FantasyPros Fantasy Football Podcast

Episode: Fantasy Football Week 8 Waiver Wire: Must-Have Players to Add to Your Roster (Ep. 1785)

Date: October 20, 2025
Host: Joe Pisapia (Joey P)
Guests: Derek Brown (D-Bro), Pat Fitzmaurice (Fitzy)

Episode Overview

This episode dives into the Week 8 waiver wire targets for fantasy football managers, especially with a whopping six teams on bye. The trio covers the top must-have adds, debates the recent breakouts, recommends streamers, and weighs in on who is droppable as rosters get squeezed. They weave in fantasy insights, notable statistical trends, and their classic banter, all focused on helping listeners survive—and thrive—during one of fantasy football’s toughest bye weeks.

Key Discussion Points

The Impact of Week 8 Byes

Timestamps: 09:49-10:30

• Six teams on bye: Arizona Cardinals, Detroit Lions, Jacksonville Jaguars, Las Vegas Raiders, LA Rams, Seattle Seahawks.
• The hosts express frustration about the “bye-pocalypse” and how it stretches fantasy rosters extremely thin.
• Emphasis on finding viable streaming options and deep-league stashes.

Waiver Wire Pickup of the Week: Kyle Monangai (Chicago Bears RB)

[04:37–09:49]

• Joey P: Ecstatic about holding Monangai in all his leagues, calling him “the David Montgomery of the Chicago Bears.”
• Monangai posted 13 carries for 81 yards and a TD, with 2 catches for 13 yards in a weather-impacted, run-heavy game.
• Pat:
  • Not a full-fledged backfield takeover—DeAndre Swift still slightly out-snapped and out-touched Monangai.
  • Praises Monangai’s “hard running” style and growing role, especially with Chicago’s likely reliance on the run game in nasty late fall weather.
  • Recommends a 15–20% FAAB bid.
  • “Monangai’s just on a really nice trajectory … worth a 15% bid. I might go to 20%.” (07:28)
• D-Bro: Compares Monangai to Zach Stacy—“squatty bowling ball, just like he is going to break tackles.”
• All agree Monangai is a strong flex option with the potential for more as the season progresses.

Quarterback Streamers: The Joe Flacco Ride

[10:30–14:55]

• Joe Flacco, now with the Bengals, is just 15% rostered but producing eye-popping volume:
  • 92 attempts in two games, with 53 going to Jamar Chase or Tee Higgins.
  • “He’s absolutely in that roster. Percentage is going to go up … he was QB6 in fantasy this last week.” – D-Bro (12:07)
• Flacco’s a solid streamer: next two opponents are the Jets and Bears.
• Pat’s Note: Compares Flacco to “late-career Jameis Winston,” warning he’s best used as a 4–6 week band-aid.
  • “You don’t want to be dining in Joe Flacco’s café when the mayo goes bad.” (14:16)

Tight End Emergence: Oronde Gadsden (LAC)

[15:09–18:23]

• Gadsden (rookie, Chargers): Huge 7 for 9/164/1 game as Herbert threw 55 times.
• Pat: “Don’t spend significant FAAB … Dynasty folks should be excited, but probably no redraft appeal unless injuries hit.”
• D-Bro: Willing to spend 5–6% FAAB; likes him as a viable streamer with top-12 upside, especially given the dire state of tight ends and the Chargers’ heavy neutral passing rate.

Other RB Waiver Targets

[21:24–26:23]

Rashard Smith (KC Chiefs, 9% rostered)

• In line for the “Jerick McKinnon role” but cautions it may be diluted.
• Saw 81 yards on 19 touches (14 carries, 5 catches) in a blowout.
• D-Bro: Adds that most touches were in garbage time but sees belief for PPR flex if KC doesn’t add a back at the trade deadline.

Trade Deadline “Lottery Tickets”

• Tajae Spears (TEN) & Isaiah Davis (NYJ):
  • Both see significant roster increases as managers speculate on a trade freeing them for bigger roles.
  • “They are the trade deadline lottery tickets … both on terrible teams, but RB2/flex value is possible if things break their way.” – D-Bro (25:50)
• Pat: Spears still running behind Tony Pollard for passing snaps; only has true upside if there’s a Pollard injury or trade.

Who’s Droppable at RB?

