The National Football League has overcome injuries to star players, Covid-19 outbreaks and other issues this season. However, the good news is that even with all of the problems, football has overcome them and play continues. This football waiver pickups week eight edition will help managers get lineups set for the coming battles this weekend. Let’s not waste a single second and get right to it, shall we? Just be forewarned that there will be plenty of Eagles highlighted this week. The reason will become clear soon enough.

Running Backs

The running back position continues to suffer injuries throughout the league. Starters such as Chris Carson, Miles Sanders and Kenyan Drake hit the sidelines this past Sunday. What else could one expect in this out-of-control 2020 season? Never fear, as there are still replacements to be found on the wire. Just don’t wait long or the shelves will be empty.

Boston Scott, Philadelphia Eagles, 40% owned

The ownership percentage of Boston Scott shot way up after the injury to Miles Sanders. That jump probably took Scott out of play in a majority of leagues. However, it would be a big mistake to not at least check to see if he is available. That is especially true considering the wretched Dallas defense is up next for the Eagles. Readers of these columns should know these recommendations will happen whenever the opponent is the Cowboys.

As for Thursday night, Scott’s rushing stats are nothing to get excited about. He had 12 carries for 46 yards, for a pedestrian 3.83 average. He was targeted five times, though, catching three of them for another 46 yards. It was his last catch that was of the highlight variety- an 18 yard, game winning TD in the final seconds. Sanders could be out for weeks. If available, Scott is the priority of this waiver pickups week eight edition.

Carlos Hyde, Seattle Seahawks, 5% owned

With the Carson injury, it was inevitable that Carlos Hyde would make his way in this edition. With Carson getting his MRI this week, it is unknown as of this writing how much time he will miss. Even without that crucial information, Hyde is worth picking up as he will be a part of a potent Seahawk offense. Seattle has scored less than 30 points only once this season and the Seahawks will plug Hyde right in.

Seattle suffered their first loss of the season in OT, but don’t look to put any blame on Hyde. He carried 15 times against the Cardinals for 68 yards and a touchdown. He averaged a healthy 4.53 yards per carry. Hyde also caught three of his four targets. San Fran is up next and their defense is top notch. Even so, if Scott is off the board, the priority pickup for this week switches to Hyde.

La’Mical Perine, New York Jets, 11.1% owned

Last week, Frank Gore was highlighted. Unbelievably, another Jets running back gets targeted in this edition as La’Mical Perine comes into focus. As with Gore, the recommendation of Perine is lukewarm at best. That is especially true with the Chiefs next up. The Jets will almost certainly be behind most of the game and throwing the football a lot. However, given the state of the position, the wire just might not have many other options.

As for Sunday’s game, Gore and Perine each had 11 carries. Gore did much more with his as he gained 60 yards to Perine’s 39. The important stat to note, though, was that Perine scored the only Jet TD from five yards out. Perine also caught two passes for 16 yards. Gore most likely will not be as available as last week. If he is, he is the priority over Perine. Four teams are on bye this week, and if all else fails, Perine will be on the field and could be a one week fill in.

Damien Harris, New England Patriots, 28.9 % owned

Damien Harris, highlighted in week six, is still widely available. It isn’t hard to figure out why as the Patriots have been a team in disarray the past two weeks. Even so, a player that gains 5.8 yards per carry against the 49er defense has to get consideration.

Harris carried 10 times for 58 yards and caught his single target. It doesn’t get any easier for Harris and the Patriots with the Bills up next. However, with all of the injuries to running backs and with the byes, a manager may not have anywhere else to turn.

Wide Receivers

Unlike the running back position, there is depth to be found at receiver in this fantasy football waiver pickups week eight edition.

Greg Ward, Philadelphia Eagles, 12.4% owned

As with Scott above, the next opponent for Greg Ward is Dallas. Ward has bounced around the fantasy landscape like a yo-yo the past two weeks. That was especially true after his two catch disappearing act in week six. Given the Cowboys are on the horizon, however, he must be heavily rostered and started in week eight.

