Waiver Wire Pickups Week 9
At this point, we should expect to suffer significant injuries to our fantasy team every week. After a week that cost us players like Mike Evans, Chris Godwin, DK Metcalf, and Brandon Aiyuk, more players went down for what could be a significant amount of time. Jordan Love, Stefon Diggs, and Christian Kirk all got injured this past week. Kirk has already been ruled out for the remainder of the season with a broken clavicle, Love is considered day-to-day with a strained groin, and the severity of Diggs’ injury has yet to be determined. Still, fantasy managers are likely looking to the waiver wire this week for help. There aren’t many (if any) obvious pickups or league-winners, but there are players who could provide some value to your team as you try to keep your playoff hopes alive. Here are my waiver wire pickups for Week 9.
Matthew Stafford (QB)
Los Angeles Rams, 33% Rostered
This past week, the Los Angeles Rams got Cooper Kupp and Puka Nacua back and it showed. Against the Vikings, Stafford completed 25 of 34 passes for 279 yards, four touchdowns, and one interception. It was Stafford’s first multi-touchdown game this season and was good enough for a QB5 finish. It was the first time since the first week that Stafford had even cracked the top 20. Over the first seven weeks, Stafford averaged just north of nine fantasy points per game and had only thrown a touchdown in three of six games, so it was nice to see what his upside can be when he has all his weapons. With his elite passing, one of the best wide receiver duos in the leagues, and a running back that produces at a high level, Stafford has a safe floor and a lot of touchdown upside. If you need a QB, Stafford would be a good one to pick up. I can see many 20-point games in his future.
Michael Wilson (WR)
Arizona Cardinals, 27% Rostered
This past Sunday against the Miami Dolphins the Arizona Cardinals’ offense took a step in the right direction, leading to Kyler Murray’s first game of the season of over 300 passing yards, and only his second with multiple passing touchdowns. While all eyes were on the electric rookie, Marvin Harrison Jr. and the steady veteran Trey McBride, Michael Wilson also made his presence known. Wilson was targeted six times, catching five for 31 yards and a score. This led to a season-high of 11.6 fantasy points. Those numbers don’t exactly jump out at you, but Wilson has averaged 5.8 targets per game over the past six weeks, with six or more in two-thirds of those games. He has also averaged 8.3 fantasy points per game over the past month. While he will never be a league-winner he is someone worth grabbing off the waiver wire as a solid WR3 or flex option. At this point in the season with injuries and bye weeks, depth is essential, and Wilson can provide it.
Elijah Moore (WR)
Cleveland Browns, 7% Rostered
Last week I discussed Browns wide receiver Cedric Tillman as a priority waiver wire add, and he is still my favorite Browns receiver to roster, but his teammate, Elijah Moore, is worth a look this week. The switch from Deshaun Watson to Jameis Winston has opened up the passing game, making many pieces of it fantasy-relevant. While Tillman, Jerry Jeudy, and David Njoku all had good games, Moore led the team in targets with 12. He had 12 targets in the previous four games combined. That has kept him off the fantasy radar, but now with a quarterback who prefers to air it out and who clearly has a connection with Moore, we could see more games like this one. Over the last two games, Moore’s 18 targets are the third most on the team, slightly behind Tillman and Njoku. Plus, his 12.5 fantasy points were his most of the season, beating his previous best from a week before. If you need wide receiver help, Moore could be a nice WR3 or flex option moving forward.
Tyjae Spears (RB)
Tennessee Titans, 46% Rostered
With Tyjae Spears underperforming and being hurt the last two weeks, it’s possible that he found his way to your waiver wire. If that’s the case, I would snatch him up. He is still dealing with a hamstring issue, but when he’s healthy he has the potential to provide solid production. I understand if you find it hard to trust a guy who is the No. 2 option in a backfield on a bad team. But although we have had to adjust our expectations for the young, talented runner, that doesn’t mean he can’t be valuable to a team in need of running back help. At this point, especially with running backs, there’s not much on the waiver wire unless someone gets injured. That’s where the worth of Spears is fully realized. Spears does have standalone value (in his last full game he saw 17 opportunities) but if Pollard were to miss time, Spears would immediately step into his role and we’ve seen how good that can be for fantasy. He’s no more than a flex with a healthy Pollard, but he becomes an RB2 if Pollard goes down.
Braelon Allen (RB)
New York Jets, 45% Rostered
Braelon Allen has been a hard running back to figure out. Every time he is on the field the talent and upside is obvious. But as long as Breece Hall is healthy, Allen will spend a lot of time on your bench. Still, I would suggest picking him up if he’s on your waiver wire. There is some uncertainty regarding the amount of playing time Allen will get under new play-caller, Todd Downing. This past weekend, Allen had 12 carries to Hall’s 16, with one of Allen’s carries coming inside the five-yard line. But in the two previous weeks, Hall dominated the team's backfield snaps and touches. Still, like Spears, Allen provides some standalone value, but his worth is primarily that of a back-up to an elite player who would catapult into must-start territory if Hall were to miss time. Add Allen, but don’t start him right away. With all the injuries piling up, it’s good to have a few players on your roster who could become league-winners if they had to step into a lead role.
Mike Gesicki (TE)
Cincinnati Bengals, 11% Rostered
This suggestion comes with one big caveat. This past week, Tee Higgins didn’t play because of a quad injury. That opened the door for more opportunities for players like Mike Gesicki, which led to his second-best performance of the season. Gesicki caught seven of eight targets for 73 yards. The issue with Gesicki is that he often fails to produce if all the pass catchers are active. Gesicki’s best performance of the season came when Higgins was also sidelined. He has also averaged seven targets and 8.2 fantasy points per game with Higgins out of the lineup. Right now, Higgins is considered day-to-day, but quad injuries can be tricky and we could see him miss another game or two. This makes Gesicki an intriguing player to stash who could become a good play (and bye-week replacement for George Kittle) if HIggins misses more time.
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