Fantasy Football Buy Low: Wide Receiver Breakout Candidates for Week 8

Whether you're deciding who to start in season-long, who to roster in NFL DFS, or which NFL prop bets to consider on FanDuel Sportsbook, there are still plenty of ways to buy low on players poised to bounce back from disappointing outings.

While looking ahead at the games across the NFL, which wide receivers should we buy low on ahead of this week?

All fantasy football projections via our numbers at FanDuel Research, and NFL odds references are to FanDuel Sportsbook.

Wide Receivers to Buy Low in Fantasy Football

Darnell Mooney, Falcons

Targeting the Miami Dolphins defense has been a go-to for backing receivers as the unit ranks as the worst schedule-adjusted pass defense. Opposing teams are averaging 7.9 yards per passing attempt (fourth-most) and the sixth-most yards per downfield target. Who should we target on the Atlanta Falcons for Week 8's matchup?

Darnell Mooney has been an underperforming wideout with a -10.0 plus/minus for expected fantasy points (via Pro Football Focus). He's played in only three full games, but Mooney touts a 20.4% target share, 37.6% air yards share, and 42.1% downfield target share in the split. His air yards and downfield target shares lead the team while his overall target share isn't far behind Drake London's 22.4% mark during the three-game span.

Despite the workload when Mooney's been healthy, he's averaged only 5.9 fantasy points per game in the three games. Why could this improve against the Dolphins?

First off, Mooney's downfield work paired with an average depth of target (aDOT) of 14.8 yards against Miami should pay off. We saw Mooney produce some big plays in Week 7, totaling three receptions for 68 receiving yards (22.7 yards per catch). He also touts a 25.0% red zone target share over his three full appearances, yet hasn't scored. Backed by the Falcons' 26.5 team total in this one, Mooney could finally find the end zone.

Michael Penix Jr. appears on our quarterbacks to stream for Week 8, and PFF has his best passing grades on attempts of 20+ yards (78.7) and 10 to 19 yards (69.7). Despite up-and-down play from Penix, Mooney is still in a spot to benefit from downfield targets.

Darius Slayton, Giants

Our next buy-low candidate is pending a clean bill of health. Darius Slayton (hamstring) hasn't played since Week 5. With another week of rest, the veteran wideout could return on Sunday. For now, keep an eye on the injury report. If he's active, Slayton immediately becomes a potential play in Week 8.

Over his five games, Slayton averaged only 4.1 fantasy points per game. A low workload of 3.6 targets per game with an 11.2% target share and 17.0% air yards share didn't help his cause. However, Malik Nabers was active in four of those games.

Since last season, Slayton has been active while Nabers was absent in three games. In this split, Slayton is averaging 9.3 targets, 5.7 receptions, 70.0 receiving yards, and 11.2 fantasy points per game.

The Philadelphia Eagles are a tough matchup with the seventh-best adjusted pass defense. However, the New York Giants are rolling with 33.0 points per game over the last two -- which included meetings with the Eagles and Denver Broncos. According to NFL Next Gen Stats, Jaxson Dart is averaging 239.0 passing yards per game and 0.26 expected points added per dropback (EPA/db) during the two-game span.

Regardless of the opponent, I want exposure to Dart right now. If active, Slayton could be the perfect buy-low candidate.

Matthew Golden, Packers

In Weeks 1 and 2, Matthew Golden has a 53.6% snap share and 61.4% route rate. That's jumped to a 66.8% snap share and 69.9% route rate over the last four games. That's translated to 4.8 targets per game compared 2.0 targets per contest in his first two games.

Even with the increased workload, Golden is still posting only 8.6 fantasy points per game over his last four games. Christian Watson (knee) is trending toward returning from injury this week, but a limited snap count is likely ahead. Therefore, I expect Golden's significant role to stay count.

The Pittsburgh Steelers rank 16th in adjusted pass D while giving up 7.1 yards per passing attempt (11th-most). After allowing 328 passing yards and 6.7 yards per passing attempt a week ago, Pittsburgh's secondary looks vulnerable.

According to PlayerProfiler, Golden has a 46.4% snap rate in the slot. That should mean one-on-one matchups with Jalen Ramsey, who has coverage grades of 47.4 and 37.0 in his last two games. Pittsburgh is also running man coverage at the fourth-highest rate, and Golden touts a better receiving grade against man compared to zone coverage.

I'm buying in on this Green Bay passing attack as a whole for Week 8's edition of Sunday Night Football. Golden is an intriguing buy-low option who could bring good value.

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The above author is a FanDuel employee and is not eligible to compete in public daily fantasy contests or place sports betting wagers on FanDuel. The advice provided by the author does not necessarily represent the views of FanDuel. Taking the author's advice will not guarantee a successful outcome. You should use your own judgment when participating in daily fantasy contests or placing sports wagers.