2025 NFL fantasy football waiver wire, Week 8: Pick up Jaxson Dart, Oronde Gadsden II ASAP

It's here, folks. BYEMAGEDDON. Six teams are on bye in Week 8 -- the most of any week all season -- so waiver wire maneuvering in the next few days could be a make-or-break endeavor for your fantasy squad. Quality options are on the thin side, with the Cardinals, Jaguars, Lions, Raiders, Rams and Seahawks all enjoying the bye's respite.

With that in mind, here are my suggestions for Week 8, starting with my top 15 players to prioritize on the waiver wire, regardless of position.

The only rule here: Players must be rostered in less than 60 percent of NFL.com leagues to be eligible for the list.

And now, here are my top five waiver priorities by position:

QUARTERBACKS

Takeaways:

• I was already on the Jaxson Dart bandwagon, and this will probably be the last week you'll have an opportunity to put in a claim for him (if he's even still available in your league). After a month's worth of starts, the sample size can't be dismissed so easily. The rookie is averaging 21.9 fantasy points per start. That is elite production. The Giants collapsed in epic fashion against the Broncos on Sunday, but Dart still had a career day versus arguably the top defense in the league. I would not be afraid to start him against the Eagles, a defense he schooled two Thursdays ago.
• Yes, it's hard to believe, but Joe Flacco is the fantasy QB6 of Week 7 as of this writing. The 40-year-old defied Father Time last Thursday, racking up 342 yards and three touchdowns against the Steelers. He's averaging 22.4 fantasy PPG since being traded to the Bengals, and I like his chances of keeping it going this week at home versus the Jets, even though their defense has played better of late.
• I'm giving Tyrod Taylor the edge over Aaron Rodgers for the fourth spot in my QB rankings. Taylor's ability to make plays with his legs was the difference-maker in that evaluation, but obviously, he didn't exactly light it up in relief of Justin Fields on Sunday. If Aaron Glenn decides to make Taylor his starter this week -- he was noncommittal after benching Fields in the loss to the Panthers -- an inviting matchup awaits against a Bengals defense that is among the league's most porous.

RUNNING BACKS

Takeaways:

• We've been waiting for the Kyle Monangai Show to begin, and it finally debuted in Week 7. The rookie ran for a career-high 81 yards and scored his first career TD on 13 carries (6.2 YPC). He also has 38 receiving yards in the last two games. I'm not expecting the Bears to build a large early lead every week, allowing them to pound the rock like they did against the Saints, but they do have a tasty matchup this week against the Ravens, who have one of the league's worst defenses. D’Andre Swift is still the RB1 in Chicago, but perhaps the gap between the two backs has closed at least a bit. Monangai has a chance to carve out a significant chunk of playing time and is a Swift handcuff worth rostering, especially in deeper leagues.
• The Chiefs' backfield has been a hot mess from a fantasy perspective, with Isiah Pacheco, Kareem Hunt and Brashard Smith sharing the workload. Week 7 delivered the best look yet at Smith, though. With the Chiefs pulling away from the Raiders early on Sunday, the rookie received a career-high 19 touches (most of any Kansas City RB), turning them into 81 yards. Kansas City has an opportunity to keep it rolling on offense next Monday against a Commanders defense that has fallen on hard times, so don't sleep on Smith in deep leagues. Just be prepared to be frustrated long term, given the way snaps are split among the trio of backs.
• With Breece Hall banged up and a trade candidate, it might just be a matter of time before Isaiah Davis steps into the RB1 role for the Jets. Obviously, the offense is in rough shape, but Davis seems to be on track to eventually see enough volume to justify rostering him. He's a speculative add for now.

WIDE RECEIVERS

Takeaways:

• I know Marvin Mims Jr. topped Troy Franklin in fantasy output against the Giants (15.8 to 12.9), but I'm still riding with Franklin, who is second on the team in targets, receptions, receiving yards, receiving TDs and routes run. In fact, he's only four targets off the team lead after Bo Nix looked his way 10 times in Denver's thrilling comeback win. Now the Broncos are set to host the Cowboys, who took advantage of the Commanders' injuries at QB and WR on Sunday but remain one of the most generous defenses to fantasy WRs.
• Andy Dalton targeted Xavier Legette five times in their one quarter of work together on Sunday, with the Red Rifle connecting on four of the five throws for 60 yards. Such chemistry bodes well for Legette, given that Bryce Young is expected to miss Week 8 with an ankle injury. Young left the win over the Jets following the health setback, but he did find Legette for a 3-yard TD earlier in the game.
• Keep an eye on Josh Downs' status in the days ahead. It was a surprise when he popped up on the injury report with a concussion last week, and he didn't play on Sunday. If he returns in Week 8, he'll have a juicy matchup against the Titans' defense. However, if Downs misses another week, the Colts WR to target would be Alec Pierce, who had a season-high 98 yards receiving against the Chargers.

TIGHT ENDS

Takeaways:

• The Chargers have hit a rough patch, but it hasn't stopped their rookie tight end from breaking out in historic fashion. Oronde Gadsden II has the most receiving yards by an NFL tight end within his first five career games in the Super Bowl era following his 164-yard explosion against the Colts, per NFL Research. He's now at 308 total on the season on 22 catches (14 YPC). Trey McBride is the only tight end who has been targeted more than Gadsden over the past two weeks. I'm not expecting Gadsden to maintain this pace, but at a position that is traditionally light on depth, I'd snag him off waivers while you still can.
• Just when it seemed safe to drop Juwan Johnson, he put up a season-high 79 receiving yards against the Bears on Sunday. He finished with 12.9 fantasy points on the day, after posting 11 total in his previous three games combined. It was great to see a throwback to Johnson's early-season production, especially with Foster Moreau and Taysom Hill both active. Johnson played 72 percent of the snaps and was targeted seven times (his most in a game since Week 3). I don't blame you if you moved on from Johnson, but it's OK if you need to turn back to him.
• There were signs of life from from Colston Loveland (you know, the 10th overall pick of this year's draft) in Week 7. He saw his largest workload of the season with Bears TE1 Cole Kmet exiting late in the third quarter due to a back injury. Loveland had a season-high three catches for 24 yards. Obviously, that's nothing to get excited about, but for those of you still intrigued by the upside and a potential golden opportunity for the rookie with the Ravens' woeful defense next on the schedule, this could be the perfect time to give Loveland another chance.

DEFENSES

Takeaways:

• The Titans are the matchup to target when streaming fantasy defenses this season, so scoop up the Colts if you have a chance. Indianapolis' D has posted 13 or more fantasy points three times in 2025, and Tennessee can't get out of its own way right now.
• It's hard to be super excited about the Falcons' defense after watching Christian McCaffrey tear through it on Sunday night, but Atlanta might be catching the Dolphins at the right time. The team is in a bit of disarray, with Miami allowing a top-10 fantasy defense in each of the last two weeks.
• The Bills' defense has a bounce-back opportunity coming off the bye, with a visit to Carolina up next. The Panthers apparently will be turning to Andy Dalton for at least one start due to Bryce Young's ankle injury.