Yesterday I was asked for advice on Week 8 Fantasy waiver options by an account on ‘X’ @justdoi52693783. As I put together my response, I figured it might be interesting to share with a broader audience. This was about waiver bids in his Guillotine league. Top starters were available but he had precious little resources to spend. He specifically asked about Stefon Diggs, Aaron Jones, Davante Adams, and Keon Coleman. On top of these names, I’m also adding my thoughts on fantasy football roster moves regarding the Wide Receivers in Thursday Night’s game.
Big Names in the Guillotine League
Stefon Diggs is clearly a top pick-up for a Guillotine waiver wire. He’s a high-value WR in general, but with Nico Collins still on Injured Reserve, likely through Nov 10, Diggs is the WR1 in Houston. Even when Nico comes back, at worst Diggs is WR2. He’s rostered in 99% of leagues, so everyone who has him should start him.
@justdoi ended up picking up Aaron Jones who’s demonstrably a high-value RB1.
- 11th in PPR among running backs
- Had a solid 20.6 last week
- His “questionable” status has been removed, having practiced in full on Wednesday
This is a good pickup in the Guillotine league and is another sure thing for an RB1 start.
Looking at Davante Adams, I say he’s much lower in value than the previous two players. He isn’t worth anything above WR3 in your starting line-up. I need at least another week to see how things come along. His arrival in NY last week was lackluster at best.
- He was targeted 9 times (good) but only caught 3 passes for a 33% completion rate (not good)
- Notably, his send-off from Vegas the week prior also had 9 targets, resulting in only 4 catches. That amounts to a 44% completion rate (really not good)
- To top it off, Aaron Rodgers is not looking all that great these past few weeks… or across the season,
This means that Davante should move down the Week 8 Fantasy roster as far as the Flex spot… or even to the bench. At least until you can be confident he and Rodgers are in sync.
Lastly, there’s Keon Coleman. I like him for a low bid on Guillotine waivers, with the intention of supplementing your depth during the bye period.
- He slots in well as a WR3 or Flex
- He had his most targets last week and is looking like the Bills’ deep ball threat (avg 20 yds/rec)
- Amari Cooper is going to be the WR1 in Buffalo and Khalil Shakir is a great utility receiver
That all means Coleman won’t rise above the lower spots on the Week 8 Fantasy roster but is solid for depth.
Thursday Night for the Week 8 Fantasy Football Roster
VIKINGS: The easy call is Justin Jefferson. He’s 4th in PPR among wide receivers accumulating top yards, catches, and touchdowns. Beyond him the Minnesota wide receiver spots are Jordan Addison and Jalen Nailor. Looking at Addison:
- He’s a low-volume receiver, only clearing about 4 targets per game
- He’s Minnesota’s deep ball threat, with an average depth of target of 18 yards
- While this will get you some yardage points, he’s only made it into the end zone once this season and is averaging only 3 catches per game
That all translates to about 8.4 points on average, which is fringe WR3 territory. Start him in that roster spot only out of pure necessity.
Jalen Nailor is roughly in the same boat.
- His target and catch volume ebbed up last week
- He had his most yards in a game for the season
- However, he hasn’t scored in several weeks
- Its difficult to say what his role is for this offense, because his recent production doesn’t look like the first few weeks
Like Addison, he is a fringe WR3 receiver. Use sparingly.
RAMS: The situation in LA is actually looking pretty bleak.
- Cooper Kupp is returning from injury, but there’s already trade talks in the air
- Puka Nakua is coming off Injured Reserve, and reports suggest he will play tonight in a reduced capacity
- Tutu Atwell has seen his targets increase… but his role in the route running has changed, so his yardage has declined sharply. Now, with Kupp and Puka possibly back, his role will slide back to WR3
- Then there is Demarcus Robinson:
- He’s seen a steady level of targets since the beginning of the season, but his completion percentage has been a bit of a roller coaster
- The thing is… it really isn’t his fault.
- He has 0% drop rate and has done a nice job getting separation
- This points to the real problem…
Matt Stafford is having a rough go of it this season. His accuracy has taken a downturn, with a mere 65% On Target percentage. This is a 10% drop compared to his accuracy rating over the past 4 years. He has only mustered 3 touchdown passes, with a career-low TD%. His number of interceptions is outpacing his TD numbers, with 4 picks so far.
This season he’s also producing his 4th worst yards per completion and yards per game out of the 16 year career. We’re also seeing his 3rd worst Passer Rating. He hasn’t rated this poorly since 2013. With the Quarterback performing like this, none of those LA Rams receivers look very compelling for Week 8 Fantasy Football Roster… says me.