Week 8 is in the books, and it is time to look ahead to the waiver wire. These are the players you should be targeting on waivers ahead of Week 9 to get ahead of your league rivals.
Running back
Chuba Hubbard, Carolina Panthers – It’s official. Hubbard is now the RB1 in Carolina. The Miles Sanders deal has not worked out and Hubbard has now out-snapped him in two straight games. Hubbard featured on 67% of snaps, compared to Sanders’ 18% in Week 8. Get him while you still can.
Darrell Henderson, Los Angeles Rams – Henderson has made the most of his opportunity in LA. He has 30 carries and four catches in his two games with the Rams, averaging 12.5 fantasy points per game. Next weekend he will go up against a terrible Packers run defense that is giving up 143.7 rushing yards per game.
Wide receiver
Demario Douglas, New England Patriots – Douglas has been impressing for an undrafted rookie. He is starting to carve out a role for himself in New England’s offense, with 13 targets in his last two games. In Week 8 he led the Patriots’ skill position players in both snaps and routes run. With Kendrick Bourne likely to miss time, Douglas could be primed for a breakout.
Rashid Shaheed, New Orleans Saints – Yes, there’s some risk involved here. Shaheed has topped 18 points three times this season, but he’s also failed to hit seven points on three occasions. He is a pure deep threat who doesn’t earn a tonne of targets but when he does they tend to be valuable. I’m willing to gamble on that upside though.
Josh Downs, Indianapolis Colts – If you’re smart you’ll have picked Downs up last week after his impressive outing against the Browns. It’s not too late though, with Downs still available in 49% of leagues. He has now earned at least six targets in each of his last four games and has scored 13+ points in each of them.
Tight end
Taysom Hill, New Orleans Saints – Hill’s usage might be unconventional, but he remains a key part of the Saints offense. He had his best game of the season in Week 8, scoring 22.9 points and finishing as the TE3. He has now finished as TE6 or better in each of his last three games.
Trey McBride, Arizona Cardinals – With Zach Ertz on IR, McBride has blossomed into a quality fantasy starter in Arizona. Week 8 saw him put up career best numbers, finishing with 10 catches for 95 yards and a touchdown. He scored 30.5 points in the process, which was the most of any tight end this weekend. Get him whilst he is still available!
Quarterback
Will Levis, Tennessee Titans – Levis got the first start of his career in Week 8 and looked legitimately impressive. He breathed some life into an otherwise stale Titans offense, throwing for 238 yards and four touchdowns as Tennessee got the better of Atlanta. He could very well keep the starting job and if he keeps playing like this he’s a player you’ll want.
Sam Howell, Washington Commanders – Howell might have his flaws but there is no doubt that he has been a roaring success in fantasy terms. He scored 31.9 points in Week 8, the most of any quarterback. He has now finished as QB8 or better in three of his last four games.
