Week 8 Fantasy Football Wide Receiver Waiver Adds: Jauan Jennings Or Ricky Pearsall?

Welcome to the Week 8 fantasy football wide receiver waiver wire breakdown! This week, the big receiver news is, once again, an injury. Star 49ers receiver Brandon Aiyuk has been ruled out for the season with a torn ACL. Let’s break down some potential options to replace him, both in San Francisco and around the league.

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Week 8 Fantasy Football Wide Receiver Waiver Adds

Jauan Jennings, San Franciso 49ers (51.1% Rostered)

I’m breaking my unwritten role of only featuring players rostered in under 50% of leagues for this one, but I can’t not feature Jennings with Aiyuk now out for the season. In the one week this season where he served as one of the 49ers’ top two receivers, Jennings dropped 41 Half-PPR points. 

Obviously, that’s not going to happen again. And, there’s a chance Jennings isn’t even the 49ers’ WR2 now that first-round rookie Ricky Pearsall is healthy (more on him later). But, assuming he is recovered from his own hip injury, I expect Jennings to serve as San Francisco’s WR2 behind Deebo Samuel for the foreseeable future. Combine that with his elite 25% target per route run rate (which actually ranks first among 49ers receivers) so far this season, and Jennings could be a legit weekly fantasy starter. 

Update: Deebo Samuel has been hospitalized with pneumonia. Both Jennings and Pearsall should be given a bump in waiver priority.

Ricky Pearsall, San Francisco 49ers (14.2% Rostered)

While I do think Jennings will claim the 49ers’ WR2 job, I’d be remiss not to mention Pearsall. A first-round selection out of the University of Florida Pearsall’s NFL debut was delayed after he was shot in an attempted robbery during the preseason. He took the field for the first time on Sunday, catching three of five targets for 21 yards.

While we don’t have much to go off of for Pearsall as an NFL player, we can look back at the prospect profile that saw him drafted in the first round. An impressive route runner, many draft analysts projected Pearsall to serve a slot role in the NFL (this is probably how the 49ers hoped to use him, alongside both Deebo and Aiyuk). The ability to get open is perhaps the most important ability for a fantasy wide receiver, so Pearsall is certainly an intriguing option. He’s not a must-add, but I would scoop him up in deeper formats. If he can beat out Jennings for an every-down role, the rookie has exciting upside in this offense.  

Update: Deebo Samuel has been hospitalized with pneumonia. Both Jennings and Pearsall should be given a bump in waiver priority.

Cedric Tillman, Cleveland Browns (0.7% Rostered)

With Amari Cooper traded to Buffalo, Jerry Jeudy was expected to step up as the Browns’ leading receiver. Instead, Tillman led Cleveland’s WRs in every major statistical category on Sunday, catching eight of his 12 targets for 81 yards. 

A third-rounder in the NFL Draft, Tillman played a part-time role over the first six weeks of the season, averaging just a 23.5% route participation rate. With Cooper out of town, that immediately skyrocketed to 80.4% — second among the team’s WRs behind Jeudy at 92.9%. In fact, you can make an argument that Tillman is the direct replacement for Cooper to serve the X role in the Browns’ offense. This theory is backed up by the fact that he saw a 31.3% first-read target share in Week 7, not far from Cooper's average of 33.3% (Jeudy was at 12.5%, below his season average).

Now, I don’t expect Tillman to see 12 targets every week or match Cooper's insane 49.6% air yards share (he was at 36.7% in Week 7). In fact, it’s probably still more likely than not that Jeudy leads the Browns’ receivers in targets the rest of the way. Combine that with David Njoku also racking up targets and Cleveland’s overall offensive ineptitude, and Tillman may never be a weekly option. But, especially with Deshaun Watson no longer holding this offense back, Tillman is definitely worth adding. 

Demario Douglas, New England Patriots (32.1% Rostered)

On the surface, this week was terrible for Douglas. He posted a season-low 31% route participation rate and caught just two of three targets for 14 yards. However, it was revealed after the game that the sophomore WR was dealing with an illness. He should bounce back to around his previous average of 72.4% route participation next week.

Of course, the issue with Douglas is that his season average participation rate is just 72.4%. Despite easily being the Patriots’ best target-earner with a 20% target per route run rate, Douglas only plays in three-receiver sets. I’m not saying this is a mistake by New England's coaches — he is 5’8”, after all. But it does severely limit his fantasy ceiling. In particularly shallow leagues, Douglas profiles as a classic roster clogger.

However, in deeper formats, Douglas could push for flex consideration if the Patriots’ offense improves. That is why he gets a feature this week, as Drake Maye is clearly improving this New England offense, especially their passing game. Through two starts, the third-overall pick is averaging 259.5 yards and 2.5 touchdowns through the air. Jacoby Brissett averaged just 139.2 yards and 0.4 touchdowns per game. As long as Maye keeps elevating this offense, Douglas should eat as the team’s best receiver.  

Bub Means, New Orleans Saints (13.8% Rostered)

This is just a deep-league recommendation. But with Rashid Shaheed officially done for the season, Means is the favorite to serve as the Saints’ WR2 behind Chris Olave. Mason Tipton may have seen more routes and targets on Thursday, but it was Means, not Tipton, who filled in when Olave exited Week 6’s contest early. 

A fifth-round rookie out of Pittsburgh, Means wasn't exactly some stellar prospect. But opportunity is king in fantasy football, and it seems like he’s going to get a shot. His 18% target per route run rate for the season is also the best on the team outside of Olave, Shaheed, and Taysom Hill. That’s enough of a glimmer of hope to make him worth snagging in deeper formats. 

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