Week 8 Flavor of the Week is headlined by a quarterback who has been a measure of consistency this season and encounters a favorable string of matchups on the horizon, two running backs who have been thrusted into a starting role due to injury, a wide receiver that continues to prove he is not a rookie to be taken lightly and a tight end whose found value this season even if he isn’t always the No. 1 tight end on the offense.  Let’s take a look at the top added players heading into Week 8.

Quarterbacks

Ryan Fitzpatrick, NYJ – I’ve been preaching Fitzpatrick in my FAAB Report article for a few weeks now as he is considerably under owned for a quarterback who has thrown for two touchdown passes in all but one game this season and has a solid compliment of wide receivers in Brandon Marshall and Eric Decker to throw the ball to.  Fitzpatrick draws the Raiders in Week 8 who have allowed the ninth-most fantasy points to opposing quarterbacks this season and should pose an easy matchup for him on Sunday.  Over the next few weeks things remain in Fitzpatrick’s favor as he faces the Jaguars, Bills and Texans who have all really struggled of late.

Ryan Tannehill, MIA – This one is a bit of a surprise as Tannehill was a popular sleeper candidate heading into this season and was drafted as such but after a solid start the Dolphins really struggled and Tannehill was not much better which saw some owners cut bait.  Tannehill’s resurgence comes under new head coach Dan Campbell and in Week 7 he completed 18-of-19 passes for 282 yards and four touchdowns.  The Dolphins do have a solid receiving core which is headlined by Jarvis Landry, Rishard Matthews and tight end Jordan Cameron so Tannehill has the tools to be successful as long as he is taking care of the football.  In Week 8 Tannehill and the Dolphins face off against the division-leading Patriots who, despite their 6-0 record, have struggled against the pass and have allowed the fifth-most fantasy points to opposing quarterbacks this season.

Running Backs

Darren McFadden, DAL – McFadden was signed this offseason to compete with Joseph Randle for the Cowboys starting running back position after DeMarco Murray left in free-agency but, like always, a nagging preseason injury ultimately landed McFadden behind Randle to start the season where he would see a handful of touches each game.  With Randle going down in Week 7 with an oblique strain that could keep him out for multiple weeks, McFadden will get the chance to show that he is more than capable of being the Cowboys' bell cow and he gave really good audition for this role in Week 7 after the Randle injury as he finished the game with 152 yards and a touchdown on 29 carries.  As we all know McFadden is a very talented runner but he is just as likely to pull his hamstring in Week 8 as he is to repeat that level of performance on a consistent basis.

Alfred Blue, HOU – Fantasy owners got a taste of what Blue was capable of as a starting running back earlier in the season while Arian Foster rehabbed his injured groin and it was not pretty.  Unfortunately Foster is once again out of action, and this time for the season, after tearing his Achilles in Week 7 which thrusts Blue back into the starting limelight.  While Blue is an obvious add for Foster owners there should be no expectation that he’s productive enough to be worth anything more than a flex play.

Wide Receivers

Stefon Diggs, WR – How this man is not nearly 100 percent owned yet is beyond me as Diggs has very little left to prove after turning in his second straight 100-yard game and adding his first career touchdown in Week 7.  Diggs and quarterback Teddy Bridgewater have demonstrated great chemistry and will look to continue this great stretch of play in Week 8 against a Bears defense that has allowed the eighth-most fantasy points to opposing wide receivers this season.  Through Diggs' first four professional games he has caught 19 of 28 targets for 324 yards and a touchdown.

Brandon LaFell, NE – LaFell made his season debut in Week 7 against the Jets and boy was it ugly as he caught just 2-of-8 targets with a team-high six dropped passes.  The encouraging takeaway from this outing, however, is the fact that he saw eight targets and despite the drops Tom Brady continually looked his way.  LaFell turned in a career year in 2014, catching 74 passes for 953 yards and seven touchdowns and figures to be an integral part of the Patriots passing attack as he offers the downfield threat they truly lack on the outside.

Tight Ends

Benjamin Watson, NO – You have to give Watson some credit as the veteran tight end is slowly becoming a serviceable fantasy tight end as he and Drew Brees develop some chemistry.  Watson in Week 8 was coming off a career game where he caught 10 passes for 127 yards and a touchdown so some delusional fantasy owners may have been upset when Watson caught just four passes for 59 yards in Week 8 against the Colts.  His Week 8 production, however, should be right around what he offers owners going forward with the occasional touchdown to boost his overall fantasy impact.  For me Watson is nothing more than a bye week replacement but given the offense and the depth at the position I can understand the appeal.

Ladarius Green, SD – Green has had fantasy relevance for the majority of the season thanks in part to Antonio Gates’ four game suspension to start the season but even once Gates returned Green still managed to catch eight passes for 85 yards and a score between Weeks 5 and 6.  With Gates dealing with an MCL injury it looks as if Green is once again the No. 1 tight end in San Diego and in Week 7 he caught four passes for 45 yards and a score.  Gates is not expected to play in Week 8 against the Ravens who do rank No. 1 against opposing tight ends in fantasy this season but the Chargers' pass-first offense should still offer Green enough targets to be fantasy relevant especially when they get in the red zone.