Fantasy football 2018: top 10 waiver wire Week 8 pickups
QB: Baker Mayfield, Cleveland Browns
It’s a bit of a gamble to pick up Baker Mayfield in fantasy football, because the weapons around him in the Cleveland Browns offense are far from ideal. Jarvis Landry is talented but inefficient as a wide receiver, Antonio Callaway drops too many passes, Breshad Perriman drops even more passes, and possible breakout star Rashard Higgins has a knee injury.
However, Mayfield is such a talented player that he’s been able to shine regardless. Despite losing to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in overtime in Week 7, Mayfield completed nearly 70% of his passes with two touchdowns, zero interceptions, and 43 rushing yards.
Mayfield is a star, and he has a high ceiling against the Pittsburgh Steelers. With Duke Johnson and David Njoku supporting Landry, Mayfield is a healthy Landry and less inconsistent Callaway, a rookie, away from turning his film into production. He’s worth stashing away on talent alone.
WR: Courtland Sutton, Denver Broncos
Demaryius Thomas is on the trading block, and while the Broncos say that they aren’t interested in dealing Emmanuel Sanders, both of those wide receivers are 30 and 31, respectively, on a team that isn’t a serious threat to content for anything meaningful in 2018.
Furthermore, their need to keep veteran wideouts on the team has diminished after releasing Chad Kelly, because it means they don’t have a young quarterback on their roster. The struggling Case Keenum remains Denver’s starting passer.
If even one of Thomas or Sanders gets dealt, which is likely if the Broncos receive a palatable offer, then Courtland Sutton immediately steps in with fantasy relevancy. The second-round pick out of SMU is someone the Broncos are high on, and he’s put together good film this season despite receiving infrequent targets of questionable quality from a quarterback with minimal arm talent.
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Sutton has scored two touchdowns in the past three weeks, and it isn’t crazy to entertain the idea that he might be the Broncos most intriguing wide receiver if Sanders is shipped out. And if Thomas is the one traded, then Sutton may just be an upgrade at this stage of Thomas’s excellent NFL career.