With injuries piling up and six teams on byes, fantasy managers are in scramble mode entering Week 8.
There are some potential options for short-term help, if you’re in a pinch. Top fantasy football waiver wire pickups for Week 8 are emerging around the league, ranging from wily veterans to up-and-coming young players at all positions.
Week 8 Fantasy Football Waiver Wire Pickups by Position
Here are some Week 8 fantasy football waiver wire targets at QB, RB, WR, and TE.
(Fantasy rankings and 2025 point totals are courtesy of FantasyPros.)
Commanders QB Marcus Mariota (@ Chiefs)
The injury bug paid Commanders QB Jayden Daniels another visit, this time by way of a hamstring ailment. His outlook for Week 8 is murky at best, making backup Marcus Mariota a potential add if he can’t go.
Week 7 did Mariota no favors. He went 4-for-10 against the Cowboys in relief of Daniels and tossed an ugly pick-6 in a 44-22 loss. However, his earlier full-game production indicates he might be a viable pickup.
In Weeks 3-4, Mariota racked up 423 all-purpose yards and 4 TDs, grading out as QB14 in that span, just 1.2 points out of a spot in the top 10.
Monday Night Football’s opponent, the Chiefs, are one of four teams to give up at least 3 rushing TDs to QBs and rank sixth in most QB rushing yards allowed.
Other Week 8 QB Waiver Wire Pickups to Consider
- Steelers QB Aaron Rodgers (vs. Packers): The future first-ballot Hall of Famer has a 109.1 passer rating and 6 TDs in Weeks 6 and 7 and is QB10 in the last two weeks. Even without being a rushing threat, he could be out for vengeance against his old team on the Sunday Night Football stage.
- Bengals QB Joe Flacco (vs. Jets): Speaking of turning back the clock, the QB right above Rodgers in fantasy output in his last two games is Flacco. He’s attempted 92 passes in a pair of games with the Bengals, amassing 561 yards and 5 TDs. Now he gets to face a lowly Jets group that ranks ninth in most fantasy points yielded to QBs. They’re also 29th in EPA/pass on defense, per SumerSports.
Bears RB Kyle Monangai (@ Ravens)
Considering that starting Bears RB D’Andre Swift is coming off consecutive 100-yard performances, it may seem strange to list Kyle Monangai here. But there’s plenty of work to go around in Chicago’s backfield, though, as evidenced by Week 7.
In a 26-14 win over the Saints, Monangai logged season-highs in 31 snaps (45%), carries (13), targets (3), receptions (2) and total yards (94). The seventh-round pick out of Rutgers averaged 3.3 yards before contact per attempt and put his contact balance on full display.
Up next is a showdown with the Ravens, who have allowed more fantasy points to RBs than all but four teams.
Given Chicago head coach Ben Johnson’s history in Detroit with a dominant two-RB system, it isn’t far-fetched at all to consider Monangai.
Other Week 8 RB Waiver Wire Pickups to Consider
- Titans RB Tyjae Spears (@ Colts): Now three games back from injury, Spears is still finding his way in Tennessee. He’s logged at least 8 touches in back-to-back weeks, but his snap count dropped from 36 in Week 6 to 23 in Week 7. First-stringer Tony Pollard is averaging 3.3 yards per carry in his last two games, which may leave the door open for more Spears involvement.
- Chiefs RB Brashard Smith (vs. Commanders): At long last, the Chiefs unleashed their seventh-round pick. He turned in a career game against the Raiders, toting the ball 14 times and adding 5 catches for 42 yards. Smith might be more of a stash candidate, however, due to the nature of K.C.’s 31-0 blowout. Barring injury, banking on a similar workload is very risky.
Panthers WR Xavier Legette (vs. Bills)
Is the Xavier Legette breakout finally here in Carolina?
The 32nd pick in last year’s draft set career-high figures for targets (11), receptions (9) and yards (92) in Sunday’s 13-6 win over the Jets. That was good for WR12 production on the week, slotting between stars Tee Higgins of the Bengals and Amon-Ra St. Brown of the Lions.
Rookie stud Tetairoa McMillan will always be the Panthers’ top option, but Legette had just five fewer snaps than him (62 vs. 57) in Week 7. The latter’s 80.3% share was his highest this year.
Sunday sees Legette face the Bills, averaging a TD a game given up to opposing WRs.
Other Week 8 WR Waiver Wire Pickups to Consider
- Patriots WR Kayshon Boutte (vs. Browns): Boutte has converted on each of his 7 targets in the last two weeks, pouring in 148 yards and a 3 TDs on 89 snaps. He’s WR3 in that span, trailing only superstars Ja’Marr Chase (Bengals) and Jaxon Smith-Njigba (Seahawks). Facing Cleveland’s defense in Week 8 will be tough, but they’ve allowed 8 TDs to WRs.
- Falcons WR Darnell Mooney (vs. Dolphins): After a three-week absence, Mooney returned to the lineup with a bang on Sunday Night Football. Playing 83% of snaps, he recorded 5 targets, 3 receptions for 68 yards. Mooney’s big-play ability always makes him intriguing, as does his Week 8 matchup against a 32nd-ranked Dolphins defense in EPA/pass.
Chargers TE Oronde Gadsden II (vs. Vikings)
The Chargers may have lost 38-24 to the Colts in Week 7, but one massive bright spot was fifth-round TE Oronde Gadsden II standing out in the best of ways.
Gadsden exploded for 164 yards and a TD on Sunday, marking his second game in a row with 7 catches. He’s TE2 in Weeks 6-7, emerging as a force despite being just 22 years old.
Against Indy, Gadsden played 60 snaps. Fellow L.A. TEs Tucker Fisk (13) and Will Dissly (3) didn’t come remotely close. Gadsden’s alignment versatility as a converted WR (31 routes from the slot in Week 7) has the Chargers using him a ton.
The Vikings’ semi-vaunted defense ranks 13th in targets per game to TEs (7.5).
Other Week 8 TE Waiver Wire Pickups to Consider
- Bengals TE Noah Fant (vs. Jets): With regular starter Mike Gesicki on injured reserve, Fant received a season-high 52 snaps against the Steelers in Week 7. He posted his second-straight contest with 4 catches on 4 targets. Remember how the Jets potentially made for a good Flacco fantasy matchup? They’re second in most TDs and sixth in fantasy points allowed to TEs, perhaps paving the way for Fant as well.
- Giants TE Theo Johnson (@ Eagles): Johnson just keeps on producing as long as Jaxson Dart is the Giants’ starting QB. In Sunday’s narrow 33-32 loss to the Broncos, the sophomore TE tied his season best with 7 targets and netted a career-high 66 yards. He has 4 TDs in four weeks, ranking as TE5 in that span. Maybe the only thing that can slow him down is a fourth-ranked Eagles fantasy defense against TEs.
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