Week 8 Waiver Wire: 5 Players You Must Pick Up

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Week 7 was one of the busiest weeks of the season in terms of breakout performances.

For several of these players, it was their first shot at the big time, and they took advantage. 

Some will continue their streaks, and some will turn out to be busts. 

Here are five players you must pick up in Week 8 before they are gone.

Carson Palmer

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After Jason Campbell fell to injury, the Raiders reached out to the Bengals to try to get a deal done for Carson Palmer.

In an Al Davis-like move, they traded two draft picks for Palmer, and he reported for practice in Week 7.

Against the Chiefs, the Raiders may have had one of the worst combined quarterback performances of all time between Kyle Boller and Carson Palmer.

Kyle Boller was 7-of-14 with three interceptions.

Carson Palmer was 8-of-21 with three interceptions. 

However, its not all bad. 

Carson Palmer

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While his Week 7 was nothing more than atrocious, his future is much brighter. 

He was basically thrown to the dogs, being put in during the middle of the game with very few reps during practice.

Not to mention he had no preseason.

Good thing he has a bye during Week 8 to get a hefty amount of reps. 

At 31, there is no reason to believe that he is not still an elite quarterback, and as the year goes on, he will be a great investment. 

He is surrounded by weapons Darren McFadden and Darius Heyward-Bey, who are invaluable targets.

Carson Palmer is a great pickup that any fantasy football owner should consider.

DeMarco Murray

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With Felix Jones out with a high ankle sprain during Week 7, the Dallas Cowboys turned to Tarshard Choice and DeMarco Murray to fill the void.

Choice did nothing—Murray dominated.

He rushed for 253 yards and one touchdown against a porous Rams run defense.

Until Felix Jones returns, there is no doubt that DeMarco Murray will be the go-to guy at running back. 

DeMarco Murray

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In Week 8, the Cowboys play division rival Philadelphia, who have a mediocre run defense. 

With Murray playing like he did in Week 7, there is no doubt that the Cowboys will exploit this.

Murray will again have a big week against the Eagles.

Even when Jones returns, Murray will be the No. 2 man over Choice, so he will still get a good amount of carries.

For now he is a good starter—in the future he will be a solid backup.

Picking him up in Week 8 is a must. 

Michael Jenkins

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Michael Jenkins finally had the breakout game that the Vikings were waiting for in Week 7.

He had three receptions for 111 yards and a touchdown.

This was from rookie quarterback Christian Ponder. 

It seemed like they clicked. There is no reason to believe that this trend won't continue through the rest of the season.

The Vikings signed Jenkins when No. 1 receiver Sidney Rice elected to sign with the Seattle Seahawks during the offseason. 

He was signed for his ability to catch the ball down the field—something he wasn't doing until Week 7.

Michael Jenkins

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With Bernard Berrian on the way out and Percy Harvin still struggling with injury, it looks like Michael Jenkins will be the new No. 1 receiver in Minnesota. 

With McNabb no longer the starting quarterback in Minnesota, Jenkins has a new start with a new quarterback.

Look for big production out of Jenkins as opponents will try to stop the run and let the Vikings beat them with the pass, especially in Week 8 against a weak Carolina defense. 

Demaryius Thomas

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Now that Brandon Lloyd has been traded to the St. Louis Rams and Tim Tebow has been anointed the new starter in Denver, there may be room for a new No. 1 receiver. 

That new No. 1 receiver might just be Demaryius Thomas. 

In Week 7, Thomas was targeted 10 times by Tim Tebow. There may be something there.

He had three receptions and a touchdown. 

Demaryius Thomas

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In Week 8, the Broncos play the Detroit Lions. Not an easy opponent by any stretch of the imagination. 

However, the Broncos have three wide receivers competing for the No. 1 slot including Eddie Royal, Eric Decker and Demaryius Thomas.

It looks as though Tebow's favorite is Thomas.

Look for a big week of production for him, especially if the Broncos get down big and need to turn to the pass.

Tebow is bound to complete more than a few passes to him. 

Thomas is a gamble, but if he pays off, he will pay off big. 

Christian Ponder

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One of the headlines of Week 7 was Christian Ponder's performance against the Green Bay Packers. 

Even though he threw two interceptions against the Packers, he did very well and showed great promise.

He seemed to have a solid connection with receiver Michael Jenkins, something that will be very valuable—especially to fantasy football owners, as Jenkins is a deep threat. 

The two interceptions were poorly thrown balls, not bad decisions. This is much easier to fix than mental mistakes.

Since the Vikings are out of the playoff picture, there is no pressure, creating the perfect environment for a rookie quarterback to learn in. 

Christian Ponder

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The reason Ponder is a must-pickup is that he plays for the Vikings. They are far better than their record indicates.

Ponder still has Adrian Peterson lining up in the backfield behind him. All Ponder needs to do is throw completions, and he will score big.

In Week 8, the Vikings are playing the Carolina Panthers, who have the fifth-best pass defense. But most likely, they will key in on Adrian Peterson.

If he continues to throw the ball like he did against the Packers, big days are ahead of him and fantasy football owners alike.