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NFL Waiver Wire Workout: Week 8

From Jeremy Langford to a bunch of Jets players, fantasy football expert Christopher Harris weighs in on possible additions to your fantasy roster in Week 8.
Photo by Ed Mulholland-USA TODAY Sports

For fantasy football advice based on film review every single weekday from now until 2017, listen to the Harris Football Podcast at www.HarrisFootball.com, which won the Fantasy Sports Writers Association podcast of the year award for 2015.

Because league formats vary, one size doesn't fit all when it comes to your waiver wire. That's why I break possible free agent adds into three categories. Follow me on Twitter for the latest on possible additions to your fantasy roster.

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Addable in All Leagues

Jeremy Langford, RB, CHI (owned in 31% of Yahoo! leagues). Langford has become a forgotten man in the Bears backfield since suffering a high-ankle sprain in Week 3, but presumptive starter Jordan Howard's star has stopped shining so brightly and the Bears released Joique Bell this week, which might mean they're getting ready to welcome Langford back into the fold. There's no guarantee Langford will get a lot of snaps initially, but I still think he's a better player than Howard. I wouldn't be starting any Bears running back Week 8 against the Vikings, but I like the idea of rostering Langford to see what happens. Of all the guys on our list of players owned in fewer than one0third of Yahoo! leagues, he probably has the best chance of actually becoming a usable week-to-week starter later in the year.

Read More: Even a Cardinals-Seahawks Tie Can't Save This Season

Quincy Enunwa, WR, NYJ (33% owned). Enunwa caught a short pass from Geno Smith in Week 7 and took it to the house for a 69-yard score. But all Jets receivers are better off with Ryan Fitzpatrick under center, if only because we know Fitz is a crazy gunslinger who will take shots. Eric Decker is out for the year and Enunwa should probably be owned in all leagues.

Davante Adams, WR, GB (19% owned). Adams is coming off a 16-target, 13-catch, 132-yard, two-TD performance Thursday night against the Bears, but I can't get excited enough about him to spend all my FAAB money. I've just seen him drop too many passes, run too many wrong routes, and incur Aaron Rodgers' wrath too many times. Also, I think against Chicago, Rodgers found a matchup he liked with Adams going against some reserve corners and he kept picking on it. Still, someone should probably own Adams in every league.

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Jets Defense (20% owned). The Jets pass rush showed some life Sunday against the Ravens, and for once starting corner Buster Skrine got busy intercepting a pass rather than committing multiple interference penalties. The main reason to stream the Jets in Week 8 is their opponent: they'll face the Browns' rotating cast of quarterbacks. If Cody Kessler can't return from his concussion, undrafted rookie Kevin Hogan will probably be under center. While Hogan ran it well Sunday against the Bengals, his throwing motion is long and ponderous and made for interceptions.

Buster Skrine intercepts a not-elite pass from Joe Flacco. Photo by Ed Mulholland-USA TODAY Sports

Players listed in previous weeks who are still adds: Dwayne Washington, RB, DET (11%); Zach Zenner, RB, DET (8%); Jack Doyle, TE, IND (31%).

Speculative Adds

Damien Williams, RB, MIA (0% owned). Arian Foster announced his retirement Monday, meaning Williams becomes Jay Ajayi's unquestioned backup and handcuff. Williams powered in a short touchdown Sunday against Buffalo and has always represented an intriguing combo of power and north/south speed. If I've been basking in the glory of Ajayi's mega-output, I might try and find a bench spot for Williams.

Chris Thompson, RB, WAS (13% owned). Matt Jones fumbled deep in Lions territory Sunday and cameras caught Jay Gruden telling someone on his headset to get Jones out of the game. (His language was more colorful than that.) It only took a series for Jones to work his way back into action but he didn't produce much—including being stuffed from the Detroit 1. Thompson played 42 snaps compared to 22 for Jones and eight for Rob Kelley, which is noteworthy because the scoreboard was close, so Washington wasn't necessarily in hurry-up. Thompson is 5'8" and 195 pounds, so he's probably not a feature back, but if Gruden stays ticked off at Jones, maybe he goes with a nontraditional backfield for a while.

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Ka'Deem Carey, RB, CHI (2% owned). Carey has looked like a better player than Jordan Howard in back-to-back weeks, and Thursday night played 24 snaps compared to 21 for Howard. Some of that is circumstantial: if Howard doesn't get good blocking and Carey finds a crease, he looks like the better player, even if Howard might've done more with the opening. Still, I don't think there's a ton of difference in the talent among any of Chicago's runners, and maybe John Fox just starts riding Carey's hot hand until it cools down. Then again, Jeremy Langford may be close to returning, and the Bears play the Vikings next Monday.

