Start Jaylen Waddle or Carnell Tate? Week 8

Our Week 8 call

Start Jaylen Waddle over Carnell Tate in Week 8.

Market-based projections have Jaylen Waddle at 11.7 points and Carnell Tate at 11.0, a gap of 0.7. That is inside the noise of a single catch, so treat it as close to a coin flip. No player market is posted for Jaylen Waddle this week yet, so his 11.7 is the average of his market-based projections in Weeks 5, 6 and 7 (12.4, 10.8 and 12.0); the call is rebuilt when his market posts. No player market is posted for Carnell Tate this week yet, so his 11.0 is the average of his market-based projections in Weeks 5, 6 and 7 (10.4, 11.2 and 11.3); the call is rebuilt when his market posts. Drafters take Jaylen Waddle at ADP 43 and Carnell Tate at 81.

What the market projects

No Week 8 player market is posted for Jaylen Waddle yet. His market-based projections were 12.4, 10.8 and 12.0 points in Weeks 5, 6 and 7, an average of 11.7, which stands in until his Week 8 market posts.

No Week 8 player market is posted for Carnell Tate yet. His market-based projections were 10.4, 11.2 and 11.4 points in Weeks 5, 6 and 7, an average of 11.0, which stands in until his Week 8 market posts.

That puts Jaylen Waddle 0.7 points ahead of Carnell Tate on these projections.

Week 8 matchups

Jaylen Waddle and DEN host KC on Sunday at 4:25 PM ET.

KC allowed 23.7 fantasy points a game to WRs this season over 6 games, the 2nd fewest in the league.

Receivers caught passes for 122 yards and 0.2 touchdowns a game against KC.

Carnell Tate and TEN visit CIN on Sunday at 1:00 PM ET.

CIN allowed 31.4 fantasy points a game to WRs this season over 6 games, the 15th most in the league.

Receivers caught passes for 138 yards and a touchdown a game against CIN.

By points allowed to the position, Carnell Tate has the softer matchup.

Injury status

Jaylen Waddle is listed as questionable with a undisclosed injury.

Carnell Tate is not on the injury report.

Usage before Week 8

Through Week 7, Jaylen Waddle played 66 percent of DEN snaps, drew 23 percent of the targets, earned 36 percent of the air yards and had 8 percent of the red zone chances.

Jaylen Waddle, Week 4 against SF: 45 of 65 snaps, 6 targets and 5 catches for 35 yards, 1 touchdown.

Jaylen Waddle, Week 5 against LAC: 40 of 62 snaps, 1 carry for 9 yards, 5 targets and 2 catches for 19 yards.

Jaylen Waddle, Week 6 against SEA: 39 of 60 snaps, 7 targets and 4 catches for 24 yards.

Jaylen Waddle, Week 7 against ARI: 34 of 61 snaps, 7 targets and 4 catches for 48 yards.

Through Week 7, Carnell Tate played 82 percent of TEN snaps, drew 26 percent of the targets, earned 45 percent of the air yards and had 5 percent of the red zone chances.

Carnell Tate, Week 4 against BAL: 54 of 64 snaps, 12 targets and 9 catches for 145 yards.

Carnell Tate, Week 5 against HOU: 48 of 63 snaps, 5 targets and 1 catch for 6 yards.

Carnell Tate, Week 6 against IND: 34 of 46 snaps, 7 targets and 6 catches for 70 yards, 1 touchdown.

Carnell Tate, Week 7 against CLE: 56 of 63 snaps, 7 targets and 5 catches for 69 yards.

Their 2025 seasons

In 2025, Jaylen Waddle played 16 games for MIA and scored 194.1 PPR points, 12.1 a game, finishing WR24.

He caught 64 of 100 targets for 910 yards and 6 touchdowns, with 11 red zone targets and 682 air yards.

He was on the field for 78 percent of the offense's snaps in the games he played.

Their other Week 8 calls

• Start A.J. Brown over Jaylen Waddle.
• Start Jaylen Waddle over Denzel Boston.
• Start Jaylen Waddle over DK Metcalf.
• Start Carnell Tate over Denzel Boston.
• Start DK Metcalf over Carnell Tate.
• Start Carnell Tate over Germie Bernard.