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UPNXT: Best Week 8 NFL Waiver Wire Pickups and Trading Card Moves

Jason Koeppel/ONE37pm

Published Oct 27, 2020

And then, there was one! Only one undefeated team remains in the NFL after seven weeks of football, as the Pittsburgh Steelers won the battle of the undefeated teams, narrowly knocking off the Tennessee Titans, 27-24. It’s difficult not to consider Pittsburgh as legitimate Super Bowl favorites with their strong play on both sides of the ball.

Another storied NFL franchise is experiencing the opposite fortune this season, as the Dallas Cowboys were blown out by the Washington Football Team, 25-3. The fact that Dallas couldn’t muster one touchdown with the likes of Ezekiel Elliott, Amari Cooper, Michael Gallup, and CeeDee Lamb on the roster, is alarming. And last, as if losing Dak Prescott for the season wasn’t bad enough, Andy Dalton exited the game early after a nasty hit to the head while sliding. This can’t be the way Cowboys’ fans saw the season playing out after inking head coach Mike McCarthy to a big contract.

Finally, we can’t talk about Week 7 without mentioning the explosive showdown between the Seattle Seahawks and Arizona Cardinals. Watching this game reminded me of the pointing Spider-Man meme, as Russell Wilson and Kyler Murray both passed for over 350 yards, attempted 45 or more passes, threw 3 TDs, and rushed for 60 or more yards. Murray out-dueled Wilson, handing the ‘Hawks their first loss of the season thanks to an overtime field goal by Zane Gonzalez. But the real star of the show was wide receiver Tyler Lockett, who posted an incredible line of 15 receptions, 200 yards, and three touchdowns! Oh, and DK Metcalf is fast…really fast.

This week, we have the start of a dolphin’s tale in Miami, a wide receiver with some bite in Cleveland, and a running back with a golden opportunity in San Francisco. Here’s who’s UPNXT in Week 8!

BONUS: Hang around until the end for a quick recap of last week’s picks!

NFL Week 8

Tua Tagovailoa, QB, Miami Dolphins

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In a sudden changing of the guard in Miami, veteran Ryan Fitzpatrick’s magic has run out. “The Beard” had been playing well for the Dolphins, so the news of Tua Tagovailoa taking over was a bit of a surprise. The vote of confidence from Miami’s coaching staff says a lot about how they feel about Tua’s progress as a pro. With fellow rookies Joe Burrow and Justin Herbert playing lights out this season, it’ll be interesting to see how Tua compares to his draft classmates.

Fantasy Ownership: At just 28% rostered, Tua is widely available in most fantasy leagues. He makes for a solid speculative addition to fantasy rosters if you can afford to clear out a spot on your bench. His next three opponents are the Rams, Cardinals, and a head-to-head matchup with fellow rookie Justin Herbert’s Chargers.

DFS: (DraftKings: $5,600, FanDuel: $6,800) vs. Rams Tua makes his first start against a stout and stingy Los Angeles Rams’ defense. The implied game total and spread aren’t available yet for this contest, but I can assure you that there are much better options at quarterback in DFS this week. I would completely fade Tua until he gets a couple of games under his belt.

Card Market Rating: Buy, however... This is such a polarizing buy, so proceed with caution. Tua's prices are already sky-high in anticipation of what he COULD be. However, let's all remember that he is coming off of a major injury and seems to always be banged up. IF he can stay healthy, he is going to be an absolute star. But that is a MAJOR if. He scares me. Justin Herbert and Joe Burrow seem to be the safer two quarterbacks in this class. However, if his injury issues are behind him, he may have the higher upside of the three. That excites me.

Rashard Higgins, WR, Cleveland Browns

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The injuries continue to pile up for some of the league’s best and brightest stars. Odell Beckham Jr. is the latest in what’s becoming a long list of players who have suffered season-ending injuries. In OBJ’s absence, Higgins proved himself more than capable as a fill-in, posting six catches for 110 yards. Higgins boasts adequate size at 6’1 and could soak up some of the red zone looks with both Beckham Jr. and Austin Hooper out for the Browns.

