Injuries abound in week 8 of the NFL, so the waiver wire is extra important this week. Make sure to take a long look at some trade options as trading deadlines come up. Also, check out the injuries from Week 8 to make sure you aren't missing anyone.
Quarterbacks
Tyrod Taylor, BUF – Coming off the bye week Tyrod Taylor will be healthy and ready to go. Before his injury Taylor had 106 fantasy points through 5 weeks. His week 9 match up with Miami is round two for the year with the divisional opponent. When they last faced in week 3 Taylor put up his best numbers of the season going 21 of 29 for 277 yards and 3 touchdowns. He is owned in 39% of leagues right now.
Derek Carr, OAK – Since his week 6 bye, Derek Carr has 7 touchdowns and 0 interceptions. Carr is a good streaming quarterback play as he averages over 30 pass attempts per game. He continues to show improvement in his second year and has outscored players like Ryan Tannehill and Cam Newton, both of whom are owned in over 85% of leagues. Carr’s matchup with Pittsburgh in week 9 is neither really good nor really bad. He did just pick apart the Jets defense though.
Running Backs
DeAngelo Williams, PIT – At 32 years old DeAngelo Williams continues to hold value. LeVeon Bell went down this week and is out for the rest of the season. When Bell went down Williams stepped in and on 9 carries amassed 71 yards. His overall production topped 100 yards as he added 39 yards on 4 catches. He will be a popular pick up this week on the waiver wire. He’s only owned in 24% of leagues.
Jeremy Langford, CHI – The Bears’ Matt Forte suffered an injury this week and will be out at least a couple of weeks. Jeremy Langford stepped in as the every down back when Forte exited. Despite his crucial drop late in the game, Langford was used in a way that makes him valuable to fantasy owners heading into week 9. I will mention that there are rumors of the Bears signing Monte Ball. This is important for two reasons; If Ball is signed this diminishes Langford’s value, and could point to a potential serious injury with Forte. Either way Matt Forte owners will want to add depth at the position on the wire.
Wide Receivers
Kamar Aiken, BAL – Injuries are piling up this season and Steve Smith Sr. couldn’t avoid being bit by the bug either. Kamar Aiken will take over WR1 duties on a brutally thin Baltimore wide receiving corps. That being said there is value in Aiken as he steps into this role. He has value built on his targets this season. He seen 6+ targets in 5 of the 8 games they have played. Baltimore is heading into a bye week for week 9 but you can’t sleep on Aiken. He should be picked up in most formats this week.
Malcom Floyd, SD – Keenan Allen was another casualty this week and all reports indicate he will miss some time. At 34 years old Malcom Floyd is passed his prime, but he will be leaned on in Allen’s absence. At 6’5 Floyd is a huge target and that proved valuable already in week 8. He had 2 TD catches on 6 targets in week 8. Floyd has a decent matchup against Chicago in week 9 before the Charges head into the bye. If you are looking for a guy to plug Floyd is still available in 80% of leagues.
Tight Ends
Benjamin Watson, NO – The Saints are on a 3 game winning streak and Benjamin Watson has had his two best games in those last three weeks. In week 6 Watson had 127 yards on 10 catches and a TD. Last week we saw similar production with 9 catches for 147 yards and a TD. We all know that the Saints famously utilized the TE position and Watson may finally be stepping into that role. He is owned in 53% of leagues, but with tight end production lacking this season Watson is a good add heading into week 9
Kicker
Blair Walsh, MIN – 55 points over his last 3 weeks has Blair Walsh on the waiver radar this week. Minnesota continues to improve as a team behind Teddy Bridgewater. This has been paying off for Walsh in a big way. Double digits are always a welcome sight from your kicker. Three straight weeks in double digits is a good trend and those players streaming kickers should grab Walsh heading into home match up with the Rams.
Defense/Special Teams
Cincinnati Bengals – Cincinnati is coming off of a huge game against the Pittsburgh Steelers. Defensively they kept their team in the game which ultimately lead to a victory. They will be riding that high heading into a great match up with Cleveland in week 9. The icing on the cake is Josh McCown being a question mark with a short week ahead. This Thursday night match up give McCown little time to heal which means Johnny Manziel will be the Cleveland QB. The only thing Maziel does better than grabbing negative headlines off the field is turning the ball over on the field. Bengals are widely available and should be picked up for week 9. It should also be noted they have some good match ups coming up with Houston, St Louis and Cleveland again in 3 of their next 4 weeks following week 9.
