Adam Strangis NFL Waiver Wire Week 9
We have a lot of high-profile injuries once again and some that have lingered into this next week. We need to sort through and decide what performances from Sunday can be replicated and what was just a one-hit wonder. It’s down to crunch time in fantasy. If you’re looking strong for the playoffs, you need to fortify the depth of your team. If you need to make a run, the time is now with just a handful of weeks left in the fantasy regular season. Let’s discuss which players need to be the priority in the NFL Waiver Wire Week 9 and get ready for that run to glory!
*Note* The ownership referenced will be based on Yahoo and if this needs updated after Monday Night Football, it certainly will be before your waivers run.
Teams on a bye – Bengals, Browns, Eagles, Rams
QB
Derek Carr, Raiders – 42% rostered
Before he hit the wind vortex that was Cleveland this past week, Carr had thrown at least two touchdowns in every game but one. I’m certainly not going to downgrade him for that performance. Now he gets the Chargers who ranked 12th in DVOA against the pass coming into Sunday. However, they traded corner Desmond King to the Titans and Joey Bosa is in concussion protocol. Carr has been very efficient this season, with just two interceptions. He’s in the top 10 in completion rate on deep balls and this is a great bounce back spot for him.
Drew Lock, Broncos – 10% rostered
If you want to play a quarterback and not look at what happens until after the game, Lock is the player for you. He’s coming off his first multi-touchdown game of the season and his second-highest passing yardage of 248. Why are we talking about him then? Lock and the Broncos play the Falcons in Atlanta. He likely has to put up some points against the Atlanta offense and the defense leads the NFL with 20 passing touchdowns allowed so far. They are also in the bottom three in DVOA against the pass. It should be noted that the defense has played better since Dan Quinn was fired. Lock is not a safe bet by any stretch. This is likelier to be an option in 2QB leagues, but a 20-25 point fantasy day is well within the range of outcomes.
Honorable Mention
Teddy Bridgewater, Panthers – It was a disappointing Thursday night game against the Falcons, but he’ll be chasing points this week against the Chiefs. Teddy B might also be getting Christian McCaffrey back into the fold, which isn’t going to hurt. Mike Davis has been producing like a backup the past couple weeks.
Nick Foles, Bears – I know, it’s gross. However, the Titans are only about average in DVOA against the pass and have allowed 17 touchdowns through the air so far. That’s to go along with the eighth-most passing yards so if it’s desperation time, Foles could at least hit 250/2 in this contest. The NFL Waiver Wire Week 9 isn’t the best for quarterbacks.
Priority – Carr, Lock, Teddy B, Foles
Running Back
JaMycal Hasty, 49ers – 42% rostered
The 49ers are a mess with injuries and that extends into the backfield. Jeff Wilson and Raheem Mostert are on IR. Tevin Coleman didn’t make it through the game Sunday. Hasty wasn’t spectacular, but the 49ers staff has been shielding Jerick McKinnon among reports of tired legs. He has a combined 12 carries over the past three weeks, so Hasty stands to benefit on a short week. Green Bay was 22nd in DVOA against the run before getting demolished by Dalvin Cook Sunday and now are over 100 rushing yards per game to running backs. This is a spot Hasty can pay off immediately since they play Thursday night. He’s my number one priority from the NFL Waiver Wire Week 9.
Jordan Wilkins, Colts – 2% rostered
To me, I’ll let someone else spend FAAB or burn a waiver claim on Jordan Wilkins. He had played all of six snaps the two games before the bye and then he went nuts Sunday. While Wilkins tilted the Jonathan Taylor owners off the face of the Earth, Coach Frank Reich admitted that Wilkins wasn’t really in the game plan. It was a true situation of riding the hot hand. That means it’s going to be tough to tell who’s getting the work before the game kicks off. Wilkins will be involved, but it’s turning into a three man RBBC in Indy and that’s tough to deal with.
J.K. Dobbins/Gus Edwards, Ravens – 68%/30% rostered
Up until Sunday, Baltimore had been a dreaded three man RBBC. With the injury to Mark Ingram, Dobbins and Edwards took center stage. Dobbins played the majority of snaps and went over 110 yards on the Pittsburgh defense, a big accomplishment and one where he showcased just how talented he is. However, Edwards generated over 80 yards himself and scored. Both backs are worth a pickup for the short-term, but you can’t help but wonder what role Ingram has. Does he just roll back and make this three backs again? Is it now the Dobbins show, with a splash of Edwards? If we knew that Dobbins was going to be the man, I’d be going after him in a big way. It remains a concern to me that he was third on the depth chart until the hand was forced.
