Week 7 is behind us, which means the fantasy regular season is at the mid-way point.

Week 7 was bizarre to say the least. Do you remember Bub Means (rookie WR, NO) was one of my recommendations last week? Even though he was going against Denver's number 1 fantasy pass defense, I recommended stashing him on dynasty leagues. Well with his 6.7 fantasy points in PPR leagues, he outscored Tyreek Hill (WR, Mia), Jayden Reed (WR, GB) and Deebo Samuel (WR, SF) combined. I know because I started Hill, Reed and Samuel with Means on my bench. Who could have imagined that?

There are plenty of examples of the insanity of last week. I almost thought that in this week I would simply recommend dropping all your players, putting the names of all available players on a dart board, and selecting your new roster with dart throws.

Also, in last week's article I indicated I would try to trade to bolster my dynasty team through trade to try to get a veteran RB and WR at a discount from a team that is in rebuild mode. I ended up making this trade:

I received: Joe Mixon (RB, Hou, 8-year veteran) and Jayden Reed (WR, GB 2-year veteran)
I gave up three rookies and three 2025 picks: Rasheen Ali (RB, Bal), Luke McCaffrey (WR, Wsh), Ricky Pearsall (WR, SF), a low 1st, high 2nd and mid 2nd.

I thought this would give my team the boost it needs to be competitive through a tough schedule in the 2nd half of this season.

So far, this trade hasn't done much for me. I started Mixon and Reed who gave me a total of 29.4 fantasy points and I left Jordan Mason (RB, SF) and Brian Thomas Jr. (WR, Jax) on my bench, who would have given me 31.0 fantasy points. And lost my match, 126.5 to 108.4.

If I had started Thomas Jr. over Hill I would have won my match. My bad - I went with the recommendation of expensive 3rd-party projections, which still treat Hill like a stud. But Hill has been terrible without Tua Tagovailoa (QB, Mia) and if I had used my brain and trusted my instincts I would have won that matchup. 

All-in-all my Week 7 turned out okay because I won in my two keeper leagues for a total result of 2-1 for my three teams. In my keeper leagues I am in 1st place and 4th place, and in my dynasty league, by our 3rd tie-breaker, I am hanging on to 6th place by a thread.

On to the Week 8 streamers...

If you are familiar with my format of "Streamers for the Desperate" articles, then skip the following introduction.

This article is based on the principles I wrote about in How To Own Your League's Waiver Wire.

I name this article as such because it is generally for deeper roster leagues (18-to-24-man rosters) and as the season progresses, especially in the 24-man roster leagues, the pickings can get very thin. For example, you won't see Tua Tagovailoa (QB, Mia) in this article because he isn't available in my leagues. However, you will see them in Alex Cuilla's article, Week 8 Fantasy Football Waiver Adds because he is less than 50% owned in Yahoo leagues.

I list the players that are available on waivers in my three leagues and generally that scored more than 10 fantasy points (PPR). The players with an asterisks are available in my 24-man roster league. As we get deeper into the season, no matter how slim the options, I always list a couple available players for each position from my 24-man league.

I have loosely ranked the players but you need to decide which players are right for your team. Your criteria for deciding will be different depending on your need and if you are in a redraft, keeper or dynasty league.

The ranking in parenthesis after each player is the strength of this week's opponent against that position. So a "1st" indicates the most difficult opponent for that position, and a "32nd" indicates the weakest opponent against that position.

As much effort as it is, I make waiver requests every week for all of my teams. I don't just try to fill in obvious immediate needs, but look to make my team better to the last man on the roster. A deep roster creates resilience against injury. It also results in other teams having less good options, increasing the opportunity to trade to teams that truly are desperate and thereby build my draft pick arsenals.

