Tell your friends (just not your leaguemates until next week)
by Nate Polvogt
It’s been a wild ride for fantasy football managers in 2024. The uncertainty and injuries make making intelligent decisions with your Week 8 waiver wire claims even more critical.
Here are four WRs in situations favorable for fantasy production this week and beyond. Lock these players down on your Week 8 waiver wire to shore up your rosters for a fantasy football playoff push.
Week 8 Waiver Wire Adds | WRs
*Rostership percentages courtesy of FantasyPros waiver wire rankings
Keon Coleman (WR – BUF) | 42.9%
The arrival of veteran WR Amari Cooper in Buffalo has opened the door for rookie WR Keon Coleman. Week 7 saw Coleman earn a career-high seven targets from QB Josh Allen. He hauled four of those targets for 125 receiving yards, another career-high.
While Coleman already has two TDs this year, the yardage and volume have been a concern. However, the rookie flourished with Cooper in the lineup, drawing premium coverage from the opposing team’s defense. Coleman isn’t going to be a WR1, but he provides a little stability for your flex slots in fantasy football moving forward.
Cedric Tillman (WR – CLE) | 0.8%
I wasn’t expecting to write up any Browns receiver as a waiver wire addition the rest of this season. However, things have changed in The Land of the Cleves, with Deshaun Watson done for the season.
With Watson down last week, veteran WR Cedric Tillman had a banner day, notching career highs in targets (12), receptions (8) and receiving yards (81). That banner day locked Tillman in as the PPR WR10, his highest finish in fantasy football.
There are other options for Watson’s replacement, which now appears to be veteran Jameis Winston. That said, Tillman appears as likely as WRs Jerry Jeudy or Elijah Moore to take over the receiving corps on a putrid Browns squad.
Ricky Pearsall (WR – SF) | 14.3%
Heading into the 2024 NFL Draft, Florida WR Ricky Pearsall was among my favorite prospects. Unfortunately, a random mugging and consequent shooting of Pearsall delayed his NFL debut. However, it finally came last week, and the timing couldn’t be better for San Francisco.
Pearsall saw his first NFL action on a weekend when the 49ers left their home stadium as wounded as any team in the league. Illness befell start WR Deebo Samuel, landing him in the hospital with Pneumonia (he has since been released). Fellow WR Brandon Aiyuk suffered a torn ACL, ending his season, and TE George Kittle (ankle, day-to-day) was yet again banged up.
Amidst the chaos, Pearsall saw a 75 percent snap share, leading to five total targets from QB Brock Purdy. He turned those targets into three catches for 21 yards. Now, Aiyuk is done for 2024, Kittle is day-to-day, Christian McCaffrey is still persona non grata, and Deebo is unlikely to suit up in Week 8. Pearsall could be in for a quickly expanding role in San Francisco.
Jalen McMillan (WR – TB) | 3.1%
Injuries keep piling up league-wide, and the surging Tampa Bay Buccaneers finally felt the bite in Week 8. On Monday night, QB Baker Mayfield lost his two elite WRs, Chris Godwin (ankle) and Mike Evans (hamstring). While Evans is hopeful to return after a Week 11 bye, Godwin dislocated his ankle, effectively ending his 2024 season.
The obvious choice to replace some of the volume vacated by Godwin and Evans is TE Cade Otton, who is already third on the team in most receiving categories. However, rookie Jalen McMillan could also be a candidate for an increased workload. While the rookie WR hasn’t been electric so far this season, he did draw eight targets on Monday night, his most of the season. There’s always a chance he might not produce for fantasy football, but if McMillan and Mayfield click, he could be a diamond in the rough.
The Rest
Jerry Jeudy (WR – CLE) | 55.5%
Romeo Doubs (WR – GB) | 46.4%
Xavier Legette (WR – CAR) | 29.6%
Rashod Bateman (WR– BAL) | 16.4%
Troy Franklin (WR – DEN) | 3.1%
Nate Polvogt is a Co-Founder and the lead senior analyst for Optimus Fantasy Football. Find more from Nate on X (formerly Twitter) @NatePolvogt and on Optimus Fantasy
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It’s been a wild ride for fantasy football managers in 2024. The uncertainty and injuries make making intelligent decisions with your Week 8 waiver wire claims even more critical.
