Harrison Bryant

The Cleveland Browns announced Saturday that they activated several players from the reserve/COVID-19 list ahead of their AFC Wild Card Round playoff game against the Pittsburgh Steelers on Sunday night.

The Browns activated safety Ronnie Harrison Jr., tight end Harrison Bryant and linebacker Malcolm Smith. All are eligible to play Sunday.

Left guard Joel Bitonio, cornerbacks Denzel Ward and Kevin Johnson and wide receiver KhaDarel Hodge remain on the reserve/COVID-19 list. Head coach Kevin Stefanski is also on the list after testing positive. Special teams coach Mike Priefer is serving as the acting head coach.

Cleveland.com's Mary Kay Cabot reported neither Ward nor Johnson will play, which thins out the Browns secondary significantly.

Ward will be an especially big loss, as the 2018 No. 4 overall draft pick is Cleveland's No. 1 corner and finished with a career-high 18 passes defended this season to go along with two interceptions.

Of the players who received clearance Saturday, Harrison may make the biggest impact. The 2018 third-round pick out of Alabama was acquired by Cleveland from the Jacksonville Jaguars prior to this season.

Though he missed five games, Harrison was productive, registering 38 tackles, one sack, seven passes defended and one interception, which he returned for a touchdown.

Bryant, a rookie fourth-round pick out of Florida Atlantic, made 24 catches for 238 yards and three touchdowns during the regular season. Along with Austin Hooper and David Njoku, he gives quarterback Baker Mayfield a formidable trio of tight ends.

Smith is a 10th-year pro who played a big role this season. He made only four starts, but he appeared in 15 games and recorded 72 tackles, one forced fumble, one sack and one interception.

Smith is best known for being named MVP of Super Bowl XLVIII, as he helped lead the Seattle Seahawks to a 43-8 drubbing of the Denver Broncos to conclude the 2013 season.

The Browns, who are set to play in their first playoff game since the 2002 season, will face the Steelers at 8:15 p.m. ET at Heinz Field in Pittsburgh.

Arizona Cardinals running back Chase Edmonds' name has been floated as a potential waiver-wire add for a few weeks.

Now may be the best time to land the Arizona backup after Kenyan Drake suffered an injury in Sunday's win over the Seattle Seahawks. Edmonds received a decent amount of touches in both aspects of the Arizona offense in the first six weeks, and in Week 7, he put up his best numbers of the season.

Most of the top waiver-wire options for Week 8 are players who stepped into larger roles because of injury issues. The Cleveland Browns' Rashard Higgins and Harrison Bryant filled in valiantly for Odell Beckham Jr. and Austin Hooper against the Cincinnati Bengals.

The Buffalo Bills' Cole Beasley is also worth a look because of the trust Josh Allen has shown in him, even with Stefon Diggs as his top target.

Waiver Wire Pickups to Know

Chase Edmonds, RB, Arizona

Edmonds thrived in an elevated role Sunday, producing 145 total yards on five carries and seven receptions.

The Fordham product jumped on to the fantasy radar in Week 5, as he had 92 total yards in a win over the New York Jets, but his production dropped off a bit in Week 6.

Edmonds' totals should only go up in the coming weeks as Drake deals with an ankle injury. ESPN's Adam Schefter reported Drake will have a MRI Monday to determine the seriousness of the injury.

Even though you will not be able to benefit from Edmonds until Week 9, he is more than worth the pickup given how much Arizona relies on its running backs.

Drake has 119 carries and seven receptions through seven games. The pair combined for 148 carries and 42 targets from Kyler Murray.

Edmonds' first game as the primary running back this season would be against the Miami Dolphins in Week 9, and if Drake is out for a lengthy period, he could take advantage of the Seahawks defense again in Week 11.

Rashard Higgins, WR, Cleveland

Higgins produced the first 100-yard receiving game of his career Sunday in Cleveland's back-and-forth affair with Cincinnati.

The five-year veteran was thrust into an elevated role once Beckham left the contest with a knee injury, which he says is a torn ACL.

Higgins' six targets in Week 7 matched his total from the four games he participated in this season. Although he was used in a minimal role prior to Sunday, Higgins found the end zone in back-to-back games versus the Indianapolis Colts and Pittsburgh Steelers.

His scoring streak was broken Sunday, but Higgins should have additional opportunities to put up touchdowns with Beckham out for the season.

Opposing defensive backs could feel inclined to put two players on Jarvis Landry to force Higgins and other wide receivers to beat them. If Landry is taken out of games and Baker Mayfield develops trust in Higgins, he could turn into a solid No. 2 option in Cleveland's aerial attack, which could make him a solid No. 3 fantasy wide receiver or flex option.

Harrison Bryant, TE, Cleveland

Bryant emerged ahead of David Njoku on the Browns tight end depth chart with Austin Hooper out because of appendicitis.

The rookie out of Florida Atlantic scored on two occasions and caught four of his five targets for 56 yards. The four receptions against the Bengals matched Bryant's career high set in Week 4 versus the Dallas Cowboys.

