TJ Horgan | Sun, Oct 20th 2024, 5:06pm EDT

Fantasy Football Waiver Wire: Early Week 8 Pickups to Add (2024)

We made it halfway! The completion of week seven marks the official halfway point in (most) fantasy football leagues (please tell me your league isn’t using Week 18 for championships).

This weekly piece is meant to help you navigate your waiver wire by delivering some early takeaways from the Thursday and Sunday early games! That Tuesday scramble can be a beast, so hopefully I can help make it less overwhelming.

Week 7 Early Pickups to Add

Ray Davis (RB – BUF)

Rostered: 14.7%

There’s no excuse for James Cook managers to leave Davis on the waiver wire. Last weekend, in Cook’s absence, Davis scored 18.2 PPR points on 23 touches. Cook returned today, but Davis still contributed with five carries for 41 yards and a touchdown.

Tyler Goodson (RB – IND)

Rostered: 9.0%

Over the last three weeks, Goodson has 34 touches for 173 yards and a touchdown. It’s nothing spectacular, but it’s certainly enough to make him a flex candidate when Jonathan Taylor is out.

Audric Estime (RB – DEN)

Rostered: 1.2%

Estime, a 2024 5th-round pick out of Notre Dame, is a deep league consideration, especially if you roster Javonte Williams. If you’ve read this column before, you know my propensity to pontificate regarding running back handcuffs. Speaking of propensities, Sean Payton has shown one to rely on Javonte Williams. Should Williams miss a game for any reason, Estime will have an opportunity to shoulder a valuable workload.

Cedric Tillman (WR – CLE)

Rostered: 0.3%

One of the lone bright spots for Cleveland today was Tillman, who caught eight of 12 targets for 81 yards. The 2023 third-round pick hasn’t done much to this point in his career, but with Amari Cooper out of town, Tillman might be worth an addition on the chance he steps into the vacated targets. The Browns are likely trailing in games and, therefore, passing more often. This should help his fantasy value as well.

Cedrick Wilson Jr. (WR – NO)

Rostered: 0.2%

I’m not stoked about Wilson’s prospects as a fantasy asset moving forward, but he caught six passes for 57 yards and a touchdown on Thursday, so I feel obligated to mention him for those in deep leagues. Saints’ third-string QB Jake Haener threw the only Saints touchdown of the night to Wilson. Wilson is a dart throw, regardless of who’s starting at QB moving forward.

Kalif Raymond (WR – DET)

Rostered: 0.4%

As you can see by how rostered he is, Raymond is strictly a deep league add at the moment. However, over his last two games, he’s caught seven passes for 112 yards and a touchdown. Raymond’s in his eighth year in the league and averages 24 yards per game. His ceiling isn’t very high, but if you’re in a deep league scraping the waiver wire for WR help, Raymond’s potentially earning the WR2 role in Detroit’s offense could be an answer.

Hunter Henry (TE – NE)

Rostered: 27.4%

Henry has made it two games in a row with relevant fantasy production. What else has happened two games in a row? First-round rookie Drake Maye has started. Henry’s performance with Maye warrants being added in most formats, given the dearth of exciting fantasy TE options.

Jonnu Smith (TE – MIA)

Rostered: 1.7%

Smith has scored at least 11 PPR points in his last two games and three of his six games this season. Who knows what to expect if and when Tua Tagovailoa returns, but in the meantime, Smith should be considered a borderline TE1 in most formats.

Bo Nix (QB – DEN)

Rostered: 16.1%

Nix hasn’t put up gaudy numbers in the passing game – he averages 178 yards per game. However, in his last four games, he’s thrown five touchdowns and only one interception. He also averages 36 rushing yards per game and has three touchdowns on the ground. Quarterback rushing touchdowns tend to be especially unpredictable, so don’t expect Nix to turn into prime Michael Vick this season. However, Nix and the Broncos get the Carolina Panthers next weekend, which is a favourable matchup. I don’t mind Nix being a high-floor streaming option there.

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