Of course, the Philly receiving core has been decimated by injury and could return at a moment’s notice. Even if they do, Ward showed what he can do against an above average Giant defense. Ward caught five of six targets for 42 yards and a score. That was his third touchdown of the season. To see what Ward could do against Dallas, look at week three. Against Cincinnati, Ward was targeted 11 times, catching eight for 72 yards and a score. More of the same is on tap for week eight.

Sterling Shepard, New York Giants, 36.3% owned

Who would have thought that we would be entering week eight and Sterling Shepard would be this widely available? On the other hand, seeing as how Thursday was only Shepard’s third of the season, it isn’t that surprising. After seeing him against the Eagles, it is time to get back on the Shepard express. There probably weren’t a lot of people tuning into a game between two teams from the putrid NFC East. Those watching have the advantage as they now know that Shepard needs to be owned in all leagues.

Let’s start with the good- Shepard was targeted eight times for six catches. He had 59 yards and scored a touchdown. With Daniel Jones (see below) looking better at quarterback, Shepard has a chance to be a top receiver in the NFC. Now let’s look at the great- the Giants play each of the next three weeks. That should help owners navigate through any bye issues. Without question, Shepard is the receiver to go get if available on this waiver pickups week eight edition.

Deonte Harris, New Orleans Saints, 0.5% owned

Just like every other team, the Saints have had issues with injuries and other problems with their receivers. Into that void, stepped Deonte Harris. He was targeted five times against the Panthers, which matched his previous two game total. Harris caught four of those targets for 46 yards and a score. The receptions and yards were a season high.

Additionally, Harris returned two kickoffs for another 47 yards and had a punt return for four yards. Leagues that have defense/ special teams as a part of its scoring would be an added bonus for Harris. It looks like the main Saints receiving threats of Thomas, Sanders and Calloway will all miss Sunday’s game at Chicago. With that in mind, Harris is worth a pickup for teams facing bye week and injury woes.

Brandon Aiyuk, San Francisco 49ers, 20.4% owned

The most surprising result of the weekend had to be the 49ers going into New England and slamming the Patriots 33-6. Even though he didn’t score a touchdown, Brandon Aiyuk was a huge contributor in the game. Aiyuk caught six of seven targets for 115 yards. The targets were his second highest of the season. The catches were his most in 2020.

Aiyuk stretched the field for San Francisco to the tune of 19.11 yards per catch. That is an excellent total for any receiver and well above his season average of 14.0. The best news was saved for last, though. Next up for the 49ers is Seattle and their invisible defense. Arizona was the latest team to move the ball seemingly at will against the Seahawks. Another shootout awaits and that makes Aiyuk a huge fantasy pickup in this football waivers pickups week eight edition.

Tight Ends

It is certainly not looking rosy on the wire when the search turns to tight ends. Traditionally, it has not been a deep position to begin with and that is the case now. Even with some unknowns coming on the scene, it is slim pickings out there. That knowledge won’t stop a bargain hunter, though, so let’s sift through and see what comes up.

Richard Rodgers, Philadelphia Eagles, 4% owned

The injury carousel continues to spin for the Philadelphia Eagles. Starting tight ends Zach Ertz and Dallas Goedert were both out of Thursday’s game against the Giants. All indications are that will also be the case this coming Sunday night. That brings Richard Rodgers to the head of the class. Rodgers was brought in for his blocking skills, but he demonstrated good hands against New York.

For the game, Rodgers was targeted eight times, resulting in six catches for 85 yards, The targets and catches were both by far his highest of the season. And as noted earlier, the Cowboys are next up. Rodgers hasn’t found the end zone so far this year, but the chances are high whenever the cows are involved. Pick him up and start him. You will thank me later.

Harrison Bryant, Cleveland Browns, 0.9% owned

When talking about fresh faces, they don’t get any fresher than Harrison Bryant. With Austin Hooper out because of appendicitis, Bryant had the best game of his short seven game career. Bryant caught four of five targets for 56 yards. Those totals are all career highs. He seemed to have good chemistry with Baker Mayfield (see below).