New York can't quit you, mountain man. Photo by Noah K. Murray-USA TODAY Sports

Ryan Fitzpatrick, QB, NYJ (19% owned). Gum-Chewing Yosemite Sam is back in the starting saddle for the Jets after Geno Smith was lost for the year with a torn ACL. Fitz played pretty well against the Ravens; it didn't erase memories of how poor he'd been the month prior, but you could do worse for a streaming option with Gang Green headed to Cleveland.

James Starks, RB, GB (7% owned). Starks had a knee scope a couple weeks back, so he'd only be addable if you have a bench spot, but with Eddie Lacy on IR, there's an opening in the Packers backfield. Yes, Ty Montgomery did some fine work Thursday night, but at some point Green Bay will probably need someone to play power football. Starks could return in Week 10 or 11 and be Aaron Rodgers's goal-line back.

Players listed in previous weeks who are still speculative adds: Colin Kaepernick, QB, SF (11%); Alfred Morris, RB, DAL (11%); Tim Hightower, RB, NO (3%); Andre Ellington, RB, ARI (3%); Matt Asiata, RB, MIN (21%); Justin Forsett, RB, DET (20%); Bilal Powell, RB, NYJ (30%); Kenneth Dixon, RB, BAL (14%); Dion Lewis, RB, NE (27%); Breshad Perriman, WR, BAL (4%); Anquan Boldin, WR, DET (26%); Chris Hogan, WR, NE (29%); Pierre Garcon, WR, WAS (20%); Kendall Wright, WR, TEN (8%); Charles Clay, TE, BUF (26%); Cameron Brate, TE, TB (31%); Ladarius Green, TE, PIT (8%).

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Deep-League Adds

Russell Shepard, WR, TB (0% owned). Vincent Jackson is out for the year with a torn ACL and Jameis Winston needs ancillary weapons. Sunday in San Francisco, Shepard stepped up: five grabs for 77 yards and a sweet touchdown catch that helped the Bucs overcome an early deficit. Shepard is a special-teams captain and doesn't do anything particularly well as a receiver; I expect the player opposite Mike Evans who excels will change week to week. But maybe Shepard takes hold of that gig?

Don Jackson, RB, GB (11% owned). Jackson enjoyed a momentary blip in ownership Thursday morning when we learned Eddie Lacy had gone on IR. The Packers activated Jackson from their practice squad and even announced him as their Week 7 starter, but he took a back seat to Ty Montgomery even before suffering a hand injury that knocked him out of the game. Most folks will dump him in advance of Week 8 and I get that, but deep-leaguers should hold on, because it's possible Green Bay will need a more traditional running back to carry between the tackles.

When you go all in on the team playing the Browns this week. Photo by Noah K. Murray-USA TODAY Sports

Robby Anderson, WR, NYJ (0% owned). I'm not listing a bunch of Jets in this week's group because I'm suddenly convinced they're an aerial juggernaut. I just like what I've seen so far out of Anderson, who has made some freakish athletic plays in limited opportunities over the past couple weeks. At 190 pounds, he's really skinny, but he's 6'3" and can really run, and he seems to have some solid ball skills.

Reggie Bush, RB, BUF (0% owned). If LeSean McCoy sits out Week 8's game against the Patriots, I assume Mike Gillislee gets the start, but it was actually Bush who played more and earlier Sunday against the Dolphins, and it was Bush who nabbed a garbage-time score. So who knows!

Peyton Barber and Antone Smith, RB, TB (0% owned). If Doug Martin will miss more time because of his re-tweaked hamstring, the Bucs will need someone to spell teeny-tiny Jacquizz Rodgers, who has had 56 carries his past two games combined. Barber played 17 snaps against the 49ers Sunday (and busted a garbage-time touchdown on which San Francisco's defenders didn't exactly give maximum effort), while Smith played eight.

Players listed in previous weeks who are still addable in deep leagues: Rob Kelley, RB, WAS (1%); Mike Davis, RB, SF (26%); Shaun Draughn, RB, SF (3%); DuJuan Harris, RB, SF (0%); Wendell Smallwood, RB, PHI (8%); DeAndre Washington, RB, OAK (28%); Jalen Richard, RB, OAK (19%); Bobby Rainey, RB, NYG (7%); Travaris Cadet, RB, NO (1%); Paul Perkins, RB, NYG (1%); Kenneth Farrow, RB, SD (0%); Robert Woods, WR, BUF (16%); Kenny Stills, WR, MIA (7%); Adam Thielen, WR, MIN (5%); Adam Humphries, WR, TB (9%); Brandon LaFell, WR, CIN (12%); Brian Quick, WR LA (8%); Tyler Boyd, WR, CIN (5%); Dontrelle Inman, WR, SD (3%); Vernon Davis, TE, WAS (23%); Austin Seferian-Jenkins, TE, NYJ (2%); Richard Rodgers, TE, GB (12%).

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