Fantasy Football Waiver Wire Pickups, Week 8: Gus Edwards is back in our plans

Another week, another messy bye situation. Fantasy managers will be without their Chiefs and Chargers in Week 8, which of course is not ideal. Additionally, we have to fret about the possibility that the approaching NFL trade deadline will make a mess of our plans. In all likelihood, your teams can use a talent boost from the waiver wire. Below you'll find a collection of approved pickups, all available in at least 50 percent of Yahoo leagues and approved for use.

Running backs on the wire

Gus Edwards, Baltimore Ravens (44% rostered)

Baltimore activated Edwards just ahead of Sunday's matchup against Cleveland and threw him straight into the fire. He handled the first three touches for the Ravens, gained 19 quick yards and basically never looked back. Edwards finished with 16 carries for 66 yards and a pair of short scores, decisively out-touching all other Baltimore backs.

J.K. Dobbins was placed on IR last week following another knee procedure, so we can safely assume Edwards — not Kenyan Drake, not Justice Hill and certainly not Mike Davis — is now the team's primary rushing option. Edwards is of course a longtime favorite of the coaching staff, having handled over 130 carries in each of his three seasons while averaging a healthy 5.2 YPC. His role as a receiving threat has been minimal, but he's an efficient, decisive runner. He's about to face this year's version of the Tampa Bay defense, which isn't particularly intimidating.

Recommended waiver offer, assuming $100 budget: $29

D'Onta Foreman and Chuba Hubbard, Carolina Panthers (50% and 37%)

Yeah, OK, some of us had jokes about the Panthers backfield in the post-CMC era, but Foreman and Chuba Hubbard were excellent in Sunday's unexpected domination of the Bucs. The pair combined for 218 scrimmage yards, four catches and one TD; Foreman out-touched Hubbard, 17 to 11, as the latter picked up a late ankle injury (believed to be relatively minor).

The suddenly-scorching-hot Panthers travel to Atlanta in Week 8 to face a defense that was just clowned by the Bengals (35 points, 537 total yards). If either of these backs remain available in your league, make the move. It's a committee, sure, but these guys are each looking at consistent double-digit touch totals.

Offer: $21 and $18

Tyler Allgeier, Atlanta Falcons (40%)

Please never question Arthur Smith's commitment to running the football. His Falcons just gave us a 29-to-13 run-pass ratio in a game they lost by 18 points — and in which they trailed early by 21. There is simply no game situation from which Atlanta won't attempt to extract itself via the run. It's been a boost to Allgeier's fantasy value while also crushing Drake London and Kyle Pitts. Allgeier handled 16 carries on Sunday and played 62 percent of the offensive snaps, running well ahead of Caleb Huntley. He gained 50 yards and reached the end zone in the second quarter on a 1-yard plunge:

Cordarrelle Patterson isn't eligible to return from IR until Week 9, so Allgeier gets at least one additional game as the team's featured runner. Atlanta hosts the Panthers in Week 8. Carolina's defense was frisky on Sunday, but it ranks No. 22 against the run on the season, allowing 120.9 rush YPG.

Offer: $6

Additional RBs to consider: Alexander Mattison (he slipped below 50 percent rostered during his bye, which is perhaps understandable, but he remains one of the most valuable backups in our game; he should find his way onto someone's squad in any 12-team league), Kyren Williams (stash him in an IR spot while he's still eligible; the rookie should return soon-ish after recovering from a high-ankle sprain and might very well have a significant role waiting for him).

Wide receivers to target

Wan'Dale Robinson, New York Giants (29%)

Robinson was a bright spot on a generally rough day for New York's receivers. He hauled in six balls for 50 yards on a team-high eight targets against the Jaguars, playing 53 snaps and running 29 routes — a huge jump in usage from the prior week. He was a sensational player at the college level (104-1,334-7 in 2021), then became a buzzy name throughout camp. His emergence for the Giants was delayed by an early-season knee malfunction, but he's back to full health and ready to surge.

As we've mentioned a time or two, targets are very much available to anyone who displays any degree of reliability in New York these days. The Seahawks are up next for Robinson, so the Week 8 matchup shouldn't scare you off.

