Top Fantasy Waiver Wire Pickups for 2021 NFL Week 8
There were blowouts aplenty from the slate of games in Week 7. In turn, several players got a chance to shine in those contests and they could all be viable waiver wire pickups this week as we officially reach the midway point of the 2021 NFL regular season. Byes for the Raiders and Ravens this week could also mean a huge blow for fantasy managers leaning heavily on the top options from these two high-scoring contenders from the AFC.
NitroBetting is here to bring not only the latest NFL betting news and previews but also tips and updates from the realm of fantasy football. Let’s take a closer look at the top waiver wire pickups heading into Week 8 of the 2021 NFL season. Learn more about the breakout players from the previous week and beyond who are available in most fantasy leagues, as well as the latest NFL odds with regards to several of the teams featured below.
Top 2021 NFL Week 8 Fantasy Football Picks
Happy waiver wire Tuesday ?
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READ MORE: 2 Reasons Why Miami is Deshaun Watson’s Best Landing Spot
Quarterback
Daniel Jones – New York Giants
- Pct. Owned: 28.4%
New York’s second-year quarterback Daniel Jones bounced back from a terrible Week 6 performance with a decent afternoon in Week 7 against the Panthers, throwing for 203 passing yards and a touchdown without a single turnover.
Jones, who’s been a turnover machine throughout his young NFL career, will get a favorable matchup against a porous Kansas City defense this coming week. The former sixth-overall pick also had eight carries for 28 rushing yards this past week, marking the fourth time in seven games this season that Jones has six or more rushing attempts in a contest to further boost his credentials as a worthy Week 8 QB stream for teams in need for a bye-week replacement for either Baltimore’s Lamar Jackson or Las Vegas’ Derek Carr.
Running Back
Kenneth Gainwell – Philadelphia Eagles
- Pct. Owned: 26.3%
Due to an early ankle injury suffered by Eagles starting running back Miles Sanders, backup RB Kenneth Gainwell’s fantasy stock immediately went up in price. Gainwell did not do much on the ground this past week with his five carries for 20 rushing yards but did haul in four of eight targets for 41 receiving yards and a TD through the air.
Philly has a tasty matchup on the road in Week 8 against the Lions, who are actually (+3) favorites to win only mainly on the strength of having home-field advantage. If Sanders is indeed held out of action in Week 8 due to injury, then Gainwell is a must-have for any and all PPR/half-PPR scoring formats. Eagles Third-string back Boston Scott also deserves some recognition in much deeper leagues at that.
Marlon Mack – Indianapolis Colts
- Pct. Owned: 6.1%
Former Indianapolis starting RB Marlon Mack has slowly been pushed out of his team’s running back rotation ever since Jonathan Taylor came to town. Earlier this past week, Mack and the Colts agreed to part ways by entertaining trade offers for the 25-year-old South Florida product leading up to the league’s trade deadline on November 2.
Mack’s value in fantasy is all speculation at this point, as a trade has to be finalized before the said deadline for him to be back in fantasy football discussions. Teams like the Jets, Dolphins, and Falcons could use some help in the backfield, and a trade made by either of these teams should signal a wave of waiver-wire pickups for Mack leading up to the Colts’ Week 8 date against the surging Titans.
Wide Receiver
Rashod Bateman – Baltimore Ravens
- Pct. Owned: 19%
With six targets in each of his first two NFL games, rookie wideout Rashod Bateman is now widely considered as Baltimore’s clear-cut WR2 option on offense only behind Marquise Brown and tight end Mark Andrews. Bateman caught three of those six targets for 80 receiving yards in Week 7, as he ended up tied with Brown for receiving yards that afternoon.
That’s good news for fantasy managers who held off on the Ravens’ first-round pick from this year’s draft, and not so much for those who tossed the 21-year-old into the free market after missing the first five games of the season. Baltimore is on a bye this week, though, meaning that Bateman will only serve as solid stash right now before he gets a crack in Week 9 when the Dolphins pay a visit to the nation’s capital.
Allen Lazard – Green Bay Packers
- Pct. Owned: 4.9%
Another player who’ll benefit from a sidelined teammate in Week 8 is Green Bay Allen Lazard. It’s unfortunate that the Packers will miss top weapon Davante Adams in the upcoming Thursday night showdown against the Cardinals due to testing positive for COVID-19. Then again, it’s another opportunity for the undrafted wideout out of Iowa State to shine.
Lazard has found the end zone in back-to-back games, with his Week 7 performance of five catches on six targets for 60 receiving yards all being new season-highs for the young receiver. Fantasy managers must be wary of the possible return of fellow wideout Marquez Valdes-Scantling on Thursday, though, as MVS seems ready to come back from a bummed hamstring issue already.
Tight End
C.J. Uzomah – Cincinnati Bengals
- Pct. Owned: 19.1%
Cincinnati’s biggest win over the Ravens is monumental not only for the downtrodden AFC North franchise starving for a statement victory but also for a Bengals offense primarily powered by the former LSU duo of Joe Burrow and Ja’Marr Chase. Tight end C.J. Uzomah is the biggest winner outside of those two Cincy players at that.
Uzomah found the end zone twice this past week and finished with three catches for 91 receiving yards against the Ravens. The Bengals will likely feast on the Jets in Week 8 as (-9) heavy road favorites to win in MetLife Stadium, as the former fifth-rounder out of Auburn looks to keep pace with only 13 other tight ends in PPR leagues with a weekly average of double-digit fantasy production.
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*All odds stated are subject to change without prior notice.