We are now in the middle portion of the fantasy football season. We need to assess the strengths and weaknesses of our rosters and make moves accordingly. It’s now time to improve our teams. Let’s take a look at the top Week 8 waiver wire targets and pickups that fantasy managers should consider adding to their rosters.
As always, all players are rostered in less than 50% of Yahoo leagues.
I eliminated FAAB recommendations last year, as there are too many variables to account for. Instead, I replaced them with my opinion on how aggressive fantasy managers should pursue the player on a scale of 1-10.
Joe Flacco, QB, Cincinnati Bengals
Rostered: 11%
Joe Flacco has been with the Cincinnati Bengals for less than two weeks. Yet, he’s already thrown five touchdowns against zero interceptions.
Can the old man keep this up? Probably not. But the upcoming schedule is very favorable, and Flacco is airing it out. Chase Brown had his best game of the season on Thursday night, but this offense remains incredibly pass-heavy.
Flacco has now attempted 45 and 47 passes in his two starts with the Bengals. He’s posted 18.7 and 26 fantasy points. With bye-mageddon here in Week 8, Flacco is very much a worthwhile streamer.
Aggressiveness Rating: 3.0
Jaxson Dart, QB, New York Giants
Rostered: 42%
Jaxson Dart threw a really unfortunate interception that let the Denver Broncos back in the game, and the New York Giants ultimately lost. That is a tough way for things to go down. From an NFL perspective, the Giants are not feeling too great. From a fantasy perspective, managers should be ecstatic.
Jaxon Dart has played brilliantly all day until this interception. pic.twitter.com/iHHaYhHCfa
— Doctor Gridiron (@DrGridiron_MD) October 19, 2025
Dart is all kinds of legit, both as the Giants’ franchise QB and as a fantasy asset. He is an every-week QB1.
In four starts, Dart’s worst outing was 17.6 fantasy points. Over his last two, he’s posted 23.6 and 29.4. What’s really encouraging about his Week 7 outing is that he managed nearly 30 fantasy points despite only 11 rushing yards. Dart threw for 283 yards and three touchdowns against one of the best defenses in the NFL.
At this point, matchup doesn’t matter. Easier opponents help, but Dart has proven he can thrive against anyone. He should be universally rostered.
Aggressiveness Rating: 7.5
Bam Knight, RB, Arizona Cardinals,
Rostered: 22%
We are likely still 3-4 weeks away from Trey Benson’s return. Make no mistake about it, Benson will get his job back when he returns. But that still gives us about a month of someone else as the Arizona Cardinals’ lead back.
Bam Knight is not exactly a great player, but he handled 14 carries and saw four targets against the Green Bay Packers. That type of usage, even from a replacement-level talent, is good enough to warrant a spot in fantasy lineups.
The Cardinals are on bye next week, so managers may not think anything of grabbing Knight. But in Week 9, they get the Cowboys. Knight will likely be a top 24 back that week. Put him on your bench now.
Aggressiveness Rating: 5.5
Tyjae Spears, RB, Tennessee Titans
Rostered: 30%
Tony Pollard is still clearly the lead back for the Tennessee Titans. But Tyjae Spears’ involvement seems to be increasing each week as he gets reacclimated to playing football after a preseason high ankle sprain.
Over the past two weeks, Spears has exactly five carries and four targets in each game. Nine opportunities are not quite enough to be a weekly starter, but it’s viable if you need someone in a desperate scenario.
Of course, the main reason you roster Spears is because he would be a three-down back if Pollard were to go down. The Titans’ RB2 needs to be on more rosters.
Aggressiveness Rating: 4.5
Kyle Monangai, RB, Chicago Bears
Rostered: 6%
The Bears completely dominated the Saints, such that both D’Andre Swift and Kyle Monangai were about to eat. The rookie mixed in for 13 carries, which he turned into 81 yards and a touchdown.
Ben Johnson finally unleashed RB Kyle Monangai
-13 attempts
-81 rushing yards
-1 rushing TD
-2 receptions
-13 receiving yardsCongrats to the rookie on the big day 🔥pic.twitter.com/d9ghQl3w64
— Just Another Year Chicago: Bears (@JAYChi_Bears) October 19, 2025
Fantasy managers cannot start Monangai yet and should not expect this type of production weekly. But it is encouraging to know that he is capable of this when he gets volume. At worst, he is the clear handcuff to Swift. Plus, the Rutgers product is a safe bet not to get you zero if you need him in a pinch.
Aggressiveness Rating: 1-10
Brashard Smith, RB, Kansas City Chiefs
Rostered: 6%
Take Brashard Smith’s performance with a grain of salt. The Kansas City Chiefs did whatever they wanted against the Las Vegas Raiders. The game was over at halftime. Andy Reid pulled Patrick Mahomes and the entire starting unit at the end of the third quarter. This resulted in the rookie getting an extended audition in the fourth.
Smith touched the ball 19 times and amassed 81 yards. Obviously, do not expect Smith to suddenly be startable. But this showing is vital in that it establishes he has the talent to produce if he ever found his way into volume.
Fantasy managers in need of a desperation warm body in Week 8 could do worse. Additionally, Smith has injury contingent upside if something were to happen to either Isiah Pacheco or Kareem Hunt.
Aggressiveness Rating: 3.5
Blake Corum, RB, Los Angeles Rams
Rostered: 11%
Game script played a role, but Blake Corum saw a season high in touches against the Jacksonville Jaguars. He carried the ball 12 times for 37 yards and caught one pass for six yards.
