Welcome to the Week 8 waiver wire watch!
Another weekend of NFL action is mostly in the books and we’re quickly approaching the midway point of the 2025 regular season. We still have two Monday night matchups to get to, but it’s not too early to start looking for ways to fortify your rosters for next week.
We’ll go over some Week 7 performers that you should consider scooping off the waiver wire ahead of Week 8 and as always, we’ll classify a waiver add as someone who is rostered in 60% of leagues at the max. Something to note is that six teams are on byes this week, so you’ll really have to be attentive to your roster situation.
Week 8 byes: Arizona Cardinals, Detroit Lions, Jacksonville Jaguars, Las Vegas Raiders, Los Angeles Rams, Seattle Seahawks
Joe Flacco, QB, Cincinnati Bengals (10.1%)
Hey, would you look at that. The old man still has some gas left in the tank.
Flacco was slinging it in his second start with the Bengals on Thursday, throwing for 342 yards and three touchdowns in a 33-31 victory over the Steelers that might have saved their season. The “get the ball to Ja’Marr Chase and Tee Higgins” strategy was a successful one for the Super Bowl 47 MVP as he connected with Cincy’s star wideouts 22 times throughout the night to great results.
Whether it was with the Browns or the Colts, the 40-year-old has shown over the past few years that he can inject some life into a struggling offense and he has the chance to get the Bengals right back into AFC playoff mix. He also has a chance to light up a dead-in-the-water Jets team next week and hey, if you need a QB streamer, he’ll be sitting right there.
Week 8 matchup: vs. New York Jets, 1 p.m. ET
Jaxson Dart, QB, New York Giants (45.9%)
The Giants’ fourth-quarter meltdown against the Broncos on Sunday was brutal, but they at least continue to get positive returns out of Dart as the starter. The first-round rookie from Ole Miss didn’t have the most accurate day through the air, but it was a productive one with 283 yards, three touchdowns, and one pick in the 33-32 loss. He also continues to show off his legs as his touchdown run in the final minute put the G-Men back on top and seemingly sealed the game.
Dart has given the Giants a shot in the arm since taking over about a month ago and he’s gaining confidence with each passing week. He’s also quickly becoming a hot commodity on the waiver wire and this week will probably be your last opportunity to grab him before it’s too late.
Week 8 matchup: @ Philadelphia Eagles, 1 p.m. ET
Kyle Monangai, RB, Chicago Bears (7.1%)
The Bears put down the Saints 26-12 on Sunday and were able to do so with D’Andre Swift and Kyle Monangai gashing New Orleans on the ground. The rookie Monangai had the most productive day of his young career by far, taking 13 carries for 81 yards and a touchdown on the ground, also adding a few receptions to his ledger for good measure.
It was the first game that the seventh-round pick had double-digit touches and his effort may earn him a bigger role in Chicago’s offense moving forward. Especially if Caleb Williams continues to have mediocre outings like he did on Sunday. Keep an eye out for the rising tailback.
Week 8 matchup: @ Baltimore Ravens, 1 p.m. ET
Bam Knight, RB, Arizona Cardinals (21.8%)
The Cards dropped their fifth straight game in a 27-23 loss to the Packers, but they may have found some stability in the backfield with Knight holding down the fort. The once fourth-string running back had double-digit carries for a second week, taking 14 rushing attempts for 57 yards on the ground while also grabbing three targets through the air. We’ll see where Arizona’s RB situation stands when they return from their bye in a few weeks but as of now, Knight is a guy you should continue to have on your mind if you’re scrambling for depth.
Xavier Legette, WR, Carolina Panthers (14.5%)
Hey, uh, the Panthers have won three straight games? And they’re actually above .500 entering late October? That’s the state of things after they got to cash in their “win over the Jets” coupon this week and Legette turned out to be the star of the offense. The second-year wideout had the best game of his young career so far, hauling in nine of 11 targets for 92 yards and the team’s only touchdown in their 13-6 victory.
The 2024 first-rounder had only seen five combined targets in their previous two games and it marked just the second time in his entire career where drew double-digit targets from a Panthers QB. Was this an anomaly or the beginning of him becoming a lynchpin of the offense? We’ll find out in the coming weeks and if you’re curious, he should be sitting right there on the waiver wire.
Week 8 matchup: vs. Buffalo Bills, 1 p.m. ET
Chimere Dike, WR, Tennessee Titans (1.4%)
If you watched the first half of the Titans’ 31-13 loss to the Patriots on Sunday, you could see brief glimpses of what a functioning Cam Ward offense could look like. Case in point, the 38-yard strike he delivered to Dike to put them up a touchdown in the first quarter. The fourth-round rookie out of Florida ended up with four receptions for 70 yards and that score in the loss.
Interim head coach Mike McCoy said before the game that the Titans staff will try to make things easier for Ward by simplifying the offense and that could mean more easy targets for rookie weapons like Dike. With a rostership of less than 2%, the lane is wide open for you to snag him off the wire.
Week 8 matchup: vs. Buffalo Bills, 1 p.m. ET
Oronde Gadsden II, TE, Los Angeles Chargers (4.4%)
Continuing the trend of rookie players having breakout games this week, there was none bigger than Gadsden’s performance in the Chargers’ 38-24 loss to the Colts. The fifth-rounder out of Syracuse was a monster throughout the entire afternoon at SoFi Stadium, coming away with seven grabs for 164 yards and his first career touchdown. He ended up finishing Sunday’s slate as the top fantasy tight end in half PPR formats.
After a quiet first month of the season, Gadsden has combined for 17 targets over the last two weeks and he’s quickly joined Quentin Johnston, Keenan Allen, and Ladd McConkey in the stable of dangerous pass-catching options for Justin Herbert. His stock is quickly rising and you have a capitalize on this by submitting a waiver bid this week.
Week 8 matchup: vs. Minnesota Vikings, 8:15 p.m. ET (Thursday night)
Pat Freiermuth, TE, Pittsburgh Steelers (7.0%)
Some of you were probably thinking “hey, where’s Pat Freiermuth? I haven’t really heard much from him this season” and then, boom. He goes off in primetime this past Thursday. The fifth-year veteran played a vital role in the Steelers 33-31 loss to the Bengals with five receptions for 111 yards and two touchdowns, the second score being a 68-yarder that gave the Steelers a brief lead late in the fourth quarter.
Prior to last Thursday, the veteran had mostly been sharing the workload with Jonnu Smith and it’s depressed both of their fantasy values so far this season. However, a strengthening rapport with Aaron Rodgers could bear fruit in the coming weeks and could be something worth looking into if you need tight end depth.
Week 8 matchup: vs. Green Bay Packers, 8:20 p.m. ET
