
Griffin Missant
It’s important to never get complacent in fantasy football. The NFL is ever-changing with new opportunities and scenarios.
Staying up to date on that news can help lead you to sneaky waiver wire pickups to help you the rest of the season.
Something to continue looking out for is players coming off the bye week; you can grab them right off waivers before Tuesday, since they do not have a game.
Keep reading for our Week 8 fantasy football waiver wire report.
The Joe Flacco experience is seemingly paying off for the Cincinnati Bengals. Turns out, when you throw the ball to Ja’Marr Chase 23 times, good things happen.
Flacco is averaging 22.4 fantasy points per game in his first two weeks as the Bengals starter. He’s attempted 92 passes in these two starts, which is a testament to the game scripts the Bengals always find themselves in due to the poor defense.
The upcoming schedule is more than favorable for Flacco, as he’ll take on 2 defenses both in the bottom 10 at fantasy points per game to the QB position.
Flacco will face the Jets in Week 8, who allow 18.9 FPPG, and then the Bears in Week 9, who allow 19.9 FPPG to opposing QBs. Joe Flacco FAAB: 5%
More Week 8 pickups to come…
Michael Penix Jr., Falcons (23%)
While the fantasy performance did not match, Penix played well against the Buffalo Bills in Week 6. Now in Week 8, he’ll face the Miami Dolphins, who allow the second-most fantasy points per game to the QB position.
Pat Freiermuth, Steelers (7%)
Freiermuth is coming off a monstrous performance in Week 7 where he caught 5 balls for 111 yards and 2 touchdowns. In Week 8, he’ll face the Packers, who allow the third most FPPG to opposing TEs.
Los Angeles Chargers (51%)
The Chargers’ defense has been on and off throughout the season. In Week 8, they’ll face the Minnesota Vikings, who have allowed the third-most sacks in the NFL.
Blake Grupe, Saints (3%)
Grupe has been an excellent fantasy kicker over he past two weeks. In Week 8, he’ll get an indoor game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, who always find themselves in high-scoring games.
More names to come at each position…
The last time we saw McCarthy, it was not pretty. However, there was a flash of real production as a rusher in Week 1. While he was labeled inactive for Week 7, there is potential in his return for those who can wait for his expected Week 9 activation.
Before the Week 7 bye, Hill was piecing together some solid efforts from a fantasy standpoint. He saw two games with 6 targets, and has a favorable two-game stretch against the Bears in Week 8, then the Dolphins in Week 9.
Moore is seemingly the WR1 until Deebo Samuel and Terry McLaurin are 100% healthy. The vet has shown the ability to be fantasy-relevant, and is valuable until the other WRs return.
If you have an open roster spot that you want to fill with some upside, Loveland could start to see some more usage down the stretch of his rookie campaign. The organization may in turn diminish Cole Kmet’s role.
Griffin Missant joined The Sporting News in 2025 as a fantasy football intern. He graduated from Grand Valley State University, where he covered the Lakers football program. He has also worked for Sleeper and the Fantasy Trade Room. He has played fantasy for over a decade, and has been passionate about fantasy football ever since.


















