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Week 8 Waiver Wire: Fantasy Football’s Top Pickups and Breakout Candidates
Adam Hunger/Associated PressHere come the Arizona Cardinals—not just in the standings but for fantasy football purposes as well.The Cardinals have won three consecutive games, and their offense has another contributor on the rise. For the upcoming week, managers will hear a lot about running back Chase Edmonds, who’s undoubtedly the best pickup this week because…
Adam Hunger/Associated Press
Here come the Arizona Cardinals—not just in the standings but for fantasy football purposes as well.
The Cardinals have won three consecutive games, and their offense has another contributor on the rise. For the upcoming week, managers will hear a lot about running back Chase Edmonds, who's undoubtedly the best pickup this week because of his production, David Johnson's unclear health status and Arizona's uptempo attack.
Aside from the Cardinals offense, owners may want to take a second look at the Tennessee Titans with Ryan Tannehill under center. The NFC North has a couple of signal-callers with favorable matchups coming up.
Let's go over eight breakout candidates and probable top pickups who are owned in fewer than 70 percent of Yahoo leagues as of Sunday 7:45 p.m. ET.
Week 8 Top Breakout Candidates and Pickups
QB Kirk Cousins, Minnesota Vikings (63 percent owned)
QB Matthew Stafford, Detroit Lions (57 percent owned)
RB Chase Edmonds, Arizona Cardinals (47 percent owned)
RB Jamaal Williams, Green Bay Packers (60 percent owned)
WR Corey Davis, Tennessee Titans (41 percent owned)
WR Marquez Valdes-Scantling, Green Bay Packers (66 percent owned)
WR Cole Beasley, Buffalo Bills (29 percent owned)
TE Eric Ebron, Indianapolis Colts (52 percent owned)
Week 8 Waiver-Wire Pickups
QB Kirk Cousins, Minnesota Vikings (63 percent owned)
Duane Burleson/Associated Press
After consecutive four-touchdown passing performances, quarterback Kirk Cousins belongs on the waiver-wire pickup radar. He's thrown for 976 yards, 10 touchdowns and an interception over the last three outings.
Next up, the Minnesota Vikings have the Washington Redskins, who went into Week 7 with the 20th-ranked pass defense, giving up 14 scores through the air in seven games.
Cousins endured heavy criticism following a Week 4 loss to the Chicago Bears, but he's answered naysayers with an effective arm in the pocket, providing much-needed balance to the Vikings offense.
For managers who need a streamer option to replace Dak Prescott or Lamar Jackson on a bye week, pick up Cousins in a favorable matchup while he's on fire.
QB Matthew Stafford, Detroit Lions (57 percent owned)
Gregory Shamus/Getty Images
We'll move on to another NFC North quarterback. In a losing effort, Matthew Stafford looked sharp against the Vikings' seventh-ranked pass defense. In a duel with Cousins, he threw for 364 yards, four touchdowns and just one interception.
Unfortunately for the Lions, they came up short on the scoreboard, but Stafford managed to put up impressive numbers with his top wideout Kenny Golladay limited to one catch for 21 yards.
Stafford has three legitimate receiving options in Golladay, Marvin Jones Jr. and Danny Amendola. Against poor pass defenses, the signal-caller will shine as a pocket passer. Detroit will face the Giants and Oakland Raiders in the next two weeks, two teams with units that ranked 31st and 22nd, respectively, against aerial attacks going into Sunday's contests.
Stafford isn't a long-term keeper, but he could help you win in the next two weeks because of his favorable matchups.
RB Chase Edmonds, Arizona Cardinals (47 percent owned)
Steven Ryan/Getty Images
According to FantasyPros, Edmonds led all running backs in scoring for point-per-reception leagues going into the second slate of games Sunday, logging 35 points. In addition to 27 carries for 126 yards and three touchdowns, he caught two passes for 24 yards.
The Cardinals took the safe route with Johnson who participated with limitations during Thursday and Friday practices because of an ankle injury. Clearly, the coaching staff didn't have full confidence in the All-Pro ball-carrier playing through his ailment. Managers should monitor that situation next week.
In the meantime, Edmonds belongs on all rosters. He's scored a touchdown in each of the last three games as a ball-carrier or pass-catcher. Now, the second-year running back has shown the ability to handle the majority load if necessary. Because of his breakout game Sunday, the Cardinals will likely use Johnson with caution until he's healthy.
Even if Johnson returns to a normal workload next week, keep Edmonds around as a handcuff or decent flex option since he's also been productive in a reserve role.
WR Corey Davis, Tennessee Titans (41 percent owned)
Mark Zaleski/Associated Press
The Tennessee Titans pass-catchers have more value with Tannehill under center. He threw for 312 yards, two touchdowns and an interception against the Los Angeles Chargers, who ranked fifth in pass defense going into Week 7.
Among the beneficiaries, wideout Corey Davis stood out, hauling in six receptions for 80 yards and a touchdown on seven targets. He's the No. 1 option in the Titans' aerial attack, so the Western Michigan product may have a solid second half of the season following the switch from Marcus Mariota, who was ineffective, to Tannehill.
In Week 8, the Titans face the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, who are coming off a bye—a pass defense that ranked last in yards allowed headed into Sunday's games.
Because of the Buccaneers' issues in coverage, Tannehill and Davis should be able to hook up for 75-100 yards and another score. In a long-term view, the third-year wideout deserves a roster spot in most leagues with a bump in production for the Titans' passing attack.
Fantasy Football statistics provided by FantasyPros
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