Week 8’s fantasy football watch list is jam-packed full of pass catchers to fill in for the plethora of injuries or bye weeks fantasy football team owners might be dealing with. For some, like Corey Davis, a quarterback change is giving them new life. Others, like Zach Pascal, are finding their footing in offenses that are performing better than expected. Finally, some players like Jonnu Smith and Kenny Stills are looking to make the most of their elevated playing time due to injuries around them.
Week 8 Fantasy Football Watch List Featuring Corey Davis
Corey Davis
Corey Davis was the fifth overall pick by the Tennessee Titans back in 2017. He was expected to come in and be a big weapon for quarterback Marcus Mariota. Unfortunately, injuries have stifled his production. His rookie season he fought through a hamstring injury that limited his output. However, when he has been healthy, Mariota usually hasn’t been.
This year has been a different story, but not quite in a good way. Neither has dealt with injury, but they also just couldn’t get on the same page. Through the first six games of the season, Davis only managed 16 catches for 237 yards and a touchdown. He only eclipsed 38 yards one time. This was mostly due to an extremely hot-and-cold Mariota, who was finally benched by head coach Mike Vrabel.
New starter Ryan Tannehill doesn’t exactly inspire a ton of confidence, but at least he’s a solid passer who immediately improves Davis’ outlook for the rest of the season. His first start week seven against the Los Angeles Chargers could be a look at what is to come for the talented wideout. He snagged a season-high six catches for 80 yards and a touchdown.
Receiver needy teams might want to pull the trigger on Davis now. A matchup against the leaky Tampa Bay Buccaneers secondary could put him at the top of the waiver wire adds for next week.
Zach Pascal
Indianapolis Colts wide receiver Zach Pascal is another player to watch in the coming games. Pascal doesn’t have a ton of production on the year yet, but he has been trending upwards in an offense desperate for a number two wideout behind T.Y. Hilton.
Last week may have been Pascal’s coming out party in the win against the Houston Texans. He racked up 106 yards and two touchdowns on six catches. Don’t get it wrong, this is probably his ceiling, but he is also establishing a solid floor. Pascal only has only gone under 53 yards receiving in one of his last four contests.
One of those was against the Kansas City Chiefs, which is likely an aberration. The Colts literally ran all over the Chiefs, with quarterback Jacoby Brissett only needing to throw for 151 yards.
The Colts have some juicy wide receiver matchups coming up too. Week ten will bring the Miami Dolphins, followed by the Jacksonville Jaguars, and the Houston Texans. The Denver Broncos this week will an interesting one too. Chris Harris Jr. should be sticking to Hilton, which means Pascal could be free to roam on a defense that may have already packed it in for the year.
For those that aren’t quite ready to add a wideout this week, Pascal could be a free agent for a few more weeks. Watch his production closely.
Jonnu Smith
Another Titans player? Tannehill has suddenly given this offense some fantasy football life outside of Derrick Henry. Smith is a little bit trickier of an option than Davis though. On one end, the tight end landscape is as desolate as ever, leading almost any tight end on waivers worth a dart throw at this point.
However, his outlook is entirely dependent on the health of veteran Delanie Walker, who left last week’s game with an ankle injury. There is a ton of uncertainty around the issue as of now. Walker came into the game hurting, played through the first half, but was on the sidelines in the second half. Vrabel said Monday that he was “frustrated” with the injury, calling Walker day-to-day.
Smith didn’t see a ton of targets after Walker left, but he was decently productive. He turned his three looks into 64 yards. If Walker misses time, Smith with get his chance to prove himself against the Buccaneers this week. A good performance could give him the starting job for good over the long-in-the-tooth Walker.
Redux: Kenny Stills
Kenny Stills made an appearance on the watch list back in week 4. The new Houston Texans wide receiver was making his presence felt with the team before a hamstring injury forced him to miss a few weeks. He got healthy at the right time though.
It looked like Will Fuller was set to make him irrelevant during his time out, as he put in some ridiculous stat lines. But during the Texans’ matchup with the Indianapolis Colts, Fuller picked up a hamstring injury of his own. The Texans are calling it a serious injury and will cost him multiple games.
For now, that puts Stills in a battle for the number two spot, behind Keke Coutee. So far, Stills has the upper hand, as he locked in a 105-yard performance last week. Still will probably be a top add this week, and is someone to try to scoop up now if he cleared waivers.
Main photo:
Embed from Getty Images