Here are four WRs in situations favorable for fantasy production this week and beyond. Lock these players down on your Week 8 waiver wire to shore up your rosters for a fantasy football playoff push.
Week 8 Waiver Wire Adds | WRs
*Rostership percentages courtesy of FantasyPros waiver wire rankings
Keon Coleman (WR – BUF) | 42.9%
The arrival of veteran WR Amari Cooper in Buffalo has opened the door for rookie WR Keon Coleman. Week 7 saw Coleman earn a career-high seven targets from QB Josh Allen. He hauled four of those targets for 125 receiving yards, another career-high.
While Coleman already has two TDs this year, the yardage and volume have been a concern. However, the rookie flourished with Cooper in the lineup, drawing premium coverage from the opposing team’s defense. Coleman isn’t going to be a WR1, but he provides a little stability for your flex slots in fantasy football moving forward.
Cedric Tillman (WR – CLE) | 0.8%
I wasn’t expecting to write up any Browns receiver as a waiver wire addition the rest of this season. However, things have changed in The Land of the Cleves, with Deshaun Watson done for the season.
With Watson down last week, veteran WR Cedric Tillman had a banner day, notching career highs in targets (12), receptions (8) and receiving yards (81). That banner day locked Tillman in as the PPR WR10, his highest finish in fantasy football.
There are other options for Watson’s replacement, which now appears to be veteran Jameis Winston. That said, Tillman appears as likely as WRs Jerry Jeudy or Elijah Moore to take over the receiving corps on a putrid Browns squad.
Ricky Pearsall (WR – SF) | 14.3%
Heading into the 2024 NFL Draft, Florida WR Ricky Pearsall was among my favorite prospects. Unfortunately, a random mugging and consequent shooting of Pearsall delayed his NFL debut. However, it finally came last week, and the timing couldn’t be better for San Francisco.
Pearsall saw his first NFL action on a weekend when the 49ers left their home stadium as wounded as any team in the league. Illness befell start WR Deebo Samuel, landing him in the hospital with Pneumonia (he has since been released). Fellow WR Brandon Aiyuk suffered a torn ACL, ending his season, and TE George Kittle (ankle, day-to-day) was yet again banged up.
Amidst the chaos, Pearsall saw a 75 percent snap share, leading to five total targets from QB Brock Purdy. He turned those targets into three catches for 21 yards. Now, Aiyuk is done for 2024, Kittle is day-to-day, Christian McCaffrey is still persona non grata, and Deebo is unlikely to suit up in Week 8. Pearsall could be in for a quickly expanding role in San Francisco.
Jalen McMillan (WR – TB) | 3.1%
Injuries keep piling up league-wide, and the surging Tampa Bay Buccaneers finally felt the bite in Week 8. On Monday night, QB Baker Mayfield lost his two elite WRs, Chris Godwin (ankle) and Mike Evans (hamstring). While Evans is hopeful to return after a Week 11 bye, Godwin dislocated his ankle, effectively ending his 2024 season.
The obvious choice to replace some of the volume vacated by Godwin and Evans is TE Cade Otton, who is already third on the team in most receiving categories. However, rookie Jalen McMillan could also be a candidate for an increased workload. While the rookie WR hasn’t been electric so far this season, he did draw eight targets on Monday night, his most of the season. There’s always a chance he might not produce for fantasy football, but if McMillan and Mayfield click, he could be a diamond in the rough.
The Rest
Jerry Jeudy (WR – CLE) | 55.5%
Romeo Doubs (WR – GB) | 46.4%
Xavier Legette (WR – CAR) | 29.6%
Rashod Bateman (WR– BAL) | 16.4%
Troy Franklin (WR – DEN) | 3.1%
Nate Polvogt is a Co-Founder and the lead senior analyst for Optimus Fantasy Football. Find more from Nate on X (formerly Twitter) @NatePolvogt and on Optimus Fantasy
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