Corum still isn’t seeing enough work to be startable, but he’s very clearly the RB2 behind Kyren Williams. If the starter were to get hurt, Corum would immediately be a startable RB2, at worst.
As we embark on the second half of the season, fantasy managers need to have an eye toward covering bye weeks, as well as preparing for contingencies in the future. Corum represents both.
Aggressiveness Rating: 4.0
Xavier Legette, WR, Carolina Panthers
Rostered: 6%
Whenever a player goes off like Xavier Legette did, it would be a dereliction of duty not to acknowledge him. The sophomore wide receiver caught nine of 11 targets for 92 yards and a touchdown.
Most impressively, Legette stepped up despite the return of Jalen Coker, who certainly was in play to take over the WR2 role opposite Tetairoa McMillan.
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Legette had more receiving yards on Sunday than in the rest of the season combined. In all likelihood, this is a fluke rather than the sign of a breakout.
With that said, Legette is a young player. It is within the realm of possibilities that he is starting to put it together. If you have an open roster spot, you can take a shot on Legette, but he is not a priority.
Aggressiveness Rating: 1.0
Tre Tucker, WR, Las Vegas Raiders
Rostered: 50%
It was another low-volume day for Tre Tucker. He’s now seen exactly five or six targets in three consecutive games. This week, he caught five passes for an inefficient 33 yards.
The argument for adding Tucker has little to do with his production thus far. Jakobi Meyers did not play in this game. He’s injured, but he’s also been the subject of trade rumors. If Meyers gets moved, Tucker would be the de facto WR1 and possibly the second option in the passing game behind Brock Bowers.
The Raiders are on bye next week, which should make Tucker pretty cheap to acquire. If you can’t sit on him for a week, he’s not a must-add. But if you have the spot, consider stashing Tucker to see if Meyers gets moved.
Aggressiveness Rating: 2.5
Malik Washington, WR, Miami Dolphins
Rostered: 15%
It’s hard to truly endorse any Miami Dolphins. They are one of the three worst teams in football, playing out a lost season. But they have football games to play and someone has to catch passes.
Tyreek Hill is already done for the season. Jaylen Waddle got banged up at the end of the Dolphins’ blowout loss to the Cleveland Browns. He’s also been the subject of trade rumors. There is a scenario where Malik Washington is the No. 1 wide receiver on this team in a week or two.
Who knows what this offense will look like after Mike McDaniel is fired or if Tua Tagovailoa gets benched? You might as well stash Washington now and see what happens.
Aggressiveness Rating: 3.0
Marvin Mims Jr., WR, Denver Broncos
Rostered: 23%
Let’s put Marvin Mims Jr.’s big game in perspective. The Broncos went on a frenzied comeback in the fourth quarter, scoring an absurd 33 points. Due to negative game script, Bo Nix attempted 50 passes. That is not going to be the norm.
Mims did come through with six receptions for 85 yards, but a chunk of that was very late in the game on a drive that never should’ve been needed.
These games are going to happen. Mims is fast and explosive. He will pop off for a 15+ point game every now and then. Good luck predicting when. You can add Mims if you want, but he is not a priority.
Aggressiveness Rating: 2.0
Alec Pierce, WR, Indianapolis Colts
Rostered: 9%
The Indianapolis Colts are quite depleted at wide receiver. They still have Michael Pittman Jr., their clear WR1. But behind him, they came into Week 7 missing Josh Downs and Ashton Dulin. While they do have Adonai Mitchell, he’s currently in the doghouse for fumbling the ball at the goal line a couple of weeks ago.
Alec Pierce served as the team’s WR2. Against the Chargers, he saw 10 targets, catching five for 98 yards.
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Pierce is a deep-ball merchant, but that’s not necessarily a bad thing. You are not starting Pierce to get a safe eight points. You’re chasing splash plays. Pierce has been known to deliver.
Even if Downs can return next week, his role does not conflict with Pierce, who should continue to start at Z. While not quite a priority, Pierce is definitely worthy of consideration.
Aggressiveness Rating: 3.5
Juwan Johnson, TE, New Orleans Saints
Rostered: 30%
Just when fantasy managers had given up on Juwan Johnson, he surged back into relevance. Johnson caught five of seven targets for 79 yards against the Chicago Bears. It wasn’t a huge performance, but double digits are enough at the tight end position.
Johnson is not going to be the guy he looked like at the start of the season. He won’t be someone you can reliably start every week. But there’s enough here to justify putting him on rosters if you need a tight end.
Aggressiveness Rating: 2.5
Oronde Gadsden II, TE, Los Angeles Chargers
Rostered: 3%
It looks like this is your top waiver wire pickup of the week. Oronde Gadsden II has fully taken over the TE1 role for the Los Angeles Chargers. Week 7 was his coming-out party.
The rookie caught seven of nine targets for a team-high 164 yards and a touchdown. It was his second straight game with seven receptions. More importantly, he’s now seen 17 targets in his last two games.
6 catches. 156 yards. 1 TD.
What a day for the rookie Oronde Gadsden 🙌
INDvsLAC on CBS/Paramount+https://t.co/HkKw7uXVnt pic.twitter.com/bpN7XuSpos
— NFL (@NFL) October 19, 2025
This is a high-priority add. Even if you don’t need a tight end, you have to go after Gadsden.
Aggressiveness Rating: 8.0
