Fantasy Football Week 8: Risers, Fallers and Top Trade Candidates

We have finally arrived to the midpoint of the 2015 fantasy football season.

It seems like it was just yesterday when we all thought that New Orleans Saints wide receiver Brandin Cooks would catch 120 passes and Atlanta Falcons running back Devonta Freeman was just a crummy player.

To put in perspective just how insane fantasy football is, these are your top rushers through the first seven games this season:

1. Devonta Freeman, Atlanta Falcons (621 yards)
2. Chris Johnson, Arizona Cardinals (567)
3. Doug Martin, Tampa Bay Buccaneers (543)

Pretty crazy, huh? Just like we all predicted.

Well, at this point in the season, it's time to start looking ahead to the playoff weeks to see if you can poach a player or two who has a favorable schedule to help in your road to your fantasy football championship.

This week's risers and fallers feature four total running backs and two wide receivers.

Riser: Darren McFadden, RB, Dallas Cowboys

Bill Kostroun/Associated Press

According to Charean Williams of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram, Jerry Jones has said that Darren McFadden, not Joseph Randle, will start at running back in Week 8 when the team takes on the Seattle Seahawks.

When this news came out, it didn't really surprise too many people. Over the Cowboys' last two games (Week 5 and Week 7), McFadden is the No. 6 running back in points-per-reception leagues, delivering 41 fantasy points, 11 receptions and almost five yards per carry, per Pro Football Focus.

In Week 7, McFadden saw 80 percent of the 76 offensive snaps the Cowboys had in a loss to the New York Giants.

Under quarterbacks Brandon Weeden and Matt Cassel, this offense is going to be filled with checkdowns. In Week 7, McFadden was hardly targeted, but in Week 5, he saw 10.

So long as he is starting, McFadden will be a contributor to your squad. However, this week's matchup against the Seahawks could leave a lot to be desired.

Faller: Andre Ellington, RB, Arizona Cardinals

Ross D. Franklin/Associated Press/Associated Press

While this may be obvious (and it is), Arizona Cardinals running back Andre Ellington is on the verge of being dropped in most leagues.

He was hurt earlier this season, which opened the door for teammate Chris Johnson to take over, but it's fair to say we thought Ellington would be in the mix when he returned.

Wrong.

Over the last two weeks, he has yet to play in 30 percent of his team's snaps and has yet to get over five carries in a game.

If this trend continues, feel free to drop Ellington.

Riser: Lamar Miller, RB, Miami Dolphins

Marc Serota/Associated Press

Under new Miami Dolphins head coach Dan "Instead of Throwing Challenge Flags, I Throw Guys in Red Wind Breakers to Dispute Calls" Campbell, this Dolphins team appears to be reborn.

(By the way, I hope you enjoyed that joke, and I encourage you to make all the Dan Campbell jokes in the comment section. I have a few more, some of which I did steal from people).

Back to fantasy stuff—Dolphins running back Lamar Miller has been insanely good recently.

Sure, it was against the Tennessee Titans and the Houston Texans, but Miller is leading the league in fantasy points in points-per-reception leagues over his last two outings. Of course, Campbell made his interim head coaching debut two weeks ago.

For whatever reason, former head coach Joe Philbin didn't see the need to use Miller.

Under Campbell, Miller has had his most carries in a game this season, logging 19 and 14 in respective weeks. In Week 7, he had more rushing yards (175) in that one game than he did in every game under Philbin (131; Weeks 1-4).

Looking ahead, Miller has some tough games coming up, but his fantasy playoff schedule (Weeks 14-16) looks tasty against the New York Giants, San Diego Chargers and Indianapolis Colts.

Buckle up.

Faller: Mike Wallace, WR, Minnesota Vikings

Duane Burleson/Associated Press

Although Minnesota Vikings wide receiver Mike Wallace is still playing a healthy amount of snaps, his value is dropping after the emergence of rookie Stefon Diggs.

Over his last two games, Wallace is tied for the WR61 spot with a couple of guys, most notably Tennessee Titans wide receiver Justin Hunter.

Any time you're associated with Hunter, you know it's not good.

With Diggs continuing to be a force, Wallace could see fewer targets, and that's when the irregular stat lines and inconsistency set in.

Proceed with caution when it comes to Wallace.

Riser: Mike Evans, WR, Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Patrick Semansky/Associated Press

I'll be honest—this is a bit of a gut feeling.

Coming off a bye, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers came out guns blazing, and it paid huge dividends for wide receiver Mike Evans.

In Week 7, he caught eight passes for more than 160 yards and a touchdown.

He had one other good game this season, in what has been a lackluster year so far for Evans. That came in Week 3 when has saw 17 targets and went over 100 yards receiving against the Houston Texans.

Additionally, fellow wide receiver Vincent Jackson suffered a knee injury in Week 7.

Evans is obviously Jameis Winston's go-to guy, and coming off the bye, it feels like we could be getting ready for the real Evans.

Faller: Matt Jones, RB, Washington Redskins

Matt Hazlett/Getty Images

We like our running backs big, strong and fast.

That's the frustrating part.

Washington Redskins running back Matt Jones embodies all of those traits. However, he's just not getting it done in the opportunities he's getting in the running game, though they are sparse.

Jones is floating right around 10 carries per game but hasn't cracked four yards per carry since his Week 2 breakout.

He's becoming touchdown-dependent and isn't really anything more than a situation flex play at this point.

Trade Candidates

Associated Press

Buy Low: A.J. Green, WR, Cincinnati Bengals

While the narrative of the Bengals just having too many healthy weapons for Green to flourish may have some validity, we're missing one key factor here: He's A.J. Green.

Over Green's last three games, he hasn't found the end zone and has not cracked 100 yards receiving. As you know all too well, those are two things that fantasy owners want in their wide receivers. If they don't find the end zone, at least get 100 yards!

Looking at the fantasy playoffs, Green gets to do battle with the Pittsburgh Steelers, San Francisco 49ers and Denver Broncos.

He's as cheap as he'll get right now, and the Bengals are coming off a bye week.

Sell High: Jonathan Stewart, RB, Carolina Panthers

I'll be the first to say that Stewart has been surprising the last two weeks. With that said, he's been horrible regardless.

After he found the end zone multiple times and amassed 125-plus yards the last two weeks, we've likely seen Stewart's best games on the ground.

Could he have turned a corner? Maybe. Will his value be higher than it is right now? Nope.

Deal him.

Go Get: Duke Johnson, RB, Cleveland Browns

If you're in a points-per-reception league, Johnson is a solid RB2/flex running back you should go out and acquire.

Over his last two games, he is the RB15 in points-per-reception leagues.

The guy catches his fair share of passes. He's a lot like Detroit Lions running back Theo Riddick in that he doesn't run the ball often but contributes in the passing game.

However, Johnson does get some carries, averaging over seven per game.

He's not going to be particularly cheap or expensive, but in PPR leagues, Johnson could provide some decent value for your RB2 or flex roster spot.

Advanced stats courtesy of Pro Football Focus.

Follow me on Twitter @RichardJanvrin.