Fantasy Football Week 8: Waiver-Wire Pickups, Rankings and Stat Projections

Week 7 of the NFL season was not particularly kind to fantasy owners who were hoping to bust out of slumps and produce scoring avalanches. 

Allow Pro Football Talk's Michael David Smith to explain why: 

However, hope shouldn't be lost just yet. 

With a month-and-a-half remaining until the fantasy playoffs get underway, there's still plenty of time for owners to make personnel adjustments and pursue players on the waiver wire who could help turn their season around. 

Below, we'll provide positional rankings and stat projections for each position, as well as suggested waiver pickups with some help from the ownership numbers in Yahoo's fantasy database, which are current as of Sunday evening.  

Quarterbacks

1. Tom Brady (New England Patriots) vs. Los Angeles Chargers: 400 yards, 5 passing TD

2. Carson Wentz (Philadelphia Eagles) vs. San Francisco 49ers: 300 yards, 3 passing TD, 50 rushing yards

3. Drew Brees (New Orleans Saints) vs. Chicago Bears: 350 passing yards, 3 TD

4. Deshaun Watson (Houston Texans) at Seattle Seahawks: 270 passing yards, 2 passing TD, 60 rushing yards

5. Dak Prescott (Dallas Cowboys) at Washington Redskins: 275 passing yards, 2 passing TD, 40 rushing yards

6. Cam Newton (Carolina Panthers) at Tampa Bay Buccaneers: 250 passing yards, 2 passing TD, 50 rushing yards

7. Matt Ryan (Atlanta Falcons) at New York Jets: 280 passing yards, 2 passing TD 

8. Andy Dalton (Cincinnati Bengals) vs. Indianapolis Colts: 275 passing yards, 2 passing TD 

9. Alex Smith (Kansas City Chiefs) vs. Denver Broncos: 250 passing yards, 2 passing TD

10. Jameis Winston (Tampa Bay Buccaneers) vs. Carolina Panthers: 250 passing yards, 2 passing TD

11. Ben Roethlisberger (Pittsburgh Steelers) at Detroit Lions: 235 passing yards, 2 passing TD 

12. Derek Carr (Oakland Raiders) at Buffalo Bills: 225 passing yards, 2 passing TD

Joe Sargent/Getty Images

Waiver Wire Addition: Andy Dalton (Cincinnati Bengals)

When in doubt, start quarterbacks against the Indianapolis Colts. 

Although Andy Dalton's 140-yard, two-touchdown, two-interception performance against the Pittsburgh Steelers on Sunday wasn't particularly inspiring, he's now primed for a tilt against a porous Colts secondary that allowed Blake Bortles—yes, Blake Bortles—to go off for 330 passing yards and a score in Week 7. 

If Bortles' production was any indication, Dalton—who's available in 45 percent of Yahoo leagues—should have no problem piling up numbers for owners in need of quality streaming options. 

Running Backs

1. Le'Veon Bell (Pittsburgh Steelers) at Detroit Lions: 130 rushing yards, 2 rushing TD, 60 receiving yards

2. Ezekiel Elliott (Dallas Cowboys) at Washington Redskins: 150 rushing yards, 1 rushing TD, 30 receiving yards

3. Devonta Freeman (Atlanta Falcons) at New York Jets: 125 rushing yards, 1 rushing TD, 40 receiving yards

4. Kareem Hunt (Kansas City Chiefs) vs. Denver Broncos: 100 rushing yards 1, rushing TD, 40 receiving yards

5. LeSean McCoy (Buffalo Bills) vs. Oakland Raiders: 120 rushing yards, 1 rushing TD, 15 receiving yards

6. Melvin Gordon (Los Angeles Chargers) at New England Patriots: 100 rushing yards, 1 rushing TD, 20 receiving yards

7. Jay Ajayi (Miami Dolphins) at Baltimore Ravens: 120 rushing yards, 1 rushing TD

8. Jordan Howard (Chicago Bears) at New Orleans Saints: 110 rushing yards, 1 rushing TD

9. Mark Ingram (New Orleans Saints) vs. Chicago Bears: 100 rushing yards, 1 rushing TD

10. Christian McCaffrey (Carolina Panthers) at Tampa Bay Buccaneers: 20 rushing yards, 60 receiving yards, 1 receiving TD

