Joe Serpico shares his top fantasy football waiver-wire pickups heading into Week 8.
Drake Maye, QB, New England Patriots: Do not break the bank to add the No. 3 overall pick, but Maye has been impressive in his first two starts. Maye threw for 276 yards and two scores against the Jaguars, giving him back-to-back games with 20-plus fantasy points. The Jets are up next and present a challenge, but if Maye has another strong showing, he will skyrocket up in the rankings. He is a must-add for those in Superflex leagues.
Alexander Mattison, RB, Las Vegas Raiders: It is time to acknowledge the starting running back in Vegas, and it is not preseason darling Zamir White. Mattison led the Raiders’ backfield against the Rams even with White returning from injury, garnering 26 touches compared to just four for White. Mattison now has four games in which he has finished as a RB2 or better. He is RB18 on the season heading into Monday’s games. He is a solid FLEX play as we navigate through the bye weeks.
Romeo Doubs, WR, Green Bay Packers: A carryover from last week, Doubs has been terrific since being suspended by the team two weeks ago. He found the end zone twice last week and reeled in 8 of 10 targets for 94 yards in the Packers’ comeback win against the Texans. Doubs has been the go-to receiver for Jordan Love and gets the Jaguars’ soft defense next week. He is surprisingly still available in nearly 50 percent of leagues, but that is sure to change after this week.
Jauan Jennings and Ricky Pearsall, WRs, San Francisco 49ers: Jennings missed Week 7 with an injury of his own, but Brandon Aiyuk is feared to have suffered a torn ACL that will cost him the season. Jennings has stepped up when given more opportunities and should see a significant increase in targets moving forward. Pearsall saw his first action of the season after being shot in the chest in late August and drew five targets in his debut against the Chiefs. Pearsall is the better option this week with Jennings still on the mend, but both need to be rostered in deep leagues.
Zach Ertz, TE, Washington Commanders: I wrote last week how Ertz is as consistent as they come and he delivered once again. The veteran consistently draws five targets a game and found the end zone for the first time this season against the Panthers. Don’t be afraid to give up on those high draft picks who have not panned out for a player like Ertz. He won’t make big, splash plays, but he is heavily involved for the Commanders.
Hunter Henry, TE, New England Patriots: Maye has been looking Henry’s way often since taking over as the starting quarterback. Henry has finished as TE7 and TE4 in the two games with Maye at the helm, with at least five targets in both games. Follow the numbers, not the names. Henry (TE6) and Ertz (TE8) each have more targets and fantasy points than Sam LaPorta (TE17) and Mark Andrews (TE21).
Top Handcuffs (Rostered in less than 50 percent of leagues)
Tyler Allgeier, Atlanta Falcons
Jaylen Warren, Pittsburgh Steelers
Braelon Allen, New York Jets
Ray Davis, Buffalo Bills
Kimani Vidal, Los Angeles Chargers
Ty Chandler, Minnesota Vikings
Isaac Guerendo, San Francisco 49ers
Antonio Gibson, New England Patriots
Roschon Johnson, Chicago Bears
Tyler Goodson, Indianapolis Colts
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