Waiver wire weekly: Jesse James to bring the game

Multiple teams will be on their bye weeks in Week 8, including the Atlanta Falcons, Dallas Cowboys, Los Angeles Chargers and Tennessee Titans. As we approach the halfway mark of this season, do not fear if you have Melvin Gordon, Julio Jones or another big-time player on bye right now. This week’s slate of waiver wire additions should provide a seamless transition from your bye-week players.

*The %OWN statistic is based on ESPN standard leagues from Oct. 22.

Quarterbacks

Mitchell Trubisky, Chicago Bears, %OWN: 51.1%

Mitchell Trubisky is coming off perhaps the best three-game stretch of his career. He totaled 43.5 fantasy points before the Bears’ bye week, and in the last two weeks he put up 27.3 and 31.4, respectively. It seems as though he is finally coming into his own under Bears head coach Matt Nagy’s offense. Trubisky has weapons galore in receivers like Allen Robinson, Taylor Gabriel, Anthony Miller and Trey Burton, not to mention offensive Swiss Army knife Tarik Cohen. Look for him to continue his dominance in Week 8 against the New York Jets.

Baker Mayfield, Cleveland Browns, %OWN: 40.6%

Another young quarterback on the rise is Baker Mayfield, who is becoming a must-add option in fantasy football. If you’ve watched Mayfield play, his talent is more than evident. Mayfield has given an otherwise faltering Browns franchise hope for the future — and this season. Last week against the Buccaneers, he passed for more than 200 yards and added two touchdowns. While the Steelers’ secondary is much more formidable than the Bucs’, they are still in the bottom 10 teams in terms of pass defense.

Running Backs

Marlon Mack, Indianapolis Colts, %OWN: 53.9%

If you did not happen to read last week’s edition, the bad news is you may have lost out on Marlon Mack. The good news is he is still available in more than 40 percent of standard ESPN leagues. After finally becoming healthy and becoming the sole feature back of the Colts, Mack exploded for 126 yards on 19 carries and added a touchdown both on the ground and through the air. He proved the potential he possesses on Sunday when he absolutely thrashed the Bills’ defense and undoubtedly looked like a star feature back. Expect Mack’s success to continue in Week 8 and beyond.

Ronald Jones, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, %OWN: 15%

Ronald Jones has largely been a disappointment so far in his rookie season. Despite scoring his first career touchdown on Sunday, he only picked up 13 yards on six carries. Other than this past Sunday’s total of 8.8, Jones’ highest fantasy point total on the year was 2.8 in Week 4. But though this figure should set off several red flags in a fantasy owner’s mind, there is hope for Jones. Jones has been second on the depth chart to Buccaneers running back Peyton Barber, who has not exactly capitalized on his opportunity nor has he separated himself from Jones. In general, football is moving more toward utilizing young, fast, athletic players and Jones has the capability to check all of those boxes. It is possible that Jones can build on his first career touchdown with a solid finish to the season.

Wide Receivers

Danny Amendola, Miami Dolphins, %OWN: 24.4%

The Miami Dolphins have seen two of their leading receivers sidelined with injuries, which in turn opens the door for Danny Amendola. With wide receiver Albert Wilson suffering a season ending injury and wide receiver Kenny Stills still nursing a nagging injury, Amendola had the best game of his short Dolphin career on Sunday with six catches for 84 yards and a touchdown. Fantasy owners may be worried about a “questionable” status designated to Amendola for Miami’s Thursday night game against the Houston Texans. However, assuming Amendola suits up, he will be the go-to guy for the Dolphins.

Geronimo Allison, Green Bay Packers, %OWN: 37.3%

Geronimo Allison has been out of play, nursing a hamstring injury for the past two weeks. Looking to return this week, he has been a force for the Pack when healthy. Allison has had 12.9, 6.4, 13.6 and 8 points in each of his first four fantasy matchups this year and has been a main target for Aaron Rodgers this year. Although Allison and the Packers face an extremely tough opponent in the Los Angeles Rams in Week 8, Rodgers will always compete and find ways to get the ball into his receivers’ hands.

Tight Ends

Jesse James, Pittsburgh Steelers, %OWN: 8.1%

Over the last few weeks, Jesse James has watched fellow Steeler tight end Vance McDonald receive a majority of snaps at the position. Although James may be second in the Steelers depth chart, Ben Roethlisberger loved throwing to the Penn State product last season and this could easily sway the Steelers to give James more snaps. In Week 1 against the Browns, James had 60 yards receiving. With the Steelers playing the Browns again this week, look for James to have a solid game.

Benjamin Watson, New Orleans Saints, %OWN: 34.3%

Coming off of his best fantasy game of the year, Benjamin Watson will look to build on this success against the Minnesota Vikings in Week 8. Watson caught his first touchdown of the year on Sunday and also caught all of his six targets. He has been increasingly relevant in the Saints’ offense after Ted Ginn went down with a knee injury in Week 4, so look for Watson to continue his steady production in Week 8.