Quarterbacks

• Russell Wilson, Pit v NYG (23rd) - Wilson played his starting debut in Week 7 for the Steelers, completing 16 of 29 passes for 264 yards and 2 TDs, and 3 carries for 3 yards and a TD. He is the Steelers starting QB going forward.
• Dorian Thompson or Jameis Winston, Cle v Bal (30th) - With Deshaun Watson out for the season, Thompson would take over. However, Thompson injured his thumb in Week 7, so it isn't clear who will start in Week 8. Against a soft Ravens D, either can be plugged into your lineup if you need a QB.
• Drake Maye (R), NE v NYJ (4th) - He isn't Tom Brady, but he is beginning to look like a real NFL quarterback. Maye completed 26 of 37 passes for 2 TDs, and added 18 yards on 3 carries against a soft Jaguars defense in Week 7. He will be more severely tested against the Jets, a tough divisional rival, in Week 8.
• ^*Marcus Mariota, Wsh v Chi (2nd) - Mariota competed 18 of 23 passes for 205 yards and a TD and had 11 carries for 34 yards filling in for Jayden Daniels. If Daniels is out in Week 8 and you are in need of a QB, then Mariota can be inserted in your lineup Week 8, but keep expectations low against a tough Bears D.
• Derek Carr or Spencer Rattler NO @ LAC (10th) - Rattler had an unspectacular Week 7, completing 25 out of 35 passes for 172 yards and no TD, rushing 5 times for 34 yards, and with two lost fumbles. Carr is the better option if he is available to return Week 8.
• Andy Dalton, Car @ Den (3rd) - Dalton had a terrible game and was pulled late in a blowout loss in Week 7, completing 11 of 16 passes for 93 yards and 2 Ints, and rushing 2 times for 3 yards. Expect him to bounce back modestly against a tough Broncos D in Week 8.
• Gardner Minshew, LV v KC (20th) - Minshew took over after Aidan O'Connell injured his thumb. He had a rough afternoon throwing 3 Ints and no TDs (15-154-34). Minshew now has twice as many Ints and TDs this season (8 Ints, 4 TDs). O'Connell fractured his thumb and is expected to land on IR. Knowing that he will be the starter, Minshew should improve a bit in Week 8.
• ^*Mason Rudolph, Ten @ Det (19th) - Rudolph competed 25 of 40 passes for 216 yards, 1 TD and 1 Int, rushed 5 times for 12 yards and lost a fumble. If Will Levis is out Week 8, expect Rudolph to scrape off the rust and improve a little in Week 8.

Running Backs

• Roschon Johnson, Chi @ Wsh (16th) - Johnson has averaged 9 touches, averaging 7.5 rushes for 22.3 yards and 0.75 TDs and 1.5 receptions on 2 targets for 14.3 yards in Weeks 3 through 6. He is coming fresh off a bye week and should pick up where he left off. 
• Jeremy McNichols, Wsh v Chi (14th) - McNichols rushed 7 times for 42 yards in Week 8. He usually gets moderate volume, but has 3 TDs in the last four weeks, so he has a decent upside potential.
• ^*Tyler Goodson, Ind @ Hou (3rd) - With Jonathan Taylor sidelined, Goodson shared carries with Trey Sermon, rushing 14 times for 51 yards and scoring his first career TD. If Taylor remains sidelined in Week 8, keep expectations for Goodson tempered against a tough Texans run D.
• ^*D'Ernest Johnson, Jax v GB (18th) - With Travis Etienne out, Johnson had the no. 2 role behind Tank Bigsby. He rushed 9 times for 38 yards and caught 3 of 4 targets for 32 yards. If Etienne remains out in Week 8, expect more of the same.
• Kimani Vidal (R), LAC v NO (28th) - Vidal had an unspectacular Week 7, rushing 10 yards on 3 carries and catching his only target for 9 yards. However, he is a rookie and is averaging 5 touches a game since he started being involved in Week 6, so he might be worth a stash in dynasty leagues.

