Waiver Wire Pickups Week 9
We’ve hit that point in the fantasy football season where you pretty much know what your team’s strengths and weaknesses are. You’ve either made a few trades already or are looking over other rosters in hopes of improving your post-season chances. Waiver Wire adds at this point are usually just about filling in for bye weeks, however, with the high number of good teams about to have a week off, I would suggest you be proactive in grabbing players not just for week 9, but future weeks. Just take a look at the NFL schedule and the byes coming.
- Week 9 Broncos, Lions, Jaguars, 49ers
- Week 10 Chiefs, Dolphins, Eagles, Rams
- Week 11 Falcons, Colts, Patriots, Saints
- Week 12
- Week 13 Ravens, Bills, Bears, Vikings, Giants, Raiders
- Week 14 Cardinals, Commanders
The following are my suggested Waiver Wire pickups for week 9 in the NFL
Quarterback
Will Levis | Titans
Levis completed 19 of 28 pass attempts for 238 yards and four touchdowns in his first career start. He looks the part and has a cannon for an arm. What’s not to like? Levis had many successful connections with star wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins and appeared to have a respectable game overall against an average Atlanta defense. My fantasy advice would be to pick him up not just for a bye-week replacement, but also as a player you could turn around and trade. Remember Kirk Cousins is done and there were a lot of average QB plays this past week.
Random Stat: There were 13 QBs this week that threw for just one touchdown or less.
Sam Howell | Commanders
Sam Howell’s strong play in his second season continued with a shootout performance against the Eagles, in which he threw for 397 yards and four touchdowns. Howell has now demonstrated that he has a great deal of value despite the fact that he has had some excellent fantasy games in addition to some terrible ones.
Howell is a reliable starter in two-quarterback leagues, and he may eventually develop into a player that can be used in single-quarterback leagues as well. This coming weekend, he has a game against the Patriots, which might make it a challenging one for him, but after that, his schedule lightens up a little bit.
Running Back
Leonard Fournette | Bills
Picking up Fournette is a forward-thinking waiver wire addition. If you have room on the bench I would make this your top selection of the week. The Bills are looking towards the playoffs and adding a player like Fournette could really help improve their redzone success rate. James Cook has been good, but nothing spectacular, he also only has two touchdowns with only 18 receptions on the year. People may have forgotten but in 2022 Leonard Fournette had 73 receptions on a Bucs team with a ton or receiving talent. He has huge value in PPR leagues once he gets going. Be patient with Fournette as he learns the Bills offense, and thank me later.
Royce Freeman | Rams
While Darrell Henderson Jr. has been picked up by most fantasy owners in recent weeks, Royce Freeman has seen ample playing time. Last week, he carried the ball nine times for 44 yards and a touchdown, and in Week Nine, before a Bye week, he’ll be taking on the Packers who rank near the bottom of the league in Rushing Defense.
Even though Freeman’s fantasy days may be numbered now that Kyren Williams is on the mend, he’s a smart bet to play this week against a mediocre opponent.
Emari Demercado | Cardinals
This week’s options at running back are limited, so when in doubt, prioritize volume. Emar Demercado may not be the most exciting waiver wire addition, but he’s worth grabbing if you’re struggling at the position and need a desperation start immediately. While serving as the starter in the absence of James Conner, he hasn’t exactly set the world on fire, but he’s been serviceable and is receiving most of the backfield opportunities. Last week, he had 20 carries for 78 yards, which is more than enough to be regarded a plug-and-play running back for fantasy teams in a bind.
Wide Reciever
Josh Downs | Colts
How in the world is Josh Downs not on the roster of more leagues? He produces, and he has a strong rapport with Gardner Minshew.
Downs is currently the WR31 and has the 25th most targets among wide receivers through eight weeks of play. In PPR leagues, he has only had three weeks below 13 fantasy points this season, and two of those were in the first two weeks. His production has increased as he’s become used to the scheme and is becoming more at ease playing NFL-caliber speed and defense. He is taking action after noticing elite volume. If he is available in your leagues, do yourself a favor and consider him as a possible weekly FLEX play in PPR leagues. He should not be available in any of your leagues.
Quentin Johnson | Chargers
Due to an injury sustained by Joshua Palmer, rookie Quentin Johnson was able to enjoy his greatest game of the season. Johnson has had a rough start to the season, but this was his best game. Even though Palmer was able to return to the game, this is exactly what we wanted to see so that we can maybe get Johnson on the field more often. He had five receptions for fifty yards.
However, despite the fact that this is still a highly speculative addition and he may go back to playing a limited role, it was still wonderful to see the rookie get some experience.
Should things turn around for Johnson, he is an intriguing option with a high ceiling, so keep an eye on him if you have a roster space open and the ability to wait on a Wide Receiver.
Brandin Cooks | Cowboys
Cooks was heavily drafted in the summer but was subsequently released in most leagues due to a series of disappointing performances at the beginning of the season. Nevertheless, he has acclimated to the new offensive strategy and has successfully scored touchdowns in two consecutive games. In his most recent two performances, he has successfully received at least three passes, each resulting in 35 or more yards. Additionally, he has actively participated in the running aspect of the game, carrying the ball in each of the last three matches. Cooks is a very skilled wide receiver and is among the top choices in a great offense that appears to be gaining stability after a fluctuating start to the season. This might potentially be a permanent inclusion, but one that is really valuable.
Tight Ends
Trey McBride | Cardinals
McBride possesses all the characteristics of an exceptional tight end and should be included in all fantasy football leagues. Much like when Dalton Kincaid succeeded when given the chance, we now anticipate McBride, the upcoming young tight end, to experience a similar period of significant progress.
McBride had a big week, he caught 10 out of the 14 passes thrown to him, resulting in a total of 95 yards gained and a touchdown scored. Given Zach Ertz’s placement on the injured reserve list, I anticipate a recurrence of similar performances in the upcoming period.
