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Fantasy Football: Best Week 8 add/drops from waiver wire

By Alex Butler
Oakland Raiders running back Jalen Richard is primed for a larger role following the injury of Marshawn Lynch. File photo by Kevin Dietsch/UPI
Oakland Raiders running back Jalen Richard is primed for a larger role following the injury of Marshawn Lynch. File photo by Kevin Dietsch/UPI | License Photo

Oct. 23 (UPI) -- We are coming down the stretch for the fantasy football regular season and you need to keep improving your team, regardless of your record.

In Week 8 there are also four teams on a bye, so you need to scan your waiver wire for good acquisitions. I have listed some of my favorite waiver wire options for this week for replacement purposes and for depth down the road.

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Make sure you bench players from the Atlanta Falcons, Dallas Cowboys, Los Angeles Chargers and Tennessee Titans, as those teams have byes this week.

Week 7 brought some more brutal injuries, but that opens up some new opportunities in Week 8 and beyond for players who were once using sparingly.

Here are my top players to add and top players to drop for Week 8.

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ALL-ADD TEAM

QB | Joe Flacco; RB | Chris Ivory, Jalen Richard; WR | Michael Gallup, Martavis Bryant; TE | Jack Doyle; D/ST | Pittsburgh Steelers; K | Chris Boswell

HONORABLE MENTIONS

QB | Case Keenum; RB | Doug Martin, Raheem Mostert; WR | Danny Amendola; TE | Vance McDonald; D/ST | Cincinnati Bengals

TOP DROPS

QB | Sam Darnold, Ryan Tannehill; RB | Marshawn Lynch, Royce Freeman; WR | Robby Anderson, Dede Westbrook, Albert Wilson; TE | Cameron Brate, Jesse James

QUARTERBACK

Baltimore Ravens veteran Joe Flacco isn't a long-term answer at quarterback for your fantasy football team, but he is coming off of a performance with 279 yards and two touchdowns. I expect the Ravens to air it out again in Week 8 against the Carolina Panthers, landing in streaming territory with four quarterbacks on a bye.

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RUNNING BACK

LeSean McCoy has a murky status for Week 8 after suffering a concussion in Week 7. That opens up some prime opportunity for backup Chris Ivory. The veteran back stepped in for McCoy and rushed for 81 yards and had 25 receiving yards in Week 7. I expect his usage to be similar in Week 8 against the New England Patriots, as the Bills look to control game flow.

Oakland Raiders running back Jalen Richard is my favorite free agent option out of his team's backfield due to his versatility. While Doug Martin is likely to earn the early-down work, following the injury to Marshawn Lynch, Richard should see more productivity overall. He is also the no-brainer choice in PPR formats for your fantasy team. Richard is averaging more than 50 receiving yards per game and most of that came with Lynch healthy. I expect that number to rise, as well as Richard's volume out of the backfield as a runner. He is more of a long-term play than Ivory and has higher upside.

WIDE RECEIVER

The Raiders lost Lynch and traded star wide receiver Amari Cooper, opening up several spots in the offense. The Cooper trade opens up looks for Jordy Nelson and Martavis Bryant. But with Nelson owned in many leagues, Bryant should be someone you target if you are needy at wide receiver. He has had a slow start to the season, but is averaging 15.7 yards per catch and remains a talented deep threat. While he might have some boom-or-bust reputation, he might be just what you need to get a win if you choose to roll the dice on the boom.

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TIGHT END

Indianapolis Colts tight end Jack Doyle hasn't played since Week 2 due to a hip injury. In his absence, Andrew Luck has been heating up. Luck has at least three passing scores in four consecutive games and at least four scoring tosses in three of those bouts. In fact, Luck has thrown multiple touchdowns in six of his seven starts of the season. While Eric Ebron has filled in very nicely in a larger role, I still expect Doyle to be a trusted option in this offense. He should be picked up in your league if that league requires starting a tight end.

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