Following the bye-pocalypse, fantasy football managers are going to be hounding the waiver wire in Week 8 searching for any edge they can get as the second half of the season arrives.

It doesn’t matter whether you’re 7-0 or 0-7. Well, I mean if you’re 0-7, you’re fighting demons. But not like in a cool way like Dean or Sam Winchester. You’re losing this battle pretty hard. You’ve got to get your chakras aligned or something because that’s a rough start. But, I digress.

The waiver wire is here again as it is every week even though in this rendition, there might not be as much action. That said, there are some very significant injuries that will shape the priorities on the waiver wire to go along with a pair of teams on a bye.

The only teams on a bye in Week 8 are the Baltimore Ravens and Las Vegas Raiders.

Without further ado, here are the top targets on the waiver wire for fantasy football in Week 8:

To qualify, a player cannot be rostered in more than 50% of ESPN leagues.

QB Daniel Jones, New York Giants

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Rostered: 28.4%
Week 8: at Kansas City Chiefs

Danny Dimes put the team on his back in Week 7, leading the Giants to a blowout win over the Panthers. He did so without ANY help given that the majority of his skill players were inactive due to injury. That didn’t stop him from posting a serviceable 17.0 fantasy points. Now, he gets the face the Chiefs defense that has allowed five QB1 (top-12) finishes in the last six weeks. Given Jones’ knack for running as well, he’s the top streamer for those needing a bye-week replacement.

QB Carson Wentz, Indianapolis Colts

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Rostered: 22.1%
Week 8: vs. Tennessee Titans

Wentz has been slowly putting together solid game after solid game now that he’s getting healthier and more comfortable with his new teammates. His offseason mechanics work has done wonders for his consistency and the deep ball is back in Indy. Despite the torrential downpour, Wentz finished Week 7 as the QB10 thanks to his first rushing touchdown of the season. Now, he’s likely to have T.Y. Hilton back and he draws a matchup against a Titans defense that has allowed four finishes inside the top-10 with two of those being the QB1 overall in a week (Weeks 1, 6).

RB Kenny Gainwell, Philadelphia Eagles

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Rostered: 26.3%
Week 8: at Detroit Lions

Some of the biggest news to come out of Week 7 was the ankle injury that Miles Sanders suffered. It’s not long-term, but it could be long enough to make Gainwell a very intriguing spot start. Gainwell filled in for Sanders after the latter left and wound up finishing as the RB21 with 12.1 fantasy points. That’s not crazy, but his usage suggests he’s in for a big day if he’s the starter against the Lions. The five carries aren’t all that impressive but the eight targets and 26% target share from Week 7 is. Gainwell is a good runner and a great pass catcher in an offense that will be able to move the ball against the Lions. He’s the priority add this week.

RB Salvon Ahmed, Miami Dolphins

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Rostered: 1.8%
Week 8: at Buffalo Bills

This is for deeper leagues. Anything under 12 teams can ignore this target. That said, the news that Dolphins running back Malcolm Brown will go on the injured reserve list does carry some weight. He had the second-most rush attempts on the offense behind Myles Gaskin. This is a big boost for Gaskin but it also means Ahmed will get some more run as the backup. We know that the Dolphins don’t use a one-man backfield. Ahmed is a solid handcuff proved last year he can provide some juice with three finishes inside the top-24 in six games played.

RB Handcuffs Coming Off Bye

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This is more of a PSA than it is anything else. If any of your fellow fantasy managers dropped running back handcuffs like Tony Pollard (58.1%) or Alexander Mattison (43.4%) during the Week 7 bye, it would be wise to scoop them up. Pollard can actually be used as a deep flex play if needed given his explosiveness in an elite offense. Mattison has proven he’s an elite handcuff and spot starter in case Dalvin Cook ever misses time, which has happened often in his career. I’d much rather have Mattison or Pollard sitting on my bench than, say, a sixth wide receiver or an extra tight end.

WR Allen Lazard, Green Bay Packers

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Rostered: 4.9%
Week 8: at Arizona Cardinals

Arguably the biggest news of the young week is that Davante Adams was placed on the COVID-19 list and is in high danger of missing the Thursday night game. If that’s the case, Aaron Rodgers will need a new No. 1 target. That could fall to Lazard, who has been more involved than anyone not named Adams over the last two weeks. Coming off a season-high 14.5 fantasy points, Lazard has recorded a 24% and 18% target share in the last two weeks, respectively. The Cardinals are middle of the pack against wide receivers, allowing 36.4 PPR points per game to the position. If Lazard is leading the pack, he could be in for a big night.

WR T.Y. Hilton, Indianapolis Colts

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Rostered: 30.2%
Week 8: vs. Tennessee Titans

This one is a bit risky because Hilton was inactive due to a quad injury that prevented him from practicing all last week. But the expectation is that he should be ready to return barring a setback. Even though Michael Pittman Jr. is establishing himself firmly, Hilton is still capable of big plays. He showed that in Week 6 against the Texans. If he’s healthy, Hilton gets to take on a Titans defense that is allowing the most fantasy points to wide receivers this season. With the deep ball back, it wouldn’t be a surprise if Hilton explodes for a big play. Be sure to monitor the injury reports throughout the week.

WR Darius Slayton, New York Giants

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Rostered: 11.2%
Week 8: at Kansas City Chiefs

Slayton is an add for deeper leagues given the lack of options the Giants are currently dealing with. He’s not all that high on the priority list, but he should be added if depth or a spot start is needed in your flex. Slayton paced the Giants offense with nine targets and a 28% target share. If he’s the only option again, the Chiefs are allowing the fifth-most fantasy points per game in general while allowing 35.1 fantasy points per game to wide receivers. If he’s going to approach 10 targets in a high-scoring game, there’s a chance he’s a solid sleeper in Week 8.

TE C.J. Uzomah, Cincinnati Bengals

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Rostered: 10.1%
Week 8: at New York Jets

If you’re a manager of Mark Andrews or Darren Waller or maybe you’re simply streaming the position, Uzomah is probably the best option available. Exploding for the TE1 finish for the second time this season, Uzomah did so by grabbing all three of his targets for 91 yards and two touchdowns. It’s scary to lean on such fickle usage, but the tight end landscape in fantasy football is likely trying to survive Squid Game. In a plus matchup against the Jets, Uzomah is a fine option in Week 8.

Cincinnati Bengals D/ST

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Rostered: 23%
Week 8: at New York Jets

The top streaming option for defense/special teams in Week 8 will be the Bengals. They get the pleasure of strolling into MetLife Stadium to visit a Jets offense that will either be run by Mike White or the newly-acquired Joe Flacco, whom the Jets traded for on Monday. As Zach Wilson is expected to miss potentially up to a month, the Jets offense is somehow going to get even worse. Fire up the Bengals defense in Week 8.