Fantasy football waiver wire adds for Week 9
- Quarterbacks to add from the fantasy waiver wire
- Running backs to add from the fantasy waiver wire
- Wide receivers to add from the fantasy waiver wire
- Tight ends to add from the fantasy waiver wire
For the second straight week, your aggressiveness on the fantasy football waiver wire could make or break your season. The fantasy playoffs are closer than you think and we just witnessed one of the most impactful injuries of the season when it comes to fantasy football, as Giants rookie Cam Skattebo suffered a dislocated ankle on Sunday that will surely end his season. With a fantasy difference-maker down, plus other players taking on bigger roles in offenses while some stars struggle, adds off the waiver wire could change all of the momentum in your leagues.
Replacing Skattebo should be last year's starter in New York, Tyrone Tracy Jr. While he might not be as exciting of an option as the throwback ball-carrier was, Tracy was a top-30 running back last season despite not being the clear-cut No. 1 at the statrt of the year. But he's not alone as one of the most coveted waiver wire additions in fantasy for Week 9, as the likes of Kayshon Boutte and even, sneakily, Christian Watson loom large as well.
But let's not just allude to these players. Let's present the best fantasy football waiver pickups at every position among those who are rostered in under 50% of leagues, make the case, and then you can make the decisions based on your roster and league. Sound good? Great — here we go.
Note: Roster percentages are in ESPN fantasy leagues. All scoring numbers are in PPR formats.
Quarterbacks to add from the fantasy waiver wire
Sam Darnold, Seattle Seahawks (20.9% rostered)
Before the Seahawks' bye, Sam Darnold delivered his second-worst fantasy performance of the season, posting just 8.62 points. With that, we've seen his rostered percentage drop even further, which feels perhaps a bit too much like an overreaction — especially with the schedule that the veteran quarterback has coming up.
Washington and Arizona are on tap next, and while the Rams follow, we then get Darnold against the Titans, Vikings and Falcons in the following three weeks. Those defenses have been problematic to this point in the season, and we could well see Darnold get back to the consistent 18-20 points per game that he was cranking out prior to the matchup against a stingy Houston defense.
He's not a must add, but if you're hurting at quarterback right now for whatever reason, the floor should be quite high for Darnold over the next six weeks and with considerable upside on top of that.
Joe Flacco, Cincinnati Bengals (36.3% rostered)
Even if the Bengals might still just be plain bad, that hasn't stopped Joe Flacco from being an absolute fantasy stud since he was traded to Cincinnati. In three starts with his new team this season, the grizzled veteran is averaging 23.02 points per game in fantasy. On a points per game basis this season, that would make Flacco the QB3 on the year, ahead of Josh Allen, Jalen Hurts, Drake Maye and Daniel Jones. That's how prolific he's been as a passer.
And the good news is that's unlikely to change. Cincy's defense is among the worst in the NFL, which either means that the Bengals are going to be playing from behind or duking it out in a shootout in most weeks. Both scenarios are ideal for fantasy production from Flacco, though, especially as he's taken on the wise M.O. of spamming targets in the direction of Ja'Marr Chase.
Running backs to add from the fantasy waiver wire
Tyrone Tracy Jr., New York Giants (42.1% rostered)
With Skattebo out of action for likely the rest of the season, all indications are that Tracy Jr. will be the featured back ahead of veteran Devin Singletary. When he was finally installed as the Giants offense's top running back last season, he went on to finish as the RB26 in fantasy leagues. That's not out of the question this season, and perhaps the upside is even higher with Jaxson Dart now in the fold.
Tracy, a converted wide receiver in college, has high-end pass-catching upside as well as good burst and developing vision. I'll be the first to admit he's not nearly as fun of a player as Skattebo, but we've also seen him display great upside whenever he's in the role he's about to retake. The roster percentage is a bit high, but if he's available in your league, don't hesitate to put him on the roster, even if it's just as a depth option.
Bam Knight, Arizona Cardinals (18.7% rostered)
Though Trey Benson's return is looming potentially after Week 9, it's also quite clear that Bam Knight is going to be the Cardinals' RB1 this Sunday — and he could still steal some touches once Benson returns to the field from his IR stint. In the three games in which Knight has gotten touches this season, he's not been a world-beater by any stretch, producing games of 9.4, 12.4, and 9.4 fantasy points. However, his potential last start could be his most fruitful.
