Fantasy Football: Players to drop for your Week 8 waiver wire pickups
By Jennifer Eakins, 4for4
Special to Yahoo Sports
We have no teams on byes this week which may make things a bit trickier as far as fantasy drops go. It’s the halfway point of the regular fantasy season, and we should always be looking for roster improvements, so cutting players who aren’t producing is a necessary evil. If you’re looking for some players to stash for future use, I have you covered there as well.
Deshaun Watson, QB, Browns (74% rostered on Yahoo)
The 74% of fantasy managers holding out hope for Watson from 2020 to walk through the door may need to accept that it’s not happening. Not only is he still recovering from shoulder/head injuries, but there is just no confidence in starting the QB outside of a 2QB or Superflex formats.
Before leaving last week’s tilt against the Colts, Watson completed just 1-of-5 passes for a measly five yards, and on the season, he currently sits 27th among QBs in completion percentage (61.7%), 26th in yards per attempt (6.4) and 24th in interception rate (2.8).
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Tyler Higbee, TE, Rams (60% rostered)
Since the return of WR Cooper Kupp in Week 5, Higbee has posted just five total catches for 47 scoreless yards. When sharing the field with arguably the best WR tandem in the game, Higbee has seen only three targets per contest. He just can’t be supported in the 2023 version of the Rams offense. With 60% of Yahoo managers still rolling with Higbee, it’s time to upgrade to someone like Jake Ferguson, Logan Thomas or Dalton Kincaid.
Khalil Herbert, RB, Bears (65% rostered)
If he’s parked in an IR spot on your roster that’s perfectly fine, but if Herbert is taking up a precious bench space, it’s time to let him go. Herbert is on the NFL IR until at least Week 10, but with that high-ankle sprain, his return could be pushed even later. D'Onta Foreman had himself a Week 7, posting a 16-89-2 line in the rushing department, with an additional three catches for 31 yards and a score through the air.
Rookie Roschon Johnson should be back this week, plus the upcoming schedule for Chicago is unsavory for RBs with contests against the Saints (Week 9), Lions (Week 11) and Vikings (Week 12) before a Week 13 bye. With maximum points needed each and every week, Herbert is best served on the waiver wire or someone else’s roster.
Antonio Gibson, RB, Commanders (52% rostered)
The dog house is tough to return from in the NFL and Antonio Gibson still hasn’t recovered from a Week 1 fumble (or another in Week 3). That may not really be the reason the Washington RB is not seeing any volume, but he’s been out-touched by Chris Rodriguez 11-8 over the last two contests and is only averaging 2.7 targets per game, which is usually where he makes the donuts.
Washington sits 29th in rushing attempts and considering Gibson appears to have fallen to third in the pecking order in an anemic run offense, he’s tough to justify as even insurance moving forward.
Zach Evans, RB, Rams (33% rostered)
For the second week in a row, one of the hottest waiver wire pickups turned out to be a huge dud. Evans saw zero action in Week 7, not even entering the game for one snap against the Steelers. Darrell Henderson and Royce Freeman got all the backfield work with Kyren Williams sidelined, and it’s pretty safe to say we can send Evans swiftly back to the waiver wire.
On Thin Ice
Jameson Williams, WR, Lions
Dameon Pierce, RB, Texans
This article was originally published on 4for4.com
More from 4for4.com: 8 stash candidates ahead of Week 8
A proud alumna of the UGA Grady College of Journalism, Jennifer Eakins has been working in the sports industry for well over a decade. She has had stints with CNN Sports, the Atlanta Hawks and the Colorado Rockies. Her first fantasy football draft took place in 1996 where she selected Ricky Watters with the first overall pick, and she has been a fantasy degenerate ever since.