We are entering into the final stretch of the fantasy football season, and whatever the shape of your team, getting your Week 9 waiver wire targets right is extremely important. Even if your playoff position is virtually assured, you still need to be looking out for valuable waiver wire pickups over these last few weeks of the regular season. Sitting back and letting the rest of the league improve around you by collecting all the best waiver wire targets could be a downfall to your roster when you reach the playoffs. Let’s take a look at who are the top potential waiver wire pickups in Week 9 of the 2020 NFL season.
Waiver Wire Targets Week 9: Quarterbacks
Derek Carr, Oakland Raiders (at Los Angeles Chargers)
Mother nature did not cooperate with Carr last week in Cleveland, but Week 9 presents a nice bounce-back game against a Los Angeles Chargers defense that is giving up the third-most fantasy points on average to opposing quarterbacks. Carr thrives against zone coverage, which the Chargers play a lot of the time.
Drew Lock, Denver Broncos (at Atlanta Falcons)
Lock has yet to really put together an incredible stretch of play so far this season, but this week he has a juicy matchup against a Falcons secondary that is giving up a lot of passing yards to opposing quarterbacks. If we look at Pro Football Network’s Defensive Points Allowed Consistency score, we can see that the Falcons allow the most fantasy points on average to opposing QBs and have the third-highest consistency score for the position.
Related | Fantasy QB Rankings Week 9: Sleepers, must-starts, potential busts
Lock should take a number of shots downfield with Jerry Jeudy and is expected to get Tim Patrick back in his arsenal. Another week further in his rehabilitation with more of his weapons back on the field can only be a good thing for Lock.
Other quarterbacks to consider adding in Week 9:
- Kirk Cousins, Minnesota Vikings (vs. Detroit Lions)
- Nick Mullens, San Francisco 49ers (vs. Green Bay Packers)
- Jake Luton, Jacksonville Jaguars (vs. Houston Texans)
- Joe Flacco, New York Jets (vs. New England Patriots)
Waiver Wire Targets Week 9: Running Backs
JaMycal Hasty, San Francisco 49ers (vs. Green Bay Packers)
Hasty received a lot of buzz heading into last week and ended up with more touches than Jerrick McKinnon. With Tevin Coleman re-injuring his knee, and the 49ers facing a short work week ahead, that should favor Hasty seeing the majority of touches once again. That opportunity will come against a Packers rush defense that allowed Dalvin Cook to have a career day on Sunday.
Damien Harris, New England Patriots (at New York Jets)
I loved Harris pre-season and have been waiting for his time to shine. His volume the past two weeks is reason alone to add him to your roster, and a favorable matchup against the Jets rush defense in Week 9 is another.
Related | Fantasy RB Rankings Week 9: Sleepers, must-starts, potential busts
He just impressed against a Buffalo Bills team, which places in the top-three in the league when it comes D-PAC, and now he gets a matchup against the team with the fifth-highest score. All signs point to Week 9 being another strong week for Harris, making him an ideal waiver wire target. With Harris seeming to now have a grip on the running back role for the Patriots, he should be near the top of your Week 9 waiver wire pickups, as not many other targets will have the same floor that Harris could offer going forward.
Other running backs to consider adding in Week 9:
- Zack Moss, Buffalo Bills (vs. Seattle Seahawks)
- Gus Edwards & J.K. Dobbins, Baltimore Ravens (at Indianapolis Colts)
- DeeJay Dallas, Seattle Seahawks (at Buffalo Bills)
- Cam Akers, Los Angeles Rams (Bye)
- Nyheim Hines, Indianapolis Colts (vs. Baltimore Ravens)
- Tyler Ervin, Green Bay Packers (at San Francisco 49ers)
Waiver Wire Targets Week 9: Wide Receivers
Tim Patrick, Denver Broncos (at Atlanta Falcons)
Patrick is expected back this week for the Broncos, and stepping right onto the field in a juicy matchup against the Falcons secondary makes him one of a number of potentially valuable pickups on the waiver wire this week. Prior to Patrick’s injury, he was clearly Drew Lock’s favorite target, with 15 targets combined in Weeks 4 & 6. The Patrick-Lock combination is one I will be looking to stack on a few DFS rosters this week.
