Fantasy Football Week 8 Waiver Wire: Darrell Henderson Jr., More Free-Agent Pickups

We've at the midway point of the 2023 NFL season, making this the ideal time to assess your fantasy roster and make some waiver wire moves.

It's well past time to cut any disappointing draft picks and replace them with more useful players, the type who could make the difference between a championship run and missing the playoffs entirely. It's also a good week to turn over the bottom of your roster, releasing any lingering spot starters or bye week fill-ins with a low ceiling. These roster spots can be used to bring in high-upside talents who have a chance to evolve into playmakers for your squad.

This is an especially good time to assess the tight end spot. If you've been forced to stream the position or lack a high-end option to plug into your lineup on a weekly basis, you'll want to check out the free-agent pool. There are multiple potential starters lurking there in most leagues, with two even making this week's list of top waiver pickups.

With that in mind, here's the full list of can't-miss free agents for Week 8. All suggestions are rostered in 50 percent or less of Yahoo! leagues.

Fantasy points and rankings are based on FantasyPros' PPR data.

DK DFS Value: $5,500

The Los Angeles Rams went all-in on Kyren Williams as their feature running back early in the season, trading away season-opening starter Cam Akers after one disappointing showing. While Williams rewarded the club with some strong play over the first six games, he went down with an ankle injury last week and was placed on injured reserve this past weekend. With Williams set to be sidelined until Week 12 at the earliest, Darrell Henderson Jr. has become the Rams back to roster in fantasy.

Henderson was L.A.'s starting running back for much of the 2020-2022 seasons but fell out of favor down the stretch last year. He was released in November and spent time with the Jacksonville Jaguars and in the XFL before catching on with the Rams again in wake of Williams' injury last week.

The 26-year-old didn't seem to have much rust to knock off, as he got his second stint with the Rams started on a high note in Week 7. Making his first start since Week 11 of last year, the veteran rushed 18 times for 61 yards and a touchdown and added five yards on his lone reception across 39 offensive snaps.

Although Henderson didn't quite take on the same heavy volume that Williams had been shouldering—the replacement back earned 61 percent of the backfield touches on Sunday, compared to the 72 percent Williams had been logging—it's a rather hefty amount for a player who just signed a week ago. The only real competition for carries right now is Royce Freeman, who had 12 rushes for 66 yards and didn't see a target on his 29 offensive snaps.

While head coach Sean McVay could divvy up the snaps differently following this loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers and game scripting could also shift how L.A.'s backfield gets utilized going forward, Henderson still seems like he will be the unit's top fantasy option until Williams returns. He's a must-add in nearly every league following his 2023 debut performance and should be the No. 1 waiver target for any manager in need of RB help this week.

DK DFS Value: $4,800

Emari Demercado became a popular waiver wire target last week after it was revealed that Arizona Cardinals feature back James Conner was heading to injured reserve with a knee injury suffered in Week 5. The rookie looked great when he was elevated into a larger role against the Cincinnati Bengals, finishing the contest with 45 rushing yards and a touchdown.

Demercado unfortunately failed to build on that performance the following game, rushing just two times for 11 yards and reeling in one catch for six yards in his first opportunity to show he could lead the Cardinals' backfield. Although the Demercado hype faded following that poor outing against the Los Angeles Rams, it's time to give him another chance based on his Week 7 showing.

The 24-year-old drew his first career start against the Seattle Seahawks and turned in a 13-carry, 58-yard performance on the ground while also rewarding PPR managers with 17 yards on four receptions. While it wasn't a world-beating outing, Demercado was the clear-cut favorite back with 53 offensive snaps. Backup Damien Williams logged just 12 offensive snaps and notched a meager two yards on his lone carry.

While there's some nice upside here, managers should be aware that Demercado's usage is likely to shrink significantly upon Conner's return, which could come as early as Week 10. Expectations should be tempered during that stretch as well, given the schedule between now and then is brutal. Arizona will face a stingy Baltimore Ravens front this coming Sunday and then has a brutal matchup against an elite Cleveland Browns defense in Week 9.