Fantasy Ownership: 0%. That’s it. That’s the number. Higgins is available in every league, so go get him and hope that Baker Mayfield continues playing as he did on Sunday.

DFS: (DraftKings: $4,200 FanDuel: $5,500) vs. Raiders The Browns host the Raiders in Week 8 in what is shaping up to be one of the highest-scoring games on the slate. With an implied game total of 54.5, with the Browns as underdogs, Higgins is squarely in play this weekend. I could see rostering David Carr, Nelson Agholor, then running it back with Rashard Higgins in a game stack. I prefer him on DraftKings slightly more thanks to the $1,300 discount.

Card Market Rating: Sell. It isn't likely that you are a big owner of Higgins cards unless you are related to him, went to high school with him or you are a Colorado State fan, but a 26-year-old receiver who is getting extended playing time because of injury is not somebody to invest in.

JaMycal Hasty, RB, San Francisco 49ers

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An undrafted rookie, JaMycal Hasty isn’t a household name…yet. Raheem Mostert, Tevin Coleman, and Jeff Wilson are all banged up right now, which means the oft-injured Jerrick McKinnon and JaMycal Hasty will need to shoulder the load for the Niners backfield. What catches my eye about Hasty, is for a guy who is just 5’8 and barely 200 pounds, he runs with physicality and looks for contact. He hits the hole with a noticeable burst, changes direction effortlessly with well-timed jump cuts, and plays bigger than his measurables would indicate. With San Francisco unable to stay healthy this year, adding Hasty to your squad makes a lot of sense.

Fantasy Ownership: Sticking with our 30% and below theme, Hasty is rostered in just 12% of fantasy leagues right now. He’s not a home run add by any means, but with running back being such a thin position in fantasy, he should be added this week as a dart throw.

DFS: (DraftKings: $5,000, FanDuel: $5,600) @ Seahawks I know the Seahawks were just lit up by the Cardinals, but Hasty is probably best left out of your daily fantasy lineups this week. If you’re playing in a 150 max entry tournament, it may be ok to have a small percentage of Hasty on your teams. Otherwise, he’s probably someone we should fade for now.

Card Market Rating: BUY! BUY! BUY! Hasty was an absolute beast at Baylor and is playing in one of the best offensive systems in the league. He is going to have a real opportunity to earn the #1 spot for years to come, and when you combine that with the extremely low entry point on his rookie cards, this is one of my favorite buys since we began this article.

BONUS: Week 7 Recap

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Tim Patrick, WR, Denver Broncos

THE LINE: Receiving: 4 TGTS, 3 REC, 44 YDS

THE SCOOP: Broncos’ quarterback Drew Lock spread the ball around in this game, finding ten different receivers on the day. Denver’s tight ends were the most targeted pass catchers on the day, mostly limiting Patrick from repeating his recent success.

UPNXT vs Chargers: Tim Patrick gets a chance at redemption as the Broncos host Los Angeles this week. I view him as a low end WR3/FLEX option in this matchup.

Boston Scott, RB, Philadelphia Eagles

THE LINE: Rushing: 12 CAR, 46 YDS Receiving: 3 REC, 46 YDS, 1 TD

THE SCOOP: After a mostly quiet game, Scott managed to haul in a highlight reel TD catch to put the Eagles ahead late versus the Giants. If you started Scott, you’re probably a happy camper.

UPNXT vs Cowboys: With starter Miles Sanders expected to miss this game, Scott should find himself starting once again. If you’ve been paying attention, Dallas’ defense is terrible, so Scott makes for a solid RB3/FLEX play.

Keelan Cole, WR, Jacksonville Jaguars

THE LINE: Receiving: 2 TGTS, 1 REC, 12 YDS

THE SCOOP: This week was more of a sideline story for Cole. The Jaguars passing game has started to taper off recently, meaning Cole might be better off riding the pine than in your lineup.

UPNXT BYE Week: After the bye, Cole gets a soft matchup versus a very beatable Texans team that just allowed Devante Adams to catch 13 balls for 196 yards, and two tuddies.