Receivers

• Jauan Jennings, SF v Dal (18th) - If Jennings is healthy for Week 8, he should be back to decent volume, especially with Brandon Aiyuk out for the season and Deebo Samuel possibly out for a few weeks with pneumonia.
• Jordan Whittington (R), LAR v Min (32nd) - Don't count Whittington's Week 7 goose egg performance against him. He was playing with a banged up shoulder and was only on the field for 9 snaps. Watch his injury status and if he is back to full health for Week 8, expect him to start to see decent volume again. Except for Week 7, Whittington's volume was increasing every week, catching 7 of 10 targets for 89 yards in Week 5. And in Week 8 the Rams are playing the weakest D against the pass.
• Rashad Bateman, Bal @ Cle (27th) - Bateman has been averaging 3 receptions on 4.3 targets, with 3 TDs on the season. He had a monster Week 7 catching all 4 of his targets for 121 yards and a TD. Bateman is a decent weekly WR3/WR4 starter, and can be trusted as a streamer fill-in for Week 8 against a soft Browns D.
• Tutu Atwell, LAR v Min (32nd) - Atwell had a productive Week 7 leading the team in targets with 6 receptions for 51 yards on 9 targets. However, Cooper Kupp is expected back in Week 8. Balancing this against the fact that the Rams are playing against the weakest D against the pass, expect Atwell to get moderate volume even with Kupp back in the lineup.
• Darius Slayton, NYG @ Pit (10th) - With Malik Nabers back from a concussion, Slayton didn't do much in Week 7 - 1 reception on 3 targets for 11 yards. Yet he was still on the field for every snap, so its likely he will continue to get 3 or 4 targets a game.
• Jalen Tolbert, Dal @ SF (12th) - Tolbert caught 4 of his 5 targets for 43 yards in Week 6. This is about par for the course for Tolbert, and he has 2 TDs on the season. Expect Tolbert to continue to see a moderate volume of targets.
• Joshua Palmer, LAC v NO (20th) - With Quentin Johnston out in Week 7, Palmer caught 4 of his 5 targets for 63 yards. If Johnston is back in Week 8, expect his volume to drop a little.
• ^*Kalif Raymond, Det v Ten (6th) - Raymond caught 3 of his 4 targets for 39 yards and a TD in Week 7. The Lions are up against a tough Titans D in Week 8, and Raymond's volume hasn't been consistent, so he is a risky start for Week 8.
• ^*Olamide Zaccheaus, Wsh v Chi (7th) - Zaccheaus caught 4 of his 6 targets for 25 yards in Week 8. Zaccheaus gets a steady stream of moderate volume, but is averaging only 9.3 yards per catch, has no TDs on the season, and is up against a tough Bears D in Week 8.
• Mecole Hardman, KC @ LV (8th) -With Rashee Rice out for the year, Hardman caught 1 of 2 targets for 17 yards, and rushed for 38 yards and a TD on 2 carries. Hardman does not receive consistent volume and is too TD dependent to be a reliable option, but if you are desperate he is an option.

Tight Ends

• ^*Jonnu Smith, Mia v Ari (18th) - With Tua Tagovailoa still out, Smith played a big roll for the Dolphins in Week 7, catching all 7 of his targets for 96 yards and a TD. If Tagovailoa starts Week 8, expect Smith's volume to go down. However, if Tagovailoa is still out, Smith is a decent streaming option as he seems to operating as a high-volume relief valve for whichever Dolphin QB lines up behind center.
• ^*Will Dissly, LAC v NO (17th) - Dissly caught 8 of 11 targets for 81 yards in Week 7, capitalizing on Quentin Johnston's and Hayden Hurst's absences. If Johnston is healthy for Week 8, expect Dissly to return to his usual 3 or 4 targets per game.
• Colby Parkinson, LAR v Min (19th) - Parkinson caught both his targets for 32 yards in Week 7. Parkinson has been catching an average of 3.5 receptions per game this season, so expect him to bounce back a bit in Week 8.
• Noah Fant, Sea v Buf (16th) - Fant caught all 4 of his targets for a season-high 65 yards. If DK Metcalf is out for Week 8, Fant, who has caught 24 of 28 targets this season would be inline to see an uptick in volume.
• Noah Gray, KCC @ LV (8th) - Gray led the Chiefs in receiving in Week 7 catching all 4 of his targets for 66 yards. However, this is partly because the 49ers focused on stopping Travis Kelce, and basically let Gray run free. Week 7 was a high mark for Gray and with no TDs on the season, don't expect much from Gray in Week 8.
• Ja'Tavion Sanders (R), Car @ Den (20th) - With Tommy Tremble out, Sanders led the Panthers in receiving, catching all 6 of his targets for 61 yards. As a developing rookie, we can't predict his usage once Tremble is back, but he is definitely worth a dynasty stash.

Kickers

• Cameron Dicker, LAC v NO (31st)
• Will Reichard, Min @ LAR (24th)
• Nick Folk, Ten @ Det (22nd)
• Will Lutz, Den v Car (30th)
• Jake Bates, Det v Ten (20th)

Defense / Special Teams

• Washington Commanders v Chi (15th)
• Detroit Lions v Ten (32nd)
• Los Angeles Rams v Min (10th)
• Tampa Bay Buccaneers v Atl (16th)
• Philadelphia Eagles @ Cin (14th)

^*Available in my league with 24-player rosters