Ladies and gentlemen, we’re entering Week 9, and byes are resuming again with the Pittsburgh Steelers and San Francisco 49ers getting the week off. With 30 teams playing this week, we set off to find the best waiver wire options of the week. We’ll get you set up for success heading into Week 9’s action.
Note: All rostership percentages use Sleeper for this Fantasy Football Week 9 Waiver Wire (2024) article.
Quarterback:
Jameis Winston – Sleeper Roster – 10%
- In a development that has shocked nearly nobody, Jameis Winston has transformed this Browns offense with zero intriguing fantasy assets (after the trade of Amari Cooper) into something exciting after the first 300-yard passing game by a Browns quarterback this season.
- Winston is no stranger to pushing the ball down the field, with the Browns putting up the second-most air yards (431) entering MNF. The schedule for the Browns isn’t great with the Chargers and then the Saints and Steelers after their bye, but Winston can win you weeks. As a quarterback below the top 16 at the position in fantasy, there’s very few options you can say that about earnestly.
Bo Nix – Sleeper Roster – 35%
- In three of his last four games, Bo Nix has 20 or more fantasy points and he’s getting dangerously close to being somebody you should be at the very least having at the end of your bench. Yes, even in redraft. If you’re not rostering Lamar Jackson, Jayden Daniels, Jalen Hurts, or Josh Allen, Nix is worth the investment.
- He also has multiple touchdown passes in three of his last four games as well. Despite the lackluster pass-catching group he’s throwing to, Nix has made it work for fantasy purposes. Add in 5-of-8 games with 25+ rushing yards, and you’ve got a low-end QB1 worth considering each week.
Matthew Stafford – Sleeper Roster – 34%
- Matthew Stafford has been, well let’s face it, BAD for fantasy football so far this season. With just one top-15 fantasy performance heading into Week 8’s Thursday Night Football, perhaps getting two elite wide receivers back was the cure? Cooper Kupp and Puka Nacua are back in the fold, which dramatically changes the outlook of Stafford as a fantasy asset.
- With those two receivers plus Kyren Williams, there’s enough firepower here for Stafford to go toe-to-toe with any opponent. I’m not saying he’s an immediate fantasy starting quarterback, but he’s in the conversation for being a really good streamer who can turn the clock back and produce on pass volume AND efficiency when needed.
Running Back:
Blake Corum – Sleeper Roster – 23%
- It’s a lean week for running backs, so we’re going to tout some back with elite contingent value that could be immense down the stretch if something happens to the incumbent backs. Injuries have crushed the hopes and dreams of a lot of players, but Kyren Williams’ role has been amazing through eight games with him taking such a hefty market share of touches this season.
- For the first four weeks of the season, it was Ronnie Rivers taking the backup running back job with sparse utilization and carries behind Williams, but Corum started earning work on offensive snaps in Week 5 and while he’s earned a handful of carries, he’s the clear second back and in case something happens to Williams, Corum has locked-in RB2 value as the starter for the Rams.
Braelon Allen – Sleeper Roster – 45%
- Breece Hall is the unquestioned top back in the Jets’ offense, but Braelon Allen has carved out a nice role in the team’s backfield as the locked-in second back. With former offensive coordinator Nathaniel Hackett ceding play-calling duties to passing-game coordinator and quarterbacks coach Todd Downing, Downing has used Hall much more than he was in the first five weeks of the season with meaningful bumps to Hall’s routes per dropback and snaps.
- Allen has stayed involved with 30% of the team’s rushing attempts and being pretty efficient when called up on the pass game with a 1.28 yards per route run. Hitting multiple efficiency markers in a limited role portends greater things if Allen were to gain a larger role if Hall were unable to play for whatever reason.
Ray Davis – Sleeper Roster – 30%
- While Corum and Allen are still somewhat mystery box options that haven’t gotten any time as the featured back in their respective offenses, Davis at least got a game to show what he can do when given a full workload. It’s pretty bullish that a rookie in his sixth pro game was given 23 opportunities (20 carries, three targets) and he delivered with 152 total yards in Week 6 against the Jets.
- Davis has seen a slight bump in standalone work with James Cook back and healthy for the Bills, but a standalone role that’s fruitful for fantasy could be on the horizon once we start getting into the winter months and later in the season. It would behoove the Bills to keep Cook fresh by mixing in Davis. He’s an easy contingent stash on fantasy benches that we can be pretty confident in knowing we’ve seen him be productive already in the NFL.
Wide Receiver:
Cedric Tillman – Sleeper Roster – 24%
- To say Cedric Tillman has been a revelation is a pretty sizeable understatement. With multiple quarterbacks in Week 7, Tillman slotted into the Amari Cooper “X” receiver role vacated by Cooper’s trade to Buffalo. All Tillman did was put up 8-81 on 11 targets. It’s easy to look at that and think it could be a fluke based on his opportunity last season where he was a sacrificial “X” receiver running cardio routes to run off coverage for other wide receivers.
- Tillman came out in Week 8 and said “hold my beer” with two touchdowns, and a 7-99 line on nine targets. It’s looking less and less fluky now, with Tillman running routes on 83% and 93% of dropbacks plus a 35% air yards share and 27% first-read target rate. Add Jameis Winston throwing him the ball and we’ve got an upside WR3 that’s massively rising in fantasy circles. This might be your last chance; go get Tillman.
