Waiver Wire Pickups
The waivers are based on Yahoo’s system and roster percentages. Waivers typically process Tuesday or Wednesday night so go get those claims in! I wish you luck with Week 9 and may the NFL overlords give us some great football, no missed kicks, and plenty of healthy players with no injuries. Truly, it’s kind of insane that Week 9 is here already.
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Quarterbacks
Andy Dalton
New Orleans Saints, 14% rostered
If you play in a two-quarterback league or just need someone to cover a bye, Andy Dalton is a good name that’s likely available on your waiver wire. He’s put up two solid weeks in a row with over 560 yards passing and six touchdowns over that span. Thanks to the check-downs to Alvin Kamara, Dalton earns tons of “free” yards that pile up the points for your fantasy team. As he gets more wide receivers back, I would expect Dalton’s productivity to increase with the potential for more boom weeks. Andy just fits the Saints’ offense perfectly and we are reaping the rewards in fantasy football. He’s an excellent bye-week fill-in starter.
Honorable Mentions for SuperFlex Leagues: Taylor Heinicke, PJ Walker, and Sam Ehlinger
Running Backs
Jaylen Warren
Pittsburgh Steelers, 5% rostered
Warren is slowly working his way into being a flex-caliber player even despite the presence of Najee Harris. The Steelers’ offense is in disarray, but Warren just continues to perform and put up points regardless of the situation. Last week, Warren had 50 yards on the ground, a career-high, and caught three passes for 25 yards. As Harris piles up more struggling games and touches, the Steelers seem to be giving the ball to Warren more and more. He’s an extremely enticing stash on your bench that could take off later in the season or especially if there is an injury to Najee. At this point in the season, it’s all about the upside as waivers are usually picked pretty clean.
D’Ernest Johnson
Cleveland Browns, 3% rostered
This is another move with an eye on the future. The NFL Trade Deadline is Tuesday afternoon. According to tons of rumors, it’s become increasingly likely for the Browns to trade Kareem Hunt. If that does happen, Johnson becomes the Browns’ RB2 which means he’s a must-own in your fantasy league. We have seen how productive Hunt has been in this system getting a minor share of touches compared to Chubb. Johnson proved he could be a reliable running back in fantasy last year when had 534 yards, three touchdowns, and 100 rushing attempts with 19 receptions for 137 yards on 25 targets. If he gets Hunt’s workload, especially in the red zone, then Johnson’s an immediate flex-caliber player.
Honorable Mentions: Kenyan Drake, Nyheim Hines, Ronnie Rivers, Kyren Williams
Wide Receivers
Darius Slayton
New York Giants, 7% rostered
Now that Toney is off the Giants, it appears they have come back to Slayton as their WR1 for the rest of the season. After being in the doghouse for much of the last two years, Darius has roared back to life with good performances in three of his last four games. In those three games, he had at least 5 catches, 58+ yards, or a touchdown. Those are numbers that will play in a PPR league, especially considering that this is now the third time he’s led the Giants in receiving yardage in a game. He’s a riskier wire add, but it could pay off if he continues to get targets from Daniel Jones. He’s a good flier at this point of the season, especially if you need a bye-week covered.
Devin Duvernay
Baltimore Ravens, 53% rostered
The Ravens are learning. They have come to their senses and started to realize that they need to get the ball in the hands of Duvernay much more than they had been earlier in the season. Against Tampa Bay, Devin had four catches for 31 yards and two rushes for 33 yards and a touchdown. If your league includes points for return yardages, you likely had Devin go off for over 25 points. With the news that Rashod Bateman is likely out for a few weeks, this just means more touches and playing time for Duvernay. He’s become a flex-caliber player with the upside of a WR2/3. I really like his odds to continue to put up good games for the rest of the season.
Honorable Mentions: Mack Hollins, Darnell Mooney, Demarcus Robinson
Tight Ends
Greg Dulcich
Denver Broncos, 42% rostered
Dulcich has been a man on a mission to prove that he is the tight end of the future for the Broncos. So far, so good. Dulcich has put together three straight weeks of above 10 PPR points including Week 8 where he had four catches on five targets for 87 yards. Over these three games, he has 182 yards and 12 catches with a touchdown. It seems that he has earned the trust of the Denver quarterbacks. I absolutely recommend picking him up for Week 10 and beyond if you have a bye week coming up or an injury-prone tight end. Dulcich is on bye Week 9, but he won’t be available past this waiver wire cycle.
Honorable Mentions: Mike Gesicki
As always, I’m more than happy to talk on Twitter. Let me know your thoughts on these players if you managed to trade for/away from them. If you need thoughts on any trade, my DMs are open on 18/7. I respond to everyone.
