Fantasy Football: Top waiver targets and your first look at Chris Towers' Week 8 rankings

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It seemed like the waiver wire run for Week 8 was going to be pretty straightforward coming out of Sunday: If Michael Carter was available, you were going to drop a bunch of FAB on him; if he wasn't, you'd go with Gus Edwards. Easy.

But the Jets decision to trade for James Robinson seemingly threw a wrench in those plans. They lost Breece Hall for the season, and their reaction was to immediately trade for a guy who has been an RB1 before. Why would you break the bank for Carter in those circumstances?

In his write-up of the deal Monday night, Dave Richard argues you probably shouldn't:

"Carter is obviously worth rostering but isn't likely to be any better than a No. 3 running back for however long Robinson makes an impact. He should still be on the hook for at least 10 touches per week and roughly 40% of the snaps with the Jets, but it's unlikely he'll be used regularly in high-value situations like near the goal line."

I don't necessarily agree, though you'll have to keep reading today's newsletter to see why -- in the industry, we call that a tease. Also in today's newsletter, you'll find Jamey Eisenberg's top waiver-wire targets for Week 8 along with my initial rankings for each position. And, for more help with injuries and waiver claims, make sure you tune in to Fantasy Football Today on CBS Sports HQ at noon ET today as we talk about the latest injuries and storylines. And for more help locking in your waiver-wire claims make sure you're subscribed to the FFT YouTube channel, where we'll be taking your questions live for an hour starting at 8 p.m.

Tomorrow, we'll have Heath Cummings' previews for each position plus some trade advice coming out of Week 7 -- email your trade questions to Chris.Towers@ViacomCBS.com with the subject line "#AskFFT" to be included. And here's what else we've got on tap in today's newsletter:

➕Top Week 8 Waiver Wire Targets
📈Week 8 Rankings First Look📉

➕Top Week 8 Waiver Wire Targets

Oct 2, 2022; Atlanta, Georgia, USA; Atlanta Falcons running back Tyler Allgeier (25) runs against the Cleveland Browns during the second half at Mercedes-Benz Stadium. USA TODAY Sports

Here's where I disagree with Dave. Not strenuously, mind you, but I do think Carter is still a big prize on waivers in the 35-ish% of CBS Fantasy leagues where he's still available.

Mostly because I just don't think Robinson is much of a threat at this point. He broke a couple of long runs early on in the season that made his numbers look pretty good, but even on those plays, Robinson didn't exactly look fast -- he got big holes, he hit them hard, and it gave him enough of a head start that the defense couldn't catch up to him. But he's done practically nothing since Week 3, when he had a 50-yard touchdown and another 20-yard run, one of four runs he had of at least 20 yards in the first three games.

His longest run since then? 14 yards. All told, 38% of his rushing yards for the season came on those four runs, and he's averaging 3.7 yards per carry and 3.3 yards per target in four games since. He was so bad the Jaguars didn't even give him a touch in Week 7 before trading him -- he had one lone target on his 12 snaps, a deep shot Robinson never really had a chance on, probably because of the lack of speed.

This is all to say, if Carter shows a bit of life, I think he can run away with this job. Robinson will be present because the Jets want to use two backs, and he might even take enough goal-line work to be a real thorn in the side of Carter's Fantasy value. But I'm ranking Carter as a top-24 back for Week 8, and those kinds of players aren't usually available on the waiver wire. You should take advantage of this one if he's out there in your league

Here are the rest of Jamey Eisenberg's top targets on waivers for Week 8:

Jamey Eisenberg's top targets

Michael Carter, RB, Jets
Gus Edwards, RB, Ravens
D'Onta Foreman/Chuba Hubbard, RB, Panthers
Greg Dulcich, TE, Broncos
Daniel Jones, QB, Giants

📈Week 8 Rankings📉

LAS VEGAS, NEVADA - OCTOBER 02: Josh Jacobs #28 of the Las Vegas Raiders runs with the ball in the first quarter against the Denver Broncos at Allegiant Stadium on October 02, 2022 in Las Vegas, Nevada. USATSI

Here are my initial rankings for Week 8, but you should check out the links below for more of my thoughts on more than 90 players for Week 8 at quarterback, running back, wide receiver, and tight end. And those will be updated throughout the week, so make sure you keep them handy for when you're setting your lineups. These are all for PPR leagues: