The Spire

Logan Gooley ‘24 and Blake Bacas ‘26

Staff Writers

Waiver-Wire:

QB: Will Levis (1.0%) RB: Ezekiel Elliott (40.5%) WR: Demario Douglas (1.2%) 

TE: Trey McBride (7.8%)  DEF/ST: Tennessee Titans (2.7%)

I typically don’t like to talk about players twice in one article, but since I’m co-writing this week and he’s so amazing, I will. Trey McBride is this week’s Football Corner must-add. It is rare that you find any waiver-wire addition getting 14 targets a game in Week 8, but coming from a TE shows just how special this opportunity is. McBride can be a league-changer for those who stream TEs. 

Must Start

RB: Bijan Robinson vs Minnesota Vikings 

WR: Juju Smith-Schuster vs Washington Commanders 

TE: Trey McBride vs Cleveland Browns

Even though Arthur Smith is about the worst coach in the league, I’m begging you to not overthink Bijan’s recent slump. It really doesn’t matter to me that he hasn’t been a top 15RB for a month, or that he hasn’t had over 15 points in a week since week 4 @JAX, Bijan Robinson still is that guy. He was drafted 8th overall for a reason. He’s got all the natural talent in the world, and he just needs time to figure it out, just don’t overthink it and bench him.

I’ll be honest, I don’t think JuJu is very good. Having said that, it would be a mistake to ignore the opportunity that he’s being presented with here. Kendrick Bourne suffered a season-ending knee injury in last week’s contest, and Devante Parker left the game after a hard helmet-to-helmet hit. JuJu needs to step up, and we suspect 

After his phenomenal performance versus the Ravens, I think it’s officially Trey McBride season. 10 catches for 95 yards and a TD is insane numbers for any TE, let alone when it was done against a stout Ravens defense. He’s proved that he’s the Cardonai safety valve on the field, and I’d feel confident starting him for as long as Ertz is out. 

Must Sit

RB: Najee Harris vs Tennessee Titans WR: Jahan Dotson vs New England Patriots 

TE: Cole Kmet vs New Orleans Saints

Najee Harris is honestly just not that good. The case for him used to be that he soaked up volume in Pittsburgh’s run-heavy system, but even that advantage has eroded for him this season. Averaging a snap count in the mere 50s, Najee simply is no longer a workhorse back. It’s not like he (or the rest of the Steelers’ offense) is finding the endzone either, with Pittsburgh’s 2023 campaign averaging just 16.1ppg so far this season. There’s no reason to be starting a timeshare running back on an anemic offense anymore.

Despite coming off of a monster stat line last week against the Eagles (8rec/108yds/1TD), I would not trust Jahan Dotson against a stifling Patriots defense in Gillette. The Pats can and will scheme anyone out of a game, and it’s happened to players far better than him. Excluding last week, Dotson is only averaging a mere 6.6 fantasy points per game in PPR scoring. Keep an eye on him this upcoming week for another similar performance, but until he shows some sustained success I’m staying away.

Kmet is yet another example of a player coming off a strong week who I’m not buying. Sure, he dropped 17.9 PPR this past week against the Chargers, but let’s not forget the week before when he dropped literally zero and the week before that against Las Vegas (on an 89% snap percentage). In addition, the quarterbacking situation in Chicago looks bleak. There’s no guarantee that Fields will even be back in practice next week, and Tyson Bagent is coming off a shaky performance @LAC (25/37 for 232 yards and 2 INTs). Stay away for the time being.

Buy Low

Expensive: Patrick Mahomes Mid-Price: Tee Higgins Cheap: Tank Dell

After Sunday’s performance against the Broncos, I think every Mahomes holder is fed up. I know it was a fluke, you know it was a fluke, but your friend with Mahomes doesn’t: go get him.

Tee Higgins has baffled me this season. He has been a shell of his former self, and I do not understand what is wrong. However, I always trust talent, and as Joe Burrow continues to improve his play, I can only imagine a star like Higgins will become even more involved.

A player that I was huge on pre-draft and the first three weeks, Dell has been quiet since. However, he’s back out of concussion protocol and hopefully should be back on track. If you’re in need of a WR3, Dell is your man.

Featured image of Trey McBride courtesy of Ben Lepper