Seven weeks of NFL play are officially in the books, which means bye weeks are in full swing. Gone are the days where you could just coast by on a strong draft. Now more than ever, you’ll need to search the waiver wire for all the best available running backs. Heading into Week 8, you should set your eyes on Chase Edmonds, Mark Walton, Ty Johnson, and Wayne Gallman.
Note that in order to make this list, the player had to be available in over 50% of fantasy leagues. If you’re in smaller leagues, there may be better players available. Make sure to check your waivers to see if there are any diamonds in the rough before submitting your claims.
Running Back Waiver Wire Claims
Wide Receiver Waiver Wire Claims
Quarterback Waiver Wire Claims
Tight End Waiver Wire Claims
Defense Wavier Wire Claims
Chase Edmonds, Mark Walton Highlight Fantasy Football Week 8 Running Back Waiver Wire Claims
Chase Edmonds
David Johnson technically played in Week 7, but Chase Edmonds was the star of the show. Seeing the vast majority of the work, the running back recorded 126 rushing yards and three touchdowns to go along with two receptions for 24 yards. Johnson is nursing a back injury and will probably see a larger role in Week 8. However, it’s hard to imagine Edmonds taking a back seat based on how well he’s played.
So far this season, Edmonds has been considerably more productive than Johnson on a snap-for-snap basis. Johnson can’t seem to recapture his 2016 form while Edmonds looks faster, quicker, and more explosive than Johnson. Johnson’s salary ensures he’ll see a decent chunk of work, but this should be a two-headed backfield. With how many plays Arizona runs on a weekly basis, both players can easily have fantasy relevance.
Mark Walton
The Miami Dolphins are fantasy death, but this isn’t a good week for waiver wire pickups. If you’re truly desperate and playing in a deep league, go out and grab Mark Walton. The Miami Dolphins are not a high-powered offense by any means, but Walton has enough opportunity to be a flex play in 12- or 14-team leagues. In Week 7’s matchup against the Baltimore Ravens, Walton led the team with 66 rushing yards on 14 carries. Kenyan Drake, meanwhile, recorded just 21 yards on six carries.
The Kalen Ballage experiment is officially over, and Walton is seeing more opportunities than Drake. When factoring in the trade rumors surrounding Drake, it’s safe to project Walton with a sizable workload moving forward. It won’t feel good starting him, but his workload ensures he should have some fantasy relevance on a weekly basis.
Ty Johnson
Ty Johnson is only relevant if Kerryon Johnson misses time. The former second-round pick suffered an injury against the Minnesota Vikings and couldn’t return to the game. In his absence, Ty Johnson recorded 10 carries for 29 yards to go along with four receptions for 28 receiving yards. The efficiency wasn’t there, but the opportunity was.
As of this posting, nobody knows the exact severity of Kerryon Johnson’s injury. However, if he can’t play next week, Ty Johnson can be a low-ceiling, high-floor play who can make plays in both the passing and receiving game.
Wayne Gallman
There isn’t much to say about Wayne Gallman. Saquon Barkley made his return from a high-ankle sprain but clearly wasn’t 100%. If he re-aggravates his injury, Wayne Gallman will have a good amount of fantasy value. If Saquon stays healthy, Wayne Gallman will have no fantasy value.
Running Back Waiver Wire Claims
Wide Receiver Waiver Wire Claims
Quarterback Waiver Wire Claims
Tight End Waiver Wire Claims
Defense Wavier Wire Claims
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