Fantasy football Week 8 waiver wire: Kenneth Gainwell's stock rising in Philadelphia

Philadelphia Eagles running back Kenneth Gainwell (14) celebrates after scoring a touchdown against the Las Vegas Raiders during the first half of an NFL football game, Sunday, Oct. 24, 2021, in Las Vegas. (David Becker/AP)

Hopefully you survived Week 7’s bye-pocalypse. That was rough, but luckily only the Ravens and Raiders take a seat for Week 8 as we also approach the NFL trade deadline.

A few widely available waiver wire possibilities and defences to stream are below. As always, get your fantasy football questions to me on Twitter using #AskAndy.

Kenneth Gainwell, RB, Eagles
Yahoo! Ownership: 21%
Draft Kings salary: $5,000

Another week, another handcuff chase. Even if we’re not yet sure of the severity of Miles Sanders’ ankle injury, the issue makes Kenneth Gainwell the latest hot running back on waivers.

The good thing is that Gainwell has shown flashes of standalone RB2 ability while mired in a backfield committee. Three of his seven appearances have resulted in 11.3 or more fantasy points to go along with three total touchdowns and an excellent average of 4.6 yards per carry. Boston Scott will certainly get a few touches, however there’s no reason to think that the rookie won’t be looked to as the primary ball-carrier.

Quarterback Jalen Hurts’ athleticism lowers any running back’s ceiling in Philadelphia, but Gainwell can also catch, which obviously ups his general value – especially versus a terrible Lions defence. If you need a new running back for Week 8, there’s no better option on the market at less than 50 per cent ownership.

Cole Beasley, WR, Bills
Yahoo! Ownership: 56%
Draft Kings salary: $4,900

Hand surgery for tight end Dawson Knox re-opens the door for Cole Beasley. For the first time in the Josh Allen era, the Bills were able to utilize a tight end as a legitimate playmaker, and that naturally cut down targets for wideouts lower on the depth chart. Knox’s emergence certainly affected Beasley, who was the 21st-ranked wide receiver in PPR formats through 16 weeks last year.

The veteran slot man should get the first look from Allen after Stefon Diggs and Emmanuel Sanders. Week 8 brings a division matchup for Buffalo as they face a Dolphins club that’s allowed the third-most fantasy points to receivers. Beasley makes for a nice flex spot start and a bargain contrarian play in DFS.

Deshaun Watson, QB, Texans
Yahoo! Ownership: 18%
Draft Kings salary: N/A

Whether it’s to Miami, Carolina or somewhere else, rumours of Deshaun Watson being traded are heating up and it’s possible he could be on the move by the Nov. 2 trade deadline.

Of course, it’s really important to note that there are a lot of complicated layers to this situation considering his ongoing legal issues, and the possibility that the NFL could block him from suiting up for a new squad if traded.

Acquiring Watson only makes sense right now if a bench position can be freed up by dropping a player that you know will never see the starting lineup.

Top defences to stream for Week 8:

● Cincinnati Bengals (at New York Jets)
● Dallas Cowboys (at Minnesota Vikings)
● Buffalo Bills (vs. Miami Dolphins)
● San Francisco 49ers (at Chicago Bears)

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