DK DFS Value: $4,800

The Indianapolis Colts have a legitimate NFL wide receiver on their hands in rookie Josh Downs. The third-round pick has been contributing since the season-opener and is starting to get more prominently involved with Gardner Minshew II now running the offense.

Downs just had his breakout game in Week 7, racking up 125 yards and a score on just five catches. It was only a matter of time before the 22-year-old exploded given he had seen at least six targets in each of the past three weeks and tallied up a total of 35 looks since Week 3. It was also the second successive game in which the UNC product found paydirt, starting a streak after he punched in his first NFL touchdown last week.

Downs is displaying a propensity for big plays early in his career. He had a highlight-reel 59-yard grab against the Cleveland Browns on Sunday, the third time in the past four games that he had a catch of 30 yards or more. While the 5'9", 171-pounder isn't going to be outmuscling or jumping over many corners, he's found a way to utilize his elite quickness, strong route-running ability and good hands to succeed against the defensive backs he's coming up against on a weekly basis.

Michael Pittman Jr. is still the main target in Indianapolis' passing attack, but Downs is closing the gap and has clearly established himself as the No. 2 option. Downs has drawn nearly double the targets (47) as Alec Pierce (25) and is equally more productive, piling up 401 yards and two scores on the year compared to Pierce's 202 yards and zero touchdowns.

Consider Downs a WR3 with great upside going forward. He should be the top waiver wire target for any manager lacking that type of talent in their receiving corps.

DK DFS Value: $N/A

Dalton Kincaid didn't have the hot start some expected the rookie tight end to get off to after he landed with the Buffalo Bills on Day 1 of the 2023 draft. While the team direly needed a high-end pass-catcher at his position, he only mustered a pedestrian 17 receptions for 118 yards over his first five contests. A concussion kept him sidelined in Week 6, but the 24-year-old returned on Sunday to have his best game as a pro.

Kincaid set career highs by hauling in all eight of his targets for 75 yards against the New England Patriots. The Utah product also saw an uptick in usage, logging 61 percent of the offensive snaps after hovering near 50 percent in his previous three outings. While Kincaid still hasn't found the end zone as a professional, it seems it is only a matter of time before he's celebrating a score based on this usage.

It's fitting that Kincaid's best game came on National Tight Ends Day. During a week in which there were plenty of fantasy outbursts from the position, he still managed to finish as its No. 6 scorer in PPR leagues.

While there may still be some growing pains ahead as Kincaid and the Bills look to figure things out following a disappointing 4-3 start to the campaign, he's trending upwards and should continue to be a top-10 option most weeks.

DK DFS Value: $4,000

Taysom Hill's re-emergence as a viable starter has been one of fantasy football's more surprising developments over the past few weeks. After a rather long stretch of irrelevance—Hill hadn't had a double-digit point outing since Week 17 of last year—he's come on strong with back-to-back top-six performances.

Hill followed up an impressive Week 6 showing—a game in which he caught seven of his eight targets for 49 yards and rushed for two yards—with an equally solid Week 7, reeling in four of his five targets for 50 yards while adding 18 yards and a score on his five totes. He's tallied 29.1 points across those two contests, making him the No. 4 tight end in PPR formats over that stretch.

While Hill is still listed as a quarterback on the team's website, he hasn't been utilized much as a passer this season. He appears to be settling into a hybrid pass-catching and rushing role and getting more usage because of it, logging at least 49 offensive snaps in each of the past two games. Prior to Week 6, Hill hadn't seen more than 33 offensive snaps in a game this year.

It's worth betting that Hill will continue to be a factor down the stretch. He should be rostered in nearly every format as it is difficult to find reliable tight ends, especially this late in the campaign. Don't miss out on Hill if you've been streaming the position or aren't satisfied with your regular starter.