The quickest way to fall behind in a fantasy football league is to become complacent and rely on the team you drafted, neglecting the all-important waiver wire. As managers make numerous waiver claims for Week 9, hoping to strengthen their roster, should Arizona Cardinals wide receiver Rondale Moore be a priority addition off the waiver wire vs. Seattle?
Rondale Moore Puts Together His Best Game of the Season in Week 8
One of my favorite talents in his draft class, Moore has had an up-and-down start to his career. After posting the lowest aDOT in the league last year, Moore has begun to see a bit of a resurgence in 2022, thanks to Kliff Kingsbury‘s adjustments. Something I never thought I’d actually be saying.
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Moore has seen at least an 18% target share in three of his last four games and has continued to play on 85% or more of the snaps since Week 4. This past Sunday, he had his best day of the year.
MORE: Rondale Moore Amongst Fantasy Football Sleepers for Week 9
Moore moved into the slot after mainly playing out wide and caught seven passes for 92 yards and a touchdown. He also added 12 yards on the ground. While that doesn’t change things too much, it’s always a nice bonus.
Unfortunately, Moore will always be a player tied to volume as hyper-efficiency is not his thing in this offense due to his reduction in air yards compared to other players in the NFL. However, over the last four weeks, his 169 routes are tied for fifth-most amongst receivers.
Moore is unquestionably the No. 2 WR for this Cardinals offense. While his fantasy numbers haven’t been great, Moore has been usable. Since Week 4, he’s the WR32 overall and just 0.2 PPR points behind Brandin Cooks in points per game (11.0 PPR). Is this a sign of things to come with the season in its second half, thus making Moore a worthwhile waiver wire edition in Week 9?
Is Rondale Moore a Top Priority Off the Week 9 Waiver Wire?
Rostered in just 46.3% of leagues, Moore is likely one of the top three options off the waiver wire this week at worst. When we start getting to this time of year, the waiver wire options typically aren’t great because if a player is going to shine, they’d have likely done it by now.
With that said, I would have Moore right up there alongside guys like Darnell Mooney, Justin Fields, Wan’Dale Robinson, Tyler Allgeier, and even Garrett Wilson, who is available in 40% of leagues. Every one of these players would be an upgrade to most rosters.
It’s all going to come down to whether or not Kingsbury keeps Moore in the slot, which is where he should be. He’s had a couple of drops, but the explosiveness Moore brings to an offense when the ball is in his hands, especially in space, is a perfect fit, especially now that DeAndre Hopkins is back and dominating the targets and coverage.
The upcoming schedule isn’t great, but Moore is likely a WR3 or Flex candidate in PPR leagues moving forward. There will be inconsistencies in his game, but recording eight or more targets in three of his last four games is a positive sign for the future that Moore could become a more stable fantasy asset for your team as you make a playoff push.