Happy Tuesday Fantasy Footballers and welcome to Week 9. I am Matt Dean (@MattDeanQBList) and I am here to help you recover from Week 8 with your priority adds from the waiver wire this week. Along with this article, co-writer Aaron Rader and I will be putting out a weekly Waiver Wire Podcast that you can find on our website, on Twitter (@theQBList) or wherever you get your podcasts.
Hopefully, your team is on the up and up. Bye weeks are starting to hit hard for some people and filling in those key spots will set you up to weather the storm. This week we have key players such as Michael Thomas, Alvin Kamara, Latavius Murray, Andy Dalton (jokes), Julio Jones, and Cooper Kupp on bye, so you are probably like many of us that are scrambling to fill in the gaps in the lineup. I am here to help, along with our podcast, which you can listen to here.
With all that said, let’s hop right into the priority adds for Week 8.
Bye Week: Atlanta Falcons, Cincinnati Bengals, Los Angeles Rams, New Orleans Saints
The ownership percentage is based on Yahoo Fantasy Leagues.
Priority Adds
QB – Gardner Minshew, Jacksonville Jaguars (55% Owned)
So I cheated a little, but I genuinely believe that Gardner Minshew is in for a big week. Playing the Houston Texans who just gave up three touchdowns to the lackluster Derek Carr. Minshew should feast in a play from behind game script in this one, even if he is missing Dede Westbrook(more on that later). With Drew Brees, Jared Goff, and Matt Ryan on bye, this is a great fill-in QB for this week.
FAAB Budget: 5%
RB – Jaylen Samuels, Pittsburg Steelers (21% Owned)
Since the recording of our weekly podcast, James Connor got hurt. While it is no guarantee that Connor will miss time with his shoulder injury, Jaylen Samuels needs to be owned everywhere ahead of Week 9. He is coming off an injury so he may be a little cheaper than if he were a sure thing as well, but if Connor’s injury proves to be something to do with the clavicle instead of just the AC Joint, then we have something on our hands with Samuels. He would instantly step into a significant workload and could be a league winner if Connor were to somehow miss extended time. Grab this guy and hope that he turns into a winning ticket.
FAAB Budget – 30%
RB – Mark Walton, Miami Dolphins (34% Owned)
This is a caution. Just because a guy is the “starter” for a team, doesn’t mean they should be owned. While many of my colleagues in the industry are tooting the horn for Mark Walton, I want you to be very cautious here. We are talking about the starting running back for the always behind Dolphins and that doesn’t turn into fantasy relevance very easily. With only two double-digit fantasy days by Dolphins running backs this year, this isn’t someone you want to be starting many weeks. He is a fine desperation flex play, but not one I want you to spend any significant money on, so you probably won’t get him. That’s fine, let someone else overpay.
FAAB Budget: 10%
WR – Diontae Johnson, Pittsburgh Steelers (12% Owned)
Playing in a juicy matchup with the Dolphins, Diontae Johnson feasted for a 5/84/1 line on seven targets. The unquestioned WR2 in Pittsburgh, Johnson has touchdowns and double-digit fantasy points in 3-of-4 starts with Mason Rudolph. There is optimism that this can continue with real after the catch ability, showcased on his catch-and-run touchdown. Pick this guy up as a fine WR3/Flex play.
FAAB Budget: 20%
WR – Chris Conley, Jacksonville Jaguars (4% Owned)
Coming off back-to-back double-digit PPR performances, Chris Conley is an intriguing add this week. The Jags are facing Houston and Dede Westbrook could be held out with injury. This would vault Conley to be a top target for Gardner Minshew. Pick him up and slot him in as a fine flex this week, especially ahead of someone like Walton as discussed above.
FAAB Budget: 15%
TE – Darren Fells, Houston Texans (20% Owned)
Coming off a big 6/58/2, Darren Fells is quickly turning into a solid TE option in a desolate wasteland of production at the position. If you are an Austin Hooper owner or just someone who has been streaming heaping piles of garbage at the position, this is the guy for you. Seeing over 90% of the snaps compared to Jordan Akins’ sub-60% snap share, Fells may have some bust weeks, but he is looking like he has a decent floor as of now.
FAAB Budget: 20%
Thanks for reading, and make sure to check out our podcast for in-depth analysis. Plus, we will be discussing names that are not listed here that you should be looking at. Good luck and see you next week!
(Photo by Shelley Lipton/Icon Sportswire)