Week 8 Waiver Wire: Fantasy Football's Top Pickups and Breakout Candidates

Week 7 was one of the most interesting weeks in terms of fantasy purposes that we've seen so far in the NFL season.

A splashy trade sent one of the best running backs in the game to a new team. Multiple starting running backs are injured, with managers not sure how to handle handcuffing their replacements. There's been a merry-go-round at the quarterback position with starters returning from injury and new signal-callers going down.

We tend to focus on flex players for weekly breakout roundups and waiver-wire advice, so we'll set aside the quarterbacks for now. But we do have two running backs who have stepped up with absences created by the aforementioned trade or injuries. Let's take a closer look at the players who will be the most sought-after in your league this week.

For our purposes, to count as a "breakout," a player must not be rostered in more than 50 percent of leagues.

Rostered: 36 percent

Week 7 stats: 16 att, 66 rushing yds, two rushing TDs, 18.6 pts

Eagle-eyed fantasy managers may have already stashed veteran running back Gus Edwards on their benches when it was announced that he was active in Week 7 for the first time since tearing his ACL in Week 1 last season.

However, without seeing how the Baltimore Ravens intended to use Edwards this year, only the boldest managers probably started him this week. Which means Edwards' 18.6 points (in points-per-reception, or PPR, scoring) were left to languish.

After Sunday, that won't be the case. Edwards was a workhorse, receiving 16 carries and amassing 66 rushing yards, finding the end zone twice. His return from injury coincided with J.K. Dobbins' move to injured reserve, so Edwards was in position to step into the lead role in Baltimore.

Edwards rewarded the team's faith in him in naming him starter for Week 7 with a day that, as of the conclusion of the early afternoon slate, saw him among the top five running backs on the day in fantasy points. Expect him to be one of the top waiver targets in your league this week.

Rostered: 4 percent

Week 7 stats: 10 rec, 70 rec yds, 1 rec TD, 23.0 pts

Fantasy managers were not impressed with Parris Campbell's season usage numbers heading into Week 7. His 10.7 percent target share didn't even get him into the conversation as a WR5.

However, after Campbell put up 23 points on Sunday, getting the lion's share of the work in the passing game with 10 receptions and finding the end zone through the air as well, he's forcing the conversation.

Last week, Campbell had a 19.3 percent target share (and also found the end zone), so managers can take this as the development of a positive pattern. He's now one-upped his career high for catches two weeks in a row.

If your league is deep and/or you're dealing with injuries at wide receiver, Campbell isn't a bad option to stash on your bench.

Rostered: 50 percent

Week 7 stats: 15 att, 188 yds, 2 rec, 27 yds, 16.5 pts

After the blockbuster trade that sent Christian McCaffrey to the San Francisco 49ers, it was a fairly safe bet that D'Onta Foreman would become the lead back in Carolina.

The job was something of a tossup between Foreman and Chuba Hubbard, though the thought was that Hubbard would see more action in the passing game.

That's pretty much what came to pass Sunday, as Foreman handled the bulk of the action on the ground with 15 carries, though he also had as many receptions (two) and twice as many receiving yards as Hubbard.

The Panthers had a statement 21-3 win over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, and though Foreman didn't contribute to the point total, his contributions on the ground were invaluable to keeping the Panthers offense moving.

If you're struggling with injuries at the running back position or looking for some bench depth, Foreman is a terrific option in PPR leagues.

Fantasy points, rostered percentage and target share via FantasyPros