Week 8 in the NFL is fast approaching with just Monday Night Football remaining. Let's address the best waiver wire additions available in fantasy football leagues ahead of this slate of games.
All stats and data are sourced from PFF and Sports Info Solutions. Rostered percentages are sourced from Yahoo Fantasy leagues.
1. New York Jets RB Michael Carter - 66% rostered
Carter is rostered in most leagues, and he should be — he's a good player who's maintained a role in the Jets' offense, even with emerging rookie Breece Hall. Unfortunately for the Jets, it appears that Hall likely tore his ACL in Week 7 and if that is the case, Hall will obviously be done for the season.
There is nobody on this list with a better chance to finish the rest of the season as an RB2. This past week, Carter rattled off a 72.9% snap share, 59.4% route participation metric, and rushed the ball 13 times out of the 18 the running back room had. During the first four weeks, Carter had over 30 snaps in each contest and showed true workhorse potential to begin the season with a combined 93 snaps, 17 rushing attempts, and 13 targets during the first two weeks.
2. Baltimore Ravens RB Gus Edwards - 43% rostered
Gus the bus has returned. In his debut, Edwards led the team in snaps (23), rushing attempts (16), and touchdowns (two). As we know, Edwards is far more of an early-down player and his four routes run is further proof of that. While Edwards will never get workhorse-like usage, he is in a smash spot for multiple reasons. The first is J.K. Dobbins' knee surgery that's expected to sideline him for four to six weeks, the second is the Ravens' productive offense, and the third is Edwards' talent and ability.
The Ravens will likely continue to mix and match their running backs by deploying a frustrating committee. With that being the case, Edwards should continue to get the first crack at lead-back duties and he proved he was healthy enough to handle that role in Week 7 by rattling off 4.1 yards per carry.
While Edwards won't be a workhorse, his 16 rushing attempts in his debut already topped Dobbins' season-high (13) through four contests.
3. Carolina Panthers RB D'Onta Foreman - 49% rostered
As we all know, Christian McCaffrey's trade opened a clear path for someone else to step up in the starting running back role. We now have a week of information and data to work with, and I'm ranking Foreman ever so slightly ahead of Hubbard. It's certainly a close call, especially when the numbers are displayed:
Snaps: Foreman (27), Hubbard (23)
Routes run: Foreman (10), Hubbard (12)
Target share: Foreman (9.1%), Hubbard (13.6%)
Rushing share: Foreman (55.6%), Hubbard (33.3%)
Some of the numbers are slightly skewed toward Foreman, but it's because Hubbard suffered an ankle injury early in the fourth quarter and didn't return to the game. Prior to that, Hubbard actually out-snapped Foreman, and a lot of Foreman's production came in the fourth quarter. With that being said, the severity of Hubbard's injury does not appear to be serious at all and even if he remained healthy, I'd still lean towards Foreman. He is the superior talent and had nearly double the rushing yardage Hubbard had. It feels like only a matter of time until Foreman carves out a majority role as the early-down back in this backfield.
4. Carolina Panthers RB Chuba Hubbard - 36% rostered
Hubbard, like Foreman, is a great addition this week. There could be some concern over his ankle injury, though Hubbard is worth the stash even if he's destined to miss a week or two. As of now, he should be rostered in far more leagues, and some may actually lean toward Hubbard over Foreman.
5. Denver Broncos RB Latavius Murray - 40% rostered
Murray is a great addition heading into Week 8. The veteran has appeared in two games for the Broncos now and his opportunity metrics suggest he should be rostered in more leagues.
Murray took a backseat to Melvin Gordon this past week, but that was to be expected. Denver made it clear Gordon was their lead back and they went out of their way to prove it this week. Still, Murray is eating into a decent chunk of his early-down share. While Murray doesn't have the same upside as guys like Foreman or Chubbard, he does appear to have a very stable role in his offense and could carve out a larger workload in any given game in the event of another Gordon fumble.
