Fantasy Football Waiver Wire Week 8: Kyle Monangai and Oronde Gadsden break out

With a Monday night doubleheader left to go, Week 7 of the fantasy season is almost in the books. Any player listed here is available in over half of all Yahoo leagues. It’s safe to assume any stat I list in this article has a “pending Monday’s game” asterisk until Tuesday morning.With a Monday night double-header left to go, Week 6 of the fantasy season is almost in the books. Any player listed here is available in over half of all Yahoo leagues. It’s safe to assume any stat I list in this article has a “pending Monday’s game” asterisk until Tuesday morning.

▶ Quarterback

Jaxson Dart, Giants

Despite suffering a nail-biting loss to the Broncos on a walk-offf field goal, Dart again looked marvelous this week. He threw 283 yards and three scores, both of which were career-highs. Dart still added fantasy points with his legs via a touchdown and 11 yards. He has multiple passing touchdowns in 2-of-4 starts and has found the end zone on the ground three times. Dart is a true dual threat with a sky-high ceiling as the game slows down for him. He will push for a QB1 rank in Week 8.

Joe Flacco, Bengals

Through two games as a Bengal, Flacco has thrown for 561 yards, five scores, and zero interceptions. Pending Monday’s doubleheader, Flacco is 10th in EPA per play and 13th in CPOE over the past two weeks. He gets a date with the Jets in Week 8. New York ranks 29th in EPA per play allowed this year. Flacco’s lack of mobility keeps him anchored to the QB2 range, but he has established both a floor and a ceiling in Cincinnati.

Marcus Mariota, Commanders

Jayden Daniels is banged up again, this time with a hamstring issue. He previously missed time with a knee injury and is now set to undergo an MRI on the hamstring. Marcus Mariota made two starts in his place earlier this year. Mariota didn’t do much through the air, throwing for 363 yards and three scores. He did, however, keep the chains moving with his legs, running for 60 yards and a touchdown on eight attempts. He finished as the QB6 and QB17. If you’re down a quarterback due to injuries or byes, Mariota is likely to best option off waivers.

▶ Running Back

Kyle Monangai, Bears

After weeks of D’Andre Swift dominating the touches in Chicago, Ben Johnson gave us a true committee in Week 7, and it worked out well for both backs.

CarriesRushing YardsRoutesTargetsReceiving YardsD’Andre Swift1912414114Kyle Monangai138110213

Both averaged over six yards per carry for the Saints. Both found the end zone on the ground as well. This could be a one-week blip, or the Bears could be moving toward a committee going forward. Johnson operated the best backfield committee in the league in Detroit. It wouldn’t be surprising to see him recreate a lesser version in Chicago.

Brashard Smith, Chiefs

Smith’s 14-carry, 39-yard outing on the ground is being boosted by a large workload in garbage time. He ran 10 consecutive times across two drives to close out a 31-0 win over the Raiders. His receiving role, however, was real and better than ever. He logged a season-high target share of 15 percent and caught five passes for 42 yards. Smith’s route rate of 23 percent means he is still playing an extremely niche role, but there is some deep cut RB5 value to be had here for Week 8. If his role continues to grow, Smith could be a key fantasy piece for the playoff push.

Bam Knight, Cardinals

The Cardinals are on bye this week, so you’ll be stuck holding Knight for a game before getting him into your lineup. When they return, he looks like a weekly RB3 until Trey Benson comes off injured reserve. Knight out-carried Michael Carter 14-7 and out-caught him 3-2. Bam played about half of the snaps and ran a third of the routes. He’s roughly a two-down player, but that’s enough to crack fantasy lineups when he returns from bye.

Tyjae Spears, Titans

Spears secured the passing-downs role in Week 6 but gave it all back in Week 7. He went from a 59 percent route rate two weeks ago to 28 percent on Sunday. On the other hand, Spears upped his carry share from 33 percent to 42 percent. It’s hard to pin down exactly what his role is, but he should see a handful of touches per week and his plenty of upside if anything happens to Tony Pollard.