Related | Fantasy WR Rankings Week 9: Sleepers, must-starts, potential busts
When it comes to immediate opportunities, this week sees Patrick facing off against a secondary which ranks inside the top 10 in D-PAC and among the top five teams in the league in fantasy points allowed to the position. In the dome in Atlanta, this game has the potential to be high scoring, and we should see plenty of fantasy value generated.
Mike Williams, Los Angeles Chargers (vs. Las Vegas Raiders)
It is a surprise to me that Williams is available in over 50% of most leagues! The Chargers offense with Justin Herbert at the helm is a totally different animal, and Williams is an important part of the fun and exciting Chargers scheme.
Corey Davis, Tennessee Titans (vs. Chicago Bears)
Davis is finally receiving the volume he deserves, with 20 targets in the past two weeks. A.J. Brown is the top dog in that Titans passing game, but Davis is a nice secondary option. With Adam Humphries dealing with a concussion, Davis should be an add this week if you are in need of WR help.
Other wide receivers to consider adding in Week 9:
- Marvin Jones, Detroit Lions (at Minnesota Vikings)
- Jakobi Meyers, New England Patriots (at New York Jets)
- Kendrick Bourne, San Francisco 49ers (vs. Green Bay Packers)
- Jalen Reagor, Philadelphia Eagles (Bye)
- Allen Lazard, Green Bay Packers (at San Francisco 49ers)
- Darnell Mooney, Chicago Bears (at Tennessee Titans)
- Michael Pittman, Indianapolis Colts (vs. Baltimore Ravens)
Waiver Wire Targets Week 9: Tight Ends
Robert Tonyan, Green Bay Packers (at San Francisco 49ers)
It doesn’t look like the Packers are going to add more wide receiver help for Aaron Rodgers by the trade deadline, which means Tonyan will continue to be on Rodgers’ radar, especially in the red zone. Since Week 3, Tonyan has had 24 targets and three games with 50 yards receiving or more.
Jordan Reed, San Francisco 49ers (vs. Green Bay Packers)
With the news that George Kittle will be on the shelf for an extended period of time, the tight end position for the San Francisco 49ers becomes a valuable place to consider among your other potential pickups on the waiver wire in Week 9. The good news is that Jordan Reed is expected to back on the field for the first time since Week 3. When given the opportunity earlier in the season, Reed did a super job for fantasy owners filling in for Kittle, averaging seven targets per game with two touchdowns in the games he played without the 49ers top tight end on the field.
Other tight ends to consider adding in Week 9:
Eric Ebron, Pittsburgh Steelers (at Dallas Cowboys)
Logan Thomas, Washington Football Team (vs. New York Giants)
Dallas Goedert, Philadelphia Eagles (Bye)
Week 9 Targets: Defense
Arizona Cardinals (vs. Dolphins)
Tua Tagovailoa was unimpressive last week against the Rams. It is evident he is a work in progress. Meanwhile, the Cardinals pass defense ranks in the top 10 and could force some turnovers.
When do waivers clear in Week 9 — when can I add and drop?
Let’s quickly review when waiver wires clear and how the process works. You may put in claims on players that are currently free agents, but you will not officially add any players until the waiver process concludes in the early hours of Wednesday morning (in most leagues).
For most leagues, if multiple people put in a waiver claim for the same player, the fantasy manager with the worst record will be awarded the player. In some leagues, waivers are decided by free agency money allotted to each fantasy manager, and thus you must be careful how much and how early you are spending those dollars.
Any dropped player must be on waivers for 24 hours, and at that point, the waiver wire order will decide who is awarded the target, or if no one bid on the player, the player becomes an “undisputed” free agent.
Always check your league settings to understand all of your unique waiver wire details.
Anita Marks is Fantasy Analyst at Pro Football Network. Marks is also a gambling analyst for ESPN and appears on Daily Wager, which airs from 6-7 PM ET on ESPN 2. Her radio show – Weekend Wager – airs on ESPN New York (98.7) FM every Friday at 10 PM ET. Follow her on Twitter: @AnitaMarks.