Top Fantasy Waiver Pickups Week 8: Roy Helu, Jarrett Boykin, Chris Ivory, Jordan Reed and Harry Douglas Best Free Agent Adds

Oct 21, 2013 09:10 AM EDT
Washington Redskins running back Roy Helu
Washington Redskins running back Roy Helu (29) carries the ball past Chicago Bears strong safety Craig Steltz (20) and Bears defensive tackle Zach Minter (96) in the third quarter at FedEx Field. The Redskins won 45-41. "

The fantasy football season is heading into Week 8 with just the Giants and Vikings playing on Monday night and after a wild weekend on the schedule, some names to look at on the waiver wire includes Roy Helu, Jarrett Boykin, Chris Ivory, Jordan Reed and Harry Douglas among others.

Boykin was looked at as a solid sleeper this week heading into the game against the Browns because of Randall Cobb and James Jones being out and he did not disappoint, as he had eight catches for 103 yards and a touchdown. He also added 10 targets in the game and that could mean much more going forward. Harry Douglas took advantage of having Julio Jones and Roddy White out, as he had seven catches for 149 yards and a touchdown in the win over the Bucs.

Roy Helu scored three touchdowns for the Redskins and could be a huge handcuff for Alfred Morris, while Jordan Reed had a very nice game for the Skins as well and the Jets really rushed the ball and Chris Ivory could be an option going forward. The fantasy football week is now almost over into Week 8 coming up, fantasy owners are looking for surprise players and sleepers to pick up, with some of the best names being Rashad Jennings, Danny Woodhead, Andre Ellington, Greg Jennings, Eddie Lacy, Le'Veon Bell and Jerome Simpson.

The Oakland Raiders lost Darren McFadden to a hamstring injury in their defeat against the Washington Redskins at home and while it isn't clear how long he will be out, based on his history it might be wise for fantasy owners to pick up Rashad Jennings as a handcuff. Marcel Reece was injured as well and that could mean a nice amount of touches going forward for Jennings, who the Raiders signed in the offseason to help supplement McFadden.

The Raiders can't be happy about the injury to McFadden and neither can fantasy owners, as it is the same old story for the running back, who has never played in more than 13 games in his career. Jennings did not do much over the first three weeks of the season, making just three catches and carrying the ball six times for 34 yards, but with McFadden and Reece out, he could be much more productive and is a solid pickup in deeper leagues with 12 or 14 teams and especially in ones that are PPR leagues.

The Raiders offensive line is a mess and the team likes to get the ball to the running back position in space and Jennings showed off some of that on Sunday against the Redskins. Apart from his 15 carries for 45 yards, Jennings also caught all eight passes thrown at him for over 70 yards and that could be something that stays consistent as long as he is in the lineup. The Raiders are dealing with a number of injuries on offense and if McFadden remains out for any period of time, Jennings becomes a much more valuable player.

The Pittsburgh Steelers didn't get their much-needed first win of the season on Sunday in London, but they got their running game going a bit for the first time, as rookie Le'Veon Bell played in his first regular season game since injuring his foot in the preseason. The first year player from Michigan State was expected to be a big contributor this season and now he is getting his chance and he quickly should become the feature back in Pitt.

The team has been using a combination of Felix Jones, Isaac Redman and Jonathan Dwyer to little effect through three games and on Sunday Bell had a breakout performance, rushing 16 times for over 57 yards while adding two touchdowns. Fantasy owners in PPR leagues were also pleased with his four catches for 27 yards and after three games of not scoring a touchdown on the ground, the Steelers appear to have another back to "pound" with finally after getting rid of Rashard Mendenhall.

The bye week coming up after the England game should give Bell even more time to heal up and he could be very good for the Steelers the rest of the season. Heading into week 5, other names to look out for includes Danny Woodhead, Andre Ellington, Greg Jennings, Eddie Lacy, James Starks and Kenbrell Thompkins.

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