Welcome to the Week 9 waiver wire, you fantasy psychos! Let there be carnage
Injuries, injuries, injuries. The story of the season and Week 8 gave no quarter
So long Lamar Jackson, arrivederci Jeremiyah Love, tata DJ Moore.
As a result, Week 8 provided one of the more interesting waiver wires of the season. Those moves can also prove to be quite important.
We’re in the heart of the fantasy football regular season, so plugging holes for injuries and byes is crucial. We also can’t ignore the stashes who may become late-season breakouts.
It’s a big balancing act, and making the right decisions on waivers can be the deciding factor behind wins and losses.
With all that in mind, let’s take a look at the names that should be circled ahead of the Week 8 waiver wire run.
Note: Only players rostered in roughly <50% of ESPN leagues will be considered.
Note: Our Week 9 waiver wire targets will be updated as data and news become available.
FANTASY FOOTBALL WEEK 9 WAIVER WIRE TARGETS
QUARTERBACK
GARDNER MINSHEW, ARI CARDINALS (0.0% ROSTERED)
Jacoby Brissett stinks. The Cardinals have finally had enough of clinging to the laurels of last season and appear to be sending him to the bench. He looks good with a clipboard in his hands.
Mustache mania came in and lit the Cardinals’ aerial attack ablaze. Minshew completed 17/23 of his passes for 188 yards and 3 touchdowns.
Expectations should be tempered for next week with the Seattle Seahawks next on the docket.
With Trey McBride and Michael Wilson (hopefully his ribs allow it) and his gunslinger mentality, Minshew is worth adding in all Superflex formats at minimum.
ANTHONY RICHARDSON, IND COLTS (O.2% ROSTERED)
This is more of a speculative add than anything, and news on the starting job with the Colts should be monitored.
I, like so many, chuckled when I got the alert that Richardson was in the game for Daniel Jones (bad).
However, the head coach seems to have lost faith in Mr. Big Pockets.
Jones really seems to have stolen not only $60 million from the Colts, but also league dues from fantasy managers who drafted him as a QB2.
He’s scored more than 12 fantasy points just once this season.
While nobody outside of the dark corners of the X-verse will call Richardson a good quarterback, should he get the starting nod, he instantly carries fantasy value with his legs and a bazooka holstered to his right arm.
CAM WARD, TEN TITANS
This one feels bad; we know. Ward has arguably been much worse than his predecessor, Will Levis, but, you know, without the hilarious string of football moments turned memes.
But the narrative exists that this was the coming-out party for Ward and the Titans offense.
The Bengals may have turned back into a pumpkin on defense a day after Halloween, or Ward may have finally put some things together.
He threw for a pair of scores and cleared the 300-yard mark for the first time in his young career.
You can probably snag him for cheap on waivers if he’s there in SF formats. The Titans are on bye this week, and most teams likely can’t handle the empty roster spot.
RUNNING BACK
TYLER ALLGEIER, ARI CARDINALS (46.0% ROSTERED)
Jeremiyah Love… why do you not like being on the football field? Talk to me, man.
Allgeier has continued his Jekyll-Hyde approach to his career, turning 16 touches into 191 yards and a double-date with paydirt.
While watching his TD run in the video above, one can’t help but hear the words of Chris “Boomer” Berman in one’s ears.
“Rumbling, bumbling, stumbling!”
Allgeier drives more like an Oldsmobile, while Love moves like a Chevy Camaro at the very least.
Still, Allgeier appeared to shove Bam Knight out of the backfield picture.
Should Love, who missed several weeks with an ankle injury, continue missing time, Allgeier will likely be fed, at the very least.
JONAH COLEMAN, DEN BRONCOS (48.7%)
If he’s on waivers still, well, shame on you.
Last week, Roto Street Journal tried to tell you to nab him while he was only 24.2% rostered.
Coleman took over the backfield because JK Dobbins is not good and threw a temper tantrum because of it.
More importantly, after halftime, no other running back got to touch the pigskin for the Broncos but Coleman.
Coleman scored more than 20 fantasy points on just 15 touches, even if he wasn’t the most efficient on the ground (3.7 YPC).
What Coleman does have that his available backfield competition lacks is juice and buttery soft hands as a pass catcher.
Coleman caught four passes for 63 yards, including that gem above.
EMMETT JOHNSON, KC CHIEFS (11.8% ROSTERED)
Widely considered the best handcuff in football, Johnson showed why, taking his sole rush attempt for 15 yards while taking a 70+ yard reception to the house.
No one is suggesting he’s a threat to Kenneth Walker, but he deserves to continue to get a few touches weekly and is a must-stash for Walker managers.
An injury to Walker would make Johnson an instant back-end RB1, don’t believe me? Check out this run below.
That was nice, right?!
Of all the running backs who have touched the ball at least 25 times this season, Johnson ranks first, forcing a missed tackle 50% of the time, according to PFF.
Figure out the rest of the roster, you can’t afford to not have Johnson.
WIDE RECEIVERS
ADONAI MITCHELL, NYJ (11.4 ROSTERED)
Could the Jets have a wide receiver problem? As in, too many mouths to feed, and it’s hard to predict who gets iced each week?
Perhaps. But if I’m Geno Smith, I smile because it’s a good problem to have.
The last two weeks saw Omar Cooper Jr. forget he was a rookie and dominate Mitchell and Garrett Wilson in production.
Cooper was not a factor this week, while Mitchell caught seven passes for 142 yards and a score, while Wilson caught six passes for 83 yards.
Mitchell looked like a stud and can’t be left on waivers. He just has to be added and managers know he is boom/bust.
Temper expectations for Week 9, with the Jets having the Chiefs.
MALIK WASHINGTON, MIA DOLPHINS (38.1% ROSTERED)
Washington and the Dolphins are putting the league on notice! Okay, maybe not the second one.
However, Washington continues to be steady and useful for fantasy.
He’s scored in double digits in four of his last five games and has seen at least five targets in all but one game this year.
With the Lions on deck next week, Washington could flirt with the 20 fantasy point line. The matchup is there, if nothing else.
Detroit alows nearly 40 fantasy points per game to the WR position while routinely ceding more than 20 targets per game to the position.
Go grab Washington for a Week 9 spot start if nothing else.
RYAN FLOURNOY, DALLAS COWBOYS (22.1% ROSTERED)
It’s hard to sell a wide receiver as a waiver wire target who only had four targets, but Flournoy seems to have the nose of a bloodhound when it comes to the end zone.
He’s scored two touchdowns in the last three games and has put up around 10 fantasy points in four straight games.
That’s enough to put in a flex and expect to not be hurt.
There’s clear chemistry with Dak Prescott and he continues to have a nice role with the Cowboys.
Flournoy is a valuable asset in PPR formats, and as we approach the second half of the season, there’s potential upside for this receiver.