▶ Wide Receiver

Kayshon Boutte, Patriots

Boutte’s breakout has come in fits and starts. He popped for over 100 yards in Week 1 and then caught a touchdown in Week 2 before going radio silent for the next three weeks. He scored twice two weeks ago and hit again in Week 7 with two grabs for 55 yards and a score. Boutte’s 17.2 aDOT makes his spike weeks almost impossible to predict, but there is still value in starting a player with a massive ceiling in your FLEX, even if the floor is near zero.

Troy Franklin, Broncos

Fantasy bets don’t get more frustrating than Franklin. He’s run at least 70 percent of the routes in every game since Week 1 and routinely gets to 80 percent or higher. He has one 24-point game, a 12-point game, and no other outings over nine points. On the year, Franklin has 19 percent of the team’s targets and 28 percent of the air yards. He’s a boom/bust fantasy option, but that will do in a smash spot versus the Cowboys. No team has given up more points to opposing wideouts than Dallas this year.

In the same vein, Marvin Mims has fallen well below a 50 percent roster rate on Yahoo and is coming off a seven-target game. It’s his first contest with more than six looks this season. Mims is capped at roughly 60 percent of the routes, but he has splash play potential in a game where points will be easy to come by.

Chimere Dike, Titans

Dike’s role by route share has grown in three straight weeks, hitting 67 percent in Week 7’s loss to the Patriots. His season-high route rate coincided with his best fantasy outing. The rookie caught all four of his targets for 70 yards and a score. The bad news is that he earned a pedestrian 13 percent target share. It’s a good sign that his role is growing, but Dike will be hard to start even as a FLEX play in Week 8.

Xavier Legette, Panthers

Legette go on track with his best game of the year in Week 7, posting a 9/92/1 receiving line. He Those numbers and his 11 targets were all career-highs for the young wideout. The Panthers made it a point to get Legette the ball on Sunday, targeting him on 39 percent of the team’s first read attempts. Legette has had an up-and-down start to his career, and we almost certainly haven’t seen the last valley. Still, he’s a former first-round pick who is coming off the best game of his career. He is worth a flyer in deeper leagues.

▶ Tight End

Oronde Gadsden, Chargers

It’s a sleepy week for waivers, but don’t tell Gadsden that. The rookie tight end got on the board last week with seven catches for 68 yards. He then erupted for 164 yards and one score on seven receptions. He ran a route on 77 percent of the Chargers’ dropbacks once again.

Gadsden was an interesting tight end prospect because he lit up the scoreboard as a de facto wide receiver in college. It was unclear if his slot skill set would translate to a meaningful role as a tight end early in his career, but that question has been emphatically answered.

Colston Loveland, Bears

Cole Kmet suffered a back injury in on Sunday and was listed as doubtful to return. He did not retake the field, paving the way for Loveland to catch three passes for 24 yards. It’s not much, but both marks were season-highs for the first-round rookie. Playing time has been Loveland’s biggest issue this year, and now there’s a path for him to dominate the tight end snaps in Week 8. He should be added in all formats.

Juwan Johnson, Saints

After a few quiet games, Johnson got back on track in Week 7 with five catches for 79 yards. His seven targets were good for a 22 percent target share. That is his highest mark since Week 3. In a potential shootout with the Bucs, Johnson is a safe bet for high-end TE2 numbers

Zach Ertz, Commanders

Ertz remains the stable hand at tight end, available as a low-end TE1 bet in the majority of leagues whenever called upon. With both Deebo Samuel and Terry McLaurin out for Week 7, Ertz led the Commanders with seven targets. He only caught three of his looks but managed to find the end zone, keeping him in the TE1 ranks. Ertz will stay there if both wideouts remain sidelined for Week 8 against the Chiefs.

Theo Johnson, Giants

With a 3/66/1 line on Sunday, Johnson is up to four touchdowns in four Dart starts. Johnson was actually bested by fellow Giants tight end Daniel Bellinger in the box score. Bellinger went for 88 yards and a score on the same number of catches. Johnson, however, was still an every-down player, taking the field for 41-of-43 Dart dropbacks compared to just 21 for Bellinger. Johnson is a touchdown-or-bust TE2 heading into Week 8, but there are worse bets to make on a week filled with byes.

Pat Freiermuth, Steelers

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