Fantasy football waiver wire, Week 8: Tight end rankings

Week 7 of the 2017 regular season is just about coming to a close with the Monday Night game remaining. Most fantasy football leagues will run their waiver wires late Tuesday or early Wednesday, but we are here to help you get a jump on the best options to consider.

We will be ranking the top five players likely to be available in your league at each of the four major positions. Some weeks there might not be five good options available, but we’ll scour for the best we can find. Additionally, throughout the week, we will update each of these articles as ownership percentages change and news arrives. The following ownership percentages come via CBS Sportsline entering Week 8.

Kroft made a huge splash in Week 4, carving up the Browns for a 6-68-2 line that had most of the fantasy world wondering who exactly this guy was. With Tyler Eifert out for the year and the Bengals offense finding new life, Kroft seemed a sure thing to dominate the waiver wires and sit on rosters the rest of the season. Then Kroft delivered a “meh” 4-38-0 line in Week 5 and the Bengals had their bye in Week 6 and suddenly Kroft was available in 70 percent of CBS leagues. Well, Kroft reminded everyone what the fuss was about Sunday, hauling in his third touchdown of the season. Four of the Bengals’ next five games are against teams in the bottom third of the league in tight end scoring. Get Kroft back on your radar.

How Mitchell Trubisky managed to throw just seven passes on Sunday is a modern NFL mystery. What matters here is that three of those passes went to Miller. It’s now pretty obvious who Trubisky’s binky is. In games where the Bears throw in double digits, Miller has real value.

Needless to say, that was a career game for the rookie on Sunday, with highs in targets (six), catches (six), yards (98) and touchdowns (two). Despite a banged-up throwing shoulder, Jameis Winston threw the ball 44 times, so everyone got in on the fun. Whether this becomes a trend with Howard remains to be seen, but those numbers are impossible to ignore going forward. Remember, Howard was a first-round draft pick. The team wants him to be a major part of the offense.

Derby led the Broncos receiving corps in targets (seven), catches (six) and yards (66) on Sunday for his second big game in his last three. With Emmanuel Sanders out, it would appear that Derby is going to see an expanded role in the offense, and the Broncos have a pretty easy schedule for tight end production the rest of the season.

It wasn’t spectacular like Howard, but O’Leary continues to contribute with Charles Clay sidelined, catching two passes for 58 yards. He has now topped 50 yards in two straight games and just needs to find the end zone to be a legit fantasy option.