2026 Week 8 Fantasy Football Waiver Wire Report

Availability varies widely by league size and format — some of these names are already rostered in deeper leagues. Check your own league before you spend a single waiver claim. The add numbers below are from Sleeper over the last 48 hours; the opportunity deltas are week-over-week usage changes we measured ourselves from Week 6 to Week 7.

QB

Kirk Cousins

Cousins is the week's biggest add at his position — 178,648 Sleeper adds in 48 hours — and the Raiders confirmed Monday that he remains the starter for Week 8 against the Jets. His snap share is 97.6% across seven games, and he's averaging 19.5 PPR points per game this season (136.5 total in 7 games), which is a legitimate production rate. FantasyPros projects him for just 62.7 PPR points the rest of the way, which is conservative given that pace. If you're streaming at QB, this is your call — priority add in all formats with the Raiders-Jets matchup in front of him.

Jacoby Brissett

Brissett has no add count signal (no Sleeper data here), but his opportunity reason is real: touches jumped from 2 to 7 week-over-week. The problem? News published today says Cardinals fans are openly calling for rookie Carson Beck to take over, and Brissett has clearly been struggling. He's produced 113.7 PPR points in 7 games — about 16.2 per game — which is fine for a streamer, but the job security is a genuine concern. Stash in deeper leagues only, and monitor the Cardinals' depth chart closely before starting him.

Geno Smith

Smith drew 58,012 adds on Sleeper and is averaging 100% snap share across 7 games with 107.1 total PPR points (15.3/game). That's streaming-viable but unspectacular. There was a sideline incident with Garrett Wilson in Week 7 — the Jets' coaching staff downplayed it, but it signals some offensive friction. His FantasyPros projection of 230.6 PPR points for the season implies a big second-half, but the usage and production are only middling right now. Streaming option in 2-QB or superflex leagues; a clear third choice behind Cousins here.

RB

Kaelon Black

This is the week's most urgent add. Black drew 497,161 Sleeper adds — the highest of anyone on this list — and a snap count report published today shows him at 47% of 49ers snaps alongside Christian McCaffrey at 52%. That's a near-even split with one of the best backs in football, and it's been building: Black averages 8.6 touches and 29.2% snap share across all 7 games, but if Week 7 was truly 47%, his role is accelerating. He has 30.7 PPR points on the season, which hasn't caught up to the usage yet — that's a positive regression case, especially in PPR where his 1.5 avg targets add floor. He has no opportunity_reason signal (no two-week delta meeting the threshold), but the snap-count data published today makes this a top-3 claim regardless. Priority add everywhere.

Zonovan Knight

Knight has both signals: 52,516 Sleeper adds AND targets that jumped from 2 to 5 week-over-week. Season-long, he averages 7.5 touches and 3.5 targets across 7 games but has produced only 24.3 total PPR points — 3.5 per game. That is a massive gap between volume and production. This is the clearest positive-regression buy-low on the board this week. The targets specifically haven't been converting — 3.5 avg targets vs. 2.5 avg receptions — which means catches are coming if the targets hold. Prioritize in PPR leagues; add him before the production catches up to the usage.

Justice Hill

Hill also carries both signals: 49,644 Sleeper adds and touches that jumped from 3 to 6 week-over-week. Across the season he averages 4.9 touches and 2.8 targets at a 42.4% snap share. His 35.4 total PPR points (5.1/game) is on the low side given that volume — another positive-regression candidate. He's projected for 77.1 PPR points the rest of the season, which would require a significant step up from current production, but the Week 7 usage jump suggests the role may be expanding. Priority add in PPR, streaming-level add in standard.

WR

Darius Cooper

Cooper is the WR sleeper of the week. He drew 483,231 Sleeper adds — second only to Kaelon Black overall — with no opportunity reason attached. His season-long numbers tell the story anyway: 3.6 avg targets, 50.3% snap share, and 48.6 total PPR points across 7 games (6.9/game). That production is already reflecting the usage, so this isn't a hidden gem situation — the market is catching on and you're not getting ahead of anything. Still, if he's available in your league, add him now. Priority add in PPR and standard.

