Fantasy Football Week 8 FAAB Report: Oronde Gadsden II, Brashard Smith, Kyle Monangai, and 11 More Waiver Wire Adds

This week's FAAB Report features a couple of old quarterbacks, some up-and-coming rookie running backs, some second-year receivers who are popping, and one rookie tight end who is the waiver wire add of the week. Dig into the Week 8 FAAB Report to see who you should be picking up this week -- and how much of your FAAB budget should spend on them.

Oct 19, 2025; Inglewood, California, USA; Los Angeles Chargers tight end Oronde Gadsden (86) enters the field before the game against the Indianapolis Colts at SoFi Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images | Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images

Welcome to the Week 8 FAAB Report! 

This is an interesting week as we head into what people love to call Bye-mageddon. There are some old-yet-effective quarterback options out there, while running back offers us some great options that we’ll need to be smart about prioritizing. Wide receiver and tight end aren’t quite as plentiful, but there are some interesting young-and-ascending players to keep an eye on – including one tight end who is arguably THE waiver add of the week. 

And with that, let’s take a look at three players at each position who should be on your waiver wire list (with an added bonus at running back). 

(Note: just so we don’t waste anyone’s time recommending players who are rostered in your league, I’m going to use 30% rostered on ESPN as the cut-off point for this article)

Quarterback

QB Aaron Rodgers, Pittsburgh Steelers

FAAB recommendation: 10 percent of budget

Aaron Rodgers has had a surprisingly good fantasy season and is now QB16 on the year (he’d be higher if it wasn’t for his bye week). The 41-year-old is coming off his second four-touchdown game of the season and now gets to play a Packers defense that made Jacoby Brissett look good last week. 

QB Joe Flacco, Cincinnati Bengals

FAAB recommendation: 7-8 percent of budget 

No, it’s not 2016 again. Joe Flacco will likely turn into a pumpkin soon, but it’s hard to ignore a guy who has Ja’Marr Chase and Tee Higgins as his top two receivers. Flacco went bananas on Thursday Night Football and will now get to play a bad Jets defense. Might as well see if we can squeeze a little more fantasy magic out of the 40-year-old!

QB J.J. McCarthy, Minnesota Vikings

FAAB recommendation: 5 percent of budget 

I’ll be honest in that I’m not a huge J.J. McCarthy believer, but Carson Wentz has looked awful while McCarthy is seemingly getting closer to being fully healthy. Though McCarthy might have a limited upside, he still has an elite arsenal of weapons around him that could carry him fantasy relevancy if you’re looking for a flier. 

Running Back

RB Brashard Smith, Kansas City Chiefs

FAAB recommendation: 25-30 percent of budget

Brashard Smith is an interesting add in that he’s still stuck in a crowded running back room, but he also brings a unique skill set to a Kansas City Chiefs offense that has historically loved that skill set. Smith now has at least three receptions in each of his last four games and is coming off a season-high of five against the Raiders. He also added a season-high 14 carries against Las Vegas. While we have to take that with a grain of salt as Kareem Hunt was hurt, I still think Smith will be a valuable fantasy asset down the stretch. 

RB Kyle Monangai, Chicago Bears

FAAB recommendation: 25 percent of budget

I’m having a tough time deciding between Kyle Monangai and Smith, but I’m going to put Monangai in the second spot due to the fact that many of his 13 carries this week came as a result of the Bears blowing out the Saints. While Monangai might have more RB1 upside than Smith, he still has D’Andre Swift ahead of him, so I’m sticking with Smith  as my priority add (barely). Monangai remains a great add. 

RB Bam Knight, Arizona Cardinals

FAAB recommendation: 20-25 percent of budget

I’d go a little higher on Bam Knight if I knew what was going on with Trey Benson, but we have to assume Benson will be back around Week 10 when he’s eligible to come off IR. Knight has 25 carries over his last three games and looks to have grabbed the RB1 role in Arizona. The Cardinals are heading into their bye week, so I’m prioritizing Knight a tad less than the guys above. 

Bonus adds

RB Devin Neal, New Orleans Saints

FAAB recommendation: 10 percent of budget

Devin Neal only has three carries on the year, but he’ll assume the Saints’ RB2 role now that Kendre Miller is out for the season. Very much a speculative add, Neal is worth a few FAAB bucks in deeper leagues. 

RB Isaiah Davis, New York Jets

FAAB recommendation: 5-10 percent of budget

Isaiah Davis really hasn’t done much this season, but he’s worth a speculative add in case Breece Hall is traded at the deadline. Hall has been rumored to be available, and it wouldn’t be a surprise to see the 0-7 Jets start their rebuild early. 

Wide Receiver

WR Troy Franklin, Denver Broncos

FAAB recommendation: 20-25 percent of budget

Troy Franklin has been a frustrating fantasy asset, but he’s seeing consistent targets and just saw a season-high 10 against the Giants. While Franklin can be tricky to predict, he has a plus matchup against a bad Cowboys secondary on deck and is worth a look this week (and beyond). 

WR Kayshon Boutte, New England Patriots

FAAB recommendation: 15-20 percent of budget

Kayshon Boutte isn’t putting up massive volume, but he’s become QB Drake Maye’s favorite downfield receiver. Boutte usually only sees 3-5 targets per game, but they almost all seem to result in first downs or touchdowns. He’s now scored three long touchdowns in his past two games and is worth a look in all leagues. 

WR Xavier Legette, Carolina Panthers

FAAB recommendation: 10-15 percent of budget

I’m not sure I’ll ever trust Xavier Legette (and he’ll likely be without Bryce Young this week), but I can never ignore a guy coming off a double-digit target game. With nine receptions for 92 yards and a touchdown on 11 targets, we have to keep the second-year on our radar. However, we probably just saw his best game of the season, so it’s worth keeping your bids in check.  

Tight End

TE Oronde Gadsden II, Los Angeles Chargers

FAAB recommendation: 40-50 percent of budget

Oronde Gadsden II is arguably the waiver pickup of the week if you don’t need help at running back. The rookie has caught the ball seven times in each of his last two games and is averaging 116 receiving yards in those two games. He just scored his first NFL touchdown and is poised to put up TE1 numbers for the rest of the season. 

TE Mason Taylor, New York Jets

FAAB recommendation: 20 percent of budget

Mason Taylor was on his way to the moon, but the Jets offensive struggles have popped his proverbial balloon. The rookie is averaging over seven targets per game over his last four (if you throw out the London stinker) and topped 65 receiving yards in two of those games. While he’s yet to score a touchdown, he’s more or less the Jets’ best receiving option with Garrett Wilson injured. 

TE Theo Johnson, New York Giants

FAAB recommendation: 10-15 percent of budget

Theo Johnson isn’t the flashiest option (he just put up a season-high of 66 receiving yards), but he’s becoming a solid and consistent receiver for Giants QB Jaxson Dart. The second-year player is averaging almost six targets per game with Dart under center and has scored a touchdown in three of those four games.