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Tuesday, October 25, 2022
It seemed like the waiver wire run for Week 8 was going to be pretty straightforward coming out of Sunday: If Michael Carter was available, you were going to drop a bunch of FAB on him; if he wasn't, you'd go with Gus Edwards. Easy. 
But the Jets decision to trade for James Robinson seemingly threw a wrench in those plans. They lost Breece Hall for the season, and their reaction was to immediately trade for a guy who has been an RB1 before. Why would you break the bank for Carter in those circumstances? 
In his write-up of the deal Monday night, Dave Richard argues you probably shouldn't:
"Carter is obviously worth rostering but isn't likely to be any better than a No. 3 running back for however long Robinson makes an impact. He should still be on the hook for at least 10 touches per week and roughly 40% of the snaps with the Jets, but it's unlikely he'll be used regularly in high-value situations like near the goal line."
I don't necessarily agree, though you'll have to keep reading today's newsletter to see why -- in the industry, we call that a tease. Also in today's newsletter, you'll find Jamey Eisenberg's top waiver-wire targets for Week 8 along with my initial rankings for each position. And, for more help with injuries and waiver claims, make sure you tune in to Fantasy Football Today on CBS Sports HQ at noon ET  today as we talk about the latest injuries and storylines. And for more help locking in your waiver-wire claims make sure you're subscribed to the FFT YouTube channel, where we'll be taking your questions live for an hour starting at 8 p.m. 
Tomorrow, we'll have Heath Cummings' previews for each position plus some trade advice coming out of Week 7 -- email your trade questions to Chris.Towers@ViacomCBS.com with the subject line "#AskFFT" to be included. And here's what else we've got on tap in today's newsletter: 
  • ➕Top Week 8 Waiver Wire Targets
  • 📈Week 8 Rankings First Look📉
➕Top Week 8 Waiver Wire Targets
Here's where I disagree with Dave. Not strenuously, mind you, but I do think Carter is still a big prize on waivers in the 35-ish% of CBS Fantasy leagues where he's still available.
Mostly because I just don't think Robinson is much of a threat at this point. He broke a couple of long runs early on in the season that made his numbers look pretty good, but even on those plays, Robinson didn't exactly look fast -- he got big holes, he hit them hard, and it gave him enough of a head start that the defense couldn't catch up to him. But he's done practically nothing since Week 3, when he had a 50-yard touchdown and another 20-yard run, one of four runs he had of at least 20 yards in the first three games. 
His longest run since then? 14 yards. All told, 38% of his rushing yards for the season came on those four runs, and he's averaging 3.7 yards per carry and 3.3 yards per target in four games since. He was so bad the Jaguars didn't even give him a touch in Week 7 before trading him -- he had one lone target on his 12 snaps, a deep shot Robinson never really had a chance on, probably because of the lack of speed. 
This is all to say, if Carter shows a bit of life, I think he can run away with this job. Robinson will be present because the Jets want to use two backs, and he might even take enough goal-line work to be a real thorn in the side of Carter's Fantasy value. But I'm ranking Carter as a top-24 back for Week 8, and those kinds of players aren't usually available on the waiver wire. You should take advantage of this one if he's out there in your league
Here are the rest of Jamey Eisenberg's top targets on waivers for Week 8:
Jamey Eisenberg's top targets
  1. Michael Carter, RB, Jets 
  2. Gus Edwards, RB, Ravens
  3. D'Onta Foreman/Chuba Hubbard, RB, Panthers
  4. Greg Dulcich, TE, Broncos
  5. Daniel Jones, QB, Giants
📈Week 8 Rankings📉
Here are my initial rankings for Week 8, but you should check out the links below for more of my thoughts on more than 90 players for Week 8 at quarterback, running back, wide receiver, and tight end. And those will be updated throughout the week, so make sure you keep them handy for when you're setting your lineups. These are all for PPR leagues:
