Jalen McMillan Waiver Wire Fantasy Outlook Week 8: Should you add Buccaneers WR?

Jalen McMillan has yet to break out during his rookie season with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers so far. This may change in the coming weeks as he's expected to take on a much larger role in their offense. They lost their top two wide receivers to injuries last week, so he may be in line to take over as the top target in a high-powered passing attack.

This makes McMillan an interesting target to consider adding off the Week 8 waiver wire in fantasy football. Managers who find the most consistent success in their fantasy leagues likely know the value of capitalizing on favorable opportunities, and this could surely be one of them.

Jalen McMillan waiver wire fantasy outlook for Week 8

Jalen McMillan

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers were defeated by the Baltimore Ravens last week on Monday Night Football, but they suffered a much bigger loss than the actual game. Mike Evans and Chris Godwin both went down with devastating injuries and are expected to miss significant time.

Godwin's ankle injury is likely to be season-ending, while Evans is reportedly going to be out for about a month with a hamstring issue.

While this is terrible news for the Buccaneers, it opens the door for the rest of their wide receivers to step into larger roles. Jalen McMillan appears to be the leading candidate to serve as their new primary receiving option, at least until Evans potentially returns. This is a massive opportunity for the rookie, especially playing with Baker Mayfield.

The veteran quarterback has the second-most passing yards this season and leads the NFL in touchdowns. Most of his production has gone to Evans and Godwin, so McMillan is expected to absorb a large portion of the workload left behind by the superstar duo. This makes him an excellent speculative addition from the Week 8 fantasy football waiver wire.

Managers shouldn't expect McMillan to immediately turn in the same elite output as Evans or Godwin, but his ideal situation in a strong passing offense gives him a ton of upside going forward. He already set career highs with three receptions and eight targets last week, despite missing two of the past three Buccaneers' games with an injury of his own.

His eight targets were the third-most on the entire roster last week, trailing only Cade Otton and Chris Godwin. Trey Palmer and Sterling Shepard appear to be his main competitors for the WR1 role going forward, but they combined for just four targets in the contest. Jalen McMillan appears to be the preferred option of the new trio of wide receivers, which significantly brightens his fantasy outlook.