Arizona comes off its bye week with a trip to Dallas to face the worst defense in the league in the Cowboys. This is a unit that gave up a 200+-yard rushing day to Rico Dowdle, and has been susceptible to just about any offense they play. Start your Cardinals if you've got them pretty much across the board, but if you need some help at running back this week, Knight should be in full consideration given this juicy matchup.
Kyle Monangai, Chicago Bears (38.1% rostered)
On the flip side of the short-term returns that someone like Knight could bring to your fantasy roster, Kyle Monangai is more of a long-term addition that could pay off big for the stretch run of the regular season and potentially the fantasy playoffs as well.
After a breakout 17.4-point performance in Week 7, D'Andre Swift dominated the touches in the Bears backfield in the loss the Ravens this past Sunday. However, Monangai continues to see a sizable snap share and has, frankly, looked like the more effective runner overall this season, even if his seven carries for 24 yards in Week 8 don't fully show that.
Especially when you factor in Swift's lengthy injury history, Monangai is a valuable handcuff who also might just take over as the lead back for the Bears before the end of the season.
Tyjae Spears, Tennessee Titans (36.4% rostered)
After an overall ineffective start to the season from Tony Pollard while Tyjae Spears was sidelined due to an injury, we're starting to see the latter get more work in the offense. On Sunday in Week 8, Spears logged a season-high nine carries with three receptions to go along with that, resulting in 59 rushing yards, 23 receiving yards, a rushing touchdown and a 17.2-point performance in fantasy.
Spears has been a useful fantasy option in the past, but the emergence of Pollard last season limited his role quite a bit, as did the injury to start this year. With the Titans in a world of hurt in terms of their actual performance on the field around rookie QB Cam Ward, however, it's not unreasonable to imagine changes coming to the offense. Spears getting more of a share of the backfield touches is looking like it may be part of that, which makes him a high-end speculative add.
Tank Bigsby, Philadelphia Eagles (19.4% rostered)
Speaking of speculative, adding Tank Bigsby definitely isn't going to help you in Week 9 — you know, because the Eagles aren't playing this week as they take their bye. However, after Saquon Barkley appeared to suffer a groin injury late in Philly's win over the Giants on Sunday, Bigsby could be one of the most valuable handcuffs in the league, even for a short period of time, when the Eagles return to action in Week 10.
Philadelphia traded for Bigsby early in the season with a clear intention to upgrade the depth behind Barkley. He was an effective runner in his time in Jacksonville, and is now in a much better offense behind a substantially better offensive line. If Barkley is forced to miss time or sees his role limited due to injury, Bigsby could feast. Because of that, he's worth taking a flier on now if you have the room to stash him on your bench.
Wide receivers to add from the fantasy waiver wire
Kayshon Boutte, New England Patriots (30.1% rostered)
The advanced metrics are never going to fully capture or project what Kayshon Boutte has been doing for the Patriots this season. He's not a high-target option in the spread-out Patriots offense, but he is perhaps the best deep threat in New England for an attack behind Drake Maye that has been historically efficient when pushing the ball down the field so far this season. And we have one data point after another to prove as much.
Boutte has three games this season with 13.5 or more fantasy points, including in each of the past three weeks — and that's while not exceeding five targets in any of those games. Now, this obviously creates a bit of a boom-or-bust outlook for Boutte because he's not dominating the target share, but the efficiency of the Patriots' deep passing and his role in this offense should ultimately lead to more of the former than the latter throughout the year.
Troy Franklin, Denver Broncos (43.5% rostered)
This is probably your last best chance to add Troy Franklin before he's owned in well over the majority of leagues, but if he's available, you need to snatch him up.
Denver's offense is beginning to find its footing over the past few weeks, and while part of that could be facing the abysmal Cowboys defense last week, what's been apparent throughout the season and is now yielding fruit is Franklin's role in the offense. He's quietly the WR23 on the season in fantasy, buoyed heavily by two 24+-point performances, but he has also not received fewer than four targets in any game this year.
