Fantasy Football Week 8: 5 Must-Haves Off the Waiver Wire

Week 7 was another wild one in the NFL, with the three highest fantasy scorers of the week on a lot of owners' benches.

Darren McFadden personally stated that he saw about a “70 percent chance of playing Sunday” against the Broncos. Owners who benched him for just about any other back were incredibly disappointed.

McFadden was a man possessed against the divisional rival, totaling 196 yards from scrimmage and four touchdowns in a highlight-reel performance.

He averaged an astonishing 10.3 yards per carry and totaled a magnificent 43 points in standard scoring leagues.

The next big story of the day was sophomore stud Kenny Britt. The Titans' go-to guy in recent weeks was becoming a must-start receiver, but then news broke about his involvement in a bar room brawl earlier in the week.

Head coach Jeff Fisher said that Britt would not get the start as punishment, and furthermore, Kerry Collins was getting the start with Vince Young was nursing knee and ankle injuries.

Taking all this into consideration, you had to have someone equally useful on your bench, right?

Wrong.

Britt established himself as one of the premier receivers in the league with seven catches for 225 yards and three touchdowns. No Vince Young, no problem. 

The Rutgers product finished the day with a mind-boggling 32.1 yards per catch and a rock-solid 40 fantasy points.

Finally, the Bills' passing attack was arguably the biggest surprise of the day, with quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick having a career day.

He went 29-43 for 374 yards and four touchdowns. Although he also threw two interceptions, he doubled the fantasy output of some elite options such as Drew Brees.

The one thing that did not make this week unique was that it spawned plenty of worthwhile grabs still on the waiver wire. Let's see who is still most likely available in your league.

Lee Evans, WR Buffalo Bills

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ORCHARD PARK, NY - DECEMBER 20: Lee Evans #83 of the Buffalo Bills makes a catch as Leigh Bodden #23 of the New England Patriots defends at Ralph Wilson Stadium on December 20, 2009 in Orchard Park, New York.Evans was deemed to have come down out of bou

Fantasy football veterans remember when Evans was useful as a No. 2 wide receiver option between 2006 and 2008.

When the Bills acquired Terrell Owens in 2009, it did not take a genius to realize that Evans' fantasy value was going to plummet.

Then at the beginning of the season, Evans was next to invisible with quarterback Trent Edwards leading the pass attack.

However, the light at the end of the tunnel was close, as Edwards was benched and eventually cut for the lesser-known Ryan Fitzpatrick.

Don’t look now, but since getting the nod in Week 3, Fitzpatrick has looked like a franchise quarterback for the Bills, tossing 11 touchdowns with just four interceptions.

The Bills continue to lose due to problems just about everywhere else (the offensive line, the run game, defense in general), but this at least has given the pass attack hope again.

In turn, Evans is again fantasy relevant, with 11 catches for 192 yards and four touchdowns in the past two games.

Additionally, the Bills' schedule only features two elite pass defenses for the rest of the year (Week 12 at the Steelers, Week 17 at the Jets), and Jets starters could easily see some rest before the playoffs in the last week of the regular season.

For all these reasons, Evans is definitely worth adding in your league. If Fitzpatrick is somehow still available, he absolutely deserves to be starting this week if you have someone like, say, Jay Cutler or Kevin Kolb as your quarterback.

Steve Johnson, WR Buffalo Bills

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ORCHARD PARK, NY - OCTOBER 10: Steve Johnson #13 of the Buffalo Bills runs the sideline against the Jacksonville Jaguars at Ralph Wilson Stadium on October 10, 2010 in Orchard Park, New York. The Jaguars won 36-26 (Photo by Rick Stewart/Getty Images)

The Bills' pass attack has been such a pleasant surprise, with the remaining schedule so friendly for signal callers, this writer is actually recommending a second Bills receiver to grab.

Three viable fantasy options on the winless Buffalo Bills (don’t forget about Fitzpatrick)? Take a second to catch your breath.

Okay, so casual players in fantasy land probably do not have the skinny on Steve Johnson.

Although he is technically the third receiver on the depth chart, he is having a career year in his third season.

Johnson has five touchdowns in the past four games and is coming off a spectacular eight-catch, 158-yard performance (with a touchdown) against the Ravens.

While Johnson is not going to give owners a ton of 100-yard games, he is the Bills' preferred red zone target by a very wide margin.

Those putting in a claim for Lee Evans should also put one in for Johnson, just in case Evans is taken by someone with a higher priority claim.

