Week 8 Waivers Are Getting a Little Strange.
Brenton Strange. Cam Little. Brissett or Murray? The decisions bringing fantasy managers to Fortified Fantasy.
The waiver wire gets interesting when the player you can actually add starts looking like a player you can actually start.
That is where our Week 8 readers are looking. The questions keep coming back to the choices that name value alone cannot settle. Strange versus LaPorta. Brissett versus Murray. Little versus Reichard. The names are different; the question is the same: does this move make my lineup better?
Here is where we would look—and where we would leave a good thing alone. Availability varies by league. These are players to investigate, not a claim that every name below is on your wire.
A Strange place to find a weekly starter.
Brenton StrangeJacksonville Jaguarsvs IND
Sam LaPortaDetroit Lionsvs MINBrenton Strange is the player our readers keep coming back to. Strange against Sam LaPorta has been one of the tight-end questions drawing readers to Fortified Fantasy.
The interest has a football foundation. In his last three recorded appearances, Weeks 4–6, Strange caught 19 of 23 targets for 207 yards, without a receiving touchdown. That is 39.7 full-PPR points before any touchdown bonus. You are buying catches and yardage rather than hoping one end-zone target saves the afternoon.
LaPorta offers a reminder of how quickly that floor can disappear: his Week 7 line was one catch for 18 yards on two targets. He also went 8–84–1 in Week 4 and 5–88–1 in Week 5. One quiet game does not erase that upside, and Strange’s small projection lead is no reason to discard LaPorta.
For this matchup, our lean is Strange: 10.5 FF points against Indianapolis versus LaPorta’s 10.1 against Minnesota. His recent reception volume makes him a credible starter. If he is available in your league, check him before chasing a touchdown-only option.
Should I start Brenton Strange or Sam LaPorta in Week 8?Don’t throw away the rushing points.
Jacoby BrissettArizona Cardinalsvs DALKyler MurrayMinnesota Vikingsvs DETBrissett or Murray has been one of the Week 8 questions drawing the most interest. Managers are weighing alternatives—but which quarterbacks are available will depend on your league.
Brissett’s last three games included 47, 35 and 48 pass attempts. That is enough volume to make a streaming discussion worthwhile, and he threw for 272 yards in Week 7. The caution is that 48 attempts produced only one passing touchdown. Opportunity matters; how efficiently it becomes points matters too.
Murray’s last three recorded outings added 106 rushing yards on 21 carries to his passing production. Those yards alone were worth 10.6 fantasy points. In Week 7, 39 rushing yards helped an otherwise modest 150-yard passing day. Brissett totaled 37 rushing yards over his same three-game sample.
We prefer Murray in this comparison, 19.0 FF points against Detroit to Brissett’s 18.0 against Dallas. Brissett remains a player to investigate if you need a quarterback; Murray’s rushing gives us the clearer reason to keep him ahead. Check your league’s passing-touchdown scoring before carrying a generic ranking into a custom format.
Should I start Jacoby Brissett or Kyler Murray in Week 8?The waiver claim is only half the decision. The other half is who you give up—and when.
There’s more than one way to go hunting.
Hunter HenryNew England Patriotsvs MIA
Kyle Pitts Sr.Atlanta Falconsvs TBStrange is not the only tight end pulling readers into the conversation. Hunter Henry keeps coming up too, particularly in comparisons with Kyle Pitts.
Henry just delivered seven receptions for 71 yards without a touchdown. Over Weeks 5–7, he caught 14 passes for 163 yards and two scores. Pitts caught 15 for 124 and four touchdowns over those same weeks. Pitts has actually had more targets, 18 to Henry’s 16, so this is not a claim that Henry owns the bigger workload.
It is a question of how much you want to depend on another touchdown. Henry’s most recent game supplied 14.1 full-PPR points through catches and yards alone. Pitts’ five catches for 22 yards in Week 7 needed the touchdown to reach 13.2.
Henry is our narrow lean, 11.7 FF points at Miami against Pitts’ 11.4 against Tampa Bay. Pitts is still a legitimate start. If Henry is on your wire, though, the catch-and-yardage case is worth checking before you assume the better-known name is the better answer.
