Week 8 Waiver Wire: Michael Bush and 5 Players to Replace Injured Stars

Injuries to Darren McFadden and Beanie Wells were just a couple of setbacks that plagued NFL franchises in week 7.

While most of them don't seem to be major, the Washington Redskins lost big-time free agent signee Tim Hightower for the season.

In the NFL it's next man up, so let's take a look at who'll be stepping in for these injured players.

Michael Bush

Bush is only available in 16 percent of all ESPN leagues, but that is sure to change this week. Darren McFadden is likely to be out for 2-3 weeks with an ankle sprain, which means Bush will be the beneficiary of increased play.

That was the case Sunday as he rushed for an impressive 99 yards on 17 carries (although he was stuffed on a fourth-and goal rush attempt from the 1-yard line to somewhat take away from his performance).

The Oakland Raiders lean on the run more than any other team, and that will not change with the shuffling of quarterbacks they’re currently going through.

Bush is talented and has plenty of upside—enough to be a flex play at the very least, so pick him up and stash him on your bench until week 9 when the Raiders come back from their bye week.

Alfonso Smith

It looks as if Beanie Wells re-injured his right knee, which happens to be the same injury that plagued him last season.

Alfonso Smith had 17 yards on five carries and a touchdown as his replacement, but the team played from behind for the whole game which hurt his touches.

Chances are the Arizona Cardinals will proceed with caution and sit Wells—giving Smith the start, with LeRod Stephens-Howling getting more work as well.

Ryan Torain

A torn ACL has ended a sad season for Tim Hightower, but has opened the door for Ryan Torain to become the Washington Redskins feature back.

Before this past week, it was hard to predict what Head Coach Mike Shanahan would do with his running backs, but that won’t be the issue anymore.

Rookie running back Roy Helu will see added carries as the season progresses, but Torain will be the main guy.

Knowshon Moreno

Willis McGahee left the game last week with a fractured hand, leaving McGahee’s status for Week 8 up in the air.

If McGahee can't go this week, Knowshon Moreno will be re-inserted into the starting lineup.

I know what you’re thinking: Moreno hasn’t done anything as the starting back before, why would anything change now?

The answer to that is simple: He'll serve as a great safety valve out of the backfield for Tim Tebow. Moreno caught a nice little 28-yard screen pass for a touchdown when Tebow replaced Kyle Orton against the San Diego Chargers.

Delone Carter

It didn’t take long for Joseph Addai to find himself back on the sidelines with an aggravated hamstring injury.

Meanwhile, Delone Carter ran for 89 yards and a touchdown on 10 carries in Addai’s absence.

If Addai can’t go this week, look for Carter to have a solid day against the Atlanta Falcons this Sunday.

Check out more of Brian Dezelske's articles.

Brian can also be found at Out of My League, where he compiles fantasy football rankings each week.

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