Waiver Wire: Week 9

Here at Fighting Chance Fantasy, we will have a collective effort to bring some options to improve your team. Seth Quinn (@SethFQuinn) will cover quarterbacks, Michael Chasco (@ChascoFCF) will cover running backs, Matt Miles (@DirtyAirFC) will cover wide receivers, and Leo Grandio (@smooth1074) will cover the tight ends and defense streamers. 

Quarterbacks (Seth Quinn)

Check to see if these quarterbacks are available to add first: Kyler Murray 56% Rostered, Russell Wilson 49% Rostered, and Sam Howell 46% Rostered.

Baker Mayfield | Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Yahoo! Roster Ownership: 31%

Baker Mayfield has been listed here multiple times, and it's mainly because of his up-and-down nature. He put up 16 and 21 points in his last two weeks against formidable defenses, showing that he is capable of being a solid starting option, especially in deeper leagues. He still has Mike Evans and Chris Godwin, meaning he is always capable of a big game, so he's worth adding as a depth piece or as a replacement for Kirk Cousins.

Joshua Dobbs | Minnesota Vikings

Yahoo! Roster Ownership: 14%

Joshua Dobbs has intriguing upside after being traded to the Vikings to replace Kirk Cousins. Dobbs can also serve as a Cousins replacement in fantasy football. Dobbs now has better weapons (especially once Justin Jefferson comes back) combined with his rushing upside, Dobbs can be a potential consistent starter for fantasy teams as the season progresses. He supposedly won't start this week, but once he does start, it will be worth it to at least have him stashed and ready to go.

Will Levis | Tennessee Titans

Yahoo! Roster Ownership: 6%

Will Levis was a polarizing prospect coming out of college, but in his first start last week, he made some big throws (to DeAndre Hopkins mainly) giving him a big day in fantasy. While it may be hard for him to repeat that on a consistent basis, it does show his upside as a passer and fantasy asset, making him worth stashing on the bench to see if he not only continues to start but continues to thrive.

Running Backs (Michael Chasco)

Zach Charbonnet | Seahawks

Yahoo! Roster Ownership: 42%

With no obvious injury fill-ins this week, Zach Charbonnet leads the running back contingency plans you may be interested in before Week 9. We featured Charbonnet here last week as the rookie running back dropped below 50% roster ownership for the first time all season. Due to his low usage in Seattle's offense, Charbonnet came into Sunday strictly as a contingency stash and handcuff for starter Kenneth Walker. Charbonnet was only playing in 29% of the offensive snaps, 17% of the rush share, and 29% of route participation - far from flex-worthy.  

With Walker dealing with a calf injury during Week 8 preparations, Charbonnet turned in his best game of the season from a usage standpoint. He received a season-high in snaps (56%), rush share (31%), and route participation (56%) against a stingy Cleveland defense. Charbonnet could've had an even bigger day than his 53 yards on five carries, as Seattle ran just 13 times after the first quarter against the Browns. Could this be a sign Charbonnet is being incorporated more into the offense or just a benefit of a banged-up Walker? If Walker were to miss time for any reason, Charbonnet could project inside the top 20 weekly at the position.       

Emari Demercado | Cardinals

Yahoo! Roster Ownership: 36%

It's anyone's guess how the Arizona backfield will shake out once James Conner returns to the starting lineup. Conner is eligible to come off the injured reserve list in Week 10, but it remains to be seen how much the workload will be distributed in this backfield when he's activated. Emari Demercardo took control of the backfield once again last week, turning 20 carries into 78 rushing yards. Demercado led the team in snaps (56%) and a season-high rush share (67%). Arizona traded quarterback Joshua Dobbs to Minnesota before the trade deadline on Tuesday, so we may be in for another shakeup to the Cardinal's usage going forward. As first-year coach Jonathan Gannon continues to shape this roster, their fantasy outlook may turn on a dime.        

Royce Freeman | Rams

Yahoo! Roster Ownership: 22%

The Rams continued to utilize a rotation against the Cowboys in Week 8 with both Darrell Henderson and Royce Freeman. Henderson continued to play slightly ahead of Freeman and out touched him 15 to 9. But it was Freeman who found the endzone in a game that was a blowout at halftime. Not much you can take out of this game other than it may be hard to predict who gets the high-value touches without any defined roles. You will only get two more opportunities before Kyren Williams returns in Week 12, so hopefully you can find other predictable options on your fantasy teams.   

Devin Singletary | Texans

Yahoo! Roster Ownership: 20%

It wasn't a great day for the Houston offense last Sunday, but we learned Devin Singletary is continuing to split time with a struggling Dameon Pierce. Singletary and Pierce each saw 12 touches, but neither was effective, as they both were not able to reach 50 scrimmage yards in the game. This was especially disappointing considering Houston was facing a Carolina defense ranked in the bottom half in rushing yards per game allowed. Singletary will remain a tough start against Tampa Bay this week but should find some more fantasy rosters just in case his role continues to expand. 

Wide Receivers (Matt Miles)

Check to see if these wide receivers are available to add first: Jahan Dotson 52% Rostered, Josh Downs 63% Rostered, Jaxon Smith-Njigba 58% Rostered, and Rashee Rice 69% Rostered. 

