Football is a violent, unpredictable sport where anything can happen. Injuries can derail a player’s season and dash any hopes you had for your fantasy football squad. The best way to protect yourself is always to have a plan B. That can be through acquiring your rostered players’ “handcuff” or having deep stashes on your bench in an emergency.
Heading into a bye-free Week 8, don’t be lulled into a false sense of security. The byes are back in Week 9, and now is the time to load up on handcuffs and sleepers to keep pushing toward the fantasy football playoffs. Below are three players who can help you do just that.
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Week 8 Fantasy Football Waiver Wire Stashes
Week 8 TE & WR Handcuffs
The 2023 season hasn’t been what the Cleveland Browns expected. Between QB Deshaun Watson underperforming & missing significant time & losing RB Nick Chubb, it’s been anything but sunshine and rainbows. However, with veteran P.J. Walker behind center over the last three weeks, the TE position in Cleveland has seen a boom.
In the last three games, TE David Njoku has accumulated 21 targets for 14 catches and 124 receiving yards. Bryant has only seen three targets in that span, notching just one catch. However, Njoku has a history of missing at least one game in all but two of his seven professional seasons.
Should Njoku miss time, Bryant will step into enough volume to have an opportunity to be a backed-end TE1 tier asset if he can manage a touchdown. Bryant isn’t the sexiest waiver wire addition, but if you’re an Njoku manager, he’s worth a stash as we get closure to the fantasy football playoffs.
Any TE not named Travis Kelce, Mark Andrews or T.J. Hockenson will have inconsistent production issues. That is true even in offenses like the Cowboys, who employ a run-heavy approach that lends itself to the TE position. Starting TE Jake Ferguson, currently the overall PPR TE18, has three weeks as a top 12 TE and two weeks outside the top 32.
While the volume may be inconsistent, the Dallas TE position provides fantasy value above many other teams. Ferguson has seen the lion’s share of the volume this season, but Schoonmaker is waiting in the wings. The second-round pick out of Michigan has been eased into the offense, seeing only six targets through six games. That said, should Ferguson miss any time or find disfavor with the coaching staff, Schoonmaker could step into a valuable role for fantasy managers.
Lil’Jordan Humphrey (WR – DEN)
No one really knows what goes on in the mind of Sean Payton. The Broncos’ offense has been a massive question mark, and now there are rumors one or both of Jerry Jeudy and Courtland Sutton may be on their way out the door. Given the team is 2-5, it seems a fire sale on valuable talent is necessary, and it will give players like Humphrey, who was recently signed to the active roster from the practice squad, a chance to grab more opportunity as the season goes on.
In his fifth season in the league, Humphrey is no stranger to Payton, with whom he played his first three seasons in New Orleans. His best season as a pro came under Payton in 2021 when he had 13 catches for 249 yards and two touchdowns. So far in 2023, Humphrey has seen minimal volume, drawing five targets for four catches, 26 yards and a touchdown. However, he could be in for more volume when things get shaken up ahead of the trade deadline.
Despite his low opportunity share, Humphrey has been on the field for 132 snaps, primarily in the slot. He is running a route on 86 percent of his snaps and has been adequate as a run blocker when called on. Coupled with his familiarity with Payton, Humphrey has done enough to gain a larger opportunity share when the team parts ways with one of its two star WRs. Humphrey could become a startable fantasy asset every week if an injury occurs above him in the depth chart.
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Nate Polvogt is a featured writer at FantasyPros. For more from Nate, check out his archive and follow him @NatePolvogt.