Should I start Hunter Henry or Kyle Pitts Sr. in Week 8?A Little margin is not a reason to make a big mistake.
Cam LittleJacksonville Jaguarsvs IND
Will ReichardMinnesota Vikingsvs DETCam Little keeps appearing in our Week 8 comparisons, including the choice between Little and Will Reichard. This is exactly where a decimal-point lead can tempt you into an unnecessary transaction.
The base FF forecast has Little slightly ahead, 9.9 to 9.6. For this choice, we would keep Reichard ahead. His last three recorded games—Weeks 4, 5 and 7—produced 12 field-goal attempts and 11 makes. Little’s last three, Weeks 4–6, produced six attempts and six makes. Both were accurate; Reichard had twice the chances.
That opportunity gap is the reason to resist treating Little’s 0.3-point base lead as a clear upgrade. More field-goal attempts have created more chances to score. That is the football case for keeping Reichard.
Little is worth a look if you need a kicker against Indianapolis. He is not an automatic replacement for a productive Reichard facing Detroit. Kicker scoring, weather and final availability can change the decision; a waiver claim should solve a problem, not manufacture one.
Should I start Cam Little or Will Reichard in Week 8?The last lineup spot still counts.
Bengals D/STCincinnati Bengalsvs TEN
Patriots D/STNew England Patriotsvs MIABengals or Patriots has been another recurring Week 8 question. Defensive streamers belong in this conversation, even if they do not sell as many jerseys as the quarterbacks.
Cincinnati’s last three recorded games delivered 11 sacks and four takeaways. New England’s last three produced nine sacks and two takeaways. Both have found pressure; Cincinnati has more often paired it with the extra possessions that help a fantasy defense.
Our Week 8 choice is Cincinnati against Tennessee: 8.5 FF points versus New England’s 6.2 against Miami. That is a more meaningful separation than the tight-end and kicker near-ties above. If both are available and your defense scoring resembles the preset here, Cincinnati is the first one we would investigate.
A strong streaming option is still only useful if it fits your roster. Check who you would drop, whether you need that player during an upcoming bye, and what happens when this week’s streamer becomes next week’s bench occupant.
Should I start the Bengals or Patriots D/ST in Week 8?A good pickup answers more than one question.
Strange’s catches make him worth checking. Murray’s rushing helps keep him ahead of Brissett. Henry offers a close alternative to Pitts. Reichard’s field-goal opportunities make him harder to replace than Little’s tiny projection lead suggests. Cincinnati gives us the clearer defensive streaming lean.
Before submitting a claim, look one step further: will this player start, who leaves to make room, and will that drop create a different problem next week? A useful waiver move should improve your team, not just give you a new name to refresh.
Make it your GamePlan.
Bring your team or screenshots. Check your strongest lineup, the players available, and the moves that fit the weeks ahead.
Sources & scoring
Question selection reflects visits to Fortified Fantasy, not a nationwide Google search ranking. Interest is combined across scoring formats; X versus Y and Y versus X are treated as one comparison. Observed old/new player identifiers and name aliases are merged, and known testing traffic is excluded.
All forecasts printed in this article use the Week 8 full-PPR public preset, captured October 27 at 5:30 AM Eastern. They are a publication snapshot; linked tools can change as new information arrives. Kicker and defense settings can differ substantially in custom leagues. No player-level matchup-win probabilities or guaranteed outcomes are implied.
Recent box scores and player status were checked October 27 against ESPN’s season-player feed. All eight featured individual players were listed ACTIVE in that check; this is not a final game-day clearance. “Last three recorded games” excludes byes and is explicitly dated where needed. Opportunity counts in this article come from that fresh box-score check; some saved research summaries use older inputs. The quoted tree/workload/simulation agreement is experimental research, not proof of accuracy, and does not change the FF formula.
Sources: ESPN public player statistics and availability reporting, plus the exact Fortified Fantasy Start/Sit comparisons linked throughout this story. Player headshots and NFL team marks: ESPN.