Roman Bruno

Content Contributor

Week 7 of the NFL season was full of fantasy football excitement, disappointment, and everything in between. There were also plenty of injuries, and fantasy teams are certainly looking to either find replacements or just upside bench depth. Here are 5 players on the fantasy radar as waiver wire pickups for Week 8 (percentages according to ESPN):

RB Gus Edwards (BAL) – 16% Rostered

The Gus Bus reached the endzone twice in his season debut. He led the Ravens backfield in carries and yards without missing a beat. Edwards is competing in a crowded backfield consisting of Kenyan Drake, Justice Hill, and Lamar Jackson, but Edwards is still one of the top waiver wire pickups of the week. He does not get much usage in the passing game, so he may be a better add in standard leagues than PPR. With J.K. Dobbins hitting the IR due to a knee injury, Edwards has the opportunity to provide a spark to a rushing attack that has been underwhelming this season. Edwards should be rostered and can be an upside FLEX play in the next few weeks.

Gus Edwards making that waiver wire pickup worthwhile 🚌pic.twitter.com/GNKOl2tUZj

— PFF Fantasy Football (@PFF_Fantasy) October 23, 2022

RB Michael Carter (NYJ) – 68% Rostered

Carter would have been the priority add this week after stud rookie Breece Hall suffered a season-ending ACL tear. However, the Jets looked externally for help, trading for RB James Robinson yesterday afternoon. Robinson has proven to be able to lead a backfield on his own, but Carter will get his fair share of work as well. The upside and appeal certainly declines for Carter with the addition of Robinson, but he is still worth the claim. Carter is available in almost a third of leagues, and it will be interesting to see the usage moving forward in a presumable split between him and JRob.

RB Chuba Hubbard (30% Rostered)/D’Onta Foreman (35% Rostered) (CAR)

As mentioned here, both Hubbard and Foreman are now tasked to lead a Panthers backfield after the Christian McCaffrey trade. It was uncertain which one would rise above the other, but both were able to have productive fantasy days on Sunday. Hubbard was announced as the starter heading into the game but would leave with an ankle injury in the forth quarter. Hubbard is not expected to miss any time, however. Foreman ended up leading the tandem in carries (15) and rushing yards (118). Hubbard was the only RB to score a touchdown.

Both are still decent roster additions, as both have the ability to have success in the right environment. Hubbard may be the better add rest of season, but Foreman would be just as viable if Hubbard were to miss time. However, the value of both are higher now than they were before Sunday. That lends itself nicely to a trade if managers are looking to move off of them. Both are available in a majority of leagues so it would not hurt to put in a claim for either. They should have some FLEX value during upcoming bye weeks.

QB Justin Fields (CHI) – 23% Rostered

Fields does not have much stand-alone value as a pure passer. However, much of his fantasy value comes on the ground. Fields led the Bears with 82 rushing yards and a rushing touchdown against the Patriots. The sophomore QB will not blow up the stat sheet, but he can do enough to be a streamable QB. Especially during these bye weeks, Fields is starting to hone in on his strengths and produce. His season-high 23 fantasy points may be his ceiling this season, but managers should expect Fields to level out his consistency. Fields can be played in the coming weeks as a bye week filler, but he is also an interesting bench stash. Maybe Monday was the turning point for Fields. Only time will tell.

QB Daniel Jones (NYG) – 29% Rostered

Another QB that has been relatively impressive is Daniel Jones. He only trails Lamar Jackson in rushing among QBs and has been the fantasy QB9 this season. His next three games are very intriguing. Jones will face the Seahawks before their bye week, followed up by the Texans and Lions. The 6-1 Giants are not winning games because of Jones, but Danny Dimes is not playing bad either. He should be regarded as one of the better streaming options during this next stretch of the season. The additional rushing upside is always a plus as well. Jones is available in most leagues, so grab him while you can.

Honorable Waiver Wire Pickups: RB Isiah Pacheco (KC), RB Khalil Herbert (CHI), WR Mecole Hardman (KC)

Photo Credit: Tommy Gilligan-USA TODAY Sports