Expect Week 9 to be a busy week on the fantasy waiver wire, as there are plenty of worthwhile RBs (JaMycal Hasty, Damien Harris, Zack Moss, DeeJay Dallas, Jordan Wilkins, Cam Akers), WRs (Corey Davis, Allen Lazard, Marvin Jones) and even TEs (Trey Burton, Jordan Reed, Eric Ebron) worth adding this week. Figuring out how much of your FAAB budget to bid on them is going to be the tough part, but whether you're going all-in for some priority pickups or trying to wait to attack the free agent wire, chances are there will be a lot of activity.
As we'll do every week this season, let's break down the top pickups and project how much of your FAAB budget you should bid on them.
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Week 9 Fantasy Football FAAB targets: Waiver wire QB pickups
Derek Carr (LV). Some fantasy owners might be turned off by Carr after last week’s disappointing performance, but keep in mind they were a couple wind gusts away from playing that game in the middle of a tornado. The conditions were far from ideal, but this week he’ll be in the beautiful locale of Southern California in that world-class SoFi Stadium. The Chargers traded away All-Pro defensive back Desmond King and I do believe this will be one of the higher-scoring games on the slate. Expect Carr to bounce back with multiple touchdowns. The Chargers are allowing about 20-22 fantasy points to quarterbacks, so we cannot be afraid to stream Carr this week. Proj. FAAB Bid: 10-12%
Teddy Bridgewater (CAR). I’m sure this will elicit some groans from those of you with eyeballs, but this is basically the last time we really need to get usage from Bridgewater. Carolina will likely be chasing points against the Chiefs this week, and it will be getting Christian McCaffrey (ankle) back. Bridgewater has been a dud in two of the past three games, but with McCaffrey back, Bridgewater can check down to the team’s franchise player and maybe the defense accounting for McCaffrey will open things up for D.J. Moore, Robbie Anderson, and Curtis Samuel. You just have to get the bitter taste out of your mouth if you’ve played him lately and roll with him one more time. Proj. FAAB Bid: 7%
Nick Mullens (SF). Mullens is the starting quarterback for San Francisco going forward, so that warrants a little consideration as a streamer in deeper leagues or maybe two-quarterback leagues. He normally falls on varying ends of the spectrum of a respectable 16-to-18-point performance in fantasy or he’s a train wreck. This week could go poorly for him against the Packers on a Thursday, but he’s surprised us a couple times before. The Packers have allowed multiple touchdown passes to five-of-seven quarterbacks this year. Proj. FAAB Bid: 6%
WEEK 9 PPR RANKINGS:
Quarterback | Running back | Wide receiver | Tight end | D/ST | Kicker
Week 9 Fantasy Football FAAB targets: Waiver wire RB pickups
Zack Moss (BUF). There is legitimately a part of me that believes Devin Singletary is droppable. It will be very difficult for him to find the end zone. On Sunday, Singletary didn’t get a single carry inside the 10-yard line. Moss had six touches from inside the 10, and both his touchdown runs came from that part of the field, as well. He’s two inches taller and 20 pounds heavier than Singletary, so he’s built better for third-down runs and goal-line work. Josh Allen scored on the ground, as well, so it’s hard to imagine a scenario where Singletary is scoring. He may still have some appeal in PPR formats, but Buffalo needs to be getting into shootouts if that is to happen for Singletary. Moss is the must-add of the week. Proj. FAAB Bid: 23%
Cam Akers (LAR). Welcome back to the good graces of the fantasy football community, Mr. Akers! May I take your coat? I’m the president of the “Darrell Henderson is the guy in Los Angeles” fan club, but there’s nothing I can do if the guy gets hurt. The Rams are heading into their bye week, so that’s good news for Henderson (thigh), as it gives him an extra week to rest up. Once Henderson left last week, we saw Akers and Malcolm Brown split the workload, and while Akers didn’t look as good as Henderson, we have to acknowledge potential volume. If Henderson does miss the Rams’ Week 10 contest against Seattle, we could see a breakout game for Akers similar to games D’Andre Swift and JK Dobbins have had this year. Proj. FAAB Bid: 12-13%
DeeJay Dallas (SEA). It’s likely that either Chris Carson (foot) or Carlos Hyde (hamstring) could return this week, but in the event they don’t Dallas needs to be rostered against a Bills defense that is allowing about 135 rushing yards per game. Dallas also caught all five of his targets, so while it may be the system that’s catering to him, he’s going to make the most of the opportunity. He’s an RB2 this week if Carson and Hyde have to miss another week. Proj. FAAB Bid: 10-12%
