Terrace Marshall Jr.’s fantasy football value has seen a boost heading into the Week 9 waiver wire after he saw a career-high in targets last week. With Marshall more than doubling his targets for the 2022 NFL season in a single week, should fantasy managers buy into this increased role for the Carolina Panthers‘ WR?
Should Fantasy Managers Target Terrace Marshall Jr. on the Week 9 Waiver Wire?
Marshall’s semi-breakout last week only partly comes as a surprise. The second-year WR had seen his snap share jump from under 50% to 86% in Week 7 after the departure of Robbie Anderson.
Marshall was clearly elevated to a starting role that week, playing on all but two snaps in two wide receiver sets and all the snaps in three WR sets. That continued in Week 8, where Marshall played on 17 of 18 two wide receiver sets and every single three WR set. Marshall played in 92% of the offensive snaps for the Panthers this past week.
Throughout the game, the announcers were talking about how QB PJ Walker had been glowing in his praise of Marshall. According to the announcers, Walker had talked about trying to get Marshall a touchdown to improve his confidence and get him rolling. Walker targeted the second-year receiver throughout the game, including twice inside the 5-yard line.
Those goal-line targets certainly make Marshall an intriguing Best Ball target on Underdog Fantasy. He sees an intriguing mix of deep targets and goal-line work, giving him intriguing value in that format.
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While he only caught 44.4% of his targets last week, there was a lot to be enthused about for Marshall’s value. He saw a 25% target share and was given multiple opportunities to find the end zone. Marshall’s average depth of target in the game was 10.2. Yet, he was targeted a couple of times close to the goal line, which significantly reduced that number.
One element that does dampen the excitement around Marshall is that Walker is unlikely to throw the ball more than 30 times per game on a regular basis. In the previous two weeks, Walker had thrown just 38 total passes. If we see Walker sit closer to 25 passes per game, then a 25% target share would mean we’re looking at six or seven targets per game on average.
That would limit Marshall’s value somewhat, although the deep nature of his passes and the goal-line targets mean he still has an intriguing ceiling.
How Should Fantasy Managers Prioritize Marshall on the Week 9 Waiver Wire?
There are some intriguing names on the Week 9 waiver wire when it comes to the WR position, but where does Marshall sit among those options? The other top considerations this week are Rondale Moore, Garrett Wilson, Darnell Mooney, Ben Skowronek, and Van Jefferson.
Those options really break down into two different subsets, the top two receiving options on their respective offense and those that are further down the depth chart.
In his first game back, Jefferson split snaps in three WR sets with Skowronek, with both trailing behind Cooper Kupp and Allen Robinson II. Therefore, for Jefferson or Skowronek to be a regular starting option, they would likely need either Kupp or Robinson to miss time. That pushes them to the bottom of the priority list here.
Wilson is intriguing, having seen seven targets this past weekend. While he led receivers in opportunities, he was still behind TE Tyler Conklin, who finished with 10 targets. Wilson’s value is intriguing because when Corey Davis was healthy, Wilson had been the third WR option, behind Davis and Elijah Moore. However, with Davis hurt and Moore seemingly out of favor, Wilson has a shot to be the Jets’ WR1 for the upcoming weeks.
Mooney is clearly the Bears’ WR1, but the offense around him is a limiting factor. He leads the team in targets (44) but is averaging just 5.5 per game, which is less than ideal. The uncertainty over his usage on a week-to-week basis is a huge limiter on Mooney’s fantasy value.
Moore is intriguing because of the injury to Marquise Brown. The return of DeAndre Hopkins had the potential to bury Moore on the depth chart, but he played all but one offensive snap this week. However, Anderson’s arrival has the potential to see that playing time eaten into, with that being further destabilized by the potential of Brown returning in a few weeks’ time.
MORE: Week 9 Non-PPR Fantasy Football Rankings
Therefore, Marshall is in an intriguing position. In WR pickups this week, he looks to be behind Wilson, who appears to be the No. 1 WR right now, even if it’s not on a great offense. Mooney, Marshall, and Moore are an intriguing trio. Moore saw the most targets this week but is in the most crowded WR room. Mooney is the clear WR1 but on a very limited passing offense. Meanwhile, Marshall has the big play and goal-line ceiling to consider.
Personally, I’m prioritizing Marshall third, behind Wilson and Mooney. Those two have legitimate WR1 potential, while Marshall looks locked into being the WR2 behind DJ Moore for the time being.
Still, Marshall has less competition for targets in Carolina than Moore in Arizona, so he narrowly remains the option ahead of him. In PPR leagues, Moore sees a little short-term bump that shifts him ahead if you need help now.
However, if you play on ESPN, then Marshall might actually be the top option available right now. Both Mooney and Wilson are rostered in more than 70% of leagues, while Marshall is down at 0.7%.
In terms of FAAB, Marshall commands around a 5-7% bid in 12-team leagues. He’s still somewhat boom-bust, making it tough to know when to start him. Therefore, he’s not worth investing too heavily in.
There’s a good chance you won’t need to go too crazy. Marshall is a low-rostered asset who scored just 10.7 fantasy points this past week. That return is not likely to set fantasy managers flocking to the waiver wire.
Marshall is an intriguing non-PPR target for fantasy managers looking to bet on their weekly ceiling. In the region of six to nine targets per week is more than achievable for Marshall. The big question will be how many he catches, and can he find the end zone? Of course, that is a question for every receiver, but for a deep-threat, red-zone option like Marshall, it’s especially pertinent.