The Fantasy Football schedule is into Week 8 and some of the top free agent picks from the weekend include Travaris Cadet, Doug Martin, Darren McFadden, Jermaine Kearse, Brandon LaFell, Percy Harvin, Matt Asiata, Odell Beckham, Davante Adams, DeAndre Hopkins, Sammy Watkins, Scott Chandler, Malcom Floyd, Benny Cunningham, Anthony Dixon, Bryce Brown and Mark Ingram, as those players have the chance to step up moving forward due to matchups and injuries.
Cadet and Khiry Robinson are options for this week, as the Saints are going to be without Pierre Thomas and this comes as Mark Ingram is just getting back from an injury. The Patriots have options in Brandon Bolden and Brandon LaFell, as the offense could be more opened up with Stevan Ridley out and Tom Brady will need to spread the ball around. The injury to CJ Spiller makes Anthony Dixon and Bryce Brown strong pickups, while Malcom Floyd has stepped up this season for Philip Rivers and is one of the best available WRs in fantasy. Some owners in some leagues have been very frustrated with Doug Martin and some have even dropped the RB and if he is available, he is a top pickup with upside value.
Cadet could be a risk reward option with Pierre Thomas out, as he can be valuable in PPR leagues for owners. This season Cadet has just 10 yards on three carries, but as a pass catcher he has been great, making 16 catches for 134 yards and scoring a TD. Cadet was targeted nine times in the game against the Lions and he ended up with six catches for 51 yards in the matchup. Over the past three games, Cadet has 12 catches for over 120 yards and he also had his first touchdown of the season in that time.
The Seahawks traded away Percy Harvin and some fantasy owners have ditched him and if any have done that, pick him up right away. While the Jets are not a great offensive team, Harvin is a weapon and no matter how mercurial he is, once he gets on the field it could be dynamite for fantasy owners. Doug Baldwin also now is a great option along with Jermaine Kearse and Paul Richardson, as those players will now step up into the void left by Harvin and his departure. Kearse has been solid this season and now he should get even more looks in the offense.
Darren McFadden has been solid over the past couple weeks and he has emerged as the best option for the Oakland Raiders in the backfield over Maurice Jones-Drew. Odell Beckham is a strong pickup now that Victor Cruz is gone and he ended up with two TD catches on Sunday against the Dallas Cowboys for the Giants. LaFell has emerged as a strong target for the Patriots, while Asiata is a solid pickup in deeper leagues, as Jerick McKinnon has passed him in the depth chart for the time being.
Sammy Watkins had a big day with two touchdowns, while Jermaine Kearse is a solid WR2 or WR3 option moving forward for the Seahawks. Last week he was targeted seven times and ended up with three catches for 50 yards in the game.