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

The fantasy football waiver wire waits for no owner. 

Owners saw this lesson well enough with Adrian Peterson's one-game breakout recently, though it's a tried-and-true approach to the wire throughout the year. 

Week 8 offers nothing but more intrigue in this department. The weeks of getting a long-term solution like Kareem Hunt might be long past, making the weekly dance on the wire more important than ever to season-long success. 

This can sound intimidating, but today's owners live in the age of endless information, so much so it almost swings the pendulum toward intimidation through information overload. Let's cut through the noise with a Week 8 guide based on 12-team Yahoo standard leagues.  

Week 8 Waiver-Wire Targets

Josh McCown, QB, NYJ

Jared Goff, QB, LAR

Matt Moore, QB, MIA 

T.J. Yeldon, RB, JAX

Dion Lewis, RB, NE

Latavius Murray, RB, MIN

Marlon Mack, RB, IND

Austin Ekeler, RB, LAC

Kenny Stills, WR, MIA

Jordan Matthews, WR, BUF

Ted Ginn, WR, NO

Deonte Thompson, WR, BUF

Robby Anderson, WR, NYJ

O.J. Howard, TE, TB

Tyler Kroft, TE, CIN

Jonnu Smith, TE, TEN 

Week 8 Drops

Carson Palmer, QB, ARI

Chris Ivory, RB, JAX

Orleans Darkwa, RB, NYG

Marshawn Lynch, RB, OAK

Terrelle Pryor, WR, WAS 

John Brown, WR, ARI 

Martellus Bennett, TE, GB

Matt Moore, QB, MIA

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Don't laugh: A backup playing better than the starter is a good way to find value on the waiver wire. 

Moore might be 33, but he's the new starter for the Miami Dolphins after Jay Cutler went down with cracked ribs, per Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald. This gives the veteran an opening to start for at least a week and owners a shot at streaming production. 

The upside here is if Moore keeps the job. Short and sweet, right? The veteran threw as many touchdowns in relief of Cutler as the starter did in his first three games—and not only that, he helped them recover from a 14-point deficit to win in the fourth quarter. 

Owners have plenty of options at quarterback with how easy it is to stream the position. But Moore coming off the bench and casually tossing two scores in a must-win AFC East encounter and getting to lean on weapons like Jarvis Landry makes him an attractive stash on the chance he can replicate the performance across entire games after taking first-team reps. 

Latavius Murray, RB, MIN

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Remember Latavius Murray? 

The veteran who joined the Minnesota Vikings this year and fell behind breakout rookie Dalvin Cook didn't even end up breakout out once Cook went down with an injury. 

Said honor went to Jerick McKinnon—until Week 7. 

There, Murray exploded against a strong Baltimore Ravens defensive front, rushing 18 times for 113 yards and a score. With a little patience behind a line like Minnesota's, runs like this occur: 

Owners will need to deal with an interesting tug of war between Murray and McKinnon the rest of the year and the latter is more versatile and will see the field because of his abilities as a receiver. 

But the Vikings discovering a work-horse back of sorts at the halfway point of the season is a big deal, especially because he was a touchdown hog in Oakland last year, scoring 12 times. 

Best of all? He starts with a cupcake in Week 8 against the Cleveland Browns. 

Robby Anderson, WR, NYJ

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It seems risky recommending a member of the New York Jets besides their running backs lately. 

But with Josh McCown playing solid football (he's a good add candidate as well), it creates a ripple effect of production, with a chunk of it going to wideout Robby Anderson. 

Anderson is far from a household name, but he's been a consistent presence for most of the season, tallying six or more targets four times. He's averaging 15.8 yards per catch, meaning big chunk plays like this aren't uncommon: 

Sometimes production presents itself in odd situations. Anderson resides in one of these, as he isn't a target hog like the aforementioned Landry, nor is he a touchdown machine considering he's scored twice this year. 

But Anderson as a whole makes for a great stash. He's the Jets' leading receiver in terms of yardage and targets and it seems the only way he can go from here is up, especially when the matchups are solid. 

Jonnu Smith, TE, TEN

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Speaking of guys who aren't household names, let's get to know Tennessee Titans rookie tight end Jonnu Smith. 

The third-round rookie out of Florida International had no value until this week thanks to Delaine Walker, who is on the shelf with a minor injury, according to Cameron Wolfe of ESPN. 

This situation is certainly something to monitor moving forward, as the rookie is a few weeks removed from leading the team in receptions while Matt Cassel lined up under center. 

Slowly, it seems Smith continues to work his way into a bigger role on the offense regardless of Walker, who always seems to play with some sort of injury. This is a future-minded add as a result, with the big-play Smith perhaps looking ready to make big contributions soon at fantasy's most fickle position. 

All scoring info, points-against info and ownership stats courtesy of Yahoo standard leagues.