For fantasy owners this is the time of the season to look to adding depth to to their teams as 12 teams will have a bye week over the next two weeks.

The six teams on a bye in week 8 include the Arizona Cardinals, Green Bay Packers, Jacksonville Jaguars, Los Angeles Rams, New York Giants and Tennessee Titans.

Quarterbacks

As far as quarterbacks go, I will continue to mention Jets signal caller, Josh McCown, who has become one of fantasy football’s most underappreciated players this season. The veteran ranks 13th among fantasy quarterbacks and still owned in just 22% of leagues. McCown is coming off a 3 touchdown performance in Miami and will take on the Falcons in week 8. Another quarterback worth a start this week is Cam Newton.  Despite his struggles last week in his matchup with the Chicago Bears, Newton has shown flashes of his “Super Cam” form, and should have a lot more success this week as the Panthers take on the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, owners of the third worst passing defense in the league.

Running backs

With the Jaguars being on a bye in week 8, Leonard Fournette owners will go into their second straight week without the star running back as the rookie left the Jaguars matchup with the Colts last week after suffering an injury. Fournette is averaging 21 fantasy points per game and ranks 3rd amongst fantasy running backs.  Green Bay’s leading rusher, Aaron Jones will also be one of those running backs that fantasy owners will miss the services of as the Packers on a bye in week 8, while Marshawn Lynch will be absent in the Oakland Raiders matchup with the Buffalo Bills as he serves a one game suspension.

With that being said, Baltimore Ravens running back Javorius Allen, is a solid start this week as they take on the Miami Dolphins. Allen is the 15th ranked running back in fantasy and could serve well as start this week. The New England Patriots backfield has been pretty packed all season but this week could be a big week for Mike Gillislee, James White and Dion Lewis. Any one of these guys could have a big day as the Los Angeles Chargers have given up the second most rushing yards in the league. The best bet of the three backs is most likely Gillislee as he has been a red zone threat all season.

Speaking of a crowded backfield, the Minnesota Vikings have split carries between Jerick McKinnon and Latavius Murray since Dalvin Cook’s injury. McKinnon looked like the he was the main back going into week 7 until Murray exploded for 17 points along with 113 rushing yards on 18 carries including a touchdown. It is tough to say who will get the bulk of the carries going forward so I would steer clear of the Minnesota backfield until they have a clear cut starter.

Wide Receivers

On to wide receivers, a name that comes to mind immediately is Kenny Stills as he had a big week as he was Matt Moore’s favorite target this Sunday after replacing Jay Cutler under center who left with an injury. After finding the end zone three times in the last two weeks, Stills has potential to have another big week as Jarvis Landry and Jay Ajayi remain opposing defenses main focus.

Other receivers include Carolina’s Devin Funchess and New Orleans’Tedd Ginn Jr. who is fresh off a 141 yard performance, while totaling double digit fantasy points in back-to-back weeks.

Tight Ends

New York Jets tight end, Austin Seferian-Jenkins has flown under the radar for most of the season as he looks to break the top 10 this week; currently ranked 11th at the position heading into this week. Seferian-Jenkins has had a receiving touchdown in three straight weeks now and is averaging 11 points per game after missing the first two weeks of the season. Another tight end to keep an eye on is Hunter Henry of the Los Angeles Chargers who despite the tough playing in the tough atmosphere for opposing teams when playing at Gillette Stadium, the Patriots are currently ranked as the worst passing defense in the NFL.

Defense

My top fantasy defenses this week are the Cincinnati Bengals, Houston Texans and Minnesota Vikings. The Bengals will take on the Indianapolis Colts who rank among the bottom of the league in total yards and touchdowns. The Houston Texans have been one of the top fantasy defenses all season will go into Seattle to take on a team with a struggling offensive line, while the Vikings are ranked 10th among fantasy defenses and go to Cleveland this week; owners of one of the worst scoring offenses in the league this season.