We are now officially into Week 9 of the 2023 NFL season. Who should you be looking to spend significant FAAB on this week, and who should you be looking to let others in your league go after? Let’s break down the top waiver wire options this week and who you should be looking to add to help better your fantasy football roster.
Week 9 Fantasy FAAB Picks and Advice
Quarterbacks
Derek Carr, New Orleans Saints: Don’t look now, but Carr has actually finished as a top-15 QB for fantasy football in each of the past four weeks. He now has a golden matchup in front of him for Week 9 with the Chicago Bears. If you’re in a pinch at QB with all of the injuries and bye weeks, Carr’s the top option.
FAAB recommendation: 3%
Sam Howell, Washington Commanders: Howell has quietly been a productive fantasy QB this season. Unfortunately, his down weeks have coincided right at the point where people have begun to trust him and inserted him into their starting lineups, which leaves a sour taste in their mouths moving forward. In Week 9 against the New England Patriots, Howell is a fine streaming option.
FAAB recommendation: 3%
Gardner Minshew, Indianapolis Colts: Minshew doesn’t possess elite upside at the position for fantasy football, but he should see enough volume this week in a plus matchup against the Carolina Panthers to be a fine streaming play.
FAAB recommendation: 2%
The Best of the Rest: Daniel Jones (NYG), Baker Mayfield (TB), Will Levis (TEN), Bryce Young (CAR), Jimmy Garoppolo (LV): 1% FAAB bid recommendation.
Running Backs
Darrell Henderson, Los Angeles Rams: Another week, another recommendation to pick up Henderson in LA. He’s sharing this backfield with Royce Freeman, but he’s getting the job done for fantasy, and he has a plus matchup in Week 9 against the Green Bay Packers’ defense.
FAAB recommendation: 8% if you’re in need of a starting option for Week 9.
Emari Demercado, Arizona Cardinals: Demercado isn’t the flashiest player at the position, but he’s seeing a ridiculous amount of volume that has value for fantasy football. It’s a tough matchup against the Cleveland Browns in Week 9, but the volume puts him into Flex conversation.
FAAB recommendation: 5%
Tyjae Spears, Tennessee Titans: Spears is trending towards having some standalone value due to his opportunity increasing in this offense, but he also could be on the verge of being the Tennessee Titans’ RB1 if Derrick Henry gets traded before the 2023 NFL Trade Deadline. He’s worth adding now and stashing.
FAAB recommendation: 5%
Zach Charbonnet, Seattle Seahawks: Charbonnet saw more work this past week as starting RB Kenneth Walker was a bit banged up coming into their Week 8 matchup, but the UCLA product still is probably unlikely to see enough to provide standalone value moving forward. However, he possesses tremendous upside if Walker were to ever miss time with an injury.
FAAB recommendation: 5%
The Best of the Rest: Jeff Wilson Jr. (MIA), Devin Singletary (HOU), Ezekiel Elliott (NE), Jaleel McLaughlin (DEN): All below 5% FAAB recommendation.
Wide Receivers
Rashid Shaheed, New Orleans Saints: Shaheed is the definition of boom-or-bust, but he’s now seen 17 targets over the past three weeks, and he has a glorious schedule moving forward. Shaheed’s a solid pickup this week.
FAAB recommendation: 5%
MORE: PFN Consensus Rankings
Brandin Cooks, Dallas Cowboys: Don’t look now, but Cooks has finished as a top-24 WR the past two weeks. While he’s not doing it on exorbitant target volume, he’s getting the job done and deserves to be rostered. If something were to happen to WR1 CeeDee Lamb, Cooks would vault up the rankings.
FAAB recommendation: 5%
Jayden Reed, Green Bay Packers: Investing in the Green Bay offense right now isn’t for the faint of heart, but Reed seems to be one of QB Jordan Love’s favorite targets this season. This team could be playing in plenty of negative game scripts moving forward, and Reed could only see his opportunity grow as the season moves along.
FAAB recommendation: 5%
Demario Douglas, New England Patriots: The Patriots’ offense isn’t exactly lighting up the scoreboard, but it’s hard to argue with 13 targets and nine receptions from Douglas over the past two weeks. He’s showing plenty of juice and is now essentially the last man standing in this Patriots offense after the season-ending injury to WR Kendrick Bourne.
FAAB recommendation: 5%
Michael Wilson, Arizona Cardinals: Did you know that Wilson has finished with more than 50 receiving yards in five of his first eight NFL games? And that’s with Joshua Dobbs as his starting QB. Now, we could see Wilson as one of the leading target options from QB Kyler Murray here within the next couple of weeks. He’s absolutely worth picking up and stashing.
FAAB recommendation: 5%
The Best of the Rest: Khalil Shakir (BUF), Curtis Samuel (WAS), Josh Reynolds (DET), and Michael Gallup (DAL): All below 5% FAAB recommendation.
Tight Ends
Trey McBride, Arizona Cardinals: What an impressive performance from McBride in his first start of the year with starting TE Zach Ertz sidelined. He managed 14 targets, 10 receptions, 95 yards, and a touchdown against the Baltimore Ravens’ defense. Moving forward, McBride needs to be rostered everywhere. There’s a potential that he won’t hand the TE1 role back to Ertz in a few weeks.
FAAB recommendation: 8%
Taysom Hill, New Orleans Saints: If Hill is going to remain this involved in the Saints’ offense, he’s absolutely worth picking up and playing as a top-12 option moving forward. The knock on Hill from a fantasy standpoint for years has been his inconsistent usage over the course of an entire season. That may be changing in New Orleans this season.
FAAB recommendation: 5%
Logan Thomas, Washington Commanders: Aside from a dud performance in Week 6, Thomas has been solid and reliable for fantasy managers this season. If QB Sam Howell is going to continue to perform this well moving forward, Thomas deserves to be in starting lineups each and every week.
FAAB recommendation: 5%
The Best of the Rest: Michael Mayer (LV), Luke Musgrave (GB), Cade Otton (TB): All below 5% FAAB recommendation.
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