Fantasy Football 2018: Top 10 waiver wire Week 9 pickups
Fantasy football owners witnessed the reemergence of Ryan Fitzpatrick, breakout games at the running back position, and a Sammy Watkins touchdown party. But who are the waiver wire pickups worth picking up in Week 9?
After benching Ryan Fitzpatrick earlier in the season for Jameis Winston, giving Fitzpatrick the shortest of leashes, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers went back to the “FitzMagic” well. Fitzpatrick nearly rewarded the Buccaneers, as Tampa Bay fell just short of a furious comeback against Andy Dalton and the Cincinnati Bengals.
Heading into Week 9, Fitzpatrick is a fantasy football pick-up worth monitoring, but he wasn’t the only quarterback to have a surprise performance in fantasy. Oakland Raiders signal-caller Derek Carr has struggled all year, but he was nearly flawless in a tough loss to the Indianapolis Colts, who received an even timelier encore performance from running back Marlon Mack.
It’s time to take a look at the fantasy waiver wire pickups in Week 9. Though it is getting harder to find value on the waiver wire, players like Mack, Chris Carson, and Latavius Murray (all had more than 20 fantasy points in Week 8) have shown that it is more than possible to snag quality contributors in fantasy football’s version of free agency.
10. DeVante Parker, WR, Miami Dolphins
Just last week, it seemed like DeVante Parker was a great candidate to find himself traded ahead of the deadline, but the Miami Dolphins may not be able to part ways with the wide receiver. Parker’s agent released a statement expressing his client’s frustration at being left as an inactive, and Parker’s agent disputed the notion that the receiver has been injured.
In Week 8, Parker looked like he was at 100-percent, producing one of the best performances of his career in a high-stakes spot. Though the Dolphins failed to defeat Deshaun Watson and an electric Houston Texans offense on Thursday Night Football, Parker hauled in 6 passes for 134 yards in only his third appearance of the 2018 season.
Parker is a must-add in fantasy football leagues with Albert Wilson done for the season and Kenny Stills, the Dolphins most talented wideout, out with an injury. For as long as Stills is out, Parker will be the Dolphins go-to playmaker in the passing game, with Danny Amendola being utilized as a possession guy.
A former first-round pick, Parker has enough talent to continue to make waves, and he’s certainly playing with a chip on his shoulder. The former Louisville star wants to prove that he isn’t a bust in the NFL, and since the Dolphins appear to be keeping the much-needed outside threat on their roster, he could have a few more 100-yard games in him this year.