The roster percentages for this column are updated every Friday morning, and any players from Thursday’s Falcons-Panthers game have been taken out.
Each week of the NFL season, we will identify fantasy football waiver-wire pickups specifically for those of you looking for streaming options in deeper formats (including IDP leagues). These are players available in a majority of ESPN Fantasy leagues who have enticing matchups in the week ahead that make them worthy of consideration for your lineup.
Looking to make a trade but not sure where to start? New in the ESPN App, the Trade Assistant is a matchmaking tool that assesses your team needs and depth versus every other team in your league and suggests trades for fantasy managers to either propose or dismiss.
Most trade offers: Michael Thomas (207,252 offers)
Thomas’ value continues to be a moving target as real-life trade speculation popped up this week. The Saints have nothing but fantasy-friendly opponents in December, so if you can be patient, Thomas profiles as a player to ask about.
Highest trade acceptance rate: Aaron Rodgers (10.9%)
Rodgers recovered nicely from a down Week 6 in a blowout win over the Texans and should be viewed as a difference-maker the rest of the way. His bye is in the rearview and it’s tough to argue with four home games in a five-week stretch when you need it most (Weeks 12-16).
Highest rejection rate: Antonio Brown (97%)
The idea of adding and trading Brown is easier said than done. While there is significant risk in targeting the former All-Pro, the Bucs do end the season with four straight games against bottom-seven defenses vs. fantasy WRs.
Trade Assistant with IBM Watson brought to you in partnership with ESPN
While you might notice some overlap with Field Yates’ pickup column that publishes on Mondays, an important distinction is that the options mentioned in this column are focused solely on this week’s matchup and not the players’ values for the remainder of the season.
Do you need replacement options for injured players? Or are you merely dealing with depth issues? A roundtable of fantasy analysts and NFL Nation reporters will join me to identify some choice names to consider each week.
Here are some of our favorites for Week 8:
Quarterback
Jimmy Garoppolo, San Francisco 49ers (26.0% rostered; at Seahawks)
Speaking of historically generous pass defenses facing efficient offenses, this setup for Garoppolo should see him bounce back nicely from last week’s poor fantasy showing. Seattle is sitting 29th in pressure rate, so Jimmy G should have time to throw. Even with a depleted crew of receivers and a thin backfield, there are enough playmakers still in the mix to support Garoppolo in this soft matchup. -J.M.
Running Back
Carlos Hyde, Seattle Seahawks (44.9% rostered; vs. 49ers)
I know Hyde isn’t an exciting young back with breakout potential, but luckily there are no “style points” in fantasy. And he should definitely get the volume as long as Chris Carson is out of the lineup. Hyde had 15 carries for 68 yards and a TD in Week 7 — not to mention 1,070 yards in Houston last season. ESPN Seahawks reporter Brady Henderson said they have a couple of other pass-catching backs they might use in a rotational role, but they specifically liked Hyde in free agency because he has “the size and physicality to approximate what Carson gives Seattle on early downs.” -Mike Triplett, NFL Nation Saints reporter
Zack Moss, Buffalo Bills (36.5% rostered; vs. Patriots)
Far more efficient last week than peer Devin Singletary and with nearly equal touch and snap rates in the win over the Jets, Moss is seemingly rising in the Buffalo backfield. Earning an endorsement for a second straight week in this space, there are some key positives to consider with the rookie. Moss was the primary goal-line back earlier in the season, while the team has rarely deployed Singletary in such scenarios since the start of last season. Another angle in his favor is New England has struggled against the rush, allowing a generous 4.6 yards per carry to backs and more than 24 fantasy points per game to backfields, leaving room for both Buffalo backs to flirt with flex value this weekend. -J.M.
Wide Receiver
Brandon Aiyuk, San Francisco 49ers (57.0% rostered; at Seahawks)
2 Related
The talented rookie wideout has everything going for him this week. He is coming off a career-best performance against a tough
Alvaro Morata can’t catch a break right now.
The Juventus forward had three goals chalked off during Wednesday’s Champions League match against Barcelona, being ruled offside by the slimmest of margins on all three occasions.
Morata has recently had goals nullified by VAR in Serie A, too. As the saying goes, if he didn’t have bad luck, he’d have none at all.