Week 8 Fantasy Football Running Back Waiver Adds: Kyle Monangai, Brashard Smith and More

For the second straight week, I am pleasantly surprised by the running back waiver wire options heading into Week 8. 

Especially considering there was only one fantasy-relevant RB injury this weekend, we have a shocking amount of options for this stage of the season. Let's get right into them. 

Check out fantasy football waiver wire targets all season on FantasySP. 

Kyle Monangai, Chicago Bears (7.4% Rostered)

The Bears absolutely dominated the Saints on the ground this week, and the seventh-round rookie was a huge part of it. Monangai finished the week as an RB1 (pending MNF), with 13 carries for 81 yards and a TD on the ground, plus two catches for 13 yards. 

I should note that D'Andre Swift also had a huge game, and he was still the Bears' clear lead back. But Monangai's role is growing. He handled 39% of the team's carries on a 46% snap share, which were both easily new career highs. This wasn't just mop-up duty, either, as Monangai handled six carries, including a goal-line TD, in the first half. 

Swift has played well enough that it's fairly unlikely that Monangai will claim Chicago's RB1 role without an injury. But his role is trending in the right direction, and we've seen Ben Johnson run an offense that supports two fantasy-relevant RBs before. At worst, he is worth adding as a handcuff who would be a must-start if Swift missed time. 

Brashard Smith, Kansas City Chiefs (5.9% Rostered)

With two Monday Night Football games to go, Smith is the half-PPR RB16 for the week. The converted wideout carried the ball 14 times and recorded five receptions against the Raiders, finishing with 81 combined yards.

Unlike his fellow seventh-rounder Monangai, Smith's stats are heavily influenced by garbage time: he was handed the ball by Gardner Minshew for 10 of his 14 carries.

However, what wasn't garbage-time was Smith's receiving usage. All five of his targets came in the first three quarters, from Patrick Mahomes. His 14% target share on the day was second only to Rashee Rice.

Right now, this role isn't quite big enough for Smith to be viable as anything other than a deep PPR flex. But if he can carve out even a small share of the rushing and/or red zone work to go with this pass-catching usage, the rookie could easily be relevant. 

Devin Neal, New Orleans Saints (1.7% Rostered)

The one running back injury I mentioned in the opener was to Saints third-year back Kendre Miller, who unfortunately suffered a torn ACL on Sunday. Miller had recently established himself as arguably the Saints' primary rushing threat, or at least the 1B to Alvin Kamara's 1A on the ground. We can expect most of the work that he had claimed to revert to the veteran, so this is a boost for Kamara's stock.

However, the Saints are unlikely to simply give a 100% rush share to their 30-year-old running back. Taysom Hill will also be involved in this backfield, but sixth-round rookie Neal should get a chance to see some touches. He's unlikely to be fantasy-viable with Kamara healthy, but he now has at least handcuff appeal in deeper formats. 

Bam Knight, Arizona Cardinals (23% Rostered)

Once again, the former Jet was the Cardinals' clear lead back on Sunday. He led Arizona's backfield in both carries (14) and targets (four).

His usage certainly wasn't ideal, as both Michael Carter (seven carries, two targets) and D'Ernest Johnson (one carry, seven routes) were involved. But starting running backs don't grow on trees. Knight should be rostered in all formats, at least until Trey Benson comes back.

Trey Benson, Arizona Cardinals (55.8% Rostered)

Speaking of Benson, the second-year back is currently on IR after undergoing surgery on his meniscus. But he is expected back this season and is already posting hopeful messages on Instagram.

When he returns, he will be the Cardinals' starting running back and — stop me if you've heard this one before — starting running backs don't grow on trees. Benson is worth stashing if you have space, especially if you are on track to make the playoffs. 

Jaydon Blue, Dallas Cowboys (16.5% Rostered)

Miles Sanders is done for the year, and Blue is officially the Cowboys' RB2. As far as RB2s go, his role is pretty small. His 24% snap share and 27% RB rush share on Sunday were both season highs. Despite the fact that he is theoretically a pass-catching back, he ran just three routes to Javonte Williams' 21. 

In fact, especially with Williams having performed well so far this season, I think the preseason hope that the fifth-round rookie would eventually beat out the “dusty old veterans” (Williams is 25) ahead of him is essentially dead.

Still, the Cowboys' offense is arguably the most fantasy-friendly in the entire league. Their RB2 should absolutely be rostered in more than 16.5% of leagues, even if he is just a contingent play. 

Isaiah Davis, New York Jets (6.1% Rostered)

Speaking of purely contingent plays, we have Davis. Even with Braelon Allen on IR, the sophomore RB has only a negligible role in the Jets' offense. That's not good, given that even players with elite roles in this “offense” are struggling to score fantasy points. However, the Jets are now so bad that there is a chance they will look to sell before the NFL Trade Deadline. 

To be clear, the Breece Hall trade rumors definitely feel more like fantasy analysts' wishcasting than anything real at this point … but when there's smoke, there's sometimes fire. Hall is on the last year of his rookie deal and has done some Instagram posting of his own. If Hall is traded, Davis (who has flashed talent at times) should be a workhorse for the Jets … and starting running backs don't grow on trees.