Mid-week fantasy musings for Week 8

I've got another guest post from Jen Ryan for you tonight - she's full of advice including how to handle RB handcuffs with all the injuries to the position this season, a few waiver wire links, and more Twitter suggestions. Plus, I've got two additional guest posters lined up for later this week so stay tuned for more fantasy awesomeness. 

Hey all! I’m back for another round - thanks to those who gave me feedback, I’ve enjoyed hearing from you. I’ve made it through another week with some success, some not. I blew it big time on FanDuel (I thought for SURE Edelman was going to run all over the Jets corners), and lost a tough one in my “friends” league, which has left me at 4-3 in 4th place. But, in my “family” league, I’ve moved on to 7-0! Exciting! And I have a trade pending review: My Cutler and Vereen for my cousin’s wife’s (cousin-in-law?) Aaron Rodgers. I have the RB depth, so here’s hoping the league votes it through! Jay has been serviceable to me, but I plan on going all the way, and Aaron has Atlanta, Buffalo, and Tampa Bay for my playoffs. Juicy matchups!

I hope you’ve managed to survive week 7, where even more running backs fell victim to the injury plague. It was hard to see Spiller go down, but possibly harder to see Fred Jackson get hurt. He rewarded those who drafted him, especially in PPR leagues where he is the #10 overall running back.  Good news is FJax will be back, and hopefully right in time for your playoffs. Bad news for Spiller, his season is over, and quite possibly his career as a Bill. If you drafted him, a small part of you must have known he wasn’t the same CJ we saw in 2012. Injuries, especially at the running back position, have been a killer this season; here’s a quick look at those we’ve lost:

Knowshon Moreno, Stevan Ridley, Danny Woodhead: done for the season

CJ Spiller: IR, designation to return (for his potential playoffs, but not yours)

Fred Jackson: possible 4 week recovery

Mark Ingram: Returned week 7

Pierre Thomas: possible 2-3 weeks

Rashad Jennings: possible week 9 return

Montee Ball: possible week 9 return, likely lost job

Donald Brown: still not cleared to practice

Toby Gerhart: unknown return, certainly lost his job

Shonn Green: unknown return, not practicing

Ryan Matthews: possible week 10 return

Mike Tolbert: IR, designated to return, minimum week 13

DeAngelo Williams: possible to practice this week

There are more back ups to be added to this list including: Theo Riddick, Marcel Reese & Bilal Powell. And let’s not forget (or try to forget?) the group of idiots who couldn’t keep their hands off other people and lost their season.

Needless to say, the running back position has been depleted. If you’ve avoided injury, GREAT and count your blessings. If not, attack the waiver wire or make a trade. Which brings me to my next point….

….it’s cuffing season! And no, I don’t mean finding a significant other for the winter like your favorite rapper is telling you, but I obviously mean if you have not already done so, you should handcuff your stud RB. Some are worth handcuffing, others are not. I wouldn’t handcuff a back whose back ups would likely be in a committee, but here are a few running backs that, if I owned, I’d spend my waiver claim on their back up:

Matt Forte - Ka’Deem Carey

DeMarco Murray - Joseph Randle

Arian Foster - Alfred Blue

Le’Veon Bell - LeGarrette Blount (probably owned in your league, don’t be afraid to trade for him)

Marshawn Lynch - Robert Turbin/Christine Michael (I’d lean Turbin)

Gio Bernard - Jeremy Hill (another I wouldn’t be afraid to trade for if I owned Gio)

Andre Ellington - Stepfan Taylor

Eddie Lacy - James Starks (these 2 are pretty much in a time share already)

I probably wouldn’t waste roster space cuffing any other RB, whether because it’s destined to be a committee or because the waters are just too muddy to tell.

I’m also a fan of cuffing a receiver where you can, which is less clear, but if you own Jordy Nelson it may be wise to stash Davante Adams, or if you own Antonio Brown you can burn a bench spot on Martavis Bryant. Even if you own TY Hilton or Reggie Wayne, I’d grab Donte Moncrief to play it safe.

Here are a few waiver wire links that you can use. I know the first round of waivers have passed, but waivers later in the week present a whole new opportunity!

numberFire.com's 10 waiver pick ups: the convenience of a slide show format with the ability to use the arrow keys on your keyboard.

ESPN.com's waiver adds: video option, or just scroll through and read.

Bleacher Report's waiver adds and drops: arrow through like numberFire.com, and they do you the favor of letting you know who you can let go of.

USA Today's 16 waiver adds: 16 suggestions? I’ll take it!

CBS' Jamey Eisenberg's Playing the Waiver Wire: Video loads when you open the page, but be sure to read for thorough analysis.

By the time you digest this article, many of these waiver adds have probably already been added. Some deeper adds that I like include:

Devante Adams (WR, GB), Jermaine Kearse (WR, SEA), Austin Seferian-Jenkins (TE, TB), Preston Parker (WR, NYG), Jeremy Kerley (WR, NYJ), Phillip Tanner (RB, BUFF added to the team 10/21/14), Jonas Gray (RB, NE), Travaris Cadet (RB, NO - especially in PPR)

When you’ve finished waiver wiring, be sure to check out some start/sit links:

NFL.com's Michael Fabiano's Start 'Em, Sit 'Em Week 8: Fabs is one of the best, and he usually nails it. If you have the time, you should catch him daily on the NFL Network, 5PM, for Fantasy Football Live. Still at work at 5 like me? No problem! Go to their website, enter your cable provider, and listen while you work!

FFToolbox.com's Week 8 Start Rankings/Projections: This one is for the PPR players out there; rankings default to PPR scoring.

Wally Sumlin's Start/Bench - Week 8: He doesn’t just give you Start/Bench, but also lays out the studs (who, again, you NEVER bench) and lists those players who need to be dropped from your team.

Bleacher Report's Start 'Em, Sit 'Em Week 8: Smart Match Up Plays, Sleepers, and More: Just in case Start/Sit isn’t enough for you, the Bleacher Report provides a little extra.