In Week 7, we had Tetiaroa McMillan, Jalen Coker, DK Metcalf, and Germie Bernard all ranked in our top 24 at receiver. All four receivers from the Steelers and Panthers disappointed. And in most cases, we are telling you to go right back to them.
The problems for these two duos weren't exactly the same. The Panthers were simply overwhelmed by the pressure Tampa Bay applied to Bryce Young, and Young responded very poorly. The reason I am optimistic is that Young has been pressured at a similar rate all season long. It's just that most weeks, he had beaten the pressure with deep shots to McMillan and Coker. In Week 7, he did beat the pressure deep once, but it was a deep shot to Darren Waller for a 50-yard touchdown. I wouldn't bet on that happening again. Both McMillan and Coker are top 12 receivers in my early projections, as close to must-start receivers as you can get.
In Pittsburgh, the story was different. The Saints didn't put up a fight against either the Steelers defense or the Steelers running backs. That led to fewer pass attempts from Aaron Rodgers and fewer targets for Metcalf and Bernard. I am slightly concerned about a repeat of that in Week 8 because the Browns pass defense has been much better than their run defense and the offense has been spotty at best. Still, Metcalf and Bernard both crack the top 24.
I will say, the Bernard situation could change. As of Tuesday morning, we aren't ranking DJ Moore or Emeka Egbuka. It is quite possible that changes by Wednesday night. It's equally possible they both rank ahead of Bernard. It's also true that there are seven other receivers within two points of Bernard in the projections that I couldn't blame you if you wanted to start over him. That is particularly true for fellow rookie KC Concepcion, who had his coming-out party in Week 7.
Here is the rest of the Week 8 WR preview:
Week 8 WR Preview
Numbers to Know
- 3.73 -- Zay Flowers leads all qualified receivers at 3.73 yards per route run. If Lamar Jackson is 100%, Flowers could make a run at WR2 for the rest of the season.
- 4.77 -- Omar Cooper Jr. has been a full yard per route run better than Flowers, on a much smaller sample.
- 28.2% -- DJ Moore has a 28.2% target per route run rate. If he's back in Week 8, he is a must-start receiver.
- 10.3% -- Matthew Golden has a very bad 10.3% drop rate. We don't care until it affects his target share.
- 9 -- Michael Wilson leads all receivers with nine targets inside the 10-yard line. He has caught one of them. There should be regression coming.
- 16.62 -- Denzel Boston's 16.6 aDOT is too high for a reliable starting receiver in Fantasy. But it's perfect for a boom/bust flex if you need one.
- 12.67 -- Travis Hunter is averaging 12.67 yards per target this season. It's fair to wonder if he starts getting more snaps on offense.
- 43 -- Keenan Allen has 43 targets this season. Josh Downs has 46 and he has played one more game.
Waiver Wire Targets
 
CLE
Cleveland
• #1
Age: 22 • Experience: Rookie
Concepcion is the top waiver wire target regardless of position. He's a first-round talent who was already seeing excellent target volume and finally delivered a big Fantasy game on Sunday. This could be the beginning of a season-long breakout. We prefer Concepcion to Boston for the rest of the season, and there is a real possibility that he is the second-best rookie receiver behind Carnell Tate.
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Makai Lemon
WR
PHI
Philadelphia
• #9
Age: 22 • Experience: Rookie
Lemon is another rookie breakout from Week 8. I am less excited about him than I am Concepcion, but for as long as Devonta Smith is out, Lemon should be viewed as a good WR3 or flex. It would be nice to see a little more variety in his route tree, but that often happens with rookies in the second half of the season.
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Jordyn Tyson
WR
NO
New Orleans
Age: 22 • Experience: Rookie
This could be your last chance. Tyson could be back after the bye. He was a first-round pick for a reason and I expect that at some point this season, he will be seeing most of the targets Devaughn Vele is currently getting.
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DFS Plays
 
Zay Flowers
WR
BAL
Baltimore
• #4
Age: 26 • Experience: 4 yrs.
We are expecting Lamar Jackson back this week for what should be a shootout with the Buffalo Bills. Flowers showed last week that he doesn't even need Jackson to have a monster game, but Jackson does raise his floor and his ceiling. A couple of mediocre games with Tyler Huntley have Flowers priced more reasonably than he should be.
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MIN
Minnesota
• #3
Age: 24 • Experience: 4 yrs.
It worked with Jameson Williams last week, so we are going to try another boom/bust WR3 who should be very low-rostered. Addison gets to face Williams' Lions, who have been one of the best matchups this season against wide receivers. They have given up 38 PPR Fantasy points per game to the position
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Heath's Projections
My full set of Week 8 Fantasy football projections for every position is now available here. Find out which of my favorite plays are projected to score higher than consensus rankings and which don't live up to their draft hype, at least in Week 8. Projected stats for all starting wide receivers are updated throughout the week, so make sure you check back later in the week for changes.
