I hope you didn’t click on this article expecting any sort of explanation for why the Giants are 6-1. If I knew that answer, I’d be working for an NFL team right now. As for picking waiver wire candidates to start in Week 8… Well, I can help you with that. Let’s take a look at three potential starting candidates that you can plug in your starting lineups, ASAP.
Week 8 Fantasy Football Streamers
Taylor Heinicke, Washington Commanders, QB:
I didn’t roster Heinicke last week vs. the Packers because I’m (regrettably) a Commanders fan, and saw no chance of Washington winning that game, and that the Packers secondary would make Heinicke go to his 2nd and 3rd reads, instead of giving Terry McLaurin 10+ targets. As it turns out, the Green Lizard is back and better than ever. He’s under 6% rostered and he’s got a matchup against the Colts this week. The Colts are four-point favorites, so I expect a positive passing game script. Further, Heinicke provides a safe floor with his rushing upside. He only ran for 4 yards last week, but he ran for over 300 yards in 2021. Last week he threw for 20/33, 201 yards, 2 TDs, 1 Int, and I expect similar production plus 30+ rushing yards this week. If you’ve got injuries or bye-week issues, you can plug Heinicke in your lineup and count on 16+ points.
Khalil Shakir, Buffalo Bills, WR:
The Bills are 10.5-point favorites vs. the Packers this week. Normally, that would favor a running game script, but the Bills don’t really do that, and when they need to, it’s usually through Josh Allen. The Bills use their explosive passing game as an extension of the run, and they should have no problem doing that against the Bills. Shakir should be a beneficiary of that. He’s rostered in less than 1% of leagues right now, and it’s because he’s the team’s 3rd string slot receiver. Jamison Crowder is injured, so that moves him to 2nd string, behind Isaiah McKenzie. In Week 5 vs. Pit, Shakir dazzled with 5 targets, 3 catches, 75 yards, and 1 TD, while both Crowder and McKenzie were injured. The following week, McKenzie returned and played horribly. He had poor timing with Josh Allen and was dropping passes. Shakir got some extra snaps due to this, but only had 2 targets for 14 yards. This week, I want to take a flier on Shakir. Shakir has risen to the occasion any time he gets snaps and would be an upgrade over McKenzie based on how he just played. It’s a risk, but a risk I’m willing to take in this offense.
Donovan Peoples-Jones, Cleveland Browns, WR:
I’m going back to the well here. Last week I recommended him, and he hooked us up with 6 catches on 6 targets and 71 yards. Pretty great for a waiver wire pickup. However, nobody listened to me, because he’s still rostered in under 10% of leagues. He’s become the unquestioned WR2 in this offense. In week one he saw 11 targets. In his last four games, he’s had 27 targets and 266 yards. That’s a huge target share for someone that was relegated to deep bombs last year. DPJ is incredibly under-owned, and that’s regardless of matchup. He’s turned himself into a starting-caliber fantasy asset. He has a matchup vs. the Bengals this week, and the game has a 48-point total in Vegas. Expect more success from DPJ this week.
Also make sure to check out our Week 8 Rankings which go live on Wednesday mornings: QB | RB | WR | TE | Flex Rankings