Johnson is at the very least a great bye week fill-in or flex play for the rest of the year, as he should easily finish off the season with 10-plus touchdowns.

David Gettis, WR Carolina Panthers

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CHARLOTTE, NC - OCTOBER 24: David Gettis #12 of the Carolina Panthers catches a touchdown late in the fourth quarter against the San Francisco 49ers during their game at Bank of America Stadium on October 24, 2010 in Charlotte, North Carolina. (Photo by

Panthers fans with high expectations for rookie David Gettis in the preseason had to be disappointed by the anemic pass numbers posted by quarterbacks Matt Moore and Jimmy Clausen.

However, Moore got the nod over Clausen again in Week 7 and looks like he is finally ready to return to his late 2009 form.

Moore had a nice performance, going 28-41 for 308 yards, two touchdowns, and one interception.

The shocking part of Moore’s return to grace is that his favorite receiver on the day was David Gettis, not Steve Smith.

The North Carolina native finished the day with eight catches for 125 yards and two touchdowns, which included a crucial 23-yard game-tying score.

With DeAngelo Williams day-to-day with a foot injury, and with the Panthers' remaining schedule only seeing one elite defense (the Steelers in Week 16), expect Carolina to continue to try to revitalize its attack through the air.

Gettis is a solid pickup in deeper leagues and a nice wait and see player in shallow leagues with some room on the bench.

For those in exceptionally deep or competitive leagues, fellow rookie and teammate Brandon LaFell finished Week 7 with six catches for 91 yards, so he could have some sleeper appeal as the season goes on.

Patrick Crayton, WR San Diego Chargers

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OAKLAND, CA - OCTOBER 10: Patrick Crayton #12 of the San Diego Chargers can't reach a ball while defended by Stanford Routt #26 of the Oakland Raiders at Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum on October 10, 2010 in Oakland, California. (Photo by Ezra Shaw/Get

Crayton had become an afterthought in fantasy football circles, even after getting traded by the Cowboys to the Chargers just before Week 1.

The seventh-year veteran felt there were too many mouths to feed in Dallas between himself, Miles Austin, Roy Williams, and highly touted rookie Dez Bryant, so he asked to be traded to greener pastures.

Unfortunately, Crayton did not find any wiggle room in San Diego, even with star wide receiver Vincent Jackson holding out.

The Bolts' passing attack did not skip a beat with Antonio Gates, Malcom Floyd, and to a lesser extent Legedu Naanee seeing consistent play from quarterback Philip Rivers.

However, with Floyd and Naanee succumbing to hamstring injuries, Crayton has been the man reaping the benefits.

In the past two weeks as a No. 1 receiver, Crayton has 13 catches for 199 yards, obviously making him the favorite target of Rivers.

Floyd is expected to miss at least one more week while he nurses his hamstring, so although Week 8 is a less than ideal matchup against Tennessee, Crayton will continue to see plenty of targets.

Fantasy aficionados should not be scared off if Naanee returns in Week 8, as he has not seen a productive fantasy day outside of a five-catch, 110-yard performance in Week 1.

If Naanee also sits for another week, those in a bind could give Buster Davis a try. Davis had six catches in Week 7 and grabbed a touchdown in Week 6 and seems to see more targets in the red zone than Crayton.

James Jones, WR Green Bay Packers

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GREEN BAY, WI - AUGUST 26: James Jones #89 of the Green Bay Packers moves around Kelvin Hayden #26 of the Indianapolis Colts during a preseason game at Lambeau Field on August 26, 2010 in Green Bay, Wisconsin. The Packers defeated the Colts 59-24. (Photo

It is no secret that the NFL is quickly morphing into a passing league, so it should not be shocking that all five of this week’s picks are wide receivers.

The Packers are certainly no exception to the trend, especially due to the inconsistent play of running back Brandon Jackson.

Jones had a nice game against the Vikings in Week 7, notching 107 yards on just four catches.

Now, Jones is going to be a tough player to count on from week to week with Greg Jennings and Donald Driver in the mix, but he seems to be the guy with the most to gain with star tight end Jermichael Finley out for the rest of the year.

Believe it or not, Jones has great sleeper appeal in Week 8 against the Jets. With Gang Green’s cornerbacks Darrelle Revis and Antonio Cromartie likely preoccupied with Jennings and Driver, Jones could find a lot of openings in the middle of the field.

Despite the Jets' prolific defense, do not expect the Packers to shy away from the pass, as Rodgers is easily a top five quarterback in the league right now. 

Worst-case scenario: Jones is a good player to stash away on your bench and see if he continues to flourish in his upcoming games.