Ryan Flournoy

Flournoy has 275,616 Sleeper adds and, frankly, the usage to back it: 5.7 avg targets, 73.9% avg snap share, and 63.4 total PPR points across 7 games (9.1/game). His production has matched his volume — this isn't a regression play in either direction, it's simply a productive player you should already have. If he's still sitting in your league, grab him immediately. He should be rostered in all formats.

Cooper Kupp

Kupp has 41,376 adds and a 68% snap share across 7 games, but only 43.9 total PPR points (6.3/game) on 3.9 avg targets. That is high usage with low production — a clear positive-regression case, and especially relevant in PPR given his target volume. His FantasyPros projection of 116.5 PPR points for the season implies a major uptick from current pace. Buy-low candidate worth a waiver claim in PPR leagues.

Also worth checking

Christian Kirk had his snap share jump from 0% to 30% week-over-week — he had zero snaps in Week 6 and returned to a role in Week 7. His season-long snap share averages 30.3%, but zero total PPR points across 7 games means the role hasn't produced anything yet. Watch-and-see in deeper leagues only. Brandin Cooks saw his snap share climb from 52% to 68% but is averaging just 2 targets across 5 games with 12.3 total PPR points — a one-game usage blip is possible here. Low priority. Chris Blair jumped from 4% to 26% snap share but his season averages (2 targets, 22.7% snap share, 3.6 PPR points) don't support meaningful investment yet. Stash in dynasty formats only.

TE

Davis Allen

Allen is the strongest two-signal TE on the board. His snap share jumped from 31% to 69%, his targets jumped from 0 to 5, and his touches jumped from 1 to 4 — all in one week. That's a triple opportunity signal, and it happened within a season-long context of 2.3 avg targets and 45.7% avg snap share. His 30.3 total PPR points in 7 games (4.3/game) hasn't caught up to even his pre-Week 7 volume, so a big Week 7 plus an apparent role expansion is a compelling case. TE is a wasteland on waivers most weeks — Allen is a priority add in all formats.

Michael Mayer

Mayer drew 87,237 Sleeper adds and his numbers are legitimately strong: 5.3 avg targets, 4.4 avg receptions, 80.9% snap share, and 66.8 total PPR points across 7 games (9.5/game). That production has matched the volume — he's not a hidden gem, he's a starter. If he's still available in your league at this point, something's wrong with your league's TE attention. Immediate add in all formats.

Darren Waller

Waller has 46,827 adds and a reasonable season: 3.8 avg targets, 45.6% snap share, 51.8 PPR points across 6 games (8.6/game). His FantasyPros projection of 94.1 points for the season is the highest among the TEs here. Production has tracked the usage at a solid clip. If Mayer is gone and Allen isn't available, Waller is a real TE2 option worth adding. Priority add as a third-tier TE option.

Also stashing

Charlie Woerner had his snap share jump from 29% to 71% week-over-week, but his season-long averages (1.3 targets, 56.5% snap share, 4.5 total PPR points) suggest the jump may reflect game-script or an injury to another player rather than a genuine role elevation. His 2025 total of 12.8 PPR points on a full season gives little reason for optimism. Deep-league stash only. Jeremy Ruckert saw his snap share climb from 23% to 39% and averages 2.7 targets per game across 7 games, but only 18.8 total PPR points. The targets aren't converting consistently. Speculative add in 14-team-plus leagues. Chris Manhertz had the most dramatic snap jump of any TE here — 16% to 44% — but has zero PPR points across 7 games on the season. Zero. His 2025 total was 1.7 points in 17 games. The role jump may mean something, but the production history says it probably doesn't. Hold off unless your TE situation is truly desperate.