It’s the waiver wire period we have all been dreading, with a whopping 14 teams on bye in Week 8. College fantasy football managers who have been relying on players from Notre Dame, Louisville, Ohio State, Florida, Georgia and Missouri will have to find replacements to fill out their starting lineups. There are still a few players who I’ve included because they are worth stashing, like Gio Lopez, but most players will be Week 8 streaming options.
Quarterback
Gio Lopez, Wake Forest - 20% Rostered
Save for a 14.5-point dud against Louisville, Lopez has been an every-week, matchup-proof starter in all formats. He has accounted for 30+ points five times, including a 31.8-point outburst against Cal on Saturday. Lopez’s 23 total touchdowns is third-most among P4 players and he’s thrown just one interception, which has helped propel Wake Forest to a 6-1 record while producing 3.5 points per drive (11th in FBS). His pocket awareness and mobility have been instrumental in Lopez’s success, as he’s being pressured on 32% of dropbacks (125th) but sacked on just 14% of those pressures. He’s extending plays and making backbreaking throws outside of structure when flushed, a night-and-day difference from how he performed for North Carolina last season, which is a testament to second-year OC Rob Ezell and his staff. Lopez is the QB2 with 208.3 total fantasy points through seven games and should be universally rostered despite being on bye Week 8.
Ethan Grunkemeyer, Virginia Tech - 7% Rostered
James Franklin has Virginia Tech competing in the ACC overnight with a 5-2 record and scoring 30+ points in five of them thanks to the steady hand of Grunkemeyer. He has scored 21+ fantasy points against every FBS program with the exception of the monsoon he played in against Boston College that was a weather anomaly situation. Virginia Tech has been a model of efficiency, ranking third nationally with a 73.4% completion rate, as 30% of Grunkemeyer’s throws are being delivered to wide open targets. They also are ripping off 74 plays per game, which is the eighth-most nationally and face a very beatable Clemson this weekend in a game where I have Virginia Tech favored.
JC French IV, Cincinnati - 2% Rostered
Cincinnati’s offensive line is incredible, allowing pressures on 0.7% of dropbacks (3rd in FBS) and clearing the way for 3.6 yards before contact (6th). French leads a precise UC attack that focuses on completing 72% of their passes, with 80% of their attempts going less than 10-yards downfield, minimizing mistakes (+17 TO margin) and cashing in their red zone opportunities at an 85% rate (3rd). French just lit up West Virginia’s hapless defense for 38.8 points and faces a solid Texas Tech defense that allowed ASU to throw for 380 yards and three touchdowns in a blowout. French is a credible fallback option if you’re desperate for a bye-week streamer.
Running Back
Cole Tabb, Cincinnati - 12% Rostered
It feels like almost everyone who plays West Virginia’s ultra fantasy-friendly defense ends up recording an eye-popping point total, and Tabb was no exception. It seemed as if Tabb were ready to justify matchup-proof starter consideration after crushing Miami (OH) and Kansas State for back-to-back 30+ point outings. However he slipped up the following game against Arizona receiving just six carries in a 34-7 blowout at the hands of a very capable Wildcats defensive front. That misstep and the tendency for UC to spread carries around made Tabb a little risky heading into WVU, but he silenced any doubters with a 15-carry, 118-yard, three-touchdown performance that accrued a ridiculous 36.9 points. As a result, Tabb is now the RB11 in points scored despite being rostered in just 12% of leagues. Please correct this glaring mistake and pick up Tabb in every league possible, especially if you need a RB this week against Texas Tech.
Quintrevion Wisner, Florida State - 2% Rostered
Word has broken that star RB Ousmane Kromah will miss the remainder of the 2026 season, dealing a major blow to the Seminoles’ offense. Wisner stepped into the primary role and excelled with 63 rushing yards on just nine carries to go with four receptions for 56 yards and a touchdown for 17.9 points. Most importantly, no other running back touched the ball besides Wisner, indicating he should be the clear RB1 going forward for an FSU offense that ranks 20th in yards before contact (2.8) and averages 5.7 yards per carry. Keep in mind, this is the same guy who was Texas’ RB1 and cleared 1,000 rushing yards in 2024. FSU is on bye this week, but Wisner will be startable every week going forward.
