If you're consistently a step ahead of the competition in your fantasy football league, it can help you win a title, and this weekly piece will aim to help you stay ahead of the pack.

The goal here is to help you identify players who could be hot waiver adds down the road as well as to point out week-ahead pickups who could prove useful.

Here are some players to consider adding now and stashing on your bench for the future.

All NFL projections via our numbers at FanDuel Research, and NFL odds references are to FanDuel Sportsbook.

Fantasy Football Stash Candidates for Week 8

Kimani Vidal, RB, Chargers

It was still the J.K. Dobbins show for the Los Angeles Chargers on Monday night in Week 7 as he handled 68.8% of the snaps, along with a 36.4% route rate and 14 of the 19 running back carries for the team (per NextGenStats). At the same time, rookie Kimani Vidal is earning more snaps behind Dobbins in recent weeks.

During his NFL debut in Week 6, Vidal logged a 24.0% snap rate, 21.1% route rate, 51 scrimmage yards, and a touchdown on 6 touches. To follow that up, Vidal registered a 26.6% snap rate, 25.0% route rate, and 19 scrimmage yards on 4 touches in Week 7.

With Gus Edwards on injured reserve, Vidal has emerged as the immediate backup to Dobbins. Given Vidal's three-down skill set, there's a chance he continues to have a role in the offense whenever Edwards makes his return.

Vidal is a valuable handcuff to Dobbins at the moment, and he's worth stashing on your bench if you have the space as he'd be a weekly starter if Dobbins suffered an injury or if he receives an increased workload down the stretch.

Kendre Miller, RB, Saints

Following a 2-0 start to the season, the New Orleans Saints have fallen to 2-5 on the season after getting blown out by the Denver Broncos in Week 7. With the Saints dealing with a myriad of injuries, it may be wise for the team to begin seeing what they have in certain young players.

Each loss New Orleans endures incentivizes them to play players like Kendre Miller more rather than run Alvin Kamara into the ground. There's also a non-zero chance the Saints elect to trade Kamara ahead of the trade deadline, which would make Miller the starter the rest of the way.

Miller made his season debut in Week 7, and he immediately posted a 30.3% snap rate, 18.8% route rate, and 37 scrimmage yards on 8 touches. Comparatively, Kamara finished with a 57.6% snap rate, 54.2% route rate, and 24 scrimmage yards on 13 touches this past week.

While Miller is nothing more than a handcuff to Kamara right now, there is potential for him to earn an expanded role if the Saints continue to struggle.

Jacob Cowing, WR, 49ers

Injuries continue to mount up for the San Francisco 49ers, with Brandon Aiyuk suffering an unfortunate season-ending knee injury in Week 7. Amid Aiyuk's absence, there is going to be room for other wideouts to step up alongside Deebo Samuel and Jauan Jennings.

Jennings and Ricky Pearsall figure to be the popular waiver-wire options in San Francisco's receiver room, but Jacob Cowing could also see more action. Upon Aiyuk's departure from Sunday's contest, Cowing tallied only a 19.6% snap rate and 18.9% route rate.

However, Cowing made the most of his limited snaps by turning his 3 targets into 2 receptions for 50 yards in Week 7. The lone missed target was an end-zone look for Cowing, so that goes to show the 49ers are comfortable having him operate in the red zone when needed.

Unless San Francisco makes a move for a wideout, Cowing is someone to potentially consider stashing in deeper leagues in hopes he can earn snaps alongside Samuel, Jennings, and Pearsall.

Trey Palmer, WR, Buccaneers

Another notable injury that occurred at the receiver position in Week 7 was Chris Godwin sustaining a potential season-ending ankle ailment on Monday night. Aside from Godwin, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers could also be without Mike Evans, who could miss at least a week due to a hamstring injury.

With Godwin and Evans trending toward being out in Week 8 -- and potentially longer -- that opens the doors for Jalen McMillan, Sterling Shepard, and Trey Palmer. If I had to guess, McMillan would fill in for Evans, Shepard would play the Godwin role, and Palmer would operate as a vertical threat in Tampa Bay's passing attack.

That being said, Palmer did log the third-highest snap rate (73.1%) and route rate (75.0%) behind Godwin and Cade Otton in Week 7. So there's a scenario where he takes the Godwin role as he tied Shepard for the third-most slot snaps (12) on the Bucs during Monday night's loss, via PFF.

Considering that Palmer could realistically carve out a larger role than expected, he is worth stashing for those who need help at the receiver position.

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The above author is a FanDuel employee and is not eligible to compete in public daily fantasy contests or place sports betting wagers on FanDuel. The advice provided by the author does not necessarily represent the views of FanDuel. Taking the author's advice will not guarantee a successful outcome. You should use your own judgment when participating in daily fantasy contests or placing sports wagers.