11. Carlos Hyde (San Francisco 49ers) at Philadelphia Eagles: 80 rushing yards, 1 rushing TD

12. Lamar Miller (Houston Texans) at Seattle Seahawks: 75 rushing yards, 1 rushing TD

Dylan Buell/Getty Images

Waiver Wire Addition: Aaron Jones (Green Bay Packers)

Aaron Jones is officially the player to own in the Green Bay Packers backfield. 

While the rookie was bottled up to the tune of 13 carries for 41 yards in Week 6 against the Minnesota Vikings, Jones erupted for the second time in three games and trashed the New Orleans Saints for 138 total yards and a touchdown on Sunday. 

Conversely, Ty Montgomery managed four carries for six yards and was out-touched 20-5 by the more explosive Jones. 

The Packers are off in Week 8, but owners perched atop the waiver wire should scramble to add Jones—who is still available in 28 percent of Yahoo leagues—as soon as possible. 

Wide Receivers

1. A.J. Green (Cincinnati Bengals) vs. Indianapolis Colts: 150 receiving yards, 2 TD

2. Antonio Brown (Pittsburgh Steelers) at Detroit Lions: 130 receiving yards, 1 TD

3. Julio Jones (Atlanta Falcons) at New York Jets: 128 receiving yards, 1 TD

4. Mike Evans (Tampa Bay Buccaneers) vs. Carolina Panthers: 117 receiving yards, 1 TD

5. Brandin Cooks (New England Patriots) vs. Los Angeles Chargers: 106 receiving yards, 1 TD

6. Michael Thomas (New Orleans Saints) vs. Chicago Bears: 101 receiving yards, 1 TD

7. DeAndre Hopkins (Houston Texans) at Seattle Seahawks: 97 receiving yards, 1 TD

8. Dez Bryant (Dallas Cowboys) at Washington Redskins: 90 receiving yards, 1 TD

9. Chris Hogan (New England Patriots) vs. Los Angeles Chargers: 85 receiving yards, 1 TD

10. Alshon Jeffery (Philadelphia Eagles) vs. San Francisco 49ers: 77 receiving yards, 1 TD

11. Tyreek Hill (Kansas City Chiefs) vs. Denver Broncos: 75 total yards, 1 TD

12. Amari Cooper (Oakland Raiders) at Buffalo Bills: 72 receiving yards, 1 TD

Dylan Buell/Getty Images

Waiver Wire Addition: Tedd Ginn Jr. (New Orleans Saints)

The New Orleans Saints have been searching for a reliable No. 2 wide receiver opposite Michael Thomas, and it appears they've finally found one in Ted Ginn Jr. 

Over his past four games, the veteran speedster has posted 15 receptions for 276 yards and two scores. Ginn was especially prolific Sunday against the Packers when he posted seven catches for a season-high 141 yards. 

The other positive with Ginn is that he's made the most of his opportunities and corralled all but one of his targets dating back to Sept. 24. 

Owned in just 51 percent of Yahoo leagues entering Sunday's action, Ginn should be scooped up in 12-and-14 team formats and viewed as a legitimate flex play moving forward. 

