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Week 8 fantasy pickups: Waiver priorities to help your banged-up rosters

Each week, we highlight six recommended fantasy pickups plus a team defense available in over 50 percent of Yahoo leagues. If you have roster needs, we offer a full menu of options.

Running backs

Chase Edmonds, Arizona Cardinals (48% rostered)

First of all, let's please note for the record that some member of the Arizona Cardinals social media crew is a spiteful monster:

But they weren't wrong. We all definitely should have rolled with Edmonds on Sunday. He was rostered in over 40 percent of Yahoo leagues entering the day but started in only 9 percent. Of course it would have been cool if, say, the Cards' social team could have alerted us to the fact that an injured David Johnson would only receive a ceremonial start. DJ yielded nearly all backfield touches to Edmonds after making an early cameo appearance.

When all the stats were in the books, Edmonds had amassed 150 scrimmage yards against the Giants on 29 touches, shaming several defenders along the way. Like these dudes, for example:

Edmonds was simply dominant. When healthy, Johnson remains the No. 1 back for Arizona; he’s as versatile as any offensive weapon in the game. But it's equally evident that Edmonds needs to remain heavily involved. He's too dangerous a weapon to serve as a pure understudy. The Cards have a series of daunting matchups ahead before their bye (at NO, SF, at TB, at SF), so don't expect another three-TD explosion. Still, Edmonds is a ridiculous luxury for the Cards and he's a must-add in any league in which he remains unattached.

Arizona has been working out various depth options at running back, so it seems the team is concerned about DJ's future availability.

FAAB bid: $29 of $100 budget

Ty Johnson, Detroit Lions (1%)

Uh-oh, Kerryon Johnson investors. Detroit lost Johnson to a knee injury in Week 7, on a brutal afternoon for the team. Not only did the Lions lose to Minnesota, but Johnson, Darius Slay and Snacks Harrison all went down with injuries. To make matters worse, Kerryon was placed on IR on Tuesday. Playing in relief last weekend, Ty Johnson produced 57 scrimmage yards on 14 touches. He saw the field for 49 snaps, well ahead of J.D. McKissic (19).

Ty also averaged a whopping 7.6 YPC over his four-year collegiate career at Maryland, topping 1000 rushing yards on just 110 carries back in 2016. He wasn't a volume pass-catcher in college, but he hauled in all four of his targets on Sunday. Johnson has exceptional speed (4.3-ish at his pro day) and he should have a clear path to a substantial workload against the Giants next week.

(If you need to be convinced that New York's defense is a friendly matchup, please re-watch the Edmonds highlight above.)

FAAB bid: $31

Detroit Lions running back Ty Johnson (31) runs the ball during the first half of an NFL football game against the Minnesota Vikings in Detroit, Michigan USA, on Sunday, October 20, 2019 (Photo by Jorge Lemus/NurPhoto via Getty Images)
Detroit Lions running back Ty Johnson is a priority add with Kerryon Johnson hurt. (Photo by Jorge Lemus/NurPhoto via Getty Images)

Additional RBs worth adding: Mark Walton (discussed plenty around here in recent weeks, he's running as the No. 1 back for Miami), Benny Snell Jr. (because he's likely to see work against the Dolphins' D next Monday), Derrius Guice (still on IR, but reportedly nearing a return to practice), Alexander Mattison (a priority handcuff for anyone with Dalvin Cook on a roster).

Quarterbacks

Ryan Tannehill, Tennessee Titans (5%)

If you've been streaming QBs this season, or you find yourself in need of a one-week placeholder, Tannehill can certainly help. He's coming off a 312-yard, two-touchdown performance against the Chargers, a game in which he threw a few darts:

This week, Tannehill happens to have a matchup on deck with Tampa Bay, the NFL's most generous pass defense. The Bucs have allowed a league-worst 304.5 passing YPG and the fifth-most fantasy points to opposing QBs. Don't be surprised if Tanny finishes as a top-12-ish QB. Veteran fantasy managers should already understand that Tannehill is perhaps not our game's most bankable asset, but he's been known to produce the occasional three-TD game against a soft opponent. Add as needed in deeper formats.

