We all got a little excited over adding Isaiah Pacheco on Sunday morning once he was named the starter for the Chiefs. I know I did. I also didn’t think it was an excellent time to try and play him in Week 7. He was and is an add-and-hold. He may never take off if the Chiefs continue to do what they are doing. This makes him only viable in leagues where you also get return yardage.
It was a speculative add.
Remember when you wake up on Wednesday morning to go and take a look at who is on the waiver wire in your league? Sometimes especially during the bye weeks, there is gold in them thar hills. You may find the best fantasy defense gets dropped or an excellent wide receiver to free up a bench slot on another team. I always try to find and add those players to my bench during the bye weeks. Unfortunately for me, my league mates are reading this right now.
Let’s move forward with who you should be looking to add to help you through the rest of the bye weeks.
NOTE: If you are new here, this column refers to players rostered in under 50% of Yahoo, ESPN, and Sleeper Leagues.
Quarterbacks
Daniel Jones
In Week 7, Danny Dimes threw for 202 yards and a touchdown. He also ran for 107 yards and another touchdown. Having Wan’Dale Robinson in the lineup has helped open the field for him. In Week 8, he plays against the Seahawks’ defense, giving up the 10th most points to opposing teams’ quarterbacks.
40% rostered on Yahoo
28% rostered on ESPN
40% rostered on Sleeper
5% Free Agent Budget
Jameis Winston
Andy Dalton had a fantastic game filling in against the Cardinals in Week 7. If for some strange reason Winston was not able to go in Week 8, I would make Dalton a stream play. In Week 8, the Saints will be playing against the Raiders. The Raiders give up the most points to quarterbacks in fantasy. I would gladly play the starter for the Saints if I were desperate for a bye-week fill-in for Week 8.
20% rostered on Yahoo
13% rostered on ESPN
29% rostered on Sleeper
5% Free Agent Budget
Other quarterbacks to consider if you are desperate:
- Davis Mills – 302 yards passing, TD, Titans up next.
- Taylor Heinicke – 201 yards passing, 2 TDs, Colts up next.
Running Backs
Gus Edwards
He isn’t available in a single league I play in, but he needs to be considered if available. The Gus Bus took over lead back duties for the Ravens and had 66 rushing yards and two touchdowns in his return from an injury. He led all Ravens running backs with 16 touches. If available, he is a must-add.
43% rostered on Yahoo
16% on ESPN
38% on Sleeper
20% Free Agent Budget
D’Onta Foreman
Foreman had 15 carries for 118 yards and two receptions for 27 yards. I was advocating adding him all week long after Christian McCaffrey was traded to the Niners. If you want a Carolina running back, Foreman is the one to add.
49% rostered on Yahoo
35% on ESPN
61% on Sleeper
20% Free Agent Budget
Other running backs to consider if you are desperate:
- Nyheim Hines – 5 targets, five receptions, 41 yards.
- Chuba Hubbard – 63 yards rushing, TD, 2 Receptions, 10 yards receiving
Wide Receivers
Parris Campbell
In the past two weeks, Campbell has proven he is healthy and part of this offense; in Week 6, he had 11 targets for seven receptions, 57 yards, and a touchdown. He followed that up in Week 7 with 12 targets for ten receptions, 70 yards, and a touchdown. He is hugely lightly rostered. The schedule is pretty straightforward. He is a must-add.
5% rostered on Yahoo
2% on ESPN
11% on Sleeper
15% Free Agent Budget
Mecole Hardman
It feels like chasing touchdowns, but it isn’t if you look at the past three games. He has double-digit fantasy scores in all three. He is the third option in the passing game and was used as a runner in the red zone in Week 7. Even if the touchdowns don’t continue, he certainly will not be scoring three a week. He has been developing a lovely floor of around 10 points.
24% rostered on Yahoo
21% on ESPN
30% on Sleeper
5% Free Agent Budget
Zay Jones
Jones is back in the lineup and healthy. He had ten targets in Week 7. He turned that into five receptions and 54 yards. This was against a Giants defense that defends wide receivers exceptionally well. Next week the Jaguars play Denver, another good defense, but then they have five straight games against defenses that all give up lots of fantasy points to wide receivers. So add him now, and thank me later. The Jaguars’ passing game will go nuts between Weeks 9 and 14.
18% rostered on Yahoo
25% on ESPN
34% on Sleeper
10% Free Agent Budget
Other wide receivers to consider:
- Kalif Raymond – 6 targets, five receptions, 75 yards.
- Marquise Goodwin – 5 targets, four receptions, 67 yards, and 2 TDs.
- George Pickens – 6 targets, six receptions, 61 yards, TD.
- Wan’Dale Robinson – 8 Targets, 6 receptions, 50 yards
NOTE: I wrote about Wan’Dale last week he is still available in 71% of Yahoo leagues. Should be a top addition this week
Tight Ends
Juwan Johnson
Johnson has 11 targets over the past two weeks. He has turned that into nine receptions, 73 yards, and two touchdowns. The Raiders are a bottom 3 team at defending tight ends and are up next. So he is a nice plug-and-play streamer for Week 8.
3% rostered on Yahoo
3% on ESPN
5% rostered on Sleeper
5% Free Agent Budget
Evan Engram
He was mentioned here last week as someone else to consider. Engram sees consistent targets in the Jaguars’ passing game. In Week 7, he had seven targets for four receptions and 67 yards. Once again, this passing offense will be opening soon as the schedule becomes more manageable. So grab him for a lovely floor at a tight end for the next six weeks or so.
41% rostered on Yahoo
33% on ESPN
45% rostered on Sleeper
5% Free Agent Budget
Greg Dulcich
Dulcich had a touchdown in Week 6. He followed that up in Week 7 with nine targets, six receptions, and 51 yards. With a backup quarterback under center, Dulcich looks like a nice add at tight end. The volume will be there. Turn up the volume
11% rostered on Yahoo
7% on ESPN
14% rostered on Sleeper
3% Free Agent Budget
Other tight ends to consider:
- Harrison Bryant – Will be taking over for David Njoku.
- Will Dissly – 4 targets, four receptions, 45 yards.
- Cade Otton – 5 targets, four receptions, 64 yards.
Thanks for checking out our waiver wire column. For more great content from the Undroppables, follow us on Twitter, @MikeReedyFF for more great content, and visit back soon for Mike’s weekly Money Makers and Heart Breakers.
