Week 8 Waiver Wire: Top Adds, Drops and Long-Term Fantasy Sleeper Targets

Two things, and two things alone, can save your fantasy season now: smart trades and prescient moves on the waiver wire.

The former is an excellent way to patch up weaknesses by giving up players at a surplus position. The latter, however, can potentially net you starting players without costing you anything. So your top priority should always be nailing your waiver additions to improve your team and bolster your depth.

If you need a hand, I've provided my list of top players to add this week, along with a few guys you can safely drop at this point and two long-term sleepers I'm keeping close tabs on.  

Add

Tyrod Taylor, QB, Buffalo Bills

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Over the past two weeks, Tyrod Taylor has registered a total of 42 fantasy points, aided by 103 rushing yards and a score in that time. For the season, he has dipped below 15 fantasy points in a week just twice (one of those games was a 14-point performance in Week 5) and has 19 or more points three times.

Taylor doesn't quite present the upside to be a QB1, but in deeper or two-QB leagues, he's a streaming option. And if nothing else, he's an excellent QB2 during bye weeks and a solid spot starter.

He should be owned in all formats.

Marcus Mariota, QB, Tennessee Titans

Between Weeks 5 and 6, Marcus Mariota totaled a ridiculous 57 fantasy points. He couldn't maintain that hot streak in Week 7, registering 16 points, but Mariota appears to have ended his slump. 

In total, he's notched 15 or more fantasy points in five of seven games this year. Yes, Mariota's upside will likely always be tied to how much he runs—during his absurd streak, he rushed for 124 yards and a touchdown. 

But at the very least, he's a high-upside QB2. 

Jameis Winston, QB, Tampa Bay Buccaneers

All or nothing—that's what you get from Jameis Winston.

Three times this year, he has scored 20 or more fantasy points, and twice he's hit 25 points. But three times he hasn't managed to hit 15 points, and twice he's scored 10 or fewer points.

If Taylor is the safest of the three quarterbacks listed and Mariota has the biggest overall upside, Winston is the all-or-nothing option. Against poor pass defenses, he's a nice streaming option. Otherwise, he's best utilized as a backup in a lineup when your starter has a bye week. Regardless, he should be owned in all formats.

Jacquizz Rodgers, RB, Tampa Bay Buccaneers

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Jacquizz Rodgers comes with an asterisk: He only has starting value while Doug Martin is injured. 

But here's an asterisk to that asterisk: He's the handcuff you want for Martin when the star running back returns to the starting lineup.

He proved that over the last two games, rushing 56 times for 255 yards. Rodgers' upside as a waiver-wire addition is coming to a close due to Martin's inevitable return at some point—adding Rodgers a few weeks ago would have been ideal—but he has value as a Martin handcuff, so he's worth owning.

Ty Montgomery, RB/WR, Green Bay Packers

Ty Montgomery presents two benefits. It's clear he's becoming a major part of Green Bay's offense, and you can also utilize him as either a running back or a wideout, giving you additional versatility when setting your lineup. 

He's now combined to post 19 fantasy points in the past two weeks, but more importantly, he's registered a total of 20 catches over that duration. He's also rushed 12 times for 66 yards and should continue to get looks in that regard. Green Bay's running back depth continues to thin out after Eddie Lacy went on injured reserve.

Remember, it was Montgomery who led the Packers in carries in Week 7. For the time being, if you pick up a Green Bay running back, he is the player you want.

Matt Asiata, RB, Minnesota Vikings

Jerick McKinnon left Sunday's game against the Philadelphia Eagles with an ankle injury, but even if he hadn't, Matt Asiata looked like the more productive player.

Asiata rushed 12 times for 55 yards, adding six receptions for 25 yards on a day that saw the Minnesota Vikings struggle to do much of anything on offense. While Asiata's fantasy value has been steady over the past three games—he's totaled 29 points and hasn't dipped below seven points in a contest—McKinnon has notched just eight total fantasy points over his past two contests.

McKinnon is still the lead back, though he has just five more carries than Asiata has over the past two games (although Sunday's injury was a slight factor in that regard). Still, Asiata has been the more productive player and is a nice stash, if nothing else.

Davante Adams, WR, Green Bay Packers

Owned in less than 20 percent of ESPN fantasy leagues, Davante Adams had a career night on Thursday, catching 13 passes for 132 yards and two scores. That was always likely to result in a bump in ownership, though some folks might be worried he's a one-hit wonder.

