• Atlanta Falcons QB Desmond Ridder hasn’t been playing particularly well, but he has surprisingly been scoring fantasy points: Ridder will face a middling Titans secondary that just traded away All-Pro safety Kevin Byard, which could set him up for his best day as a passer to date this season.
• Houston Texans RB Devin Singletary saw an uptick in Carrie’s ahead of their Week 7 bye: If the team continues to utilize him more heavily, a matchup against the Carolina Panthers could be conducive to a solid fantasy day.
• Rookies are on the rise: Two wide receivers and one rookie tight end could be in for productive outings thanks to some favorable Week 8 matchups.
Estimated reading time: 5 minutes
Heading into Week 8, there are no NFL teams on bye, which means the flex options available are more plentiful than ever for those in need of a deeper play due to injuries or tough matchups. Here are five players to consider adding from the waiver wire heading if you’re in a pinch due to injury as a potential flex play in Week 8.
QB Desmond Ridder, Atlanta Falcons
There might not be a better example of the difference between fantasy football production and on-the-field production than Ridder.
He has ranked as a top-10 quarterback in each of the past three weeks despite totaling just three passing touchdowns, three interceptions and three fumbles in that span. How did he get it done? He did it on the ground, ranking third among quarterbacks in that span with seven total red zone rush attempts — two of which were converted for touchdowns.
In Week 8, the Falcons will travel to face the Tennessee Titans, who just traded away 2x All-Pro Kevin Byard and brought back safety Terrell Edmunds in his place. Edmunds has struggled in coverage this season, posting a 57.5 coverage grade that ranks 63rd among 91 qualifying safeties, if he’s even active at all. This could be a spot for Ridder to post his best game yet against a Titans defense that ranked 19th in the league with a 65.7 coverage grade and just lost a starting option in the secondary.
Available in 93% of ESPN leagues and 87% of Yahoo! Leagues.
RB Devin Singletary, Houston Texans
The Texans came out to back second-year running back Dameon Pierce in a workhorse role to start the 2023 season. However, prior to their Week 7 bye, the team made a pivot to get Singletary involved, giving him a season-high 13 touches that he turned into 62 total yards. He tallied two 10-plus-yard runs on the day, outproducing Pierce in yards per attempt, yards after contact per attempt and missed forced tackle rate.
Now, heading into Week 8, the Texans have a matchup against the Carolina Panthers, which should only provide Singletary more opportunity to build on what he started in Week 6. So far this season, the Panthers rank dead last in the league with a 46.2 PFF run defense grade, allowing a league-high 0.093 EPA per play on rushing plays. They’re one of just two teams (the other being the Denver Broncos) to allow an average of 30 or more fantasy points per game to opposing running backs, in part thanks to allowing the fifth-highest explosive play rate against the run in the league. Singletary’s workload is a big question mark in this outing, but if he does continue to receive touches as a complementary back to Pierce, this should be a productive day for the backfield.
Available in 71% of ESPN leagues and 81% of Yahoo! leagues.
WR Josh Downs, Indianapolis Colts
Downs isn’t as widely available as most of the other players on this list; however, he’s still available in too many leagues to not provide another reminder. Coming off a breakout performance against a challenging Cleveland Browns defense, Downs is in a great spot considering the matchup against Saints slot cornerback Alontae Taylor.
While the Saints have generally been a strong defensive unit, the slot has been their weakness, where Taylor’s allowed a league-high 289 yards and 3 touchdowns while in slot coverage. Through eight weeks, Downs leads the Colts with 35 total targets in the slot, leading the team with 282 receiving yards and a 78.5 PFF receiving grade on such targets – the perfect matchup for this rookie to continue his impact.
Available in 52% of ESPN leagues and 40% of Yahoo! leagues.
WR Tank Dell, Houston Texans
Once again, we’re here to discuss a rookie wide receiver who is available in far too many leagues considering how well he’s performed to date this season. Despite continued production for the Texans passing offense, some fantasy managers may have jumped ship and dropped Dell after missing the previous six quarters due to a concussion before to the bye week. Now, he’ll make his return up against the Carolina Panthers.
The Panthers have largely been middle of the pack against opposing wide receivers this season, but it’s worth noting that they’ve played the third-highest rate of zone coverage in the league so far this season – an area where Dell has excelled so far this season. His 80.9 PFF receiving grade against zone coverage ranks 18th among wide receivers on the season, averaging 14.9 yards per reception, 2.72 yards per route run, and a 113.0 passer rating on such targets. Fire Dell up as a WR3 with upside this week, but even if he’s not a lock for your lineup, he’s worth an add given the strengths of this Texans pass attack.
Available in 50% of ESPN leagues and 51% of Yahoo! leagues.
TE Michael Mayer, Las Vegas Raiders
After a breakout performance in Week 6 where he posted a season-high 75 receiving yards on five receptions, Las Vegas Raiders rookie tight end Mayer returned back to earth with a 13-yard showing against the Chicago Bears. Now, in Week 8, the Raiders will face a tough defensive opponent in the Detroit Lions, who have been one of the best run defenses in the league to date. Where they’ve been particularly susceptible on defense, however, has been to opposing tight ends.
This season, the Lions have given up the second most yards, the second most touchdowns, and in turn, the second most fantasy points per game to the position. Though Detroit LB Alex Anzalone has played extremely well this season, the Raiders offense will very likely be in a position to throw the ball early and often, which will be conducive to Mayer’s production as he continues to assume a growing role in the passing offense.
Available in 92% of ESPN leagues and 80% of Yahoo! leagues.
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