Top-150 Flex Rankings
  1. Cooper Kupp vs. SF
  2. Justin Jefferson vs. ARI
  3. Tyreek Hill @DET
  4. Saquon Barkley @SEA
  5. Jonathan Taylor vs. WAS
  6. Josh Jacobs @NO
  7. Stefon Diggs @GB
  8. Alvin Kamara vs. LV
  9. Ja'Marr Chase @CLE
  10. Derrick Henry @HOU
  11. Christian McCaffrey @LAR
  12. Davante Adams @NO
  13. Leonard Fournette vs. BAL
  14. A.J. Brown vs. PIT
  15. Joe Mixon @CLE
  16. Rhamondre Stevenson @NYJ
  17. Chris Godwin vs. BAL
  18. Kenneth Walker vs. NYG
  19. DeAndre Hopkins @MIN
  20. Amon-Ra St. Brown vs. MIA
  21. Tee Higgins @CLE
  22. Dalvin Cook vs. ARI
  23. Nick Chubb vs. CIN
  24. Aaron Jones @BUF
  25. Deebo Samuel @LAR
  26. Travis Etienne vs. DEN
  27. Eno Benjamin @MIN
  28. Darrell Henderson vs. SF
  29. Miles Sanders vs. PIT
  30. Mike Evans vs. BAL
  31. CeeDee Lamb vs. CHI
  32. Dameon Pierce vs. TEN
  33. Ezekiel Elliott vs. CHI
  34. Jaylen Waddle @DET
  35. Chris Olave vs. LV
  36. DeVonta Smith vs. PIT
  37. Mark Andrews @TB
  38. Tyler Lockett vs. NYG
  39. Amari Cooper vs. CIN
  40. Michael Carter vs. NE
  41. Raheem Mostert @DET
  42. Jamaal Williams vs. MIA
  43. Dallas Goedert vs. PIT
  44. Gabe Davis @GB
  45. Michael Pittman vs. WAS
  46. Brandin Cooks vs. TEN
  47. Christian Kirk vs. DEN
  48. Courtland Sutton @JAX
  49. Terry McLaurin @IND
  50. Jakobi Meyers @NYJ
  51. George Kittle @LAR
  52. Devin Singletary @GB
  53. Tyler Higbee vs. SF
  54. Adam Thielen vs. ARI
  55. Najee Harris @PHI
  56. Hunter Renfrow @NO
  57. Jerry Jeudy @JAX
  58. Antonio Gibson @IND
  59. Wan'Dale Robinson @SEA
  60. Diontae Johnson @PHI
  61. Brandon Aiyuk @LAR
  62. George Pickens @PHI
  63. Curtis Samuel @IND
  64. D.J. Moore @ATL
  65. David Montgomery @DAL
  66. Rondale Moore @MIN
  67. Michael Gallup vs. CHI
  68. Pat Freiermuth @PHI
  69. Allen Robinson vs. SF
  70. Zach Ertz @MIN
  71. Tyler Allgeier vs. CAR
  72. T.J. Hockenson vs. MIA
  73. Josh Reynolds vs. MIA
  74. Romeo Doubs @BUF
  75. D'Onta Foreman @ATL
  76. Rashod Bateman @TB
  77. Evan Engram vs. DEN
  78. Drake London vs. CAR
  79. Darnell Mooney @DAL
  80. Gus Edwards @TB
  81. Tyler Boyd @CLE
  82. Melvin Gordon @JAX
  83. Robert Tonyan @BUF
  84. Chase Claypool @PHI
  85. Ben Skowronek vs. SF
  86. Tony Pollard vs. CHI
  87. Dalton Schultz vs. CHI
  88. Nyheim Hines vs. WAS
  89. Alec Pierce vs. WAS
  90. Robert Woods @HOU
  91. Kyle Pitts vs. CAR
  92. Donovan Peoples-Jones vs. CIN
  93. Khalil Herbert @DAL
  94. Zay Jones vs. DEN
  95. Chuba Hubbard @ATL
  96. Darius Slayton @SEA
  97. Hayden Hurst @CLE
  98. Garrett Wilson vs. NE
  99. Brian Robinson Jr. @IND
  100. Kareem Hunt vs. CIN
  101. Foster Moreau @NO
  102. A.J. Dillon @BUF
  103. Marquise Goodwin vs. NYG
  104. Latavius Murray @JAX
  105. Damien Harris @NYJ
  106. Rex Burkhead vs. TEN
  107. Isaiah McKenzie @GB
  108. James Robinson vs. DEN
  109. Tyler Conklin vs. NE
  110. Parris Campbell vs. WAS
  111. Juwan Johnson vs. LV
  112. Keaontay Ingram @MIN
  113. Mack Hollins @NO
  114. Devin Duvernay @TB
  115. James Robinson vs. NE
  116. DeVante Parker @NYJ
  117. Trent Sherfield @DET
  118. Rachaad White vs. BAL
  119. Mark Ingram vs. LV
  120. K.J. Osborn vs. ARI
  121. Mike Gesicki @DET
  122. Dawson Knox @GB
  123. Robbie Anderson @MIN
  124. Jeff Wilson @LAR
  125. Irv Smith vs. ARI
  126. Taysom Hill vs. LV
  127. Cade Otton vs. BAL
  128. Richie James @SEA
  129. Dontrell Hilliard @HOU
  130. Craig Reynolds vs. MIA
  131. Marquez Callaway vs. LV
  132. Kenyan Drake @TB
  133. Kenneth Gainwell vs. PIT
  134. Sammy Watkins @BUF
  135. Alexander Mattison vs. ARI
  136. J.D. McKissic @IND
  137. Noah Fant vs. NYG
  138. Kylen Granson vs. WAS
  139. Greg Dulcich @JAX
  140. Will Dissly vs. NYG
  141. Jaylen Warren @PHI
  142. Kyle Philips @HOU
  143. Noah Brown vs. CHI
  144. Benny Snell vs. CAR
  145. Tyquan Thornton @NYJ
  146. Malcolm Brown vs. SF
  147. Hunter Henry @NYJ
  148. Russell Gage vs. BAL
  149. Khalil Shakir @GB
  150. Olamide Zaccheaus vs. CAR
 
 
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