JaMycal Hasty (SF). Like clockwork, the 49ers are dealing with another injured running back. Tevin Coleman (knee) came back for about a cup of coffee, and now he’s hurt once again. With the 49ers slated to play Green Bay on Thursday, that means the San Francisco backfield will likely revolve around Hasty and Jerick McKinnon. McKinnon has struggled lately, and apparently his legs are tired, so I’m of the mindset Hasty gets most of the work on the ground for San Francisco. The 49ers will likely approach it with a run-heavy game plan, but they may have to ditch that if the Packers get too big of a lead. Hasty’s a pretty good play to get at least a dozen touches against a Green Bay defense that can’t stop the run, and that never was that more evident than on Sunday against Dalvin Cook. Proj. FAAB Bid: 10%
Damien Harris (NE). A week after I said there aren’t any Patriots I’d want to own in fantasy, here I am recommending a running back. It’s that kind of year. And while I won’t make any bids on Harris, he’s a talented running back that has a bright future. However, he’s mostly a play in non-PPR formats because he doesn’t get much use in the passing game, but he’s capable of double-digit carries and now has two 100-yard performances on the ground. The Patriots play the Jets next Monday night, so given the landscape of the running back position, you might be looking at Harris as a flex option. Proj. FAAB Bid: 7%
Jordan Wilkins (IND). I don’t love Wilkins as much as I do some of the other names above him, but I understand the need to go after him following the news that Jonathan Taylor is dealing with a mild ankle issue. As a Taylor owner, this is disheartening because the schedule is so great going forward, but he’s had some mental lapses where he’s just run into his own offensive line. Nyheim Hines could be worth a look, as well, in PPR formats. He caught two touchdowns on Sunday, but Wilkins saw 20 carries and found the end zone also. If Taylor is healthy he’s probably still the guy and should still get double-digit touches. If he does have to miss any time, Wilkins is my preferred target over Hines. Proj. FAAB Bid: 6%
WEEK 9 STANDARD RANKINGS:
Quarterback | Running back | Wide receiver | Tight end | D/ST | Kicker
Week 9 Fantasy Football FAAB targets: Waiver wire WR pickups
Allen Lazard (GB). Lazard (core) has been inching closer and closer to returning, but alas, it didn’t come to fruition in Week 8. With a short week of prep for Week 9, it’s possible he is active for Thursday’s game against San Francisco. I still believe he’s worth stashing because he’s getting closer to coming back. He was emerging as the No. 2 pass-catching option behind Davante Adams prior to the injury. The Packers have also been looking into acquiring Brandin Cooks or Will Fuller from Houston. Lazard’s obviously hoping this isn’t the case, and if the Packers don’t make the move, he has an opportunity to show them they already had another reliable pass-catcher. Proj. FAAB Bid: 12%
Mike Williams (LAC). Aside from Ezekiel Elliott, Kenyan Drake, Lamar Jackson, Mark Andrews, and a few others, Williams is a pretty frustrating player to have on your fantasy team. He has three games this year with at least eight targets but four or fewer targets in the other three games. He has elite size and can win the jump-ball battle, but staying healthy has been a challenge. He’ll have good weeks and bad weeks, but amidst the bye-week gauntlet right now, the Chargers have some great matchups coming up, so he could be in play to fill in for some of your regular receivers. Proj. FAAB Bid: 12%
Marvin Jones Jr. (DET). With Kenny Golladay (hip) likely to miss multiple weeks with a hip injury, Jones becomes a solid add if he’s available in your leagues. He caught a pair of touchdowns on Sunday and saw seven targets. With Golladay sidelined, Jones could be in line for at least eight on a weekly basis. The Vikings are allowing 287 passing yards per game (third most in the league), so it makes too much sense to grab him if he’s sitting on waivers. Proj. FAAB Bid: 10-11%
Corey Davis (TEN). I was hoping it wouldn’t come to this, but I won’t lie to myself anymore: Davis is having a good season. Despite missing two games, he has 39 targets in five games with 29 total catches including touchdowns in back-to-back games. He’s seen double-digit targets in his past two games, so he is definitely worth picking up off waivers. However, you might not be starting him right away. Over Tennessee’s next four games, it will face the Bears, Colts, Ravens, and then the Colts again. You may not be looking at Davis as a guy you want to play in the fantasy playoffs, but the schedule lines up well for him. Let’s take it one week at a time because for now he’s depth for your receivers. Proj. FAAB Bid: 10%
Curtis Samuel (CAR). I hate the usage because it’s not necessarily something we can predict, but the Panthers are finding ways to get him the ball. He’s touched the ball at least five times in every game this season. He has 19 carries through seven games and has a rushing touchdown in back-to-back games. Again, we can’t always expect that, but he’s productive when he has the ball in his hands. He also caught his first touchdown of the season last week, and you have to think the Panthers will find ways to utilize him this week against the Chiefs. Proj. FAAB Bid: 8-9%