• Kareem Hunt, Michael Carter, Kendre Miller, Jaden Blue, Ollie Gordon, Emmanuel Wilson (27:24–27:33)

Wide Receiver Waiver Rankings & Deep Streams

[28:33–40:58]

Kayshon Boutte (“Booty”, Patriots)

• Three TDs in two weeks; still low target volume but hyper-efficient (14.2 yards/target; 4 TDs on 20 catches).
• Pat: “The hope is that he starts getting more targets because he’s only 23 and it looks like Kayshon Booty is turning out to be a pretty good player.” (28:45)
• 5–6% FAAB is likely justified.

Other Names:

• Streamers/Deep Stashes:
  • Xavier Legette (Panthers), Malik Washington (Dolphins), Parker Washington (Jags), Chimerae Dike (Titans)
  • Pat: Most have temporary value based on current injuries/buy weeks—none are clear must-starts, but have “low-end PPR flex value” upside.
  • “DK is the fourth receiver in one of the NFL’s worst offenses.” (34:45)
• Darnell Mooney (Falcons) & Troy Franklin (Broncos):
  • Mooney is part of a “skinny target tree” in Atlanta.
  • Franklin has routes and targets, but TD-dependent – “10 targets and a 20% target share plays up in any week … can both put up points against the Cowboys and the Raiders.” – D-Bro (39:35)
• Droppable WRs: Kendrick Bourne, Trey Tucker, Jordan Whittington, Luke McCaffrey, Chris Moore (40:04–41:16)

Streaming Options for Week 8

[41:45–44:22]

QB Streamers:

• D-Bro: Jackson Dart (“rushing equity, just living in the Flames, baby!”) vs. Eagles.
• Pat: Joe Flacco vs. Jets (“Ride the Flacco train until it goes over the cliff.” 42:08)

TE Streamers:

• Pat: Mason Taylor vs. Bengals (“The matchup is so good. Three different Steelers had four tight end TDs last week.” 42:48)
• D-Bro: Oronde Gadsden vs. Vikings (“Minnesota’s a top-12 matchup for him. Chargers will be throwing.” 43:08)

DST Streamers:

• D-Bro: Atlanta Falcons (aggressive defense, facing a Miami offense with QB uncertainty)
• Pat: Colts vs. Titans (“Best possible matchup. Cam Ward’s turnovers and sacks make them a must-play.” 43:55)

Kicker Streamers:

• Pat: Michael Badgley (Colts) (“Colts are averaging over 30 points/game.”)
• D-Bro: Matt Prater vs. Carolina (“At least 9 fantasy points in three games this year.”)

Top 5 Waiver Wire Adds for Week 8

Pat Fitzmaurice’s List
[45:07–46:23]

1. Kyle Monangai
2. Tyler Allgeier (handcuff with standalone value, run-heavy Falcons)
3. Kayshon Boutte
4. Joe Flacco
5. Sam Darnold

Derek Brown’s List
[46:49–47:09]

1. Kyle Monangai
2. Kayshon Boutte
3. Troy Franklin
4. Mason Taylor
5. Oronde Gadsden

Notable Quotes & Moments

• Pat Fitzmaurice (07:28): “Monangai’s just on a really nice trajectory … worth a 15% bid. I might go to 20%.”
• Pat on Joe Flacco (14:16): “You don’t want to be dining in Joe Flacco’s café when the mayo goes bad.”
• D-Bro on Monangai (09:01): “My comp for him was Zach Stacy coming out, squatty bowling ball, just like he is going to break tackles and give you all the effort he’s got.”
• Pat on Booty (28:45): “The hope is that he starts getting more targets because he’s only 23 and it looks like Kayshon Booty is turning out to be a pretty good player.”
• D-Bro on WR Streams (39:35): “Darnell Mooney is absolutely firmly in play for flex positions this week. And the same thing for Troy Franklin, man … he gets the Cowboys and Raiders coming up.”

Recap Takeaways

• MONANGAI is must-add, potentially RB2/flex this week and beyond.
• Flacco is a hot streamer, especially for teams needing a bye-week patch at QB.
• Kayshon Boutte is rising, especially in deeper PPR and dynasty.
• Waiver decision-making should be aggressive, especially given the “bye-pocalypse.”
• Streaming is critical: Target offenses in shootouts or against weak defenses for QB/TE/DST/kicker.

Use the Tools

• Hit Waiver Central on FantasyPros and reference the hosts’ rankings to optimize your adds.
• Remember to cater to your league context—many top names may be rostered in sharper leagues.

For more insights and live Q&A, catch their Waiver Wire Live Stream the day after MNF (Tuesdays, 3pm EST) on the FantasyPros YouTube channel.

Happy hunting on the Week 8 waiver wire!