Michael Wilson – Sleeper Roster – 27%
- Wilson is not a particularly sexy name in waiver wire columns or even on waivers itself, as he’s usually just kind of there to be picked up, dropped, picked up, dropped, etc. With Zay Jones returning, it was thought that any routes Jones would get would be at the expense of Wilson, but that wasn’t the case as they have come at the expense of Greg Dortch.
- Wilson has had four double-digit fantasy point weeks in his last six games and should benefit greatly from defensive attention being paid to Trey McBride and Marvin Harrison Jr. Quietly, Wilson has a 20% first-read target share, a 20%+ targets per route run in four of his last six games, and solid 24% air yards share. He’s a solid plug-and-play option if you’re in need of wide receiver help in your leagues.
Parker Washington – Sleeper Roster – 0%
- Washington should grow into some opportunity in the Jaguars’ offense with Christian Kirk (collarbone) out for the season and Brian Thomas Jr. (rib) day-to-day with his own injury. With the Jaguars down two receivers, Washington got extended run as he ran a season-high 72% routes per dropback and earned four targets, catching three for 40 yards.
- Washington has been a versatile option over the last season and a half for the Jaguars, going out wide and in the slot to give the team some scheme versatility that’s huge in getting on the field. In terms of target-earning ability, I would take Washington well over Gabe Davis, but if Thomas remains out, Washington is a slam-dunk flex play especially for when bye weeks start decimating the player pool.
Tight End:
Isaiah Likely – Sleeper Roster – 46%
- With Mark Andrews having a production surge the last couple of weeks, it’s possible that you’ll see Isaiah Likely on waivers in a few different leagues. Make no mistake, Likely is still plenty involved, even if the production is being spread out in a few different directions.
- As a tight end in a pinch on the best offense in the NFL, you can do much worse than Likely, who has regularly run between 60-70% routes each week out of the slot for Baltimore. While it’s fair to temper expectations for Likely, I’d still rather roster him than Tyler Conklin, Colby Parkinson, Ja’Tavion Sanders, and a host of others that don’t have Lamar Jackson throwing them the ball.
Mike Gesicki – Sleeper Roster – 11%
- Gesicki’s excellent game in Week 8 came with a caveat: Tee Higgins was out. While we can’t turn our noses at 7-73 on eight targets, that kind of production is more than likely tied to the health of Higgins, where if he’s hurt again, Gesicki would be an incredibly worthy start in fantasy.
- After seeing season-highs in snaps (53%) and routes (60%) in Week 9, Gesicki took full advantage of his opportunity. Even if the Bengals are losing, negative game-scripts will help the Bengals’ pass-catchers put up some counting stats. If Higgins plays, Gesicki is just a run-of-the-mill streaming candidate, but if Higgins doesn’t? Wheels up!
Taysom Hill – Sleeper Roster – 21%
- The Taysom Slappies™ are ready to rejoice once again as it seems like forever since we’ve heard any discourse about Hill vulturing touchdowns from Saints’ skill-position players. However, in the current iteration of the Saints, they’re so bereft of playmakers that Hill is a welcome sight and could be a featured player soon for the Saints.
- Hill saw four carries for 20 yards, plus two targets for 21 yards in the receiving game in his Week 8 return. With Spencer Rattler being benched for Jake Haener and that position being in flux until Derek Carr returns, we could see Hill all over the field, even at quarterback! Hill needs to be rostered in all leagues, and he could be a massive piece of the tight end equation not that we’re in the middle of the fantasy season.
D/ST:
Cincinnati Bengals – Sleeper Roster – 24%
- With the Bengals in a competitive game against the Eagles, where they dropped yet another game, they’ll get to host the incoming Las Vegas Raiders in Week 9, which is a bit of a godsend for fantasy defensive and special teams’ units.
- The Raiders look like a Mountain West team right now with their offensive potency and even a team like the Bengals, which defensive issues are a top-12 D/ST this week against Gardner Minshew and the Raiders.
Washington Commanders – Sleeper Roster – 21%
- The Commanders are not exactly a juggernaut D/ST as they’ve alternated top-six weeks at the position with weeks outside the top-14 defenses for the past five weeks. They’ll face the Giants, who are not world-beaters by any means, and who could be without Tyrone Tracy Jr.. who left Week 8’s game against the Steelers with an apparent head injury.
- In Week 2, the Commanders didn’t put up a great performance, but the Commanders have all the momentum in the world, even as they head to MetLife Stadium to face the Giants. The Giants also won’t have left tackle Andrew Thomas, so that’s opened up pass rushers and given them lanes to sack Daniel Jones. Consider Washington a top-six play in Week 9.
Tennessee Titans – Sleeper Roster – 3%
- The Titans have a much better real-life NFL defense than a fantasy football defense and special teams unit, but they head home to host the New England Patriots. Those Patriots may be heading to Nashville without the services of Drake Maye, who is in concussion protocol. If Maye cannot play, Jacoby Brissett is the starter for the Patriots and that becomes even more attractive for the Titans.
- The Titans have scored exactly zero fantasy points in the past two weeks combined against the Bills and Lions, but nobody was realistically starting either team. I mean, the Lions put up a 50-burger on the Titans. If you want to play the great matchup, it’s highly likely that you may not need to put a bit in for the Titans if you can just pick them up without putting in a waiver claim.