Offer: $11

Wan'Dale Robinson is a priority add for fantasy managers in need of receiver help. (Photo by Mike Carlson/Getty Images)
Wan'Dale Robinson is a priority add for fantasy managers in need of receiver help. (Photo by Mike Carlson/Getty Images) (Mike Carlson via Getty Images)

Parris Campbell, Indianapolis Colts (5%)

This seems like the appropriate place to mention that none of the pickups mentioned around here actually carry guarantees. It should go without saying that Campbell's usefulness could come to an end at any moment — perhaps the elevation of Sam Ehlinger to Colts starting QB will halt the Campbell breakout. Still, we can't ignore the fact that Indy's slot receiver has vacuumed up targets over the past two weeks, catching 17 balls for 127 yards and two scores on 23 chances.

Campbell is not typically seeing high-yield downfield opportunities (5.2 aDOT), but almost anyone drawing double-digit weekly targets should be of interest to fantasy managers. It's probably time to scoop him up in full-PPR formats. Campbell has been held back by injuries throughout his pro career, but he hasn't yet missed a game this season.

Offer: $5

Other receivers to add: Zay Jones (he's coming off a 10-target week and averaging 7.8 per game for the season), Marquez Valdes-Scantling (a high-variance receiver who just delivered 111 yards against the Niners; headed into a bye, so no one's going to fight you for his services), Van Jefferson (the big-play specialist is returning from IR as planned, coming off an 802-yard season), Marquise Goodwin (a ridiculous athlete even by NFL standards, the former Olympian caught a pair of touchdowns against the Chargers on Sunday and could see an uptick in usage after the injury to D.K. Metcalf), Khalil Shakir (coming off a bye and perhaps stepping into a larger role, given Isaiah McKenzie's recent struggles), Joshua Palmer (another guy headed into his bye, so the competition for this pickup will be minimal; Mike Williams suffered a nasty-looking ankle injury on Sunday, which could result in additional opportunities for Palmer).

Roster-worthy tight ends: Greg Dulcich (the UCLA rookie dominated TE opportunities once again, drawing nine targets in Sunday's loss, catching six for 51 yards), Irv Smith Jr. (yeah, sure, he's touchdown dependent, but so is literally every tight end other than Kelce and Andrews), Harrison Bryant (he should pick up targets and snaps following David Njoku's injury), Evan Engram (he's seen 23 targets over his last three games, delivering a pair of 60-plus yardage performances; eventually a TD or two is coming), Juwan Johnson (he's coming off a two-TD game and he's seen 11 targets the past two weeks).

Quarterbacks to prioritize

Daniel Jones, New York Giants (41%)

Jones managed to overcome a multi-drop performance by his own receiving corps in the comeback win against Jacksonville, passing for 202 yards and one TD while also running for a ridiculous 107 yards with another spike. He's already up to 343 rushing yards on the year, which puts him on pace for 833. Jones has only topped 200 yards via the air twice this year, but that's less of a concern for a QB who's piling up rushing stats. Also, Wan'Dale Robinson's arrival boosts the ceiling for this team's otherwise sketchy passing offense. The Giants head to Seattle ahead of a bye in Week 9, then return with friendly matchups against Houston and Detroit. Keep Jones in your streaming plans.

Offer: $7

Also on the approved list at QB: Davis Mills (came out of his bye with 300-plus yards and he gets a generous Tennessee pass defense in Week 8), Sam Ehlinger (he has some dual-threat appeal — he rushed for 33 scores over four seasons at Texas — and he's taking the controls of an offense that ranks second in pass attempts), Malik Willis (if Ryan Tannehill's ankle issue prevents him from facing the Texans on Sunday, Willis deserves deep league consideration; his dual-threat ability was apparent in the preseason when he passed for 318 yards and rushed for 159).

If you're have D/ST needs

Indianapolis Colts (36%)

Indianapolis has a home date with Taylor Heinicke in Week 8, which generally means at least one takeaway. The Pride of Old Dominion has thrown 24 TD passes and 19 picks in 25 career appearances. This D has also produced 13 sacks over the past four weeks and Shaquille Leonard could be returning on Sunday.

Offer: $2

Follow the Yahoo fantasy crew on Twitter: Andy Behrens, Dalton Del Don, Matt Harmon, Scott Pianowski, Dan Titus and Tank Williams.

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