Week 8 Early Pickups and Waiver Wire Adds

Darrell Henderson is the next man up in the Rams’ backfield, while Josh Downs continues to be a factor for the Colts.

Author:
Michael Fabiano
Publish date:
Oct 22, 2023

Here’s an early look at the fantasy players you’ll be targeting off the waiver wire this week. None of these players are rostered in more than 50% of Yahoo! leagues. The actual Yahoo! ownership percentage is included in parentheses. Players are listed from the most owned to the least owned after Sunday’s games. Be sure to check out Jen Piacenti’s expanded list of waiver-wire players every Tuesday!

Kyler Murray, QB, Cardinals (42%)

Murray is owned in the majority of competitve leagues, but he's still available in more than half of fantasy leagues on Yahoo! That's going to change soon, as the Cardinals opened up the 21-day window for him to practice and prepare for a return to the field. I'm not sure when he'll be back in a starting role, but he's well worth adding and staskjing in the interim. Murray has top-10 upside the rest of the season.

Josh Downs, WR, Colts (36%)

Indianapolis Colts wide receiver Josh Downs — Robert Scheer/USA TODAY Network

Downs, who has been listed in this space for three weeks, had another nice stat line with five catches,125 yards and a touchdown against the Browns. He’s had 13-plus PPR points in three straight games and four of his last five, so he’s become a large part of the offense and the second option in the pass attack behind Michael Pittman Jr. Downs, who will face the Saints next, is a viable PPR flex starter.

Kendrick Bourne, WR, Patriots (26%)

Bourne put up a nice stat line once again, catching six passes for 63 yards with a touchdown in a surprising win over Buffalo. This came one week after he recorded 10 catches (11 targets) for 89 yards against the Raiders. Bourne appears to be the top option in the New England pass attack, making him a viable flex option. He’ll face the Dolphins, who he beat for 24.42 points in Week 1, next weekend.

Darrell Henderson, RB, Rams (24%)

Los Angeles Rams running back Darrell Henderson — Gary A. Vasquez/USA TODAY Sports

The Rams backfield depth chart was a point of contention all week, but we got some clarity on the situation on Sunday. Henderson got the start and dominated the work over Royce Freeman and Zach Evans, making the veteran (who the Rams signed off his couch) a hot add off the waiver wire. He looked good, too, rushing 18 times for 61 yards with a touchdown and 13.6 fantasy points in a loss to Pittsburgh.

Emari Demercado, RB, Cardinals (14%)

I don’t have a damn clue what the Cardinals are going to do in this backfield on a weekly basis, but this week it was Demercado who received most of the work. This comes a week after he played the most snaps of the Arizona backs but saw a mere three touches. This situation could flip at a moment’s notice, much like it did this week, but Demercado is worth an add at what is a super thin fantasy spot.

Devin Singletary, RB, Texans (14%)

Singletary, coming off a bye week, is a good add based on his increased level of usage in Week 6. In that game, a 20-13 win over the Saints, the veteran played 34 snaps and touched the ball a season-high 13 times. He also averaged 4.8 yards per rush, compared to the 2.6 yards per tote average of the regressing Dameon Pierce. With Carolina’s awful run defense next on the schedule, Singletary is an add.

Taysom Hill, TE, Saints (9%)

Hill has put up two good stat lines in a row, as he’s being used more often as a pass catcher in addition to his role as a runner. He’s seen 13 targets in the last games, catching 11 of them, while also rushing for a touchdown. In all, he’s scored 29.1 PPR points since Week 6. With tight ends hard to find, Hill is well worth a look off the wire as a bye-week replacement or even a risk-reward starter in most leagues.

Jalin Hyatt, WR, Giants (5%)

The Giants need playmakers in the passing game, and Hyatt could be an option to give them more firepower. He only caught two passes in a win over Washington, but they went for 75 yards. His targets have increased in each of the last two games, too, so this might be the time to add him before he has a breakout game. He’s still a free agent in most fantasy leagues and is worth a speculative add at this point.

Trey McBride, TE, Cardinals (2%)

If you’re looking to take a flier on a fantasy free agent at tight end, McBride could be your man. While he’s not posting huge totals, he’s slowly but surely seeing more snaps and targets than his veteran teammate, Zach Ertz. That continued on Sunday, as he saw six targets to Ertz’s four in a loss to the Seahawks. This is more of a deep league suggestion, but McBride could be useful during the season’s second half.

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