Fantasy Football 2026 Week 8 Waiver Wire Pickup Advice

Is your fantasy team in need of new blood? Each week I’ll bring to you the best pickups to make ahead of the waiver deadline. All the players I list will be rostered in fewer than 50 percent of leagues, with the roster percentages coming from Yahoo.com.

Immediately Useful

Omar Cooper Jr., WR, Jets (48% Rostered): There aren’t many season-changers available on waivers throughout the season, but Cooper sure has the look of one. Cooper made a splash in Week 1 with a 30-yard catch before getting hurt and missing several weeks. He returned with six receptions, 103 yards and a touchdown vs. the Patriots, and if you didn’t believe, he put up five catches, 115 yards and another touchdown against Miami. The Jets have a lot of problems, but in 2026 putting up yards and points doesn’t seem to be one of them. Cooper showing himself to be a major impact rookie, and with Garrett Wilson at his side, teams will not be able to game plan to take him out. Cooper needs to be in lineups moving forward, and this is a rare blow-the-budget pickup.

Khalil Shakir, WR, Bills (48% Rostered): Shakir is one of two Bills receivers on this week’s list, and he’s my preferred add of the two because his role is secure with or without DJ Moore in the lineup. Shakir finally found the end zone in Buffalo’s most recent game against the Raiders, and he has guaranteed snap share and a floor of about four targets per game from the best QB in the NFL. Shakir is a pure floor play in the FLEX for managers who are riddled with injuries, byes or both. These are the weeks where that is most important.

Brenton Strange, TE, Jaguars (46% Rostered): Strange has dramatically picked up the pace after a slow start to the season, and has caught five or more passes in Jacksonville’s last three games. This was always the vision for Strange, who isn’t a world-beater, but has the goods to be a high-volume, high-floor guy. The Jaguars’ passing game has cleared up a lot since the season started, and Strange seems to be No. 2 in the consistency pecking order behind WR Parker Washington.

Jakobi Meyers, WR, Jaguars (44% Rostered): Meyers once delivered the consistency like Strange, but he’s become more of a boom-or-bust kind of players in 2026. He can still deliver the boom though, as he did in the Jags’ last game vs. the Texans when he drew 10 targets and caught five balls for 83 yards. Meyers is the WR2 on this team, and in the event of Parker Washington getting banged up the ceiling is significant on him. This is a savvy pickup for teams that are looking to bolster their depth and maybe don’t need high impact immediately.

Jonah Coleman, RB, Broncos (35% Rostered): Coleman returned to action to further muddy the hierarchy of one of the NFL’s most unclear backfields. He logged a 49.2% snap share vs. Arizona, a big chunk, and he looked pretty explosive with six yards per carry. He was the only one of Denver’s three-headed monster to not score, however, so who can tell where production will come from in any given week. J.K. Dobbins remains the nominal starter, but the injuries he’s piled up do finally seem to be sapping him of the juice he used to have. A betting man would bet on Coleman leading this backfield sooner than later.

Keon Coleman, WR, Bills (28% Rostered): Coleman is the second Bills WR to hit the list, with touchdowns in each of the Bills’ last three games, and usable receptions and yardage too in two of them. Coleman has always run extremely hot and cold, and I’d be remiss to not note that Coleman’s rise has coincided with DJ Moore’s absence. With Moore returning, Coleman could easily slink back into unusable territory, especially since he walks that line even when he’s the primary receiver. I’d treat Coleman as an option if you’re taking a huge swing at a big game, and are willing to absorb elevated donut risk.

Jacoby Brissett, QB, Cardinals (27% Rostered): Brissett is certainly looking like a fantasy pumpkin these days, but he’s still got some pretty potent weapons at his disposal, and an upcoming date with the Cowboys’ forgiving defense. Brissett is no longer in the discussion of set and forget pocket passers, because he’s shown of late even when Arizona is way behind, he’s not automatically piling up numbers. But I’m still comfortable playing him in plus matchups, especially when the Cards will be playing from behind. Against Dallas, I’d be surprised if he has less than 250 yards and two touchdowns.

Tyrone Tracy Jr., RB, Giants (27% Rostered): Tracy’s not going to be a bell cow any time soon, and Cam Skattebo’s benching was clearly temporary, but Tracy is the one player in the Giants’ backfield with speed. Any time you use Tracy in a lineup you’re running the risk of a horrid game, but he also has shown in back-to-back weeks that he doesn’t need many touches to strike paydirt either. Like Keon Coleman at WR, Tracy is trick or treat and as long as he’s healthy he should be in line for enough touches each week to have a chance at a big play.

Bam Knight, RB, Cardinals (25% Rostered): Knight’s production fell back a bit from his 15-carry, 80-yard performance in Week 6, but he still carried the ball seven times and drew five targets to total up 63 yards from scrimmage. Jeremiyah Love is returning to practice, so if Love is active then you can disregard Knight and leave him on the bench. But if Love misses this week as well vs. Dallas, Knight can definitely be thrown into the FLEX.

Baker Mayfield, QB, Buccaneers (25% Rostered): Mayfield returned to action and the Bucs won a laugher against the first place Carolina Panthers. Mayfield only threw for 64 yards and one touchdown in this one, so it wasn’t anything to write home about for fantasy, but he made it through healthy and will be needed to throw the ball more in the coming weeks. The Bucs have games with the Falcons and Bears coming up before their bye, and I like Mayfield’s odds of putting up stats vs. those two defenses. Mix in Baker’s inevitable scrambling, and he’s a solid option for those in need.

Speculative/Deep Cuts

Geno Smith, QB, Jets (19% Rostered): Smith has been quietly competent this season for Gang Green, and he didn’t disappoint fantasy managers vs. Miami with 287 yards and three touchdowns. He’s due for another banger with the Raiders on the slate, and hopefully he’ll bolster his production by using his best receiver, Garrett Wilson, in this one. Geno has thrown for three touchdowns twice this year, and he’s gone over 250 yards three times as well. Don’t trust him season long, but in a plus matchup like this, with Omar Cooper exploding, he can be played.

Kimani Vidal, RB, Chargers (11% Rostered): Vidal’s not safe to play just yet, but coming out of a bye week in which the Chargers undoubtedly reviewed everything about their offense it’d be shocking if it wasn’t apparent that Vidal is the best bet to lead the backfield. Let the Chargers show what they’ve learned first, but Vidal is a sneaky add because he could be the RB1 in Los Angeles very, very soon. In that broken offense, that’s not a league winner, but RB1 volume is rarely available on waivers. Take the shot.

Handcuffs

Kenny Gainwell, RB, Buccaneers (43% Rostered)

Kendre Miller, RB, Saints (43% Rostered)

Mike Washington Jr., RB, Raiders (29% Rostered)

Kaelon Black, RB, 49ers (28% Rostered)

Chris Rodriguez Jr., RB, Jaguars (24% Rostered)

Emmett Johnson, RB, Chiefs (21% Rostered)