Week 8 fantasy football waiver wire must-adds

There were plenty of letdowns and injuries to go around in Week 7 of the NFL season. Every Tuesday, we will dive into a handful of the top fantasy football pickups available that week and why they could be of value for fantasy owners looking to give their teams an extra boost.

Here are the top waiver-wire adds for Week 8:

1. Kareem Hunt, RB, Cleveland Browns (rostered in 40% of fantasy leagues)

With Jerome Ford expected to be sidelined for the next one to two weeks with an ankle sprain, Hunt should get the Lions' share of carries in his absence. Hunt has had 10 or more carries in each game since the bye week and he’s scored three touchdowns in his last two games.

He’s still available in more than half of fantasy leagues, so if you have a need at running back he should be at the top of your waiver priority. Hunt should be an RB1 or RB2 with Ford out, and he could be a solid option as a flex starter once Ford returns.

2. Josh Downs, WR, Indianapolis Colts (rostered in 23% of fantasy leagues)

Downs’ stock has been on the rise the last three weeks, culminating in a breakout game against Cleveland on Sunday in which he caught five of six targets for a career-high 125 yards and a touchdown.

The rookie third-round pick has developed strong chemistry with quarterback Gardner Minshew, who will be Indy’s starter for the rest of the season. In the three games that Minshew has started this season, Downs is averaging a shade under nine targets, six receptions and 68 yards while scoring two touchdowns. Downs would make a solid WR2 for a team needing help at receiver or a great flex-start for a team battling injuries.

3. Kendrick Bourne, WR, New England Patriots (rostered in 19% of fantasy leagues)

Bourne has had an under-the-radar season because of the ineptness of the Patriots offense and the struggles of QB Mac Jones. However, the 28-year-old wideout leads the team in targets (51), receptions (34), yards (370) and touchdowns (three).

Bourne has been targeted five or more times in six of seven games this season, including 18 times over the last two weeks, in which he’s caught at least six passes and topped 60 yards both times. Bourne ranks in the top 25 in both targets and catches, and he has upside as a WR2 or flex starter and could serve as a WR1 in a pinch.

4. Darrell Henderson, RB, Los Angeles Rams (rostered in 8% of fantasy leagues)

After sitting out the first six weeks, Henderson came back in Week 7 and didn’t miss a beat, carrying it 18 times for 61 yards and a touchdown in L.A.’s 24-17 loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers.

Though he split carries pretty equally with Royce Freeman last week, Henderson’s 14 career touchdowns to Freeman’s eight make him a safer bet to get more goal-line carries and potentially score more touchdowns. It’s slim pickings on the waiver wire for running backs this time of year, but picking up Henderson isn’t a bad idea for a team short on running backs.

5. Taysom Hill, TE, New Orleans Saints (rostered in 5% of fantasy leagues)

Not many took Hill seriously as a fantasy player for the first six weeks, but now he has legitimate potential after his last two performances. Hill has been targeted 13 times over the last two games, catching 11 passes for 99 yards. 

He also carried the ball six times over that span for 20 yards and a touchdown. It’s clear the Saints are making more of an effort to get Hill more involved in the offense, and he could work as a serviceable tight end or flex option.

6. Kyler Murray, QB, Arizona Cardinals (rostered in 28% of fantasy leagues)

This is a move more for two to three weeks from now than it is for the present. Murray practiced for the first time last week after the Cardinals opened his 21-day window to return from the PUP list. Arizona is taking its time in easing Murray back into the fold, but the team will likely want to see if he’s still their guy or if they should draft a new franchise QB next April. 

When healthy, Murray has top-10 upside, as evidenced by his 2020 and 2021 seasons in which he scored a combined 66 touchdowns and threw for 7,758 yards. Adding Murray now is a smart insurance plan for fantasy owners reeling from injuries to Aaron Rodgers, Anthony Richardson, Justin Fields, Deshaun Watson or Jimmy Garoppolo, or ones dealing with down years from players like Joe Burrow, Dak Prescott, Jordan Love, Kenny Pickett or Mac Jones.

Honorable mentions

Ezekiel Elliott, RB, New England Patriots: Though Rhamondre Stevenson has had more carries, Elliott only trails him in yards by 44 and they have the same amount of touchdowns. Elliott has scored each of the last two weeks and he’s averaged nearly 10 carries per game over the last five weeks.

Chuba Hubbard, RB, Carolina Panthers: Miles Sanders was brought in to be Carolina’s lead back but Hubbard has outperformed him. Hubbard has had the majority of carries over the last three weeks and he should as long as he continues to play as well as he has.

Dalton Kincaid, TE, Buffalo Bills: Kincaid was already outperforming Dawson Knox before his hand injury, but he should see even more production as he steps into Buffalo’s TE1 role for the time being.

Jaxon Smith-Njigba, WR, Seattle Seahawks: Smith-Njigba is Seattle’s second-most targeted receiver this year, and after scoring his first career touchdown, he could really take off as his confidence grows each week.