Brian Bonner Jr., Washington - 0% Rostered
Bonner is the last man standing from the top-four rushers on Washington’s opening week depth chart, as Trevion Cooley sustained an injury after rushing for 113 yards and a touchdown against Purdue. Bonner is a highly touted four-star freshman who looks ready to handle the RB1 role after scoring 21.9 points vs. the Boilermakers.
Micah Ford, Stanford - 23% Rostered
The unquestioned bellcow for Stanford, Ford has received double-digit carries in every game while also chipping in with 17 receptions. He erupted for a career-high 49.6 points against Elon, which won’t happen again, but he should reach double digits this week against a soft NC State run defense that ranks 124th in plays of 20+ yards allowed and 97th in rushing success rate allowed.
Wide Receiver
Junior Sherrill, Vanderbilt - 36% Rostered
Sherrill has produced at least 55 yards in every game this year, and is out-targeting Vandy’s next receiver, Ja’Cory Thomas, 59-to-18 with a 71% catch rate and 11.0 yards per target. The Commodores rank 10th nationally in passes of 20+ air yards (20%) and have been far more potent since five-star, freshman phenom Jared Curtis took over the QB1 role. This week, he faces a Kentucky defense that ranks 104th nationally with a 44% passing success rate allowed and should have another big week.
Chase Sowell, Penn State - 2% Rostered
Penn State has quietly produced huge numbers from their WR1 this season, with Koby Howard posting 60.8 fantasy points through the first three games before getting injured. Over the last four games, Sowell has been peppered with 44 targets for 384 yards, two touchdowns and 63.4 fantasy points. Penn State lost all four of those games and have been forced to employ a come-from-behind, pass-heavy game script, ranking seventh nationally with 21% of their throws going 20+ yards downfield. Penn State is on bye this week, but face a delectable Purdue defense in Week 9.
DJ Epps, West Virginia - 3% Rostered
The entire Big 12 is playing in Week 8, making them the official Week 8 waiver-wire conference of choice. Epps carries a boom–or-bust profile; he has scored 17+ points four times, and less than six points in the other three games. He popped for 26.6 points against Cincinnati this weekend, and hopefully can do it again against TCU in Week 8.
Cataurus Hicks, Pitt - 11% Rostered
Pitt has been dealing with the loss of QB Mason Heintschel, with Holden Gehriner benched and new starter Corey Dailey piloting a loss to BC on Saturday. Despite being relatively inconsistent, Bailey locked onto Hicks as his security blanket, reeling in five-of-nine passes for 135 yards and a 75-yard touchdown reception. Hicks has scored at least 8.0 fantasy points in all but one contest this year, making him a high-floor streamer against Miami this week if you’re in need of a wideout.
Tight End
Walker Lyons, BYU - 17% Rostered
BYU took a heavy loss with starting RB LJ Martin going down for a few weeks. In his absence, we’ve seen QB Bear Bachmeier shoulder more of the responsibility for keeping the offense moving, which has resulted in a heavier pass script than we’ve been accustomed to in Provo. Lyons has been a primary beneficiary of the shift, securing 11-of-13 targets for 110 yards and a touchdown over the last two games. The Cougars have already completed their bye week, and should take it to a UCF secondary that ranks 85th nationally with a 42% passing success rate allowed.
Alex Honig, Northwestern - 0% Rostered
Northwestern has heavily implemented their tight ends in their ultra-efficient pass scheme that is gaining first-down yardage on 65% of receptions and produces 20+ yard plays on 24% of their completions (14th in FBS). TE Luke Dehnicke had 140 receiving yards in Week 3 before getting injured, and Honig has picked up the slack since his departure with four receptions for 90 yards and a touchdown over his last two games. With the ‘Cats throwing to their inline receiver 25% of the time (15th in FBS), Honig is a quality streaming option against the pitiful Rutgers defense this week.