It was indeed a Happy National Tight End Day to all those who celebrate! Week 8 saw TEs go wild, with no fewer than fifteen scoring a touchdown on the week. To put things into context – Chig Okonkwo finished week 1 as the overall TE5 with 7.5 fantasy points…that wouldn’t have even cracked the top-15 this past weekend. Are tight ends back…probably not, but there are certainly a couple of them lurking on your waiver wire that could help you to a few victories down the stretch. Week 8 saw both the Houston Texans and the Jacksonville Jaguars lose almost their entire receiving corps to injuries…but neither of those passing offenses are worth targeting if you are chasing wins right now. Let’s take a look at some of the best additions you can make to your roster as we head into week 9 of the fantasy football season.
Rules for Selection & Order Priority
For a player to be considered to be added, they have to:
- Have an rostered % of 50% or under on ESPN
- Players below are listed by their roster %, not priority. Know your league settings. If there is a high-priority add, you’ll know.
Matthew Stafford (LAR) 30.1% rostered
After watching Stafford play on Thursday night, it does beg the question…how did we not see this coming? It seems like an eternity since the 2022 Super Bowl winning QB had a full complement of weapons, but with Cooper Kupp and Puka Nacua both returning to the lineup last week against the Vikings – Stafford is back in the streaming quarterback conversation. His 4TDs on TNF were double what he already had on the season…and more than make up for his second negative rushing game on the bounce. The Rams now travel to Seattle to face a middle of the pack Seahawks passing defense – he’s an auto start from here on out.
Jameis Winston (CLE) 6.4% rostered
Who likes crab legs? Jameis Winston certainly does, and you know what else he likes…winning ball games and scoring fantasy points. The former No.1 overall pick was brought in from the cold to lead the Cleveland Browns offense after Deshaun Watoson suffered a season-ending achilles tear last weekend against the Bengals. Winston treated us to the exact kind of performance fantasy managers have been screaming for in Cleveland these past few weeks – and things can only get better (hopefully) for Famous Jameis as the Browns host the Los Angeles Chargers in another favourable fantasy matchup. Until Nick Chubb gets up to speed, expect Winston to be passing 35+ times per game. It will be a wild ride, but I am all for it.
Also Consider – Justin Herbert (46.6%) & Bo Nix (32.2%) rostered
Tyrone Tracy (NYG) 53.8% rostered
How can anyone watch Tyrone Tracy play football and not break out into a huge smile? The rookie rusher out of Purdue has been one of the true diamonds to emerge from the latter stages of this year’s NFL Draft, with the 5th round pick more than paying back on the investment Giants’ management put into him. Tracy had his second 100+ rushing performance of the season in the MNF defeat to Pittsburgh, finishing as the overall RB3 on the week with 145-yards and a touchdown. Devin Singletary may be nearing full health, but this is Tracy’s backfield now. Sure he’s just over 50% rostered, but that’s far too low – if he’s available in your league, he is the top priority this week.
Isaac Guerendo (SF) 6.8% rostered
This is a wait and see kind of stash. On a week where the waiver wire is incredibly thin at the running back position, you could do worse than picking up Isaac Guerendo of the San Francisco 49ers. The rookie rusher scored the first touchdown of his NFL career in Prime Time as San Fran disposed of Dak Prescott and the Cowboys at Levi’s Stadium. Jordan Mason was in and out of the game with a shoulder injury which gave Guerendo an opportunity to once again show why the 49ers drafted him in the fourth round. San Francisco are on a bye this week, and there are talks Christian McCaffrey could return to action in week 10…but with CMC yet to see the practise field, and Jordan Mason potentially banged up – I am more than willing to take a shot on Guerendo.
Also Consider – Ezekiel Elliott (41.9%), Tyler Allgeier (40.5%) & Braelon Allen (35.4%) rostered
Josh Downs (IND) 42.1% rostered
As of Tuesday afternoon, this went from being a potentially good add to a great one. Anthony Richardson has lost his job as the starter for the Indianapolis Colts, with Joe Flacco once again stepping in to lead this offense. In games where Flacco started this year, Downs finished as the WR9, WR28 and WR16 – you can’t ask for much more than that from a guy available in over 50% of leagues. If Flacco remains the starting QB for the Colts the rest of the way – Downs could be a league winner. Pick him up immediately.
Cedric Tillman (CLE) 28.9% rostered
The Browns’ Cedric Tillman ranks 2nd in total targets, 2nd in total receptions and 1st in total fantasy points at the wide receiver position these last two weeks…who’d have thought it? With Amari Cooper out of the picture, someone had to step up at the WR1 for this offense, and although most of us though that would be Jerry Jeudy, it appears that Tillman is the one who joins David Njoku as the pass-catchers to own in northern Ohio moving forward. Cleveland are on a bye next week, so don’t invest too much into Tillman, but if you are really struggling at the WR position – he is a great addition to your roster this week.
Also Consider – Jalen McMillan (49.9%), Ricky Pearsall (37.7%), Xavier Legette (25.1%) & Elijah Moore (3.8%) rostered.
Cade Otton (TB) 46.7% rostered
I am absolutely delighted to share that I survived playing against Cade Otton in week 8…just. With Mike Evans out until at least week 11 and Chris Godwin done for the year – there were fears this Tampa Bay passing offense would disappear off the face of the Earth for the next few weeks. Turns out – Baker Mayfield is pretty good…as is his tight end, third-year 4th round pick, Cade Otton. Mayfield put up 330-yards and 3 touchdowns in the 26-31 defeat at home to the Falcons, but despite the loss, Cade Otton balled out – finishing the week as the TE2 with 9 receptions for 81-yards and 2 touchdowns. This was by far Otton’s best fantasy performance of his relatively short career – but with the Bucs top pass-catching option out for a few more weeks, Otton should see plenty of work to make him a top-level start at the position.
Zach Ertz (WAS) 40.0% rostered
Inject it into my veins. I was openly ridiculed for not selecting a tight end until the last round in my long-running 14-team league. I stocked up on high value wideouts and running backs, leaving it until the very last minute to grab a flyer at the TE position…and that flyer is currently the TE11 on the year and is the go-to short-yardage target for one of the most electrifying QBs in the league. Zach Ertz ended week 8 as the TE13…but still posted double-digit fantasy points on National Tight End Day, hauling in 7-of-11 targets from Jayden Daniels in the Washington Commanders last-gasp, hail-mary victory over the Chicago Bears. Sure, Sunday was a great day at the position…but don’t be fooled. Ertz is one of the most consistent guys at the position on the year so far, doing it all with only 1 TD. He’s a solid add in deeper formats, or even 10-teamers if you are struggling.
Also Consider – Taysom Hill (26.3%) & Mike Gesicki (9.9%) rostered
There you have it! Any questions, or want some more specific help for your league on who to drop, just reach out. Reach out on social media, you can find us on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram. Or jump into our Discord server. And checkout out rankings for each Week.
