There weren’t any major injuries in week 7, but there were enough performances this past week to warrant some work on the waiver wire.
Some players who we had written off are starting to make good on their projections before the season began. Here’s the early look at the week 8 fantasy football waiver wire.
Latavius Murray, RB, Minnesota Vikings
It’s a confusing backfield, but when the Vikings are holding a lead, Murray may be the go-to guy. He had several touches during the last few weeks when we anticipated he would take over the main running back role. The only issue is that he didn’t do much with the opportunities.
Week 7 was a different story. He had 113 yards on 18 carries and one touchdown to lead the two-headed backfield monster in Minnesota. Minnesota has to run the football to be successful. That’s the good news for Murray. The biggest problem is that if the Vikings trail early in the game, then Murray will be out-touched by Jerick McKinnon.
Either way, he should garner some attention on the waiver wire.
Jalen Richard, RB, Oakland Raiders
We don’t know who will be the top running back for Oakland in week 8. With Marshawn Lynch suspended for the matchup against Buffalo, Jalen Richard and DeAndre Washington will see a fair share of the game flow against the Buffalo Bills.
What that will entail is difficult to judge, so I would target Richard over Washington based on his pass-catching ability. Washington got the score at the goal-line in week 7, but Richard outgained him through the air.
The Bills aren’t going to allow much room to run for the Raiders. That should open up some of the passing game for Richard. It will be tough to gauge who will be the primary weapon and the matchup doesn’t bode well anyway, but Richard is the better bet on the waiver wire.
Kenny Stills, WR, Miami Dolphins
Stills continued to show up in a big way with DeVante Parker on the sideline. Stills has 13 targets in the last two weeks, with 134 yards receiving and three touchdowns.
With byes in full force in week 8, Stills is easily a WR3, with possible WR2 value. With Matt Moore likely at the helm, that actually increases his value, too.
Stills is owned in just 20 percent of leagues on Yahoo, so he should be available.
O.J. Howard, TE, Tampa Bay Buccaneers
I’ve been waiting for Howard to become the player I believed he would be in the preseason. It’s finally starting to happen.
Tampa Bay is having problems winning games, but the offense continues to look better. That should open up plenty of opportunities for Howard, who is becoming a bigger part of the offense. He has seven catches on nine targets in the last two weeks, going for 113 yards and two touchdowns.
Cameron Brate is still going to get some targets, but Howard is the more athletic of the two, who should continue to see more action.
Don’t be scared away by the two tight ends in Tampa Bay. Howard is going to become a more focal part of the offense.
Tyler Kroft, TE, Cincinnati Bengals
I’ll skip over adding the Cowboys backups, since pretty much every league has already tackled Darren McFadden and Alfred Morris.
So I’m heading down the tight end market again with Kroft, who went for a touchdown in week 8 against Pittsburgh. He didn’t go crazy in the yards department, but he’s filling a vital role in the Bengals offense, left absent by Tyler Eifert.
Andy Dalton loves to target tight ends in the red zone, and Kroft already has three touchdowns in the last three games. In a season where tight ends are disappointing on weekly basis, Kroft offers up some potential as a touchdown-dependent tight end.