Rashid Shaheed | Saints

Yahoo! Roster Ownership: 38%

We're at the point of the season where adds tend to get more speculative.  Enter Rashid Shaheed.  It's absolutely criminal that Shaheed is still only on 38% of Yahoo rosters.  Sharper leagues may have him stashed, and deeper leagues, he's a must-start WR3, especially against zone defenses with a team-leading 2.3 yards per route run. Shaheed should be on your bench as we plod through the bye weeks ahead.

Michael Wilson| Cardinals

Yahoo! Roster Ownership: 15%

The Arizona Cardinals are going through a bit of a roster churn as we cross the mid-point of the season. Michael Wilson is a name being mentioned outside of dynasty circles now as a speculative add. The rookie has posted 405 yards and two touchdowns to this point, making Wilson an interesting prospect for the end of your bench as the season rolls on.  Should a healthy Kyler Murray start, Wilson could be showing some shades of 2021 Christian Kirk down the stretch.

Tight Ends (Leo Grandio)

Check to see if these tight ends are available to add first: Cole Kmet 71% Rostered, Dalton Kincaid 71% Rostered, David Njoku 64% Rostered, and Jake Ferguson 58% Rostered, 

Trey McBride | Cardinals

Yahoo! Roster Ownership: 20%

With Zach Ertz landing on the IR, Trey McBride was finally unleashed on the NFL. McBride was a target monster in Week 8. Even though the second-year tight end had a tough match-up against the Ravens, McBride was targeted 14 times and brought in 10 receptions for 95 yards and a touchdown. He has another difficult contest this week versus the Browns, but when a tight end gets that many targets it’s hard to ignore. In the previous two weeks McBride’s target share was already on the rise. If you are in need of a tight end McBride should be added in all league formats.

Taysom Hill | Saints

Yahoo! Roster Ownership: 35%

The Swiss Army knife has started to become a consistent source of fantasy points at tight end for fantasy managers over the last three weeks. Taysom Hill has averaged 17.7 PPR fantasy points during that stretch and he should continue to be used going forward. Hill is another tight end that should be added in all league formats, especially this week with an excellent match-up against the Bears in Week 9.

Logan Thomas | Commanders

Yahoo! Roster Ownership: 45%

In the Commanders offense it is sometimes difficult to determine which receiving option will be targeted on a weekly basis. The one thing that has maintained to be the norm is Logan Thomas being targeted by Sam Howell. As long as Thomas is healthy, Howell looks his way to make plays. Over the last month Thomas has averaged 6.5 targets and 11.85 fantasy points. The tight end position has been hit or miss at times this season and if you need a fairly consistent tight end that can rack up north of 10 PPR fantasy points weekly Thomas is your guy. Thomas should be added in most league formats.

Chigoziem Okonkwo | Titans

Yahoo! Roster Ownership: 27%

The offseason tight end darling has not been useful at all for fantasy managers this season. Chigoziem Okonkwo may start being an option in deeper leagues. With the Titans coming out of the bye and hopefully turning the keys to the offense to Will Levis for good there seem to have been a spark in the offense. Although Okonkwo did not do much with the targets but at least Levis targeted the tight end six times in Week 8. That was the second most targets that Okonkwo has received all season. If you are in a deeper league Okonkwo may provide some assistant at tight end.

Donald Parham Jr. | Chargers

Yahoo! Roster Ownership: 3%

Now let's really go deep. Donald Parham Jr. hasn’t done much since Week 3, but last week he received his largest target share to date. Parham was targeted by Justin Herbert fives times and he produce four receptions for 43 yards and a touchdown. What makes Parham an intriguing add this week is that not only he is in a good offense but he has a great match-up versus the Jets who shockingly allow the most fantasy points to tight ends this season. Parham even had a great match-up in Week 10 as well against the Lions who are allowing the second-most fantasy points to tight ends this season. Parham is a tight end to consider adding in deeper league formats.

Defense (Leo Grandio)

Pittsburgh Steelers Defense

Yahoo! Roster Ownership: 60%

The number one defense to try and add to see if they are available this week is the Pittsburgh Steelers Defense. Pittsburg will face a rookie quarterback in Will Levis that loves to sling the ball around and he may be susceptible to turning the ball over while playing on the road in Pittsburgh. 

New England Patriots Defense

Yahoo! Roster Ownership: 28%

What has happened to the Patriots? As a Dolphins fan I’m not complaining but their defense has not been top notch this year like seasons past. However this week may be a week that you may want to turn to them as a weekly streamer. The New England Patriots Defense will face the Washington Commanders who are allowing the third-most fantasy points to opposing defenses this season, making them an option for Week 8. 

New York Giants Defense

Yahoo! Roster Ownership: 6%

Don’t look now, but the New York Giants Defense are starting to turn things around over the last four weeks of the season. During that span the Giants defense has 13.5 fantasy points and they will have another chance to make fantasy managers this week. The Giants defense face the Las Vegas Raiders in Week 9 who are allowing the seven-most fantasy points to opposing defense this Fall. 

If you have any questions or would like to discuss this further feel free to reach out to us at @FCFantasySports.