Related: Fantasy Football: Week 8 Waiver Wire Pickups
During the Green Bay Packers‘ Week 7 tilt against the Cleveland Browns we saw the emergence of second-year wide receiver Jarrett Boykin. Serious injuries to James Jones and Randall Cobb presented an opportunity for him to get additional playing time. Boykin rose to the occasion and went off, catching eight balls for 103 yards and a touchdown.
So who is Boykin and is he worth grabbing with your first selection in the Week 8 waiver wire?
While at Virgin Tech, Boykin set the school record for receptions as well as receiving yards, catching 184 balls for 2,884 yards. Boykin went undrafted in the 2012 NFL draft, he was signed briefly by the Jacksonville Jaguars but was cut shortly afterward. He found a home on the Packers’ active roster mostly playing on special teams in 2012.
Right now, the Packers are hurting for pass catchers, especially after we saw Jermichael Finley taken off the field strapped to a board. With Cobb a long way from being healthy and Jones being questionable at best for Week 8 against the Minnesota Vikings, the opportunity is still very much there for Boykin to continue to add to his resume.
The Packers are sure to run more with their ragtag band of young and oft-injured running backs, but they are still a pass-first team. Aaron Rodgers is a cunning quarterback who can put the game on his shoulder.
As out of the blue as it might seem, there is reason to believe that until Jones comes back to the active lineup, Boykin has the potential to play up to the value of a no. 2 fantasy receiver. If you’re hurting for a bye week replacement or you’d like some trade bait on someone who is, I’d spend my first waiver selection on him and roll the dice.
Eric Beuning is a Fantasy Football writer for www.RantSports.com. Follow him on Twitter @ericbeuning or add him to your network on Google.