But here's the thing: Adams has notched eight or more fantasy points in four of six games, and he now has five touchdowns on the season. Yes, Jordy Nelson and Randall Cobb will always be the higher-upside players to own, but Green Bay's offense has supported three fantasy-relevant wideouts in the past.

And with the running back situation in flux, there's little reason to think Aaron Rodgers and Co. won't be airing it out regularly. Adams is unlikely to have many more 25-point performances, but recording seven to 15 points isn't unrealistic. 

Brandon LaFell, WR, Cincinnati Bengals

Finally, Brandon LaFell is producing. Over the past three games, he has totaled 39 fantasy points and four touchdowns, giving Andy Dalton a second weapon in the passing game to complement A.J. Green.

LaFell is a depth player to add to your team and the sort of guy you probably don't want to start outside of the bye weeks, but he is finally coming into his own in Cincy's offense.  

Jamison Crowder, WR, Washington

Jamison Crowder has scored nine or more fantasy points in three straight weeks and five times in seven games. He has limited upside, but if you find yourself thin at wide receiver, he is a steady player who should get you seven to 12 points. 

Jack Doyle, TE, Indianapolis Colts

Here's the skinny on Jack Doyle: If Dwayne Allen is out injured, Doyle is a TE1. If Allen is healthy, Doyle is a high-upside TE2 who should still be owned in all formats.

Tight end is a shaky position this year, so having a player such as Doyle, even as a backup, makes a lot of sense.

Drop

Carson Palmer, QB, Arizona Cardinals

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Carson Palmer hasn't scored more than 15 fantasy points since Week 2. He's thrown for two touchdown passes in his last four games, and frankly, the offense is built around David Johnson now (as it should be). 

Maybe he'll revert to his 2015 form at some point in the season, or maybe the 36-year-old's best days are simply behind him. More and more, the latter seems to be true.

T.J. Yeldon, RB, Jacksonville Jaguars

In the past two weeks, T.J. Yeldon has rushed 12 times for 45 yards. That's it. Jacksonville's running game wasn't great to begin with, but now Yeldon finds himself losing snaps and touches to Chris Ivory, who has outplayed him.

He's a bust, folks.

Allen Hurns, WR, Jacksonville Jaguars

Allen Hurns is averaging a disappointing 6.3 fantasy points per game this year after posting 1,031 receiving yards and 10 touchdowns last season. Jacksonville's offense, in general, is becoming more and more avoidable—even Allen Robinson is struggling to post solid numbers—and Hurns has seen a major regression.

Unless you suddenly think he'll start posting touchdowns with more regularity—a risky gambit when it comes to wideouts—Hurns doesn't need to be owned at this point.

DeVante Parker, WR, Miami Dolphins

DeVante Parker is a boom-or-bust player, but the boom just isn't good enough to justify the bust. In three of the past four games, he has registered a whopping two points. Twice he's registered 10 or more fantasy points, but he hasn't exceeded 11 points in any game this season. 

Meanwhile, Jarvis Landry has continued to be Ryan Tannehill's preferred target, and Kenny Stills is the team's more dangerous deep threat. And with Jay Ajayi suddenly emerging, the Miami Dolphins may lean even more heavily on the run game.

Add it all up, and Parker just doesn't possess all that much upside.  

Deep Sleepers

Paul Perkins, RB, New York Giants

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Rashad Jennings just isn't very good, which leaves open the possibility that the New York Giants might finally hand the reins over to the far more explosive Paul Perkins. 

Granted, New York's run game is atrocious, so Perkins probably won't be much more than a flex consideration if he's finally named the starter. But you can never have too many starting running backs at your disposal. If you have a deep, strong team, Perkins is a nice stash.

Wendell Smallwood, RB, Philadelphia Eagles

Starting running back Ryan Mathews has fumbled twice in the past three games for the Philadelphia Eagles, and at some point, his 3.9 yards per carry may make it hard to overlook that fact.  

Meanwhile, Wendell Smallwood has run well for the Eagles when given the opportunity, even going for 79 yards and a score on 17 carries against the Pittsburgh Steelers in Week 3. If Mathews sees his opportunities start to decrease, Smallwood would be the best option to take his carries. 

If the fumbles continue, that's exactly what will happen. 

You can follow Timothy Rapp on Twitter. All points-against, ownership percentages (from Monday evening) and fantasy stats via ESPN.com standard-scoring leagues.