Damien Harris, Patriots – 47% rostered
Harris is far from a perfect waiver candidate since he has shown virtually no pass catching upside. He is game script dependent in a major way but when the game stays close he’s got a chance to be a factor. In the four games he’s been active, two have exceeded 100 yards and he scored his first touchdown of the season last week. In three games, he’s had double-digit carries and that alone is worth picking up of the wire. New England’s offense is imperfect in many ways, but they should be run-heavy the rest of the way. Harris is a worthy pickup for the NFL Waiver Wire Week 9.
Zack Moss, Bills – 55% rostered
Moss is technically just over the threshold, but he needs to be universally rostered right now. His snaps have increased every week since coming back from a toe injury to the point of he played more than Devin Singletary this past week. He also ran 14 times for 81 yards and two scores, which was about equal to Singletary’s 86 yards on the ground. Moss holds the edge in red zone attempts and he could be right on the cusp of taking over the backfield.
Honorable Mention
DeeJay Dallas, Seahawks – Efficiency was not his name on Sunday and he needs other running backs to remain out. However, 23 touches in the NFL’s highest-scoring offense speaks for itself and he did score twice.
Cam Akers, Rams – He’s on his bye week but keep up on the injury for Darrell Henderson. If he’s out, Akers will get touches and the Rams run an awful lot.
Priority – Moss, Hasty, Harris, Dobbins, Edwards, Dallas, Akers
Wide Receiver
Corey Davis, Titans – 48% rostered
This section is likely to be important for the players that lost Kenny Golladay of the Lions for the near future. Davis being under 50% is a crime as he has eight, five, six, 10 and 10 targets in his active games so far. He also has two games over 100 yards and three scores on the season. This includes a 23.2% target share and a 28.6% share of the air yards in Tennessee’s offense. Davis is the second fiddle behind A.J. Brown in the passing game and even in tougher matchups coming up, he needs to be rostered at a much higher rate.
Darnell Mooney, Bears – 6% rostered
Mooney is only at a 13.8% target share in this Bears offense, but he owns a 24.5% share of the air yards and has an aDOT of 15.7. He is a volatile option to say the least but the big play ability is there every single game. Since he gets to square off against the Titans next week, he could well have a repeat of last week’s 5/69/1. He’s at a 66% snap rate on the season and is a solid deeper league option this week.
Honorable Mention
Tim Patrick, Broncos – Provided he’s back on the field, a matchup with the Falcons is enough on its own. Throw in a 31.7% air yards share since Week 3 and you have a potential blowup spot coming up.
Jalen Reagor, Eagles – If you can hold out for the bye week, Reagor would be among my top adds. He walked back into six targets and played 73% of the snaps. He’s a threat all over the field and has big play ability to pay it off.
Marvin Hall, Lions – He stepped up in a big way on Sunday, totaling 7/113/0. Golladay is reportedly week-to-week with the hip injury. Hall is a relative unknown so this is more a shot in the dark.
Priority – Davis if you need someone for Week 9, Reagor if not, Patrick, Mooney, Hall
Tight End
Logan Thomas, Washington – 23% rostered
Players are hurting with the loss of George Kittle and it’s likely best to plan for him missing the rest of the season. Nobody is going to replace that level of production at the position, but Thomas is a player that can help possibly bring some stability. It’s only been two full games with Kyle Allen as his quarterback, so grain of salt. However, he has seen eight targets and that’s tied for the second-most among the team. Thomas also is second in red zone and end zone chances. That’s really the most you can hope for a the position. Thomas is tied for fifth in red zone targets on the season among tight ends and has a sweetheart schedule coming up.
Jordan Reed, 49ers – 3% rostered
Reed is eligible to come off the IR this week even though it’s a Thursday game. When he was healthy and Kittle was out, Reed saw 14 targets in not two full games. He turned that into 9/73/2 and even with a backup quarterback, Reed is still capable of production. The fact the 49ers are so banged up right now means there’s a role in the offense to be sure. If Reed doesn’t come off the IR, Ross Dwelley is viable in very deep leagues.
Honorable Mention
Eric Ebron, Steelers – Dallas is up next and Ebron has not fallen under four targets the past four games. Yes, he is likely touchdown or bust but who isn’t at this position outside Travis Kelce?
Dallas Goedert, Eagles – He would be the number one option if he wasn’t on a bye week. The production for him wasn’t there Sunday but he played most of the snaps and was running routes all night.
Priority – Thomas, Goedert, Reed, Ebron
D/ST
Washington, 17% rostered
This defense has a dream scenario coming up. Not only are they ranked fifth in overall DVOA, but they get the Giants on a short week followed by the Lions, Bengals and Cowboys. You have your defense solved for the next month with this pickup as they have 22 sacks, nine turnovers forced and rank 11th in points given up per game so far.
Thanks for reading the NFL Week 4 Waiver Wire and make sure you follow me on Twitter at @bucn4life and be sure to sign up for an ALL ACCESS GOLD ACCOUNT account here at Win Daily Sports. Gain access to our Projection Models and jump into our Discord where we will have our experts talking plays across every sport and slate!
