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Field YatesESPN Insider
Congratulations!
You've navigated the most difficult week of the fantasy football season, as Week 7 presented significant challenges with countless good players either on their bye or simply out because of injury.
Week 7 was the only week during the NFL calendar this season that scheduled six teams for a bye, which left us without the likes of Josh Allen, Stefon Diggs, Dak Prescott, Ezekiel Elliott, Amari Cooper, CeeDee Lamb, Dalton Schultz, Justin Herbert, Austin Ekeler, Mike Williams, Keenan Allen, James Robinson, Justin Jefferson, Adam Thielen, Dalvin Cook, Diontae Johnson and Najee Harris.
Many, many more names were also unavailable for fantasy managers. We are all glad this past week is over. Now, byes are hardly gone forever and, in fact, 24 teams have still have yet to take theirs -- starting with the Ravens and Raiders in Week 8. Still, there has to be some rejoicing that the hardest week is behind us.
So, let's look forward and dive into the Week 8 ESPN Fantasy waiver-wire conversation below.
Note: All players on this column are available in at least 50% of leagues on ESPN.com.
Kenneth Gainwell, RB, (25.64% rostered) and Boston Scott, RB, (0.7%), Philadelphia Eagles: Miles Sanders left early in Week 7 due to an ankle injury, forcing the Eagles to turn to Gainwell and Scott, who both found the end zone. Gainwell is the better receiver and already had a role this season, while Scott had largely been relegated to a depth-level spot within the Philadelphia offense. So, while my preference would be to add Gainwell (more receiving upside), both merit consideration because I don't think either one will dominate the vast majority of touches. Because of that uncertainty, I'm not sure either player is a "lock it in" starter, even as I do recommend prioritizing Gainwell.
Allen Lazard, WR, Green Bay Packers (4.9%): With the news that Davante Adams has been placed on the Reserve/COVID-19 list, Green Bay will likely have to turn to other receivers for Week 8 on Thursday night against the Cardinals. Adams has more targets, receptions and receiving yards than all other Packers wideouts combined this season, so there's no doubt it's hard to say with absolute certainty that Lazard is due for a major role, but we'll lean toward him as the pick given the fact he's been most consistent as of late, including finding the end zone in Weeks 6 and 7.
Dante Pettis, WR, New York Giants (0.6%): After a rash of injuries in the huddle, Pettis has become an unlikely top target for the Giants over the last two weeks. He has a total of 16 targets over the past two games and picked up a touchdown in Week 7. While his value would certainly diminish if several of the Giants' top pass-catchers (Sterling Shepard, Kenny Golladay, Kadarius Toney) were to be available in Week 8, it's too soon to tell if that will indeed be the case. Either way, it's good to see the former second-round pick taking advantage of this opportunity.
Rashod Bateman, WR, Baltimore Ravens (17.2%): The first-rounder has played in just two games this season and already looks like he'll have a nice home within the Ravens offense. He has posted back-to-back games with six targets and on Sunday he turned them into 80 receiving yards against the Bengals. Baltimore is extremely optimistic about his outlook as a player and, while they head into a bye this week, this is a "talent add" for a guy who should only improve as the season moves along.
Tua Tagovailoa, QB, Miami Dolphins (42.4%): The Dolphins quarterback has returned from an injury and has now delivered in back-to-back weeks for fantasy purposes. He has recorded nearly 24.0 points per game and completed over 70% of his passes in both contests. While his Week 8 matchup against the Bills is more daunting, I think the play here is to add Tagovailoa now before you need a bye-week fill-in later. For example, Tom Brady is on a bye in Week 9 and Matthew Stafford has Week 11 off. Miami faces favorable matchups in the Texans and the Jets, respectively, in those two weeks.
Christian Kirk, WR, Arizona Cardinals (30.8%): The Cardinals offense just keeps on rolling and Kirk has been rock-solid as a part of this roll. He has had five games this season with 50-plus receiving yards and five games with double-digit fantasy points. While DeAndre Hopkins figures to lead the team in targets and others like A.J. Green and Rondale Moore will also have a role, there's been enough to go around for Kirk. Snatch him up in deeper leagues. He has had three games with eight targets this season. When you have Kyler Murray as your quarterback, you have a chance.
Russell Gage, WR, Atlanta Falcons (9.9%): Gage was a fairly trendy preseason sleeper, but he's been limited to just three games so far this year, including a goose egg in Week 1. With that being said, he looked much more like the 2020 version of himself in Week 7, when he posted four catches for 67 yards and a touchdown on six targets. Gage plays in an offense that is one of the higher-volume passing units in the league. Matt Ryan has thrown at least 35 passes in every game this season and Gage figures to be a potential top-three option for Atlanta weekly. He's a nice deeper-league add.
Foster Moreau, TE, Las Vegas Raiders (0.2%): The Raiders head into their bye this week, affording Darren Waller an extra week to get healthy after an ankle injury kept him out of Week 7. If Waller is back in Week 9, Moreau's value is toast, but he stepped up and did a darn good job filling in for Waller in Week 7, catching six passes for 60 yards and a touchdown. Moreau is a solid player who just happens to be behind one of the best tight ends in the league, so his production should not be a total shock. If Waller's injury lingers, I'll have Moreau as a top-12 consideration in Week 9.
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October 26, 2021 at 01:15AM
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Fantasy football waiver wire for NFL Week 8 - Mining the NFC East for pickups - ESPN
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