6. Kansas City Chiefs RB Isiah Pacheco - 51% rostered
The Chiefs' backfield is a headache waiting to happen, but Pacheco should still be a popular add on the waiver wire this week. The rookie back drew his first career start, though he still trailed Jerick McKinnon in snaps and routes run. Pacheco was able to lead the team in rushing attempts, though he registered just eight in totality.
Snaps: McKinnon (28), Pacheco (19), Clyde Edwards-Helaire (17)
Routes run: McKinnon (16), Pacheco (7), Clyde Edwards-Helaire (7)
Targets: McKinnon (3), Pacheco (0), Clyde Edwards-Helaire (0)
Rushing attempts: McKinnon (2), Pacheco (8), Clyde Edwards-Helaire (5)
It's quite evident this backfield will cause a lot of issues for fantasy managers moving forward. With that being said, Pacheco secured a season-high in snaps and routes run. The rookie appears to be carving himself out a larger role in one of the most exciting offenses in the league.
7. New York Giants WR Wan'Dale Robinson - 29% rostered
No player on the Giants had a higher target share than Robinson in Week 7 — the rookie registered a borderline elite 26.7% target share. Of course, the Giants' passing attack is anemic and isn't likely to produce great results, which is why Robinson came away with just six receptions for 50 receiving yards.
But still, the rookie was active for just the third time in his career and played the second-most snaps, all while running the second-most routes on the team. The Giants are devoid of playmakers in the passing game and are clearly making an effort to get their rookie weapon involved. Robinson doesn't have plug-and-play consistency, but he can offer some spot-start ability in FLEX spots, especially in full-point PPR fantasy leagues.
8. New York Jets RB Ty Johnson - 0% rostered
Carter is the big prize in this backfield, though Johnson will certainly play a role moving forward. Just last year, Johnson led the Jets' running backs with 53 targets. He also had the most receiving yards and touchdowns of the group. While Carter can operate as a receiver and has done so in the past (50 targets last season), he'll need to be spelled, and Johnson has the ability to play on all three downs. He's a fine dart throw that should require very little-to-no FAAB.
9. Indianapolis Colts WR Parris Campbell - 4% rostered
Indianapolis's offense is not a unit we should be targeting, but there's no denying Campbell is getting a ton of opportunities right now:
He's also been able to produce some really great results over the past two weeks and is worth at the very least a bench stash.
10. Carolina Panthers WR Terrace Marshall Jr. - 1% rostered
The Panthers are starved for playmakers and have an open spot in their No. 2 receiver role with Robbie Anderson no longer on the team. Marshall got the first crack at filling the hole this week, playing 43 of 50 snaps and running 23 routes on 24 dropbacks. The former second-round pick was only able to reel in two passes for 31 yards but should've had another 30-plus yard catch that he bobbled along the sidelines. Marshall doesn't have much upside but should get plenty of opportunities the rest of the way.
Los Angeles Chargers TE Gerald Everett - 87% rostered
Everett has been very volatile and boom-or-bust this season. Here are his finishes among tight ends in fantasy scoring (starting with Week 7 working backward): TE5, TE21, TE50, TE5, TE33, TE8, and TE4. It could be tough to project which weeks Everett is worth the start, but just four tight ends have more targets this season. Plus, Mike Williams could miss some time with a sprained ankle he suffered in Week 7.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers RB Rachaad White - 30% rostered
White is one of the best handcuffs in fantasy football and would be in an absolute smash spot in the event of a Leonard Fournette injury. Not only that, but White continues to carve himself out a minor role in Tampa Bay's backfield. He's played 20-plus snaps and has run 17-plus routes in three of the past four weeks.
Denver Broncos TE Greg Dulcich - 11% rostered
The rookie tight end has been active just two weeks but has already found a role in a strange offense:
Week 7: 47-of-79 snaps, 34 routes run on 48 dropbacks, 9 targets
Week 6: 41-of-58 snaps, 27 routes run on 34 dropbacks, 3 targets