Mike Hubbard Jr here, welcome back to my weekly Waiver HUB. Follow me on Twitter (@FantasyHubbard) and Instagram (@fantasyhubbard) for all things fantasy football throughout the season. Feel free to tweet me or message me on either social media with any comments or questions you might have regarding fantasy football.
Week 7 has officially ended and week 8 starts Thursday with a great matchup between the undefeated Arizona Cardinals and the red-hot Green Bay Packers. There are fantasy relevant players in this game at every offensive position for both teams. One of the big storylines going into this one is the status of Davante Adams. The Cardinals are playing at home and are currently 6-point favorites. My bold prediction in this game is a Packers win with Aaron Jones reaching 150 combined yards and 2 total TDs.
It’s Tuesday which means it’s that time to hit the waiver wire. Another week gone, another opportunity to make your team stronger. Below are my top waiver wire priorities this week. Go get those available players to help your chances moving forward. Good luck this week and remember to check back every week to stay informed on who you could target off of waivers.
Quarterbacks
Carson Wentz – Indianapolis Colts
The Wentz wagon is back, and it’s got plenty of room on it. Carson is playing well this season for his new team. He has now had 4 consecutive 2 TD and 0 INT games and added a sneaky rushing TD in week 7 on SNF. Wentz is taking care of the ball and his pass catchers are not letting him down. Wentz currently has 12 total TDs this season and is averaging 242 passing yards with an average QBR of 102.8. Wentz has some favorable matchups coming up against the Titans, Jets, and the Jaguars.
Deshaun Watson – Houston Texans
There has been a lot of talk about Deshaun Watson and where he will be after the November 2nd trade deadline. The Dolphins and the Panthers are the teams being mentioned the most in trade rumors. If and only if he does get traded, it’s still completely up in the air whether he will even be allowed to play this season. I’m tossing this idea out there in the possible scenario that Watson is traded and gets to play as soon as Week 9. Although it seems unlikely, he could be worth the roster spot and ultimately impact your fantasy team for the better. If you can make a spot available and would like the QB upgrade or add QB depth, it could pay off. I would much rather have him on my roster than having to play against him. We will see.
Running Backs
Kenneth Gainwell – Philadelphia Eagles
Kenneth Gainwell has been a waiver target all season long but this week he is the must get RB of the week. Miles Sanders is considered week to week after getting injured in week 7 against the Raiders. Kenneth Gainwell will benefit the most for the Eagles as he should be the main RB in the offense if Sanders can’t play. Gainwell had 20 rushing yards and 41 receiving yards on Sunday and scored his first NFL receiving TD. He can impact the game on the ground and through the air being a dual threat RB. The Eagles have hardly run the ball with RBs this season but the past 2 weeks it seems to be changing for the better. Boston Scott is also a good RB target from Philadelphia this week behind Gainwell that could benefit from garbage time. Prefer Gainwell over Scott.
Brandon Bolden – New England Patriots
Brandon Bolden and the New England Patriots had themselves a field day against the Jets on Sunday putting up 54 points. Mac Jones targeted Bolden 7 times in the blowout victory that led to 6 receptions for 79 yards and a TD. Bolden has taken over the receiving RB role for the Patriots ever since James White got injured in week 3 which resulted in the end to his season. Bolden now has 2 games with 6 or more receptions and gets the Chargers in week 8 who will look to score and force Mac Jones to air it out. There are a few RBs in the Patriots back field conversation but the only fantasy relevant RBs are Damien Harris and Brandon Bolden right now.
Wide Receivers
Rashod Bateman – Baltimore Ravens
I wrote about Bateman in my week 7 waiver HUB article and I’m back in case you need a reminder. Rashod’s future is bright in Baltimore after playing his first 2 NFL games. Bateman was the 27th pick in the 1st round of the 2021 NFL draft out of Minnesota. He has been targeted 6 times in both of his games and in week 7 he cashed in 3 receptions for 80 receiving yards. Lamar Jackson and the Ravens would be smart to keep getting Bateman involved and let his role expand as his experience continues to grow. He is a nice addition to Marquise Brown and Mark Andrews as pass catchers in an offense that loves the big play.
Allen Lazard – Green Bay Packers
Allen Lazard finished week 7 with season highs in receptions and receiving yards. He had 5 receptions for 60 yards and a TD on 6 targets. Lazard now has a TD in 2 consecutive games and will play on TNF in week 8 against the red-hot Cardinals. Not only is Lazard playing well lately, but Davante Adams is facing the possibility of having to miss the game due to COVID-19. If Adams is unable to play, Lazard should get a huge boost in opportunities. Regardless, Lazard has a favorable remaining schedule and has Aaron Rodgers throwing to him.
Christian Kirk – Arizona Cardinals
Christian Kirk registered his 2nd consecutive game with a receiving TD on Sunday in a win against the Texans. Kirk had 4 receptions for 50 yards on 5 targets. He is 2nd on the team in targets, receptions, receiving yards, and receiving TDs this season behind Deandre Hopkins and above AJ Green. If Kirk is still somehow available, you should act quick.
Russell Gage – Atlanta Falcons
Russell Gage participated in just his 3rd game this season and was WR2 for Atlanta. He finished the game with 4 receptions for 67 yards and a TD on 6 targets. Matt Ryan throws the ball a lot and Gage should be his 3rd option behind Calvin Ridley and Kyle Pitts. In week 7 Gage was 3rd in targets, tied for 2nd in receptions, and finished 2nd in receiving yards. After no receptions in week 1, Gage has 9 catches on 13 targets for 95 yards in his other 2 active games. Look for more consistency in the coming weeks for Gage.
Tight Ends
Zach Ertz – Arizona Cardinals
Zach Ertz celebrated national TE accordingly in his debut for the Cardinals by racking up 3 receptions for 66 receiving yards and a TD on 5 targets. Ertz was tied with Christian Kirk in targets only behind DeAndre Hopkins. Ertz is TE1 in Arizona with no other active TEs on the roster that have registered a single reception this season. Ertz is another great player for Kyle Murray to distribute targets to.
Robert Tonyan – Green Bay Packers
Tonyan had his best game of the season in Green Bay’s win Sunday against Washington. He set season highs in receptions and receiving yards. He had 4 catches for 63 yards and a TD. Tonyan has been extremely TD dependent this season in fantasy but hopefully week 7 is a sign of positive things to come. Like I’ve mentioned, Davante Adams could miss TNF in week 8, and that will help Tonyan get some more targets. The game is against the undefeated Arizona Cardinals which is foreseen to be a shootout.