Tight Ends

1. Rob Gronkowski (New England Patriots) vs. Los Angeles Chargers: 85 receiving yards, 1 TD

2. Travis Kelce (Kansas City Chiefs) vs. Denver Broncos: 75 receiving yards, 1 TD

3. Zach Ertz (Philadelphia Eagles) vs. San Francisco 49ers: 70 receiving yards, 1 TD

4. Kyle Rudolph (Minnesota Vikings) at Cleveland Browns: 63 receiving yards, 1 TD

5. Cameron Brate (Tampa Bay Buccaneers) vs. Carolina Panthers: 56 receiving yards, 1 TD

6. Austin Seferian-Jenkins (New York Jets) vs. Atlanta Falcons: 45 receiving yards, 1 TD

7. Jordan Reed (Washington Redskins) vs. Dallas Cowboys: 80 receiving yards

8. Hunter Henry (Los Angeles Chargers) at New England Patriots: 65 receiving yards

9. Jimmy Graham (Seattle Seahawks) vs. Houston Texans: 50 receiving yards 

10. Jared Cook (Oakland Raiders) at Buffalo Bills: 50 receiving yards 

Brett Carlsen/Getty Images

Waiver Wire Addition: O.J. Howard (Tampa Bay Buccaneers)

O.J. Howard officially burst on to the fantasy radar Sunday by catching all six of his targets for 98 yards and two touchdowns. 

To put those figures in perspective, Howard managed five catches for 107 yards and a score in his first five games combined. 

According to Pro Football Focus' Nathan Jahnke, the statistical outburst was the product of increased trust from the coaching staff as he logged significantly more playing time than in weeks past: 

Howard is still likely to play second fiddle to No. 1 tight end Cameron Brate moving forward, but the Bucs' commitment to targeting him downfield makes him a compelling stash option for owners in a bind at the position. 

Owned in a meager 12 percent of Yahoo leagues, Howard is worth a look—especially with a friendly matchup against the Carolina Panthers' banged-up linebacking corps on deck. 

Kickers

1. Stephen Gostkowski (New England Patriots) vs. Los Angeles Chargers: 5 PAT, FG (20-29), FG (30-39)

2. Matt Bryant (Atlanta Falcons) at New York Jets: 3 PAT, FG (40-49), FG (20-29)

3. Jake Elliott (Philadelphia Eagles) vs. San Francisco 49ers: 3 PAT, FG (20-29), FG (30-39)

4. Justin Tucker (Baltimore Ravens) vs. Miami Dolphins: 2 PAT, 2 FG (20-29)

5. Harrison Butker (Kansas City Chiefs) vs. Denver Broncos: 3 PAT, FG (30-39)

Adrian Kraus/Associated Press

Waiver Wire Addition: Stephen Hauschka (Buffalo Bills) 

Put simply, Stephen Hauschka needs to be owned in more than 33 percent of Yahoo leagues. 

While he's not a big name like Stephen Gostkowski or Justin Tucker, Hauschka has paid serious fantasy dividends with double-digit efforts in four straight games. 

Additionally, Hauschka has proved reliable from distance all year long. To date, he's drilled all five of his attempts from beyond 50 yards and converted 2-of-4 attempts between 40-49 yards. 

With forgiving matchups against the Oakland Raiders, New York Jets and New Orleans Saints all on deck, Hauschka is a worthy add in all formats. 

Defenses

1. Minnesota Vikings (vs. Cleveland Browns): 3 sacks, 2 INT, TD, 7-13 PA

2. Philadelphia Eagles (vs. San Francisco 49ers): 5 sacks, 2 INT, 7-13 PA

3. Kansas City Chiefs (vs. Denver Broncos): 3 sacks, 2 INT, 14-20 PA 

4. Atlanta Falcons (at New York Jets): 4 sacks, 1 INT, 14-20 PA

5. Baltimore Ravens (vs. Miami Dolphins): 4 sacks, 1 INT, 20-26 PA

Jonathan Daniel/Getty Images

Waiver Wire Addition: Chicago Bears (vs. New Orleans Saints)

This pick admittedly isn't for the faint of heart. 

But if you're an owner willing to roll the dice in Week 8, the Chicago Bears defense should be an intriguing streamer even on the road against the New Orleans Saints. 

Consider the following: Over their past two games, the Bears have racked up eight sacks, four interceptions, two fumble recoveries and three defensive touchdowns. 

Maintaining those numbers against a Saints team that tends to thrive on the Superdome's fast track will be a tall task, but considering Drew Brees has tossed four interceptions in his last two games after throwing zero in his first four, the Bears could be worth a shot in deeper leagues.