Post Week Eight Waiver Wire Follow@cimini It seemed like there were more breakout games week eight even with six teams on a bye week. Go figure. Terrelle Pryor had fifteen fantasy points on one run within the first minute and a half of Sunday’s game. Marvin Jones and Calvin Johnson’s combined stats were enough to give someone a Pro Bowl nod. And at quarterback Andy Dalton, Drew Brees, and Peyton Manning shined yet again. Did your team succeed or did you have holes in certain spots that cost you a loss? No matter the results there are always roster improvements you can make. Andy Dalton Dalton is at the peak part of his football career. The Bengals are winning and winning with offense based on his arm. In prior years the Bengals would rely on their defense solely and a sound running game. That has reversed as the Bengals success offensively has hinged on improved tight end play along with emerging receivers besides AJ Green. Dalton will likely dip a bit from what he has done recently, but should be a viable fantasy backup quarterback. Peyton Hillis It’s crazy to think that Hillis could be factor on a fantasy team but the Giants are now on a two game win streak. It’s come by giving Hillis a high volume of carries which in turn has limited Eli Manning’s costly mistakes. Even though Hillis hasn’t had a breakout prototype game, he is garnering enough carries to be a fantasy waiver wire pickup. Andre Ellington Ellington is also a repeat entry onto my weekly waiver wire column. Arizona had been using Ellington as a spark as a pass catching tailback, and now they’ve explored and found success with him as their main back. This is exactly what the Cardinals need to lessen the burden on high volume turnover prone quarterback Carson Palmer. Daniel Thomas Miami did a bit better with controlling the time clock against New England by increasing the amount of carries in the backfield. It still didn’t prevent a couple of timely turnovers by Ryan Tannehill but did show success with the duel backfield with Thomas and Miller. Thomas has been non relevant for quite some time, but it wouldn’t be surprising to see him garner double digit carries as Miami tries to figure out a way to calm Tannehill down. Jonathan Stewart Stewart is currently only owned by ten percent of fantasy owners. During Thursday’s telecast between the Bucs and Panthers the announcers made it evident that Stewart looked great in warmups. He should be able to return this week. It’s been awhile since Stewart and DeAngelo Williams have been able to compliment each other, but it’s clear the Panthers have an effective ground game going now. Ignore the past two years when the Panthers would hardly run the football. Over the last month the Panthers have ran the ball with authority. Stewart should join in on making the Panthers even more dynamic. Joel Dreessen Look for a diagnosis on Julius Thomas. He left the game against Washington with an ankle injury. Thomas’s history with ankle injuries leaves me to believe he will be out quite some time. If that’s the case that means Dreesen and Jacob Tamme are moved up to prominent fantasy roles. Dreesen should have more of an impact than Tamme, and deserves the fantasy pickup nod over him. Marvin Jones Eliminate any thoughts of Jones surging to the top spot on your fantasy teams at wide receiver. He has had two solid weeks and a phenomenal performance Sunday. Opponents haven’t necessarily made it hard for the Bengals offensive success as of late. Andy Dalton has had high success on a low amount of completions. A reliable ratio of where Dalton is going to throw the football is up in the air, but Jones is someone you obviously want to grab if you can. Kenny Stills Where is Marques Colston you ask? No he is not on injured reserve. Teams number one defensive backs have done a stellar job at matching up with Colston. Speed has been lost by Colston and the offensive strategy is different this year from the Saints. They’re doing a lot more dump off passes to their running backs and getting their younger receivers involved more. Stills is one of them and has the brightest future. Terrance Williams Dallas is on that roller coaster that starts with a big free fall. They’re going downhill and as a team sinking quickly. Offensively they’re a one track beat that can only win with a passing game. With Miles Austin gradually fading with a perpetual hamstring, Williams is going to see his involvement rise week to week. Especially with the decline of Jason Witten. Ted Ginn Jr Ginn has been listed by myself on numerous occasions. He stretches the field and has been part of the resurgence on a Panthers team that looked in the dumps a month ago. Offensively Carolina is doing a great job of mixing up their play call selection. It’s nothing fancy but it has calmed Cam Newton down from making his typical mistakes. Tiquan Underwood With Mike Williams now out for the season the Buccaneers will rely on Underwood to emerge based on their depth at receiver. It’s obvious the Buccaneers as a team are in a world of hurting. They’re not only one of the worst teams in the NFL, they’re also ranking towards the bottom when it comes to production from a fantasy football standpoint. With the defense regressing by the week it, there will continue to be a lot of drop back opportunities for rookie Glennon.