Week 8 Fantasy Football Waivers: Jonah Coleman Leads a Rookie Wave!

Every season, I preach that you have to be patient with rookies, and every season, I fail to take my own advice. For a few of the players in this article, I have been calling them drop candidates on our Tuesday morning show…and they probably were. But as the season progresses, opinions can change. Now seven weeks in, they are starting to find their footing and likely sitting on waivers because of impatient fantasy managers. But they could change your fortune in the second half of the season, and that is why the Week 8 waiver list is ALL ROOKIES.

Every week, we’ll highlight our Top 5 fantasy football waiver wire pickups to help you stay ahead of the competition and keep your roster strong. When bye weeks start, I also like to add this Pro Tip: WATCH THE DROP LIST! With so many players on bye, managers may need to cut someone they normally would not.

Week 8 byes: Houston Texans, New Orleans Saints, New York Giants, San Francisco 49ers

A few quick notes: I use ESPN as my baseline, so players must be available in at least 50% of ESPN leagues to make the list. I’m also a proponent of streaming QB, TE, K, and DEF, so you’ll rarely see those positions here; they’re easy to snag for free after waivers. Save your FAAB! Now, let’s hit the Top 5.

Week 8 Fantasy Football Waivers

Jonah Coleman (75% Available on ESPN, 61% on Sleeper)

Coleman over Cooper and Douglas? When RB is this thin, you make it a top priority. Trying to guess at Sean Payton’s RB usage is maddening, and I was shocked to see Coleman’s volume in his first game back, but I cannot ignore it either. In Week 7, Coleman finished with nine carries and two targets. In Week 2, his last game, he was given 10 carries and three targets. Over his last two games played, Coleman is touching the ball 12-15 times. He is going to be a great bye-week fill-in and might be your RB2 by the end of the season.

FAAB Suggestion: 50%. Likelihood you’ll still be starting him in a month: 50%.

If you want more than a Top 5, join us live today at 11 am EST on YouTube for WireTapped!

Omar Cooper (65% Available on ESPN, 25% on Sleeper)

Last week, I was hesitant to buy in on Cooper. Fool me once. Now, two huge weeks in a row make him a must-add. He has back-to-back 100-yard games and found the endzone in both. And this time, Adonai Mitchell was back. Clearly, Cooper is the WR2 in this offense and needs to be added in all formats. I worry there will be down weeks, but honestly, in 2026, who doesn’t have down weeks? Interestingly, players in Sleeper leagues made that decision last week. I have never seen a discrepancy so large between the two sites.

FAAB Suggestion: 35%. Likelihood you’ll still be starting him in a month: 75%.

Caleb Douglas (90% Available on ESPN, 81% on Sleeper)

I am going to take some credit here. While Douglas was injured, I still believed. I put him on the show list for deeper leagues every week, and now that he is healthy, I hope you held. In his first game back, Douglas only caught two balls, but they were both for TDs. I don’t want to read too much into it, but the Miami offense looked functional coming out of its bye. The Dolphins need a WR1, and all signs point to Douglas, and he could be WR2 or, at worst, a Flex option for your fantasy team down the stretch.

FAAB Suggestion: 15%. Likelihood you’ll still be starting him in a month: 50%.

KC Concepcion (57% Available on ESPN, 37% on Sleeper)

Concepcion was one that I was calling a drop on our live show, and it was likely a mistake. The volume has been there; he just was not doing anything with it. That changed in a big way in Week 7 and should continue into the second half of the season. Through seven games, Concepcion is at 45 targets, but 10 of those came this week. He caught eight balls for 129 yards, the first 100-yard game of his career. The Browns look far better than most expected, and Concepcion is their rookie first-round pick. His emergence is not a big surprise. He is probably more viable in PPR leagues, but needs to be added in all 12-team leagues.

FAAB Suggestion: 15%. Likelihood you’ll still be starting him in a month: 50%.

Makai Lemon (53% Available on ESPN, 62% on Sleeper)

I was harsher on Lemon than Concepcion. He wasn’t seeing volume or production. But opportunity came knocking, and he answered on Monday night. With DeVonta Smith and Dontayvion Wicks both hurt, Lemon went off against Dallas. He was targeted eight times, reeling in seven balls for 67 yards and a TD. There are PLENTY of questions about this Eagles offense, but gambling on a late-season breakout from a rookie first-round pick is not a bad bet.  To make matters even better, his next two games are against WAS and NYG, both great matchups for fantasy WRs.

FAAB Suggestion: 10%. Likelihood you’ll still be starting him in a month: 35%.

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You can also find Club Fantasy’s Week 8 rankings here!