Week 8 Waiver Wire: Fantasy Projections for Top Pickups and Sleeper Targets

If Jay Ajayi’s last two weeks have proved anything, it’s that midseason waiver-wire pickups can absolutely swing entire fantasy football matchups—and perhaps even seasons.

The Miami Dolphins running back went from superfluous to superlative in the span of two weeks, rushing for a combined 418 yards and three touchdowns against the Buffalo Bills and Pittsburgh Steelers, quickly establishing himself as a fantasy football savior and one of the more exciting young running backs in the NFL.

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While you’re not always going to strike platinum every week on the waiver wire, there’s always a chance you can find a player who will turn your fantasy football season around. Every week is a chance to tinker with lineups and maximize your team’s potential.

Here’s a look at the top pickups heading into Week 8 in Yahoo Sports and ESPN fantasy football leagues. To account for the larger leagues, only players owned in less than 50 percent of leagues will be included for either site.

Not all of these popular pickups will turn out to be gems, so let’s take a closer look at some of the more popular targets and sleepers and make some projections for what they might accomplish in Week 8.

Devontae Booker, RB, Denver Broncos

Fantasy owners who believed in the potential of rookie Devontae Booker were rewarded for their patience and/or prudence on Monday night, as Booker carried the ball 17 times for 83 yards and a touchdown in the Denver Broncos’ 27-9 win over the Houston Texans.

Of course, those hoping that this would be the performance that finally moved Booker ahead of C.J. Anderson on the depth chart might be disappointed, as the latter raised his game and rushed for 107 yards and a score of his own against the Texans. It appeared to be what Broncos head coach Gary Kubiak was hoping for, per the Denver Post’s Nicki Jhabvala:

Kubiak said Devontae Booker has “some young juice to him.” … “He’s pushing C.J. to be the best he can be, and C.J. did.”

— Nicki Jhabvala (@NickiJhabvala) October 25, 2016

Anderson’s big game means the Broncos will be unlikely to turn over lead-back duties to Booker, making him a fantasy football cypher for the time being. Booker’s not much of a receiver out of the backfield, so there’s no edge or extra value to be found there.

The Broncos have a favorable matchup at home against the San Diego Chargers in Week 8. The Bolts have allowed the sixth-most fantasy points to running backs this season, per Yahoo Sports.

While Booker is worth grabbing and stashing in leagues of any size, he’s far from …

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