The injury bug keeps biting. Fantasy managers are asking, “When will it end?” Unfortunately, Week 8 was not the week. We saw more shifts and changes in the fantasy landscape that prompted people to add, drop or trade for new players. Here is what the data from FantasyPros’ My Playbook is telling us and why managers might be making these moves.

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Fantasy Football Roster Trends: Adds, Drops & Most Traded (Week 9)

Most Added

Cedric Tillman (WR – CLE) | 5.3%

Cedric Tillman came out of nowhere and was the WR4 for Week 8 with 28.9 PPR points. After the Browns traded Amari Cooper to the Bills, fantasy managers weren’t sure who to target behind him. Elijah Moore and Jerry Jeudy were both potential options, but very few people predicted a breakout from Tillman.

With QB Jameis Winston starting, Tillman has a fair amount of future value as well. It might have only been a one-week thing, but seeing him added in 5.3% of leagues shows me I’m not alone in my thinking. Tillman could be a league winner, but we’ll have to see what he does in Week 9 before we get too excited.

Matthew Stafford (QB – LAR) | 3.2%

The odds are good managers dropped Matthew Stafford with both of his top wide receivers out with injuries. Now that Cooper Kupp and Puka Nacua are healthy, Stafford becomes fantasy-relevant again. His QB5 finish in Week 8 during a shootout on Thursday Night Football helps his case.

Teams desperate at the position could do worse than the Rams signal-caller. Stafford is QB24 on the year, which is likely why he was on the waiver wire, but he could easily be a top-10 QB option now that his offense is back to its old form.

Josh Downs (WR – IND) | 2.6%

Injuries have slightly derailed Josh Downs’ sophomore season. In Week 8, though, Downs dominated. He finished as the fantasy WR7 with 22.2 PPR points and launched himself back onto 2.6% of rosters.

The Colts have decided to bench a struggling Anthony Richardson for the veteran Joe Flacco. This could be a good thing for Downs and the entire Colts offense, but it does add some chaos to things. If Flacco plays well, Downs should do well. If he doesn’t, Downs could struggle. Adding him makes sense due to his upside and all of the injuries at the position, no matter what the future holds.

Most Dropped

Stefon Diggs (WR – BUF) | 3.7%
Christian Kirk (WR – JAX) | 2.8%

The long list of injured receivers gets even longer with the addition of Stefon Diggs and Christian Kirk. Diggs suffered an ACL injury against the Colts and Kirk broke his clavicle against the Packers. Both receivers were likely in starting lineups for most managers.

Diggs was having a much better season, though, scoring 121.9 PPR points to Kirk’s 70.9. Neither had missed time yet this year, but now that they’re both done for the season, they go to the waiver wire in redraft leagues. I can’t help but wonder which receiver is next. This season has been brutal through eight weeks.

Anthony Richardson (QB – IND) | 2.8%

As mentioned, the Colts have decided to bench Anthony Richardson in favor of Joe Flacco starting with Week 9. The fact this benching was due to poor performance and not injury makes me even more worried for Richardson’s future. In most 1-QB redraft leagues, he’s not worth stashing anymore. Even in Superflex or dynasty leagues, his value takes a huge hit here.

Richardson showed a lot of potential as a rookie, but he hasn’t lived up to it. If the Colts win with Flacco, Richardson could end up being thought of as the next Trey Lance instead of the next Andrew Luck. Until he gets the starting job back he should stay on waivers or benches in deeper formats.

Dalvin Cook (RB – DAL) | 1.9%

For some reason, a single news blurb caused fantasy managers to run to their fantasy app of choice and add Dalvin Cook before Week 8. Unfortunately for those who added him, he only scored 3.2 PPR points in Week 8.

Cook recorded six carries and caught his lone target, but that’s just not enough to warrant holding him. A total of 1.9% of leagues saw Cook go back to the waivers from whence he came. He could still be startable, but given how variable his range of outcomes is, I’m fine leaving him on the waiver wire and letting others fight for the few points he’ll likely put up week to week.

Most Traded

Diontae Johnson (WR – BAL) | 1.6%

In-season trades are pretty rare in the NFL, but this year it feels like we’re getting more than usual. Not only was Diontae Johnson the most traded asset in fantasy leagues this week, but he was also traded from the Carolina Panthers to the Baltimore Ravens.

Johnson has struggled with injuries but the Panthers have struggled in many more ways. He goes to a much more powerful Ravens offense with a lot higher upside. Zay Flowers and Derrick Henry should still get theirs, but this is a boost for Johnson. Given all the injuries we’ve seen, fantasy managers are looking for whatever they can get their hands on. You could do worse than Johnson.

Tank Dell (WR – HOU) | 1.5%

Tank Dell has seen a recent resurgence in his output. He put up a goose egg in Week 7 but scored 13.5 points in Week 8 and 18.6 points in Week 9’s Thursday Night game. Teams desperate at receiver are likely adding him due to that new consistency combined with the injuries around him. Stefon Diggs is out for the year but Nico Collins is also still out.

Dell is the best option left standing on a potentially high-scoring offense that has been underperforming as of late. With Diggs out, the picture feels clearer that Dell is the one to roster for the Texans, and 1.5% of leagues saw him change teams because of that.

Jaylen Waddle (WR – MIA) | 1.5%

Jaylen Waddle’s teammate, Tyreek Hill, made last week’s list of most traded players. I speculated it was because of the return of QB Tua Tagovailoa. While the Dolphins struggled in his return, I still have hope that both Hill and Waddle will see things turn around.

Waddle has only broken 10 PPR points once this year — way back in Week 1. His fantasy value is currently pretty low, so buying him seems like a great idea. It’s hard to see the Dolphins be this bad for this long and it appears 1.5% of leagues have fantasy managers who agree.

Andrew Hall is a featured writer for FantasyPros. For more from Andrew, check out his profile and follow him @AndrewHallFF.