Trying to get rich quick on Fanduel? The best way to cash on weekly fantasy football sites is to load up on as many stars with good matchups as possible. Due to budget restraints, however, fantasy players must sacrifice other positions to nab the stars they want.
Here, you'll find the top bargains at each position that will let you splurge elsewhere.
Best Week 8 Waiver Wire Pickups
Quarterbacks
1. Marcus Mariota, Titans ($7,100): Mariota’s listed as questionable, but there is optimism he plays. If so, he gets a crack at a Texans teams that looks like it has about given up on the season, if not life. The Dolphins have new life under coach Dan Campbell, but what Lamar Miller and Jarvis Landry did to this defense was unspeakable. Free J.J. Watt! If Mariota does not suit up, Zach Mettenberger is playable at $6,000.
2. Teddy Bridgewater, Vikings ($6,900) Bridgewater finally joined the two-touchdown club last week vs. the Lions, and he also eclipsed 300 yards for the first time in 2015. Bridgewater’s weekly, low output has a lot to do with the Vikings’ dominant running game, but his talent warrants a FanDuel spot against weak pass defenses. This week he’s against the Bears, who qualify.
3. Eli Manning, Giants ($7,300): Manning is a bigger name, and a little pricier, than who usually populates this list but it’s not a great week to pinch pennies at the quarterback position. Manning has had two subpar weeks, so even though he’s on the road, the Saints, the NFL’s worst pass defense, are a nice tonic for an ailing passing game.
Running Backs
1. Ronnie Hillman, Broncos ($6,100): Hillman might not be the nominal No. 1 running back in Denver, but he’s getting more carries than C.J. Anderson, and he’s been more effective than him. Peyton Manning’s arm is on the fritz, so while the Broncos WRs will still get theirs, expect to see a lot of Hillman too. Green Bay’s defense has been better than expected, but they still rank 20th vs. the run.
2. Danny Woodhead, Chargers ($6,100): The Ravens are coming off yet another crushing loss, and their defense has been porous vs. pass-catching running backs. Melvin Gordon’s fumbling and inconsistency has him on the wrong side of a time share right now, and Woodhead is San Diego’s de facto lead back.
3. Dexter McCluster, Titans ($5,200): Sneaky little stack opportunity with McCluster and the Titans QB. McCluster is slowly but surely soaking up the carries that Ken Whisenhunt had been giving to lesser players like Bishop Sankey and Antonio Andrews. Sankey is all but gone from the rotation, and Andrews’ snaps are about even with McCluster’s. Houston’s defense wants the season to be over, so this has the potential to be a surprisingly entertaining and high-scoring affair.
Wide Receivers
1. Stefon Diggs, Vikings ($6,700): Bridgewater and Diggs is another low-priced stack that can reap big rewards. Perhaps Bridgewater’s issues stemmed from poor wide receiver play, with Mike Wallace, Charles Johnson and Cordarrelle Patterson all taking turns being invisible at times. Diggs has been over 100 yards twice in the three games the Vikings have featured him, and he’s caught at least six passes in each.
2. Ted Ginn, Panthers ($5,300): Right now, Cam Newton is playing like an MVP and his main wide receiver target is Ginn. Don’t be concerned with Ginn’s lack of route-running chops; his speed and athletic ability are all Newton needs for it to work.
3. Davante Adams, Packers ($5,300): FanDuel players may avoid non-Randall Cobb Packers receivers because of the tough matchup vs. Denver, but Aaron Rodgers is a magician. Further, he’ll be thrilled to have Adams back, because Adams is superior to Ty Montgomery, and it will allow Rodgers to get back to approaching 350-plus yards. Expect Adams to get a ton of work with Aqib Talib hounding Cobb.
Tight Ends
1. Jason Witten, Cowboys ($5,500): Tony Romo being out really sucks for most of Dallas’ skill players, but Witten’s game is so robotic that it doesn’t matter who is under center. The Seahawks are the 31st-ranked defense vs. tight ends per FootballOutsiders.com, so Witten is an easy play here.
2. Larry Donnell, Giants ($5,100): The Saints’ pass defense is bad, and their defense against tight ends is particularly offensive. Expect Donnell to score at least one touchdown.
3. Crockett Gillmore, Ravens ($5,000): Gillmore is humongous, and the Chargers are bad against TEs (28th). Baltimore has precious few options in the passing game besides Steve Smith, so Gillmore is Joe Flacco’s No. 2 essentially. It’s only a matter of time before he’s back in the end zone.
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