Fantasy Football Week 8 FAAB Advice: Russell Wilson, Drake Maye, Keon Coleman and More
Free agent auction bid numbers for some of the popular names on the waiver wire heading into Week 8.
Seven weeks down, 11 more to go. The fantasy football regular season will end in Week 14 for most leagues, meaning we’re halfway to the fantasy playoffs. Look at your team: Is it everything you ever dreamed of? And if it isn’t, hey, at least it’s half over!
In the land of FAAB, that means you are running out of time to use your free agent budget. You know during your auction draft when you look and see that you waited too long and have a bunch of money left and no one to spend it on? It starts to feel that way during the second half of the season in FAAB leagues.
There will be players to bid on; you just might not feel great about the amount you end up paying. With that in mind, it’s not a bad idea to start expanding your tolerance for spending if you haven’t touched much of your budget yet.
Let’s look at some of the most popular waiver names heading into Week 8 and what reasonable bids might look like. A few notes before we start:
- Conservative bids are for players you’d like to add but wouldn’t be too upset about missing out on
- Aggressive bids are for players you really want to add and would consider for your lineup pretty much every week
- Desperation bids are for guys you hope could come in and start at least half the time and be under consideration every week
- The numbers listed are based on a $100 budget, so adjust accordingly
If you haven’t spent anything yet, it’s OK to increase these bids a little because they are all small numbers. Bidding $8 instead of $6 for Tua Tagovailoa isn’t going to do major damage to your budget and could solve a problem if you’re streaming at quarterback.
Quarterback
Drake Maye, New England Patriots
Maye started his career with two good fantasy days, finishing as QB10 in Week 6 and QB6 in Week 7. His team lost by 20 then 16 points, so the real-life results are wanting, but that’s a nice start to his fantasy career.
The Texans in Week 6 were a tougher matchup, and Maye took advantage of volume by throwing to catch up. New England was behind in every drive of the game, something that usually leads to more work through the air. His 243 yards on 33 attempts (7.4 per attempt) were a little better than average, and three touchdowns helped his fantasy cause.
Week 7 against Jacksonville was one of the best matchups a QB could hope for: The Jags were allowing the most fantasy points per game to quarterbacks entering Week 7, and that didn’t change after Maye put up 276 and two touchdowns on Sunday.
Things are about to get much tougher against the Jets. New York was picked apart by Russell Wilson and the Steelers Sunday night, but that’s an aberration against a group that has been among the best against the pass the last two years.
Maye is a streaming player with obvious skills to excel at times, but he’s not going to consistently put up big numbers with the group he has around him.
Conservative Bid: $0
Aggressive Bid: $1
Desperation Bid: $2
Tua Tagovailoa, Miami Dolphins
Tagovailoa is set to return after missing the past five weeks (four games and a bye) with a concussion. It couldn’t come fast enough for the Dolphins, as the team hasn’t been able to move the ball consistently and has totally lost their explosive aspect.
While there’s always the chance at another concussion, don’t worry about Tua’s career ending; the people who yell about how others need to “take away Tua’s helmet” are just trying to show how they’re on the “right” side of things. They think they’re better and more righteous than everyone else: don’t take these people seriously.
What you can take seriously is the explosiveness of the Miami offense when everything is clicking. Miami matches up with an Arizona defense in Week 8 that has been among the worst against the pass this season and just allowed 349 yards to Justin Herbert on Monday night.
Tagovailoa is a good target if you don’t have a weekly starter at quarterback. We’ve seen what the best version of that looks like, and even if he’s not a weekly fantasy starter, Tua will have big weeks when the matchup is right.
Conservative Bid: $1-2
Aggressive Bid: $3-4
Desperation Bid: $6
Russell Wilson, Pittsburgh Steelers
It was a great first game for Wilson. He averaged more than nine yards per attempt, was only sacked once, and finished as fantasy QB3. There’s not much more the team could have asked for after making the switch to the veteran passer.
This is likely to be one of his best weeks, though, rather than a sign of things to come. A rushing touchdown boosted Wilson’s Week 7 score, but he doesn’t run much anymore and won’t have that production to build his floor the way Justin Fields does. Wilson has shown decline the past few years; it’s more likely he continues that path rather than bouncing back at 35 years old.
Wilson will be a matchup-dependent player. The Jets are one of the best pass defenses, and Wilson just shredded them, but I need to see more before I trust Wilson as a weekly fantasy player.
Conservative Bid: $0
Aggressive Bid: $1
Desperation Bid: $2
Running Back
Tyler Goodson, Indianapolis Colts
Goodson, an undrafted free agent in 2022, had 87 yards on 13 carries last year after not appearing in a game as a rookie. He’s had over 50 total yards each of the last three weeks and double-digit touches in the past two.
That usage will all come to an end when Jonathan Taylor returns. Taylor has a history of injuries, meaning Goodson could find himself getting more work again at some point, but he will only be a flex-level player at best during those times, making it tough to argue that he’s worth a roster spot.
It’s OK to grab him if you’re desperate at RB or hoping for a little short-term value, but Taylor might return as early as this week, pushing Goodson off the fantasy radar.
Conservative Bid: $0-1
Aggressive Bid: $2-3
Desperation Bid: $4-6
Alexander Mattison, Las Vegas Raiders
Though Zamir White returned from missing two games with an injury, Mattison led the backfield by a wide margin. Part of it might have been White easing back into the lineup, but Mattison has played more snaps than White in three of the five games in which they both appeared.
