Top Players to Add in Week 9
A great draft can make a great team, but leagues are won on the waiver wire. Injuries happen, top draft picks become busts, and no names become household names. Successfully navigating the waiver wire will lead to a winning season.
As a reminder, I’ll be covering Waivers every Tuesday morning right here on football.pitcherlist.com. You can also catch me and Brian Hartman (aka @TooMuch_Brian) on the Waiver podcast every Tuesday morning and the Start/Sit podcast every Thursday morning, wherever you listen to podcasts. If you like my work, give me a follow on Twitter @marioadamojr. With that out of the way, let’s dive into it.
Here are my top five targets, as well as some honorable mentions, to help you win through the wire this week.
An important thing to consider: this article focuses on players who are rostered in 50% or fewer of leagues. There could be players rostered in over 50% of leagues that are available in your league. Be vigilant; watch your league’s Free Agency pool and look for players who were given up on too early.
1. Troy Franklin – Before I left two weeks ago, Troy Franklin was my number two overall waiver target and the number one wide receiver I had my eyes on. His stock has risen while his roster percentage remains the same. I mentioned I liked Franklin because he isn’t someone rising because of injury; he’s a thriving piece of a competent offense. In the two weeks I was away, Franklin has led the Broncos in targets with 18, even more than presumptive WR1 Courtland Sutton. Franklin is WR12 from weeks 6-8. Next week, he travels to Houston for another incredible matchup. As for the rest of the season, the Broncos overall have the fifth most favorable wide receiver schedule. Franklin is my top WR waiver target.
2. Tyrone Tracy Jr. – You never like to write a name because of an injury. Tyrone Tracy Jr. was someone I was high on going into the season, not only because he’s a fellow Jr., but because I liked what I saw out of him to finish last year. Cam Skattebo ended up running away with the backfield, bringing life to the Giants’ offense with his bowling ball style of barreling people over. Skattebo suffered an ankle injury against the Eagles and will be out for the season. Fantasy persists, and so shall we. Between Tracy and Devin Singletary, Tracy handled a majority of the carries after Skattebo exited the game. Not only that, he outgained Singletary 38 to 0. Singletary did have a catch and run for 28 yards, but Tracy had triple his targets, 3 to 1. Finally, Tracy dominated the snap count, 33 to 8. I expect a split of some variety in this backfield, but Tracy has beaten Singletary in this role once before (last year), and I believe he can do it again. Tracy is my top RB waiver target.
3. Chimere Dike – Two weeks of no Calvin Ridley due to a hamstring injury, Tyler Lockett walked out the door, Elic Ayomanor hasn’t found the end zone since Week 3, Van Jefferson has more games of 10 or fewer receiving yards (4) than not (2), so who’s left for Cam Ward to throw to? Meet Chimere Dike. The only player on the Titans to have more than 5 catches in a week. By simply outlasting the competition, Dike has become the premier pass-catcher for the Titans. Coming off two tremendous games of 7 catches for 93 yards and 4 catches for 70 yards and a touchdown, it appears that the Titans’ offense operates through Dike. I don’t expect Ridley to be the WR1 if/when he returns from his hamstring injury; I expect Dike to continue building his connection with Ward and retain value for the rest of the season.
4. Kayshon Boutte – What if I told you the WR11 from Weeks 4-8 is available in 60% of leagues? What if I mentioned that same player is WR2(!) Weeks 6-8, only behind Flacco-fed Ja’Marr Chase? This player is far from butt, he’s Boutte, Kayshon Boutte. If you listen to the podcast, you’ll know I’ve been a Boutte believer all season. The problem has been, and continues to be, the targets. This offense is too spread happy to trust any single pass catcher. The time of playing safe is over; we’re about to hit fantasy crunch time, where bubble teams rise or pop. What Boutte lacks in targets, he makes up for in snap count and production. Boutte leads all Patriots’ receivers in snaps (74%) and all pass-catchers in touchdowns (5). Of course, touchdowns can be unpredictable, but it’s impossible to deny that Boutte has become Drake Maye‘s favorite target. In deeper leagues, I consider Boutte a must-add.
5. Tyjae Spears – It feels wrong having two Titans on this list, but if that’s where the unrostered diamonds in the rough are hiding, that’s where we’re going. Tyjae Spears started the season on IR, missing the first four games, and has slowly been ramping up since. Spears finally saw considerable usage, his first game over 5 carries, and had a great showing of 59 yards and a touchdown. There are also rumors of Tony Pollard being available for the right price. If Pollard gets traded, it’s easy to see Spears spearhead his way into serious fantasy relevance. Looking far down the road, the Titans face the Saints in Week 17, a great matchup for fantasy championships. Spears isn’t someone I blow all my remaining FAAB on, but he is worth acquiring in deeper leagues or as a speculative add that something more can come.
Others Receiving Votes
Bam Knight, ARI (19% ESPN, 18% Yahoo) – In a somewhat shocking move, the Cardinals released Michael Carter yesterday. While Trey Benson is expected to be the main guy when he returns, he’s going to miss at least one more week on IR. I expect Bam Knight to be a key part of the backfield rotation until then. You couldn’t ask for a better matchup this week, facing the Cowboys and their turnstile defense.
Dylan Sampson, CLE (10% ESPN, 13% Yahoo) – The Browns are on a bye this week, but there is some concern around Quinshon Judkins and his AC joint sprain. It could be Jerome Ford, but I expect it to be the Dylan Sampson show. Sampson is the better pass catcher, and I expect that to fit the Browns’ game script better. This is a move you can wait until midway next week to pull the trigger on.
Tank Bigsby, PHI (19% ESPN, 17% Yahoo) – Another instance of a potential bye week injury, Saquon Barkley exited the game last week due to a groin injury. He mentioned he could have returned to the game if needed, but he’s a player, not a doctor. Although I expect Barkley to return after the bye, a name to watch is Tank Bigsby, who was very efficient, gaining 104 yards on 9 carries. If there’s any chance the injury is more serious than it appears, Bigsby is the player I expect to have a big impact.
Samaje Perine, CIN (6% ESPN, 3% Yahoo) – Let’s make something clear: Chase Brown isn’t going anywhere. The Bengals’ defense, however, is even less existent than the Cowboys. The only way Cincinnati will win the game is by scoring 40+. When that happens, everyone eats. Over the last four weeks, Samaje Perine has gotten more and more carries every week, including his first touchdown last week. I expect Perine to continue this trend of seeing more opportunities, making him a viable flex for bye weeks.
Joe Flacco, CIN (37% ESPN, 61% Yahoo) – If the Bengals offense is moving, it’s because of one man, the elite Joe Flacco. ESPN is lagging behind Yahoo. If you need a bye week fill-in or a long-term option, I like Flicking Flacco.
Defense Wins Championships
The Los Angeles Chargers (38%) face the Titans, and even though we had two Titans in our top five waiver adds, they’re still the Titans. They are far away the best matchup for defenses, averaging 12.2 points per game for their opponents. The best in the league by over 2 points. We will continue to target them until morale improves.
In case the Chargers are rostered, we’ll turn to the other Los Angeles team. The Los Angeles Rams (29%) face the Saints. While Spencer Rattler was a defense’s best friend, we don’t know how Tyler Shough will be. Either way, I like the matchup for a QB making his first NFL start. The Saints give up the fourth most points to opposing defenses.
Photos courtesy of Icon Sportswire
Adapted by Kurt Wasemiller (@kurt_player02 on Instagram & Threads @kuwasemiller.bksy.social on BlueSky)