Dynasty Fantasy Football Moves to Make Heading Into Week 8

Every week, I will break down a few moves to make to help you build the ultimate dynasty fantasy football roster and rule your leagues.

As we head into Week 8, it is starting to become clear whether your roster is destined for a deep run or needs a rebuild. With a week full of injuries, your team could likely require reinforcements or help to make up your mind on whether to rebuild or not. 

Below I have broken down a few moves to improve either a contending or rebuilding roster. 

Rebuilding Moves 

Even amid a rebuild, there are in-season moves that can help you set yourself up for success. These moves don’t have to be massive either, the key to rebuilding is obtaining assets to set you up for long-term success. Little has changed in the landscape this week when it comes to dynasty, so remember it’s never a bad idea to acquire young assets and draft picks. 

Buy the Elite Talent Injury Dip 

The NFL is a physical and tough game, and with that comes injuries. This week we saw that in a big way, as Mike Williams, DK Metcalf and Breece Hall all went down to injury. All three were significant, Hall’s the most as he tore his ACL and will miss the rest of his rookie season. This is now the second top-tier running back to sustain such an injury this season, after Javonte Williams. Historically, this injury takes close to a full year to truly recover, and often features a dip in production in the first year back. As a result, many managers may be looking to move on from both of these players, in favor of a player who can help them sooner. 

Javonte Williams has produced 1,499 scrimmage yards and 7 touchdowns on 309 touches over his first 21 career games. Additionally, he had forced 78 missed tackles and created 858 yards after contact and created a 102.2 elusive rating via PFF. All of these rank near the top of the league since he joined the NFL. Additionally, he has proven to be a true dual-threat running back by producing 59 receptions for 392 yards and 3 touchdowns. As a result of this production, it’s clear that once he returns it’s likely he can recreate some resemblance of this. 

Hall may only be a rookie, but in this short seven-game span he already began to flash elite talent. We already knew from his testing at the combine that he possessed great speed, but it was even more evident once games began. This was on display by the fact he had produced 199 yards and 2 touchdowns on 8 runs that went for more than 15 yards. Additionally, he had forced 15 missed tackles and 268 yards after contact. On top of this, he has added 19 receptions for 218 yards and a score – proving to be a true dual threat. 

Injuries suck, but they also open a window to acquire them at a discount, especially, if their current manager needs help now for a current playoff run. 

Contending Rosters

As a contender, we know by now that the name of the game is – What can you do for me now? This is the mindset you should have as we head into Week 8, especially if your roster can handle a deep run. The waiver wire can be your best friend, but with the state of most dynasty leagues, the waiver wire is likely barren. With this in mind, remember that a rebuilding roster could be a great way to acquire winnow assets. 

Test the Water on Joshua Palmer 

We saw star wide receiver Mike Williams suffer a high ankle injury that appears likely sideline him for a few weeks. That means a significant role in the Chargers offense will be vacated after their Week 8 bye. Joshua Palmer has stepped up in the past when called upon, most recently this year when Keenan Allen missed several weeks. In Allen’s absence, Palmer produced three top-36 finishes, including one top-24 finish in Week 6. He averaged 10.5 PPR points in these five games, seeing 36 targets and catching 23 for 235 yards and a score. These are not overly gaudy numbers, but they are solid enough to make an impact on most rosters. 

Palmer missed this week due to a concussion and has a bye in Week 8, which will likely make a manager a little bit more likely to move him as he has not produced recently for them. After their Week 8 bye, the Chargers face one of the easier schedules down the stretch, facing defenses like the Falcons, Chiefs and Cardinals, all in the bottom half of the league in points given up to wide receivers. 

Buy the Dip in Michael Carter 

As mentioned above, the Jets lost lead running back Breece Hall to an ACL injury this past weekend. They responded Monday by trading for Jaguars running back James Robinson. They did that despite already rostering Michael Carter. Carter has looked good in his year-plus in the NFL, with 1,343 scrimmage yards and 6 touchdowns in just 21 games, splitting touches for most of that time. Carter has forced 54 missed tackles and created 608 yards after contact for his career, per PFF. Over the same span, Robinson has only forced 38 missed tackles, though he has managed 757 yards after contact. However, after a hot start to his 2022 season, Robinson has not finished higher than RB33 since Week 3. He had 220 rushing yards in Week 1-3 (4.3 yards per carry) but only 110 in Weeks 4-7 (3.7). 

This is likely to be a split backfield going forward, but Carter likely sees a majority of the passing work and possibly even the majority of the groundwork. Carter is likely the more affordable option in the trade market, making him a perfect player to target, as his upside is just as high if not higher than Robinson’s.