That chemistry wasn’t nearly as apparent between Mayfield and Hooper. Best of all, Bryant found the end zone twice. It is unknown just how long Hooper will be out. David Njoku is also a factor as he caught a TD of his own Sunday. With the tight end shelves this bare, though, there isn’t a lot to lose on a pick up of Bryant. Even when Hooper was playing, Bryant saw the field. There’s no reason to expect that to change, regardless of anyone else’s availability.

Quarterbacks

As stated in the last article, two QB and large leagues will not find any one worth picking up on the waiver wire. Look to make a trade in those situations if at all possible. For those in smaller leagues, check out the players below as some long lost fantasy starters regained their stature in week seven.

Daniel Jones, New York Giants, 20.9% owned

Let’s get the laughs out of the way right off the bat. We all saw Daniel Jones and his stumbling, self tackle against the Eagles Thursday night. Here comes the trivia- how many NFL quarterbacks have rushed for 80 or more yards on a single play? Anyone? Bueller? There were four before to Jones- Pryor, Kaepernick, Mariota and Stewart. That’s the list. Pretty impressive, I must say.

Now that the snickering has died down, we can realistically look at his stats from the game. Along with his 92 yards rushing, Jones completed 20 of 30 passes. Jones threw for 187 yards and two TDs. His completion percentage of 66.67 and QBR of 91.9 were his highest of the season. The Giants lost the game, but it certainly wasn’t the fault of Jones. He is trending in the right direction. Jones can help with bye week problems, even with Tampa up next.

Baker Mayfield, Cleveland Browns, 15% owned

After seemingly falling down a flight of stairs, Baker Mayfield lapped every other starting quarterback in fantasy this past Sunday. After throwing more interceptions (four) than touchdowns (three) in his previous two games, Mayfield exploded for five against Cincinnati. He finished with 22 completions in 28 passes for 297 yards.

The TDs resulted in Mayfield racking up 50 PPR fantasy points in ESPN leagues. Obviously, Mayfield produced gobs of points no matter what kind of league he was owned in. The Raiders are next up for the Browns. Their defense doesn’t look very daunting after the bludgeoning Tom Brady and the Bucs laid on them. Additionally, the Raiders have allowed over 30 points to their last four opponents. That 15% ownership is sure to sky rocket this week, so if the need exists at QB, get to the front of the line, pronto!

Jimmy Garoppolo, San Francisco 49ers, 21.1% owned

Not a whole lot stands out when viewing the stats of Jimmy Garoppolo and his return to New England. That is, except for 33-6 score. Garoppolo completed 20 of 25 passes for 277 yards against the Patriots. Those are all nice stats, of course, but Garoppolo also threw two interceptions and didn’t have a TD pass. However, he did have three in his previous game against the Rams.

It is clear that Garoppolo has left his truly horrendous game against the Dolphins in week five behind. The best news, as with Aiyuk, however, is that Seattle is next on the schedule. The Seahawks defense (can we even call it a defense at this point?) makes any quarterback look like a hall of famer. Garoppolo has had three games with two of more TDs this season. Look for more of the same Sunday and get him into your lineup if there is a need at QB.

Other recommendations: Jared Goff, Los Angeles Rams, was dropped by quite a few because L.A. played Chicago in week seven. Now that’s in the rear view, see if he is available with Miami up next. Likewise, Carson Wentz was dropped by many owners. With Dallas up next, see if he is available. If so, Wentz is a must start.

Thanks for joining me for this fantasy football waiver pickups week eight edition. Please feel free to leave a comment or a suggestion on the players that should be added or removed. As always, I welcome your input. Have a great fantasy football week eight! Follow me on twitter @kevin62wilsea, and be sure to turn to Belly Up Sports and Belly Up Fantasy Sports and Picks for all the latest NFL and sports news!