Russell Gage (ATL). We’re going back to giving Gage an opportunity in deeper leagues. With Calvin Ridley (foot) possibly missing a game or two, Gage stands to benefit. We saw him emerge with 19 targets through the team’s first two games, but with Julio and Ridley both healthy, he’s been an afterthought. Now that Ridley has gone down, we can expect Gage to get a little more work especially next week against a pretty terrible Denver defense. I wouldn’t spend too much on him because I like the above options much more, and it’s possible Ridley comes back in Week 11 following Atlanta’s bye. Proj. FAAB Bid: 3-5%
WEEK 9 FANTASY: Top pickups | Buy-low, sell-high
Week 9 Fantasy Football FAAB targets: Waiver wire TE pickups
Eric Ebron (PIT). Ebron’s been more of a streamer this season, but with George Kittle's injury adding to the general chaos of the tight end position, Ebron just might be a viable long-term option despite all the mouths to feed in Pittsburgh. He’s getting about five-to-seven targets each week with a handful of catches. If he hits paydirt and scores, then that’s fantastic. He can provide enough of a floor going forward, and next week the Steelers face off against the lowly Cowboys. Proj. FAAB Bid: 10-12%
Trey Burton (IND). Call it the Indy Special, but Burton’s strangely getting carries when the Colts get close to the goal line. This week, he has a tough matchup against Baltimore, and Philip Rivers does have three tight ends to utilize at his disposal. But Burton has been getting about five targets per game and has scored three times in his last two contests. Two of those have come on the ground, but maybe that play is a mainstay in the Colts playbook. It’s clearly worked for them so far. Proj. FAAB Bid: 7-8%
Jordan Reed (SF). If looking to replace George Kittle (Foot), one could easily just grab his backup. This comes with a few caveats. For starters, Reed (knee) is no stranger to injuries. Oddly enough, he’s been hurt recently but he’s back to practicing now that he’s been designated to return from IR. The other concern is the quarterback play. Jimmy Garoppolo (ankle) wasn’t great by any means, but Nick Mullens is a bit of a downgrade despite the occasional big game. Definitely keep the FAAB bid in check. One bad hit and we could be looking at wasted money with Reed. Proj. FAAB Bid: 4-5%
Week 9 Fantasy Football FAAB targets: Waiver wire D/ST pickups
Washington Football Team (vs. NYG). We will 100 percent go back to the well with Washington after it paid off in a big way in season long and DFS a couple weeks ago against Dallas. Washington put up six fantasy points against the Giants just a couple weeks ago, but it's a little more healthy this time around and the pass rush had six sacks on Dallas two weeks ago. Typically, defenses going against New York are getting at least nine fantasy points, but we could see a double-digit day from Washington this week if they can put enough pressure on Daniel Jones.
Green Bay Packers (at SF). I don’t love the Packers this week, but knowing what we know about the absences of Jimmy Garoppolo (ankle) and George Kittle (foot), this might be a stream-worthy matchup for fantasy owners. San Francisco should be able to run the ball on Green Bay, and maybe Nick Mullens has a patented three-touchdown performance. That’s certainly a risk, but it’s a short week of prep for both teams, and I’ll recommend Green Bay given how decimated the 49ers are.
Arizona Cardinals (vs. MIA). I’m not opposed to using Arizona this week, I mostly wrote them up to put them on everybody’s radar. In Weeks 13-16, they draw the Rams, Giants, Eagles, and 49ers with only the Giants game coming on the road. This is a playoff schedule that looks very tempting from a fantasy perspective, as the Cardinals could arguably be used in each game. I’d feel better if they had Chandler Jones, but we’ll still take advantage of the matchups when the time comes. This week at least, they’re in play against Miami. I wasn’t impressed with Miami’s offense. They totaled just 145 yards of offense and won last week's game because of two D/ST touchdowns. The Cardinals have eight sacks and seven turnovers in their past three games. Also, this team is coming off a bye week and will be well rested.
Houston Texas (at JAX). Both the Jaguars and Texans are coming off their respective bye weeks. Jacksonville is making a change at quarterback with Gardner Minshew (thumb) a little beat up. With Minshew out, Jake Luton is going to be under center for Jacksonville this week. While I have little reason to love this Houston defense we have to at least like the matchup. The Jags will probably lean heavily on the run, but if they fall behind too much, maybe they will be forced into throwing it more, which presents more opportunities for turnovers. This is more of a deep-league grab.
Proj. FAAB Bids: <1%