NFL fantasy football waiver wire pickups for Week 8

Fantasy football managers in need of help should be sure to check out their waiver wires this week to see if any of these players who are rostered in under 50 percent of Yahoo Fantasy football leagues are still available.

Week 7 brought us some interesting storylines as well as some unfortunate injuries. However, fantasy managers must be able to move forward if they want to give themselves the best chance to win and it starts with checking your waiver wire. For those who are unsure of what players to drop, be sure to check out 4for4’s “Week 8 Dead Weight Report:”

Don’t hesitate to add these players before Week 8 if any of your players made the “Week 8 Dead Weight Report” and/or if you have roster spots to spare.

Fantasy Football QB Waiver Wire Pickups, Week 8

Baker Mayfield, Tampa Bay Buccaneers (32 percent rostered)

It cannot be overstated that Baker Mayfield is currently averaging more fantasy points on a per-game basis than some of the NFL’s most well-recognized signal-callers, including Trevor Lawrence, Matthew Stafford, Dak Prescott, and Geno Smith.

While being the overall QB19 isn’t necessarily a special accomplishment for Mayfield, it is noteworthy that he is the QB16 on a per-game basis per FantasyPros. While the production has been volatile, Mayfield and the Buccanneers will continue to lean on Mayfield and their elite wide receiver duo of Mike Evans and Chris Godwin to score points on offense.

The run game has been non-existent in Tampa Bay, with Rachaad White struggling immensely. The Bucs currently rank 29th in the NFL in team rushing yards per game (74.9), which puts additional pressure on Mayfield to move the chains with his arm.

Mayfield has attempted at least 34 pass attempts in five of the Bucs’ seven games this season. This type of volume gives him a nice floor while also giving him weekly QB1 upside.

A tough matchup with the Bills on Thursday Night Football awaits for Mayfield and the Bucs, but the schedule softens up the following two weeks. They travel to Houston to face the Texans secondary that has 2022 No. 3 overall pick Derek Stingley Jr. on IR due to a hamstring injury before returning home to face a Titans defense that has become a pass funnel because of how difficult it is to run the ball against them (something the Bucs haven’t been able to do against anyone).

Mayfield is worthy of a bench stash.

Desmond Ridder, Atlanta Falcons (14 percent rostered)

Desmond Ridder is the overall QB15 on the season and has continued to show improvement in recent weeks. After averaging 22.62 fantasy points per game in Weeks 5-6, Ridder followed it up with 16.8 points and an overall QB12 finish in Week 7. In other words, Ridder has been a QB1 in recent weeks.

In that span, Ridder has eclipsed 300 passing yards in two of three games. He’s also scored multiple touchdowns in two of those three games in addition to having at least four carries in two of the three games in that stretch. Ridder’s mobility out of the pocket gives a nice boost to his fantasy value.

Additionally, Ridder’s connection with former top-10 draft picks Drake London and Kyle Pitts continues to improve with each passing week. As long as he continues to give his best playmakers opportunities to make plays with the ball in their hands, it will translate to fantasy points for him.

The Falcons have a very inviting schedule over the next three weeks before they enter their Week 11 bye. They face the Titans, Vikings, and Cardinals, all of which rank in the bottom-half of the league in opponent passing yards per game.