Week 8 RB Waiver Wire Targets: Top Players To Add Include Darrell Henderson, Emari Demercado, and Joshua Kelley

The Week 8 waiver wire has no clear top option that fantasy football managers should drop the proverbial hammer on. But there is one guy who looks like a fantasy starter for at least a couple of weeks. Here are a few potential RB targets on the wire this week.

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Top RB Waiver Wire Targets in Week 8

More Waiver Wire Targets: WRs | TEs | QBs

Darrell Henderson, Los Angeles Rams (24% Rostered)

Once again, NFL head coaches prove reluctant to turn their backfield over to a Day 3 rookie. Zach Evans was the RB3 last week and only entered the game after Kyren Williams and Ronnie Rivers got hurt. This week, Evans played the same role. Since Darrell Henderson and Royce Freeman did not get hurt, Evans never entered the game.

Henderson started and was the 1A in the Rams’ two-man committee. He carried the ball 18 times for 61 yards and a touchdown. That’ll work.

Williams and Rivers are out for at least another three weeks. Henderson sure looks like a touchdown-dependent RB2 until one of them returns. Given the team’s lack of investment in either, it’s entirely possible Henderson can keep the job if he plays well. Pick him up.

FAAB Recommendation: 25-35%

Devin Singletary, Houston Texans (14% Rostered)

I’m going to assume the reason Devin Singletary is still rostered in so few leagues is that many fantasy managers had no choice but to pass over him for players playing this week. But let’s not forget about him.

When we last saw the Texans play, Singletary was out-snapping and outperforming the incredibly underwhelming Dameon Pierce. There is a nonzero chance Singletary will be the more valuable back going forward. I’m not sure what that’s worth, but it’s definitely worth a spot on your bench to find out.

FAAB Recommendation: 10-15%

Emari Demercado, Arizona Cardinals (14% Rostered)

I guess the Cardinals just like to mess with fantasy managers. Two weeks ago, when James Conner went down, it was Emari Demercardo as the lead back. Everyone rushed to grab him off the waiver wire. Then, he barely touched the ball the following week as Keaontay Ingram was the lead back. So, fantasy managers understandably dropped Demercado.

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Now, Demercado is back on the menu. He saw 13 carries and five targets against the Seahawks. Ingram exclusively played on special teams — he did not play a single offensive snap.

I certainly do not trust Demercado. But Conner is out for at least another two weeks. Running backs are hard to come by. I would not trust him in Week 8 lineups, but he’s worth picking up.

FAAB Recommendation: 10-15%

Joshua Kelley, Los Angeles Chargers (21% Rostered)

Joshua Kelley carried the ball just seven times and didn’t see a target. He’s only even in consideration because he happened to break off a long touchdown run. It’s a fluke. We saw what he did when Austin Ekeler was out. He is never startable; do not pick up Kelley.

FAAB Recommendation: 0%

Which RBs Should You Roster in Fantasy Football?

Should You Add Royce Freeman or Pierre Strong Jr.?

It really is crazy how far down depth charts we can get due to injuries. Before the season started, Freeman was unemployed, and Pierre Strong Jr. was the RB4 on the Patriots. Now, both appear to be an injury away from being starters.

The Rams activated Freeman from their practice squad due to injuries to Williams and Rivers. Henderson started, but he and Freeman rotated drives, leading to a relatively even split.

Strong opened the season as the Browns RB4. He was elevated to the RB3 role when Nick Chubb went down. Now, with Jerome Ford out, Strong is the RB2 behind Kareem Hunt.

It is unlikely either of these guys holds standalone value. But each is now one injury away from being usable, depending on the severity of Ford’s ankle sprain.

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Neither Strong nor Freeman has seen any work in the passing game this season, and neither saw a target last week. But Freeman handled 12 carries and ripped off 66 yards, while Strong managed just 25 yards on his eight carries.

The Rams seem to just produce RB2s regardless of who it is. As a result, I’m more apt to take the shot on Freeman than Strong.

Should You Add Cordarrelle Patterson or Zamir White?

Cordarrelle Patterson got extra burn last week, with Bijan Robinson barely playing due to a severe headache that came on Saturday night. The former WR carried the ball 10 times for 56 yards but wasn’t used at all in the passing game.

Of course, that’s still way better than Zamir White, who doesn’t even play when Josh Jacobs is healthy.

White carried the twice for two yards while adding three catches for 26 yards. All of this came in garbage time after the Raiders pulled the starters.

White is purely a handcuff to Jacobs. There is zero standalone value and no chance it ever materializes. At the same time, Patterson’s role was circumstantial and still wasn’t productive.

I expect Robinson to be fine next week. Even if he’s not, Tyler Allgeier is the next man up — not Patterson. Do not add either of these guys off the Week 8 waiver wire.