Erickson: Fantasy football waiver wire targets ahead of NFL Week 8

Another week of NFL action is in the books. As the dust settles, we are left with just one remaining undefeated team: the Pittsburgh Steelers. Just like we all predicted.

Week 7 brought more injuries, so with certain players' availability up in the air, we're going to need replacements off the waiver wire ASAP for Chris Carson, Kenyan Drake, Odell Beckham Jr., Devonta Freeman, DeSean Jackson, Diontae Johnson, Andy Dalton, Breshad Perriman, Deebo Samuel, N’Keal Harry, Tim Patrick, Philip Lindsay and Joe Mixon.

Week 8 also sees the continuation of the dreaded bye weeks. The Arizona Cardinals, Houston Texans, Jacksonville Jaguars and Washington Football Team are all taking some time off, so fill-ins will be needed for Kyler Murray, DeAndre Hopkins, Deshaun Watson, Terry McLaurin, Will Fuller V, James Robinson and D.J. Chark Jr.

And for those who are more forward-thinking, this is a great time to plan ahead knowing that the Cincinnati Bengals, Cleveland Browns, Los Angeles Rams and Philadelphia Eagles are off in Week 9.

Now, on to the top waiver-wire targets for Week 8. This list of players includes anyone rostered in approximately 50% of Yahoo leagues or less, with deep league options at every position as well. I’ll also share my thoughts on FAB (Free Agent Budget) bids and how much to spend on each player accordingly.

And as a special treat — it's Halloween szn of course — I’ll also include players who should be added because they could find themselves on new rosters as the NFL trade deadline approaches Nov. 3. Always tryin’ to stay ahead of competition.

QUARTERBACKS

Sep 27, 2020; Inglewood, California, USA;Carolina Panthers quarterback Teddy Bridgewater (5) throws a pass during pregame warmups before playing the Los Angeles Chargers at SoFi Stadium. Credit: Robert Hanashiro-USA TODAY Sports

TEDDY BRIDGEWATER, CAROLINA PANTHERS – 44% ROSTERED – 5% OF FAB

Every QB the Atlanta Falcons have faced (including the combination of Mitchell Trubisky and Nick Foles) has thrown for at least 300 yards this season. That list of signal-callers includes Teddy Bridgewater, who threw for 313 yards the last time these two teams met in Week 5.

Teddy B has been great in plus-matchups all year, so fire him up with confidence as a perfect bye-week replacement against the Dirty Birds, who have allowed the most fantasy points per game to the QB position.