Fantasy Football 2015 Waiver Wire: Week 8

Another week ends and we lose another fantasy superstar who it feels we just got back in Arian Foster. Owners will certainly be scrambling to the wire for his backups, but in all likelihood his handcuff(s) may not be available. Or if you are an unfortunate Foster owner you may already have a serviceable backup. After all it was only inevitable Foster would get hurt again, right?

In any case the waiver wire continues to thin, and even with injuries or underperformers there aren’t many more hidden gems to rush out and claim.

This week I am only seeing a few names on waiver wire that I am willing to make a move for. With bye weeks continuing, your hand may be forced to make a move, but unfortunately the wire is thinning quickly this season.

Good luck this week everyone. If you are having issues with who to drop, or hold from your fantasy teams, be sure to check out my latest series called Patience or Panic where I analyze players who are under-performing and whether you need to cut bait or hold.

I will be here to guide you each and every week with some players who are owned less than 40 percent in ESPN.com leagues and could have an impact on your squad for this particular week or the rest of the season.

1. Darren McFadden, RB, Dallas Cowboys (42.6 percent owned in ESPN.com leagues)

McFadden is owned over 40 percent so he shouldn’t count. However he looked explosive and shouldered the Cowboys’ workload this past week with 29 carries for 152 yards and a touchdown.

We have to be honest though. Joseph Randle left the game with a back injury, which led to McFadden getting the added carries. He looked great, but there is no reason to trust him to continue to perform as well, and most importantly continue to get the touches. And what about Chrstine Michael? The Cowboys get the Seahawks in Week 8, so beware if you are expecting a repeat of Week 7. I am willing to bid on McFadden, but not too much of my FAAB to get him.

2. Brandon LaFell, WR, New England Patriots (37.6 percent owned)

LaFell returned from injured reserve and did nothing in Week 7. He caught two passes for 25 yards. This is a good thing for those looking to add a high-upside receiver this week. LaFell may be getting overlooked this week, but he is worth picking up if he is floating out on the wires.

He also had six drops. SIX! That is unbelievable, and shouldn’t continue. He catches most of those drops and we are looking at a dramatically different outcome. LaFell is clearly not the top weapon in the Patriots’ offense but he could be a nice bench player or bye week fill-in.

3. Alfred Blue, RB, Houston Texans (18.8 percent owned)

Here we go again talking about Blue with the tragic news on Arian Foster. Foster dominated and looked fantastic until he tore his Achilles late in the game.

Once again, Blue’s name will be mentioned as the next man up in the Texans’ backfield. Blue can’t do nearly as much as Foster can but if he gets carries he can grind out some decent numbers each week.

4. Chris Polk, RB, Houston Texans (1.2 percent owned)

Polk should be a popular add this week with news of Foster’s season-ending injury. In PPR formats Polk should be even more valuable. Foster’s catches will need to go somewhere and Polk is the likely recipient. Again he shouldn’t be considered an RB1 or RB2, but he will make a decent flex play for owners in a pinch or without their star running back.

DST Streamer(s) of the Week

I am a part of the streaming DST movement. I don’t typically waste a draft pick, unless I need to, in my drafts and instead cut someone and add a DST. Clearly the top defenses will be owned and not available, but streaming is always an option when it comes to DSTs. So each week I will be providing a DST that is owned in less than 30 percent of ESPN.com leagues and can be useful.

New York Giants at New Orleans Saints (19.4 percent owned in ESPN.com leagues)

The Giants have a fantastic kick returner and although the Saints don’t have a turnover-prone offense this defense has the potential to make big mistakes turn in to fantasy points. Drew Brees may not make many mistakes, but if he does the Giants will certainly capitalize.

— Written by Chris Meyers, who is part of the Athlon Contributor Network and a member of the FSWA. Meyers' work appears on many other sites, including socalledfantasyexperts.com. Follow him on Twitter @FantsyChillpony.