NFL Waiver Wire: Week 8 Pickups

We've stumbled upon a few emerging situations coming out of Week 7 that'll dig into this week. Both Kenyan Drake and Chris Carson left the Sunday night game with injuries and it was announced Monday morning that Odell Beckham will be out for the season with a torn ACL. Let's  look at how those injuries will impact their teams and who we should target on the waiver wire for Week 8.

This columns is geared toward "standard" 12-team leagues and based upon a $100 free-agent budget. Please adjust for your league based on both the number of teams (I'm in a 24-team league, for example) and remaining budget.

Quarterback

SECONDARY TARGETS

Tua Tagovailoa, MIA - Tua's rostered in only 29 percent of Yahoo leagues, which is a bit surprising. While Tua could be a flop, fellow rookies Joe Burrow and Justin Herbert have been consistently fantasy relevant. Tua might not have the passing numbers of those two but should  make up that ground with his rushing skills. Five of his next six games are against teams who are in the bottom half of the league against quarterbacks. I'd rather have him as my fantasy backup than Philip Rivers, Kirk Cousins or Jimmy Garoppolo, just to mention a few. FAAB: $4-$8

Teddy Bridgewater, CAR - Guess who will face the Falcons secondary this week? Bridgewater scored 24 fantasy points the first time these two teams played and had 258 passing yards at halftime. The Panthers had a big lead most of the second half, so Bridgewater wasn't called on to throw a lot. If the Falcons continue their improved offensive play and make this a close game, Bridgewater could surpass those 24 fantasy points in this matchup. Bridgewater should be seen as a one-week rental whereas Tua is more of a possible weekly play if he reaches his upside. FAAB: $3-$6

HAIL MARY

Ryan Fitzpatrick, MIA - This is my eighth year writing this column and I can't ever remember writing about two quarterbacks from the same team. However, Tua's backup could regain fantasy relevance if he's traded. There's a unique situation unfolding in Dallas with Dak Prescott out and Andy Dalton in the concussion protocol. The Nov. 3 trade deadline is a week away, and the Dolphins sending Fitzpatrick to Dallas makes sense for both teams. Miami maybe could get a fifth-round pick, Fitzpatrick would get the chance to start again and the Cowboys could still make a run at winning the NFC East. There's a strong argument Dallas has the best trio of wide receivers in the league, and Fitzpatrick has never been shy about taking chances downfield. FAAB: $2-$4

Running Back

PRIMARY TARGETS

Chase Edmonds, ARI - There's a lot to digest to when it comes to Edmonds situation in light of the Drake injury. Edmonds looked like the more talented running back once Drake left Sunday's game. The good news for Drake is that Arizona has a bye this week; the bad news is a small tear of an ankle ligament sounds pretty bad and likely will cause Drake to miss multiple weeks. Recommending Edmonds is breaking my "greater than 50 percent available" rule, as he's already rostered in 63 percent of Yahoo leagues. Edmonds should have plenty of touches Week 9, and a multi-game audition could be enough for him to remain the starter even after Drake returns. Look for Eno Benjamin to backup Edmonds while Drake is out. FAAB: $30-$50, maybe more depending on your league.

Carlos Hyde, SEA - Hyde was heavily involved in the offense Sunday after Chris Carson left with a mid-foot sprain. Unfortunately, he suffered an injury too, hurting his hamstring. The seriousness of the injury is unclear, but If Hyde is plays this week, he'll again be heavily involved, as fellow running back Travis Homer is dealing with a knee contusion.  It's easy to forget Hyde was a 1,000-yard rusher last season while averaging a respectable 4.4 yards per carry, and running backs have flourished playing in Russell Wilson's backfield. Watch for updates on Hyde; best-case scenario is that Carson misses multiple weeks and the Seahawks ease him back into the fold when he returns to the field. For those in deeper leagues, DeeJay Dallas should see 5-10 touches (possibly handling passing downs) if Hyde is healthy — and would start if Carson, Hyde and Homer are out. Also, it sounds like Rashaad Penny should return in the next few weeks. FAAB: $15-$25, depending on Hyde's practice status this week.

SECONDARY TARGETS

Tevin Coleman, SF - We may look back in a few weeks and stop even trying to handicap the 49ers backfield. With Raheem Mostert out, Jerick McKinnon should have gotten the bulk of the workload last week but that went to Jeff Wilson. Wilson got hurt, was carted off the field and is expected to join Mostert on IR later this week. To further confuse the situation Tevin Coleman is expected to return off of IR this week. Wilson was thrust into the main role this week after missing the previous game so it's possible Coleman is the featured back if he returns. FAAB: $4-$8

HAIL MARY

Wayne Gallman, NYG - It's unclear how banged up Devonta Freeman's ankle is, but if he misses time Gallman would be in for a full workload. Gallman had 15 touches for 54 yards in relief of Freeman last Thursday. He has limited upside, especially against a tough Tampa Bay defense this week. FAAB: $2-$4

Wide Receiver

PRIMARY TARGETS

Brandon Aiyuk, SF - Aiyuk is rostered in 49 percent of leagues, which should grow after his 7-6-115 performance Sunday against a normally stingy Patriots secondary. Aiyuk should become the main focal point of the 49ers passing attack with Deebo Samuel set to miss time with a hamstring injury. The plethora of injuries to their backfield could see San Francisco use Aiyuk as a runner, adding another way for him to score fantasy points. Look for Kendrick Bourne to work himself back onto the radar with Samuel out. FAAB: $20-$40

Rashard Higgins, CLE - Higgins stands to be the biggest beneficiary of the Odell Beckham injury and finished Sunday's game with 6-6-110. It might be hard to maintain that catch rate, but Beckham  averaged seven targets per game heading into Sunday's game. Higgins also had back-to-back games with touchdowns before last weekend, so he has Baker Mayfield's trust in the red zone. Jarvis Landry will still get his targets, but there's definitely a path to Higgins becoming a 1B to Landry being the 1A. FAAB: $15-$25

Tight End

HAIL MARY

Albert Okwuegbunam, DEN - Noah Fant is still the preferred target at tight end, but it's possible Drew Lock will use both of his tight ends enough to make them fantasy relevant. Okwuegbunam has seen 13 targets the last two weeks, which shows the good rapport he has with Drew Lock. That shouldn't be surprising given the two were teammates at Missouri where Albert caught 17 touchdown passes from Lock. FAAB: $2-$4

Harrison Bryant, CLE - Bryant had one of the more surprising performances last weekend, exploding with 5-4-56-2 in the Browns' comeback win. Bryant is a tough matchup given he's bigger than a wide receiver but about 20 pounds smaller than a typical tight end. He'll be viable again this week with Austin Hooper likely out until after the Browns' Week 9 bye. FAAB: $2-$4