Mattison excelled against the Rams, gaining 92 yards on the ground and another 31 on three receptions. White had three carries and one reception, totaling 27 yards. Mattison seems like the guy to trust right now, especially if White is still recovering during his return.
No Vegas back is appetizing right now. This was by far Mattison’s best game, and it came against a Rams team that sits in the bottom five in defensive DVOA. The backs are likely to split time, and the Raiders’ poor offense will limit chances for touchdowns. Both Mattison and White are flex-level players at best.
Conservative Bid: $1-2
Aggressive Bid: $3-4
Desperation Bid: $6
Wide Receiver
Keon Coleman, Buffalo Bills
Coleman had his career highs in targets, receptions (tied), and yards in Week 7. His 125 yards were nearly twice as many as anyone else on either team. This came in Amari Cooper’s first game with the team, and Cooper had a nice day of his own: four receptions, 66 yards, and a touchdown.
Coleman won’t go over 100 yards every week, but he might benefit from having another receiver take some defensive attention away from him. He’s available in more than half of leagues, which feels like too many. Coleman is probably worth a spot on someone’s roster.
With tons of receivers every week, don’t feel pressure to overpay for Coleman, but he’s a guy who could have more big weeks playing on one of the best teams in the league with big-armed Josh Allen.
Conservative Bid: $1-3
Aggressive Bid: $4-6
Desperation Bid: $8-9
Cedric Tillman, Cleveland Browns
Tillman had eight receptions on 12 targets for 81 yards on Sunday; each of those numbers is close to twice as high as any other game in Tillman’s career. It’s likely he’s not going to reach those totals regularly.
Then again, the Browns are a team in flux, and they have new top guys at every offensive fantasy position other than tight end. I recently went through the new-look Browns; Nick Chubb, Jerry Jeudy, and (probably) Jameis Winston are most likely to lead the way, but Tillman is intriguing.
I loved the idea of Tillman in the 2023 draft: 6’3, 215 pounds, the type of big body that could dominate in the red zone. He was projected as a raw player who needed time to develop, and that has played out so far.
With Cleveland now having a hole at WR1 (Jeudy has been awful), Tillman will get an extended look and chance to secure a role. He is only a fantasy WR3/4/flex player to consider, but there is upside if you have a need at receiver.
Conservative Bid: $0-1
Aggressive Bid: $2-4
Desperation Bid: $6
Dontayvion Wicks, Green Bay Packers
Romeo Doubs, Green Bay Packers
Teams with three legit fantasy wide receivers are rare. I’m thinking about the Peyton Manning Colts and “Greatest Show on Turf” Rams and otherwise having a tough time coming up with real examples. Even the 2007 Patriots had just Randy Moss and Wes Welker really racking up numbers.
Green Bay is getting close to that level with Jayden Reed and the two guys listed here. Add in Christian Watson, and there are four Packers receivers who can be considered in deep leagues many weeks. Reed is the top guy, and I like Watson the least, leaving Wicks and Doubs in the middle as streaming options.
Wicks has gotten into the end zone while Doubs has been a little more explosive and consistent. I like Doubs a bit more, but both guys are worth considering many weeks. Jordan Love has sustained his play as an above-average quarterback, giving his pass catchers fantasy value.
With a lot of guys contributing, it means no one is really standing out. These are usable players who aren’t excelling, so don’t pay for a weekly starter. Wicks and Doubs are good streaming players, though, and can be added if you’re light at receiver.
Conservative Bid: $2-3
Aggressive Bid: $4-6
Desperation Bid: $8-9
Jauan Jennings, San Francisco 49ers
Ricky Pearsall, San Francisco 49ers
Two late additions here, but the case is pretty quick: Brandon Aiyuk is out for the season, so there's a big hole in one of the best offenses in football. Jennings and Pearsall are the next men up. Jennings missed Week 7, and it was Pearsall's first game after recovering from getting shot, so these guys aren't 100% either.
Throw in Deebo Samuel Sr. going to the hospital with pneumonia and there is suddenly a lot of uncertainty within San Fran's receiving hierarchy. There is big upside with these guys, and it might be worth splurging a little if you still have a big budget.
Conservative Bid: $3-4
High-end Bid: $6-8
Desperation Bid: $11
Tight End
Hunter Henry, New England Patriots
This is the same as the Maye situation: New England players are matchup-dependent, leaving Henry as a good option some weeks (like Week 7 against Jacksonville) and not others (like Week 8 against the Jets). Use him as a streamer, not a weekly starter.
Conservative Bid: $0
Aggressive Bid: $1
Desperation Bid: $2
Ja'Tavion Sanders, Carolina Panthers
Usage is the name of the game for Sanders: After receiving either one or two targets in each of the first four weeks, he has seen five, seven, and six targets over the past three games. There’s just not much talent in Carolina; Sanders doesn’t have a lot of competition for looks.
It’s tough to expect anything good to come out of Carolina, and any player going into your lineup needs to have a top-end matchup. The rookie Sanders won’t be a great fantasy player, but he is a feasible streamer who should keep improving.
Conservative Bid: $0
Aggressive Bid: $1
Desperation Bid: $2
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