Week 9 Waiver Wire

The fantasy football season is here and we are already dealing with multiple injuries and low owned players going off. We will help you throughout the season decide who to pick up and how much FAAB to bid on each player. The waiver wire is a big part of how you win your league, so don’t miss out on these players!

Kyren Williams, RB

Williams was activated off IR and designated to return last week, bringing his ownership all the way up to 45%. I would argue after what we saw last week, that number should be even higher. The Rams don’t want to use Henderson or Brown, so much so that they activated Ronnie Rivers, who proceeded to out touch both RBs. If Williams is ready to play this week, he should be in everyone’s starting lineups, even with the matchup against TB looming. He could be in line for a big role in this struggling Rams offense, especially given the fact that Kupp picked up an ankle injury that may see him limited in his abilities to contribute effectively in Week 9.

Week 8 Stats: DNP

FAAB Bid: $10-$18

Kenyan Drake, RB

If you’re a Gus Edwards owner, you probably hate to see this, but Drake stepped in after Gus hurt his hammy and had a fantastic showing. This Ravens backfield is a nightmare, trying to decide who to start each week, but if Edwards will miss the contest it should finally be whittled down to Drake and a possible emergency reactivation of Mike Davis. I like the odds of Drake contributing this week in a big way, given the injuries we’ve seen to the playmakers in the Baltimore offense.

Week 8 stats: 14.70 points (7 att 62 yards, 4 tgts 4 rec 5 yards, 1 Rec TD)

FAAB Bid: $7 – $13

Rondale Moore, WR

Finally! Week 8 gave us the breakout game Moore owners have been looking for/predicting all season. It’s odd that it didn’t come until DHop was back on the field with him, but we’ll take it nonetheless. While Robbie Anderson looks like an afterthought in the offense and the star RB James Conner is still dinged up, we should continue to see Moore involved heavily, and with his athleticism any time he touches the ball it can be a house call.

Week 8 stats: 19.90 points (8 tgts 7 rec 92 yards, 1 TD, 2 att 12 yards)

FAAB Bid: $6 – $11

Isaiah Likely, TE

Likely had the first breakout game of his young career this past week after Mark Andrews exited early with a shoulder injury. He adds that shoulder to a list of injuries that have nagged him this year, first a hip, then an ankle, now the shoulder.. and if he misses any time, Likely will be in line for a big role. Also worth noting, Bateman reaggravated his ankle in Week 8, and will miss multiple weeks, and Gus Edwards picked up a hamstring issue… so this offense is looking for playmakers. Likely looks like a WR playing TE, but blocks well for what I would call an undersized (strictly in terms of weight) TE, so the Ravens should find ways to use him. If Andrews can play in Week 9, I still love a Likely start, given that he can function on the end of the line or flexed into the slot, or even outside as a primary playmaker given his athletic abilities and the absence of other pass catchers at the moment for Baltimore and Lamar Jackson. He’s a guy I would bid up on this week if I were you.

Week 8 stats: 16.7 points (7 tgts 6 rec 77 yards 1 TD)

FAAB Bid: $5 – $9

Justin Fields, QB

We don’t often see QBs make their way onto this list, because the top 12 guys are usually pretty set before the beginning of the season, and then 2QB leagues pretty much every QB is owned anyways. But Fields is a guy right now who is making moves up the ladder and is worth adding now. 3 games in a row he has posted 20+ fantasy points, going for 26+ in the last 2. For a season where the QB12 is averaging barely over 15 points per game, this is massive difference in scoring. He also pulls Miami, Detroit, and Atlanta in his next 3 games, the Bears just added Chase Claypool to their receiving room, and the team looks like it is finally getting on track. All signs are pointing up for Fields at the moment.

Week 8 stats: 26.04 points (17-23 151 yds 2 TDs, 8 att 60 yds 1 TD)

FAAB Bid: $5 – $9

Joshua Palmer, WR

Mike Williams ankle injury is expected to keep him out for multiple weeks, Keenan Allen only logged one half of football before removing himself from the contest prior to their bye week, and Joshua Palmer is the next man up to catch balls from Herbert. This offense is a far cry from what we expected it to be coming into the season, but at some point someone has to catch passes, and if I were a betting man my money would be on Ekeler first, then Palmer second. DeAndre Carter continues to have a role in the offense while the top dogs are out, but if Allen comes back in full capacity after the bye, I would expect to see Carter’s role shrink while Palmer keeps his Mike-Williams-Light role intact.

Week 8 stats: Bye Week

FAAB Bid: $3 – $9

Romeo Doubs, WR

Doubs’ ownership skyrocketed after the news that Lazard would miss the contest came out, and then we saw Christian Watson pick up an injury on the opening drive that would force him out of the game for good. And Doubs took that chance and capitalized. Now most of his damage was done through the air on one big catch, but a hell of catch it was. If that can begin to build some rapport between him and Rodgers, maybe we can finally see the Green Bay offense find a groove.

Week 8 stats: 14.20 points (7 tgt 4 rec 62 yds 1 TD)

FAAB Bid: $4 – $8

Andy Dalton, QB

If you told me at the beginning of the season that I’d be suggesting pickup Andy Dalton, I would say you haven’t been paying attention or I would assume that Jameis Winston and Taysom Hill had fled the country for stealing too many crab wings and vulturing too many Kamara TDs. Instead, Winston and Hill are both healthy, but Dalton has just been playing great football and giving the team a chance to win, even as Michael Thomas and Jarvis Landry haven’t played in weeks. Dalton has matchups with Baltimore and Pitt coming up, two games he should continue to hover around that 20-25 point mark, and if he can get either of his veteran pass catchers back, I would like the situation even more.

Week 8 stats: 17.16 (22-30 229 yds 2 TDs, but they let off the gas when smoking the Raiders)

FAAB Bid: $4 – $7

Terrace Marshall, WR

Marshall is looking to prove the doubters wrong, after a miserable rookie year and a slow start to this season, over the last couple games he has seen his snap share increase to 80%+ in consecutive weeks and he has been involved in the passing game led by PJ Walker. He’s made a few nice grabs, but also has a couple drops that have cost him some points. However with the resurgence of DJ Moore and the rejuvenation of the Panthers offense as a whole, Marshall is a sneaky little stash that could pay dividends if you can get him on the cheap right now. He’s got Cincy, Atlanta, and Baltimore coming up on the schedule, 3 games in which he should find space to operate.

Week 8 stats: 9.3 (9 tgt 4 rec 87 yds)

FAAB Bid: $3 – $5

Damiere Byrd, WR

I’ll be the first to admit this is not the sexiest pick on this list, but you can’t afford to ignore back to back 14+ point games from Byrd. If he is going to keep staying in sync with Mariota while the other pass catching options look lost, then he should continue to contribute. He’s a freak athlete and just put up 60+ yards and a score against a great Panther defense, so I would be interested to see what he can do this week against the Chargers, whose pass defense is at best middle of the pack.

Week 8 stats: 14.20 points (6 tgt 3 rec 67 yards 1 TD)

FAAB Bid: $2 – $5