Waiver Wire Week 9
Are you still struggling with this fantasy football season? Well, look no further to ease your pain than with your road map to success through the waiver wire. This will not only be useful to those who are looking to come back from that lackluster start but for those that want to keep winning and chase that playoff run! This list compiles players available in most leagues on Yahoo.com! Remember dominating the waiver wire is crucial to your fantasy football league. So get that FAAB budget ready to spend on some waiver wire pickups for Week 9!
QUARTERBACK
Once again a helpful hint is that you should be trying to stream the quarterback position unless you have Lamar Jackson, Russell Wilson or Dak Prescott. With injuries to the quarterback position and the Saints, Rams, Bengals, and Falcons on bye weeks, you must look for the position on the waiver wire that you can start in Week 9!
Gardner Minshew
Less Than 55% Owned in Yahoo Leagues
Minshew has scored at least 14 fantasy points in seven of his eight games this season. In his past four games started Minshew has scored 21 or more points in three of those starts. With the Jaguars drawing the Texans in Week 9, Minshew is a top-12 quarterback play that you can get off the waiver wire. The Texans will not have J.J. Watt and are dealing with a boatload of injuries on defense. Over the past four weeks, the Texans have allowed the third-most fantasy points and 13 passing touchdowns to the quarterback position.
Derek Carr
Less Than 26% Owned in Yahoo Leagues
Carr has scored an average of 25.06 fantasy points over the last two weeks since the Raiders’ bye week. With the return of Tyrell Williams Carr has a scored a season-high 29.40 fantasy points in Week 8. In Week 9, Carr draws the Detroit Lions at home, who have allowed the fourth-most fantasy points and ten passing touchdowns to the quarterback position over the past four weeks.
Sam Darnold
Less Than 23% Owned in Yahoo Leagues
Every single quarterback that has played the Miami Dolphins this season has thrown for multiple touchdowns. They have allowed the most points to the position this season. By Pro Football Focus rankings the Dolphins rank dead last in pass-rush grade. If Darnold is ever to get going this season it will be in Week 9.
Jimmy Garoppolo
Less Than 57% Owned in Yahoo Leagues
The Arizona Cardinals have given up the fourth-most fantasy points to quarterbacks this season. Five quarterbacks that have played the Cardinals this season have scored 30 or more fantasy points. The Cardinals’ defense funnels more to the passing game as they have allowed the ninth-fewest fantasy points to the RB position.
Honorable Mentions: – Cam Newton vs TEN, Daniel Jones vs DAL, Matt Moore vs MIN, Brandon Allen vs CLE, Mitchell Trubisky at PHI
RUNNING BACKS
Always be aggressive from the waiver wire with running backs. With injuries so common at the position you never know when a back-up running back will find himself very quickly into a bell-cow workload. In this case, it is also worth it to be proactive with speculative adds to backups with injuries to starting running backs. Especially as we continue to get past more bye-weeks.
Mark Walton
Less Than 34% Owned in Yahoo Leagues
Raheem Mostert
Less Than 6% Owned in Yahoo Leagues
Injuries are piling up in the 49ers’ backfield with Matt Breida and Jeffery Wilson dealing with injuries. If either is out on a short-week Mostert could be a spot-starter as the number two running back to Tevin Coleman in Week 9. San Francisco has worked in a two-back committee all season so Mosert will get touches if the other backs miss time. At home this season the Cardinals have allowed an average of 126.8 rushing yards per game and 4.4 yards per carry.
Gus Edwards
Less Than 4% Owned in Yahoo Leagues
Edwards is a premier handcuff to Mark Ingram that should be rostered across all formats. He is averaging 4.5 yards per carry this season. The Patriots are also allowing 100 rushing yards per game on the road this season.
Honorable Mentions: – Tra Carson at OAK
WIDE RECEIVERS
Receivers are much more volatile by nature, so consider asking yourself how often you will start this receiver you bid aggressively on the waiver wire? Understand how you will use this player when they are added to your roster. Are you adding them to start them in Week 9 or are looking for more long-term? This can help determine priorities when addressing the waiver wire.
Pro Tip: If you are not sure who you should drop, just drop your kicker to add an extra bench player. That way you can keep more receivers or runnings backs and let things play out during the week. Then on Sunday morning just drop the player you need the least to add a kicker to your starting lineup. Any way to get an edge!
Chris Conley
Less Than 3% Owned in Yahoo Leagues
Dede Westbrook was forced to leave Week 8 with an injury and it appears that Conley was the main beneficiary of the vacated targets. He caught four-of-seven targets for 103 yards and a touchdown in the Jaguars’ Week 8 win over the Jets. He now has back-to-back games with seven targets and will face the Texans defense in Week 9 that has allowed the third-most fantasy points to the wide receiver position over the past four weeks.
Diontae Johnson
Less Than 12% Owned in Yahoo Leagues
Johnson has shown a real connection with starting quarterback Mason Rudolph. He has scored a touchdown in three of the four games that Rudolph has started. He is heavily involved in the Steelers’ offense and gets a great matchup versus the Colts. Indianapolis gives up the 11th most fantasy points to the wide receiver position.
Honorable Mentions: Danny Amendola at OAK, DeSean Jackson vs CHI, Darius Slayton vs DAL, Demaryius Thomas at MIA
TIGHT END
Darren Fells
Less than 19% Owned in Yahoo Leagues
At the tight end position, you can do so much worse than Fells. He has been extremely touchdown-dependent, but that is the tight end position in general. In eight games this season Fells has scored at least ten fantasy points in four of those games and less than four fantasy points in the other four games. The Jaguars have allowed three touchdown receptions to tight ends over the last four weeks.
Jonnu Smith
Less than 19% Owned in Yahoo Leagues
Smith caught six of his seven targets for 78 yards and one score in Tennessee’s Week 8 win over the Buccaneers. His big game came at the absence of Delanie Walker who is dealing with an ankle injury. If Walker is forced to miss any more time, Smith would continue to be heavily involved in the offense. In Week 9 the Titans play the Carolina Panthers who have allowed the sixth-most yards to tight end over the past four weeks.
For defenses, you want to target the teams with the highest spreads. That assumes that the team will be winning thus forcing the opponent to have to be throwing more; creating more opportunities for sacks, fumbles, and interceptions. You do not want to start even great defenses against teams that are run-heavy. A theme with some of these defenses is they are home favorites.
- New York Jets (12% Owned) – They are playing the Dolphins so they need to be on the streaming radar.
- Philadelphia Eagles (39% Owned) – Mitchell Trubisky and the Bears are coming to town! Over the past two weeks, the Bears have allowed 27.80 fantasy points to team defenses.
- Dallas Cowboys (33% Owned) – Daniel Jones since becoming the starter has allowed opposing defenses to score double-digit fantasy points in every single game this season.