Franklin has been targeted 18 times combined in the past two games by Bo Nix, who he has a rapport with dating back to their time together in Oregon, and that has resulted in nine receptions, 108 yards and three touchdowns over those two games. As he continues to blossom, he could be a stable force in your fantasy lineup.
Christian Watson, Green Bay Packers (12.6% rostered)
Now that Christian Watson is back in the fold, we could see him become a version of what we mentioned already with Boutte in New England, but perhaps with more target share upside in the Packers offense. In his first game back this past weekend after starting the season on IR, Watson only had four targets but still finished with 12.5 fantasy points as he hauled in all four for 85 yards. Even though he didn't find the end zone, it was abundantly clear that he was a downfield threat for Jordan Love.
Whenever Watson has been healthy for Green Bay, he's been the obvious WR1 in the offense. That doesn't mean as much for the Packers as it does for other teams, to be sure, but this group is humming right now — and that type of role for Watson could still be worthwhile for fantasy managers. I'd add him early before a real breakout performance ultimately comes along.
Alec Pierce, Indianapolis Colts (10.2% rostered)
Considering that Alec Pierce hasn't averaged fewer than 16.8 yards per reception in any game this year and has a season-high in receptions of just five, you might be thinking that he's just another deep threat. But while the Colts receiver has that in his game, he's starting to show some nuance in his route tree and become a bigger factor in the Indianapolis offense with Daniel Jones.
I'm comfortable adding Pierce for the rest of the season because of that, but he's particularly notable as a pickup for the next two weeks. The Colts face the Steelers in Week 9, a defense that has struggled defending speed at wide receiver and the deep ball, which fits right into Pierce's game. Beyond that, the Falcons are up next and offer a similarly juicy matchup for the speedy wideout. Again, I think there's upside beyond splash plays, but he's certainly worth a pickup for the next two matchups if nothing else.
Chimere Dike, Tennessee Titans (5.3% rostered)
It looks as if Calvin Ridley could continue to be sidelined, and even when the veteran does return, Chimere Dike is making a case that he should still be a focal point of the Titans passing offense for the rest of the year regardless. Dike has topped 16 fantasy points in each of the past two weeks, turning 12 targets from Cam Ward into 11 receptions for 163 yards and one touchdown.
Dike was a bit of a surprise, coming from obscurity to become the top pass-catcher for Tennessee over more highly touted rookie Elic Ayomanor. But we have to follow what we're seeing, and not only has Ward seemingly favored Dike in this spot, but the wideout has made good on it when he's targeted. That type of reliability for a young quarterback can't go unnoticed, and it makes Dike startable in almost any deep league, with a potential boom upside in shallower leagues as long as Ridley is out.
Tight ends to add from the fantasy waiver wire
Colston Loveland, Chicago Bears (24.0% rostered)
Admittedly, I don't love the tight end group on the waiver wire this week for fantasy. But if you're strapped, then there's good reason to go after picking up Colston Loveland. The top-10 pick in this year's draft started off quite slowly in Chicago, amassing just six targets across his first three games and then missing Week 4. But in the three games since the Bears' bye in Week 5, Ben Johnson and Caleb Williams are starting to get Loveland much more involved.
Now, it hasn't quite paid off yet, but Loveland has averaged four targets per game across the last three outings, including a season-high five targets in Week 8 against the Ravens. He still hasn't found the end zone and has just a season-high in yards of 38. But his snap usage is continuing to rise and his targets are doing the same. At some point, that will start to pay off and he can be had in most leagues to be there when that happens.
Theo Johnson, New York Giants (19.2% rostered)
While I love Tracy as an RB add off the waiver wire after Skattebo's injury, I sneakily love Theo Johnson as well for the Giants offense. Without Skattebo in the fold, I suspect we see Brian Daboll add some new wrinkles to the offense around Dart, and the tight end who's already had a solid season could be a key factor in some of those changes with more easy looks going his way in the passing game.
Johnson has already flashed with two games over 15 fantasy points and three with 10 or more fantasy points. What's more, even before the Skattebo injury, he'd received at least four targets in each of the past five weeks. He's somewhat touchdown-dependent, but that's mitigated by the fact that Dart has routinely looked his way in the red zone with his big frame and athleticism. Now, with a short-yardage option out of the offense, Johnson could get even more looks and more opportunities to pay off for fantasy managers.