What a great week of football. This column will analyze a player at each position rostered in 50 percent of Yahoo leagues or less each week. For reference, the threshold used for Wins and Losses in this article will be if the quarterbacks can score at least 17 points if the tight ends can score at least eight PPR points, and if the rest can score at least 10 PPR points. Here are the Week 8 streamers.
Read More: Week 8 Waivers
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Week 8 Streamers: Darrell Henderson, Kendrick Bourne, and More!
Week 7 Recap
Quarterback
- Derek Carr (NO) v JAX – 21.44 points – W
- Baker Mayfield (TB) v DET – 17.20 points – W
- Sam Howell (WAS) @ NYG – 10.46 points – L
- Totals – Week: 2-1 / Year: 12-9
Running Back
- D’Onta Foreman (CHI) v LV – 33.00 points – W
- Royce Freeman (LAR) v PIT – 6.60 points – L
- Keaontay Ingram (ARI) @ SEA – 7.10 points – L
- Totals – Week: 1-2 / Year: 11-10
Wide Receiver
- Rashee Rice (KC) v LAC – 17.00 points – W
- Kendrick Bourne (NE) v BUF – 16.30 points – W
- Curtis Samuel (WAS) @ NYG – 6.50 points – L
- Totals – Week: 2-1 / Year: 11-10
Tight End
- Luke Musgrave (GB) @ DEN – 7.00 points – L
- Jonnu Smith (ATL) @ TB – 5.70 points – L
- Michael Mayer (LV) @ CHI – 3.30 points – L
- Totals – Week: 0-3 / Year: 9-12
- Grand Totals – Week: 5-7 / Year: 43-41
Week 8 Streamers
Quarterback – Derek Carr (NO – 35%) @ IND
It seems like Derek Carr might be back on track after a rough start to his New Orleans Saints career. After scoring 18.60 fantasy points in Week 1, he scored single-digit fantasy points in the next three games while also getting banged up. Carr has flipped that on its head now with three straight games of at least 15 fantasy points. That also includes the last two games in which he’s scored at least 20 fantasy points in each.
These last two games have been good matchups but luckily Carr has another good matchup this week against the Indianapolis Colts. The Colts secondary hasn’t been good this season and they have allowed the ninth-most fantasy points to quarterbacks in 2023. Carr is also benefitting from the return of Alvin Kamara who he has been feeding the ball and allowing to make plays after the catch. This game also has a close spread as the Saints are one-point underdogs on the road with a 43.5-point combined total. Plus, this game is being played in a dome which boosts passing offenses. With a lot of lower-rostered quarterbacks having tough matchups this week, Carr makes for one of the best Week 8 streamers at quarterback.
Honorable Mentions – Gardner Minshew (IND – 8%) v NO, Desmond Ridder (ATL – 14%) @ TEN
Running Back – Darrell Henderson (LAR – 24%) @ DAL
At this time a week ago, it was Zach Evans who looked like the prize off the waiver wire after both Kyren Williams and Ronnie Rivers went down with multi-week injuries for the Los Angeles Rams. Not so fast though, as Sean McVay kept Evans as the third running back on the depth chart and instead used a rotation of Darrell Henderson and Royce Freeman. Both will be added in plenty of leagues off the waiver wire this week and deservedly so.
Henderson, though, is the priority add between the two. He played 58% of the snaps, 60% of the rush attempts, and had a 41% route participation to lead this backfield. Henderson also produced the best with 13.60 fantasy points. The matchup this week against the Dallas Cowboys isn’t great but the overall game environment is a nice one as this game has a 45.5-point projected combined total. Ultimately, the role is too good to ignore making Henderson one of the best Week 8 streamers at running back.
#Rams Week 8 RB Usage
– Darrell Henderson Jr: 58% snaps, 18 carries, 12 routes, 2 targets (66 yds, TD)
– Royce Freeman: 42% snaps, 12 carries, no targets (66 yds)
– Zach Evans: 0 snapsHenderson > Freeman, but both are waiver wire targets
— Michael F. Florio (@MichaelFFlorio) October 22, 2023
Honorable Mentions – Emari Demercado (ARI – 14%) v BAL, Roschon Johnson (CHI – 49%) @ LAC
Wide Receiver – Kendrick Bourne (NE – 26%) @ MIA
It seems like every year Kendrick Bourne enters the season buried on his team’s depth chart but once injuries start to happen, he usually gets a chance and produces when he does. He’s done it in flashes before and now is starting to do it again for the New England Patriots. The Patriots are dealing with injuries to their wide receiver corps including JuJu Smith-Schuster. Over the last three weeks, Bourne has had at least 90% route participation in all three. In the last two games, he’s scored at least 16.30 fantasy points. Over those two games, Bourne has caught 16 of his 18 targets for 152 yards and a touchdown leading the Patriots in both games.
This week he gets a juicy matchup against the Miami Dolphins. The Dolphins have allowed the ninth-most fantasy points to wide receivers this season and their offense is so explosive that the Patriots will likely need to throw early and often to keep up. That’s what Vegas thinks too as the Patriots check in as 10-point underdogs in a game with a 46.5-point combined total, the highest on the entire week. Add it all up and Bourne should be one of the best Week 8 streamers at wide receiver.
Kendrick Bourne has been targeted 51 times in 7 games played this season. Last year, he was only targeted 48 times on the season in 16 games played.
Bourne is set to smash his career high of 74 targets in 2020. pic.twitter.com/6qjY6ARxhc
— TheOGfantasyfootball (@TheOGfantasy) October 22, 2023
Honorable Mentions – Josh Downs (IND – 36%) v NO, Tank Dell (HOU – 48%) @ CAR
Tight End – Taysom Hill (NO – 9%) @ IND
The Taysom Hill fantasy football story has been one of the wildest so far throughout his career. Go ahead and add another twist in the story as Hill has been getting used as a traditional tight end over the last two weeks. After seeing only six total targets over the first five weeks, he’s now seen 13 targets in the last two games combined. Hill has also produced on those targets, catching 11 of them for 99 yards. He’s also still getting carries as he has six carries for 20 yards and a touchdown over the last two weeks as well. That’s been good enough for Hill to score 12.26 and 16.80 fantasy points in the last two weeks.
That means he’s finished as a top-six tight end in back-to-back weeks now. As previously mentioned, the Saints get a nice matchup against the Colts this week. In addition to not being able to stop quarterbacks, the Colts have allowed the ninth-most fantasy points to tight ends this season. Assuming this utilization sticks, Hill looks like one of the better Week 8 streamers at tight end.
Honorable Mentions – Jake Ferguson (DAL – 46%) v LAR, Logan Thomas (WAS – 44%) v PHI
Main Photo: Gary A. Vasquez – USA Today Sports