FAAB bid: $6

Sam Darnold, New York Jets (33%)

Assuming Darnold makes it through Monday night's battle against New England without injury, he'll become a priority add for anyone searching for long-term QB help. His upcoming schedule is a layup line:

Week 8 - at Jacksonville

Week 9 - at Miami

Week 10 - New York Giants

Week 11 - at Washington

Week 12 - Oakland

Week 13 - at Cincinnati

Week 14 - Miami

There isn't a single matchup on that list that should worry you. Darnold's receiving corps is plenty talented already, and will be further enhanced when tight end Chris Herndon returns from injury. Anyone searching for a rest-of-season option at QB should take a long look at No. 14.

FAAB bid: $8

Other QBs to consider: Jacoby Brissett (he has a tricky matchup with Denver on deck, but also has Miami and Tampa ahead), Mason Rudolph (he's cleared the concussion protocol and is preparing to face the Dolphins), Matt Moore (it's not ideal, but superflex gamers probably have to do it).

Wide receivers

Kenny Stills, Houston Texans (12%)

Stills becomes an immediate plug-and-play fantasy receiver following the news that Will Fuller is expected to miss multiple weeks with another hamstring injury. Stills has of course been a useful fantasy option in the past, finishing as a top-30 receiver in both 2016 and 2017. We shouldn't need to give you a hard sell here. He's tied to an excellent quarterback and he has the skill set to slide nicely into Fuller's role. He caught four balls for 105 yards on five targets against Indy, and he's likely to produce a few similar stat lines over the next 4-6 weeks.

FAAB bid: $16

Sep 22, 2019; Carson, CA, USA; Houston Texans wide receiver Kenny Stills (12) catches a pass during the first half against the Los Angeles Chargers at Dignity Health Sports Park. Mandatory Credit: Kelvin Kuo-USA TODAY Sports
Kenny Stills, high-upside add following the Will Fuller injury. (Kelvin Kuo-USA TODAY Sports)

DeVante Parker, Miami Dolphins (13%)

We begin this blurb with the usual Dolphins reminder: You are under no obligation to roster any Miami skill players. In fact, it can be assumed that your season has taken a bad turn if you are forced to consider adding any member of this team. There is no such thing as a must-start Miami player, period.

That said, we are also obligated to mention the fact that Parker was targeted 10 times by Ryan Fitzpatrick on Sunday, catching five for 55 yards and another TD. He's made house calls in each of Miami's last three games, a remarkable achievement considering the team context. Parker will remain a high-usage receiver for the balance of the season, giving him value in deeper formats.

FAAB bid: $6

Various other WR options: Corey Davis (made a rare appearance on the Who's Hot page, displaying obvious chemistry with Tannehill), Olabisi Johnson (hauled in a TD on Sunday, should see increased opportunities with Adam Thielen presumably out for TNF), Zach Pascal (hauled in six passes for 106 yards and two spikes against Houston), Phillip Dorsett II (he should be past his injury issues, good to go on Monday night), Preston Williams (finished with a season-high six catches for 82 yards at Buffalo), A.J. Brown (another Titans receiver benefiting from the switch to Tanny), Alex Erickson (in case you wanted to keep playing the game where we thrown waiver priority at random Bengals), Anthony Miller (his quarterback was a mess, but Miller saw nine targets on Sunday), DaeSean Hamilton (he gets a big value bump following the Sanders trade).

For those in need of TE assistance: Chris Herndon (because he has to come back eventually), Ricky Seals-Jones (he's found the end-zone in two of his last three), Mike Gesicki (he's seen 11 targets over his last two games), Jacob Hollister (appears to be Plan B for Seattle following Will Dissly's injury).

Defense

Indianapolis Colts, DEF (12%)

The Colts defense has been a middle-of-the-pack unit in most areas, but this week's matchup has plenty of appeal. Indianapolis will host Denver, which means a visit from Joe Flacco, a QB who's thrown five picks and just six touchdown passes. Flacco has also been sacked 23 times and leads the NFL in yards lost via sack. It's rarely a bad move to stream whichever defense is facing him. Kansas City's D was a matchup-winner in Week 7, for example.

FAAB bid: $1

Other streamable D/STs: Pittsburgh Steelers (scooped up in many leagues during their bye, because Miami is up next), Seattle Seahawks (depending of course on the Matt Ryan injury updates).

Follow the Yahoo fantasy crew on Twitter: Andy Behrens, Dalton Del Don, Brad Evans, Matt Harmon, James Koh, Liz Loza, Scott Pianowski and Tank Williams.

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