Ivan Herrera 
As Week 8 of the NFL season has come and gone, fantasy football managers are already looking to make adjustments to their rosters. Injuries, surprising performances, and emerging talents often prompt the need for some shrewd waiver wire pickups. Here, we’ve compiled a list of the top 10 Week 9 fantasy football waiver wire pickups, along with a few honorable mentions to keep an eye on.
1. Will Levis, QB, Tennessee Titans (Rostered%: 1 ESPN, 7 Sleeper, 4 Yahoo)
I’ll admit it, I thought Levis was one of the worst QBs coming into the 2023 NFL Draft. But in his first career start on Sunday against Atlanta, he showed he can compete in the NFL. He had a 66% completion percentage and threw for 238 yards and four touchdowns. Levis also showed he could get out of the pocket and grab a couple of yards with his feet as he rushed for 11 yards. He is a stash play going into Week 9, as he faces a tough Pittsburgh defense that has only allowed one Top 10 fantasy QB this season. But of the five games after Pittsburgh, he gets four defenses that allow a lot of fantasy points to QBs.
2. Dalton Kincaid, TE, Buffalo Bills (Rostered%: 62 ESPN, 73 Sleeper, 71 Yahoo)
After missing Week 6’s matchup against the Giants, Kincaid has come back strong. In his two games after returning from injury, Kincaid has 15 targets for 13 receptions, 140 yards, and a touchdown. Knox being placed on IR makes Kincaid the clear TE1 for the Bills, and if he can be anywhere as productive as he was with Utah in college, then Buffalo has their version of Kelce/Hockenson. His ownership in season-long leagues has seen a sharp increase over the past two weeks, but he is still available in more than a quarter of all leagues, so he is a must-pick everywhere.
3. Khalil Shakir, WR, Buffalo Bills (Rostered%: 0 ESPN, 4 Sleeper, 1 Yahoo)
Shakir had a breakout game against Tampa on Thursday night. He saw a season-high in snap percentage (65), targets (6), receptions (6), and yards (92). He finished as a WR2 in fantasy with 15.2 in full PPR leagues and 12.2 in half-point leagues. 61.7% of the Bills’ offensive plays are passing plays, so Josh Allen needs players besides Davis and Diggs to target. We talked about the rookie who saw a huge jump in ownership prior to week 8, but I think Shakir, as the Bills’ WR3, will begin to see more targets with Knox being placed on IR.
4. Taysom Hill, TE, New Orleans Saints (Rostered%: 15 ESPN, 42 Sleeper, 35 Yahoo)
I feel sick writing Hill’s name in any article, but I can’t deny how he’s played the past three weeks. In full PPR leagues, Hill has been the TE6 twice and the TE3 once, which makes him a must-start TE. This weekend against Colts Hill, he didn’t have a good game as a TE but instead got his points as a ball carrier, rushing for 63 yards and two scores. Hill gets Chicago and the Vikings over the next two weeks before his bye, and both teams have struggled against TEs. The TE position is difficult to play outside the big names like Kelce, Andrews, Kittle, and Hockenson, so I’d rather take the upside Hill provides thanks to his versatility than use a TE who may or may not see more targets.
5. Josh Downs, WR, Indianapolis Colts (Rostered %: 51 ESPN, 72 Sleeper, 62 Yahoo)
Downs has been featured in almost every article I’ve written since taking over. But that is for good reason, as Downs has taken over the WR2 role with the Colts. Downs remains unowned in the majority of fantasy leagues, having as low as 51% ownership in ESPN leagues. Downs extends his streak of at least six targets and five receptions to four games. In those four games, he has 29 targets for 23 receptions, 315 yards, and two touchdowns. In that span, he is only 1 reception behind WR1 Pittman and has the same number of touchdowns but 31 more receiving yards. Downs has not only established himself as a WR2 on the Colts but also a WR2 in fantasy leagues, especially those with 12+ teams.
6. Trey McBride, TE, Arizona Cardinals (Rostered%: 8 ESPN, 28 Sleeper, 20 Yahoo)
McBride saw a season-high in just about every statistical category in week 8. He saw 14 targets and had 10 receptions for 95 yards, his first score against the Ravens. The huge uptick in production was coming as the Cardinals placed Ertz on IR during the past week. With McBride cementing himself as the TE1 for the Cardinals, he should be looked at as a TE1 in fantasy. The Arizona WRs haven’t had much success, so look for them to use McBride as one of the main weapons. He is a slightly lower priority for me this weekend, as Cleveland has a tough defense, but Atlanta, Houston, and the Rams are all good matchups for him.
7. Rashid Shaheed, WR, New Orleans Saints (Rostered%: 18 ESPN, 34 Sleeper, 36 Yahoo)
Shaheed is a lower-end waiver wire pickup. He is clearly the WR3 with the Saints, and with the return of Kamara, he is the 4th option. But that does not mean he does not provide value in season-long leagues. In three games this season, Shaheed has finished as a low-end WR1/high-end WR2 in fantasy. He is a big play threat, as he’s averaging 20.8 yards per reception. Going into week 9, Shaheed is a bye-week plugin flex play.
8. Demario Douglas, WR, New England Patriots (Rostered%: 1 ESPN, 6 Sleeper, 3 Yahoo)
It’s next man up in New England, as Bourne has been ruled out for the year and Parker is in concussion protocol. In Week 8 against the Dolphins, the rookie had a career-high of seven targets and five receptions. The rookie is also being used in WR run plays, as he has had a rush attempt in each of the last two games. Douglas gets a soft stretch of matchups from now until the end of the fantasy regular season. If his 77% snaps played a 24.1% target share in week 8 continues, then Douglas should be a lower-end flex player, especially in larger leagues.
9. Kyler Murray, QB, Arizona Cardinals (Rostered%: 32 ESPN, 57 Sleeper, 56 Yahoo)
Kyler Murray was a full participant in practice prior to the Week 8 game against the Ravens, but the Cardinals decided to stick with Dobbs as the starter. Now that he’s gone, the Cardinals have also announced that either Murray or rookie Tune will start Week 9. But I do expect Arizona to throw him out there at some point if it’s not this Sunday for two reasons. The first is that Arizona needs to know what they have in Murray prior to using a first-round pick on a QB for the third time in seven years. The second reason is trade value; the last time we saw Murray, he was struggling in 2022. So the Cardinals need to put him on the field to draw interest from the other 31 teams.
Honorable Mentions:
- Jayden Reed, WR, Green Bay Packers (Rostered%: 17 ESPN, 26 Sleeper, 17 Yahoo)
- Michael Gallup, WR, Dallas Cowboys (Rostered%: 36 ESPN, 22 Sleeper, 17 Yahoo)
- Pierre Strong, RB, Cleveland Browns (Rostered%: 4 ESPN, 16 Sleeper, 10 Yahoo)
In the world of fantasy football, being proactive on the waiver wire can often be the difference between success and failure. These Week 9 waiver wire pickups should help you strengthen your roster as the season progresses. Make sure to prioritize your team’s specific needs and potential long-term upside when making your choices.
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