.

Tight End:

Austin Hooper, Falcons– Owned in 30.6% of leagues

Austin Hooper has legitimized himself as a quality fantasy tight end this season. He has now caught 18 of 22 targets for 148 yards in Atlanta’s last two games. The Falcons have desperately needed all the receivers they can get since they have relied on their offense to win shootouts in just about every week they have played. Hooper has really stepped up and he is becoming a target that Matt Ryan relies on.

Ben Watson, Saints – Owned in 16% of leagues

There has always been some doubts at the beginning of the season as to whether Ben Watson can still produce at a high level due to his age. He has clearly proven that even as a 37 year old, he can be fantasy relevant. While he will have some slow weeks, Watson is still averaging 5 fantasy PPG and he is one of Drew Brees’ most reliable targets. He can be plugged in most weeks and still contribute to your lineup.

David Njoku, Browns – Owned in 48.3% of leagues

David Njoku was one of the most talked about fantasy sleepers at the TE position going into 2018. After a slow start, he has really picked things up over the past couple weeks. Njoku has scored a TD in two straight games and he has been the third best TE over that span of time. Considering how thin the position has been this season, Njoku is really a must pick up player.