We’re halfway through the fantasy season and teams are starting to separate themselves. Whether you’re at the top of the standings or the bottom, it’s always a smart move to massage the bottom of your roster. Looking for upside on the waiver wire or in cheap trades can often make or break your season. While there aren’t any byes this week, there are plenty still to come, and these players might prove valuable to help reduce your stress while setting lineups.
Week 8 Dynasty Fantasy Football Stashes
Tyson Bagent (QB – CHI)
Odds are good that Bagent has already been picked up in your SuperFlex dynasty league, but if he hasn’t, run and grab him now. Bagent played pretty well for a backup in Week 7 and is slated to start again in Week 8 for the injured Justin Fields. There’s a non-zero chance that the team shuts Fields down at some point this year and lets Bagent run the show. Will he be worth starting in fantasy? Hard to say, but any starter is worth rostering in Superflex. At the very least you can try to trade him to a QB-needy team, perhaps even the Justin Fields manager who might be contending. Either way, Bagent is a great stash both for the short term and the long term in dynasty leagues.
Zamir White (RB – LV)
One player who hasn’t looked like himself thus far in 2023 is Raiders running back Josh Jacobs. Sure, he’s RB11 overall in PPR scoring but he’s RB20 in points per game. Jacobs hasn’t averaged over 4 yards per carry all season, and that makes me nervous for his job. That’s why I’m stashing White wherever I can. There are plenty of backup running backs worth holding, but White is one of my favorites. The Raiders could turn into a rebuild at any minute, and if that happens I would expect White to see a massive uptick in volume. Even if they don’t make a move, White should hold value whenever Jacobs leaves, even if that’s not until the offseason.
Jonathan Ward (RB – TEN)
Last week I listed Tennessee practice squad running back Jacques Patrick as a stash option in deeper leagues. Apparently, the Titans disagreed with that and cut Patrick to sign Ward instead. I’ll mirror that move and make Ward a stash for me this week but only in the deepest of leagues. The trade deadline is Oct. 31 and if the Titans indeed trade Henry, someone will have to back up Tyjae Spears. Will it be Ward? It’s far too soon to say, but I’d rather have him on my bench when we find out. The worst that happens is you drop him next week for another next-stash candidate on my list.
Kyle Philips (WR – TEN)
I feel like Philips is a no-brainer for this list so I never include him. That’s going to change this week: stash Philips if he’s available. Burks hasn’t even come close to living up to his potential and at some point I wouldn’t be shocked if the team just shuts him down or trades him for pennies. I doubt the team moves on from DeAndre Hopkins before the deadline, but either way, I expect Philips to take a big step forward as the team’s consistent WR3 down the stretch. So far through seven weeks, Philips has negative points due to his lone lost fumble in Week 6. This might have made him waiver fodder in most leagues so he might still be available in yours.
Tyler Scott (WR – CHI)
Believe it or not, the Bears WR3 behind DJ Moore and Darnell Mooney is the rookie Scott. He’s only gotten 12 targets through seven games but with rookie QB Bagent taking over I wouldn’t be shocked if Scott sees more action. Before Fields left in Week 6, he targeted Scott once, but Bagent targeted Scott four times after he took over. In Week 7, Scott got three more targets. This clearly shows that Bagent isn’t afraid to find the rookie in his progressions. We see this often in the NFL when backups come in, they tend to target backups they have built a rapport with on the practice field. I know Scott was drafted later in rookie drafts so he might be taxied or rostered in general, but I’m sending offers for him in leagues where I need the WR help on the off chance that he sees a spike in usage with Fields healing his thumb injury.
Cade Otton (TE – TB)
Back in the realm of shallower leagues, Otton is my last stash for Week 8. He’s the clear-cut TE1 on the Buccaneers, playing in all six games and getting 23 targets. He’s only found the end zone once, but I wouldn’t be surprised if he sees more chances down the stretch. Not only is Otton the clear option at a position lacking in clarity, but he’s already had his bye. If you don’t have one of the top guys at tight end, you might as well stash as many lower options as you can and play the guessing game each week. You could do worse than Otton who saw six targets alone in Week 7. If he can keep up that kind of volume, and the Bucs can keep getting into the red zone, Otton could be a sleeper pick to move up from his TE24 spot thus far on the season. That kind of upside is exactly what I’m looking for in dynasty.
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Andrew Hall is a featured writer for FantasyPros. For more from Andrew, check out his profile and follow him @AndrewHallFF.