Mayfield targeted Hooper, Bryant and Njoku on 61 occasions in the first seven games, and if Bryant remains ahead of Njoku in the pecking order over the coming weeks, he could be a decent starting fantasy option at tight end.

Cleveland's upcoming matchups should favor Bryant since the Las Vegas Raiders and Houston Texans both rank in the top 11 of passing yards conceded. Those teams have allowed a combined 28 passing scores this term.

Cole Beasley, WR, Buffalo

Diggs is always going to be the No. 1 wideout in Buffalo, but Beasley carved out a nice role for himself that could make him an intriguing waiver-wire addition.

In Week 7's win over the New York Jets, the former Dallas wide receiver caught 11 of his 12 targets for 112 yards.

In each of the past three games, Beasley was targeted at least six times by Allen, and he has a pair of 100-yard performances in 2020. The 31-year-old has been Allen's safety valve in the middle of the field, and his reliability turned him into a solid second option behind Diggs.

Beasley may be best used a flex option in the coming weeks. He could be a bye week substitution for Terry McLaurin, DeAndre Hopkins or D.J. Chark Jr. in Week 8.

Follow Joe on Twitter, @JTansey90. Statistics obtained from Pro Football Reference.

Injuries and bye weeks can make setting your lineup a weekly hassle, especially at positions like tight end where value can be hard to come by. But with some clever work on the waiver wire, you can avoid laying a goose egg at a key position. 

Let's break down a few of the intriguing tight ends from Week 7 and beyond. 

Harrison Bryant

The Cleveland Browns tight end is going to be a popular choice on waivers after a two-touchdown performance this week. He shouldn't be your top priority, however. 

Consider a few things. First off, Austin Hooper didn't play Sunday. If he doesn't play again next weekend, then Bryant could make sense as a spot starter. If he does, however, then Bryant should remain on your bench, with Hooper the clear starter and David Njoku also available. 

Secondly, Bryant hasn't had much of a fantasy impact coming into Sunday, with just eight receptions for 70 yards and a score in the team's first six games. Add in a Week 9 bye, and Bryant isn't really anything more than a potential one-week spot starter if Hooper misses time. 

Odell Beckham Jr.'s injury status could factor somewhat into the equation. If both he and Hooper miss time next week, Bryant could slip into the low-end TE1 conversation. Those are the situations to monitor if you have Bryant on your radar. 

Logan Thomas

Thomas is another player who fantasy players will be excited about, only to be let down when they realize he's on a bye next week. 

Still, unlike Bryant, he has long-term upside as Washington's starting tight end. His fantasy relevance has largely comes from his two touchdowns the past two weeks, keeping him solidly in the TE2 conversation, but you could do worse than him as your backup tight end, especially if you find yourself needing cover in the weeks to come. 

Again, he's on a bye next week. If you only need coverage for Week 8, look elsewhere. But if you want a long-term option or are streaming tight ends, he's a player to monitor. 

Richard Rodgers

Here's a sneaky pickup for next week. With both Zach Ertz and Dallas Goedert out injured, Rodgers will serve as the team's starting tight end. He's fresh off a six-catch, 85-yard performance, and the Eagles are lacking in offense playmakers in general, with DeSean Jackson and Jalen Reagor both injured as well. 

It's very possible the steady-if-unspectacular Rodgers will head into a Week 8 showdown with the Dallas Cowboys as one of Wentz's only reliable targets, alongside running back Miles Sanders (assuming he's able to play after missing Week 7) and fantasy shooting star Travis Fulgham. 

As one-week spot starters go, Rodgers is a great addition. He doesn't have Bryant's upside, but his floor is also higher given that Bryant might have minimal fantasy impact if Hooper returns next week. 

The Cleveland Browns will be without one of their offensive weapons for Sunday's AFC North clash against the Cincinnati Bengals. 

Head coach Kevin Stefanski told reporters tight end Austin Hooper will not suit up because he has appendicitis and is undergoing an appendectomy on Friday.

Ian Rapoport of NFL Network reported Hooper could miss next week's game against the Las Vegas Raiders as well.

Hooper, who the Browns signed this offseason after he spent the first four years of his career on the Atlanta Falcons, appeared in each of the team's first six games in 2020.

Hooper was a two-time Pro Bowler during his time in Atlanta and was expected to thrive in Cleveland's offense that is loaded with playmakers.

The thought was that opposing defenses would be so focused on stopping Odell Beckham Jr. and Jarvis Landry on the outside, as well as the rushing attack featuring Nick Chubb and Kareem Hunt, that Hooper would have plenty of opportunities against single coverage and consistently exploit them.

That hasn't quite been the case yet, as he has 22 catches for 205 yards and one touchdown and is yet to reach even 60 yards in a single game. Hooper failed to tally even 30 yards in any of the last three contests.

Some of that can be attributed to the fact that Cleveland has enjoyed far more success on the ground this year than through the air with quarterback Baker Mayfield struggling with consistency despite an impressive 4-2 record.

Expect David Njoku and Harrison Bryant to see more playing time with Hooper sidelined.

The Browns already defeated the Bengals once this year, and the offense will look to replicate its success after scoring 35 points in the initial matchup.