Week 9 Waiver Wire: Best pickups and targets for fantasy football include Carlos Hyde, DeVante Parker, and Pat Freiermuth

Following a topsy-turvy Week 8, it’s time to improve our rosters for Week 9 by using the waiver wire. Let’s take a look at the top waiver wire pickups to target for your fantasy football team. Please note that all roster percentages are from FleaFlicker.

Week 9 Waiver Wire Targets | Quarterbacks

Which players can help your roster in advance of Week 9? Let’s start at the quarterback position, where Tua Tagovailoa could be a strong Week 9 streamer.

Tua Tagovailoa, Miami Dolphins (68% rostered)

Tua is rostered in just 36% of Yahoo leagues. In Week 9, he gets the Houston Texans, who got lit up by the Rams on Sunday.

Tua is a viable streamer this week and worth 1-3% of your FAAB if you need a spot starter. With DeVante Parker back in the lineup, Tua has one more offensive weapon on hand to help him achieve fantasy success.

Taysom Hill, New Orleans Saints (19% rostered)

This one is highly speculative as Taysom Hill hasn’t played since Week 5 due to a concussion. Jameis Winston was carted off the field Sunday and it sounds like he’s done for the season.

I would imagine that a healthy Hill would start over Trevor Siemian. If you can afford to stash Hill, he’s got QB1 upside in the event he starts sometime soon. I would not spend more than a couple of bucks of FAAB, though.

Week 9 Waiver Wire Pickups | Running Backs

There’s not much on the Week 9 waiver wire at running back.

However, we give you a few reasons why you should consider Boston Scott, Jordan Howard, Carlos Hyde, Jaret Patterson, and Ameer Abdullah.

Boston Scott (23% rostered) & Jordan Howard (9% rostered), Philadelphia Eagles

Miles Sanders is set to miss at least two more weeks. In his absence, it was not Kenneth Gainwell but Boston Scott and Jordan Howard as the main guys in the Eagles’ backfield.

Scott and Howard had nearly identical rushing lines (12-60-2, 12-57-2). With neither part of the passing game, they’ll be touchdown-dependent options — but any starting RB is worth rostering. I would throw 10-15% of your FAAB on Scott and 5-10% on Howard if you need an RB.

Carlos Hyde, Jacksonville Jaguars (22% rostered)

James Robinson went down in the first half of the Jaguars’ loss to the Seahawks with a sprained ankle. It didn’t look overly serious, but Robinson was unable to return to the game. Carlos Hyde dominated snaps, carrying the ball 9 times and commanding 8 targets. He will be a volume-based starter if JRob has to miss any time.

I can’t give any FAAB recommendation without knowing the extent of Robinson’s injury. I would just say not to go nuts spending FAAB on a plodding RB3.

Ameer Abdullah, Carolina Panthers (2% rostered)

This is for deeper leagues only. Ameer Abdullah just signed with the Panthers a week ago, but he’s already being used.

Abdullah handled 8 carries while seeing 5 targets in the Panthers’ Week 8 win over the Falcons. He was used deliberately. Those in desperate need of a warm body at running back can throw a couple of bucks of FAAB on Abdullah.

Jaret Patterson, Washington Football Team (19% rostered)

Despite not being listed on the injury report for the first time in weeks, Antonio Gibson is clearly limited due to his shin injury. Jaret Patterson led the Football Team in carries and it feels like an inevitability that Gibson is shut down at some point.

Gibson played just 32% of the snaps. Even if J.D. McKissic continues to handle passing-down work, Patterson could see more snaps on early downs. Consequently, grab Patterson now for a small FAAB bid.

Week 9 Waiver Wire Pickups | Wide Receivers

Several wide receivers to target on the Week 9 fantasy football waiver wire include DeVante Parker, Elijah Moore, Jamison Crowder, Russell Gage, Tajae Sharpe, and Jamal Agnew.

Here’s how much FAAB you should consider spending on these pass catchers.

DeVante Parker, Miami Dolphins (64% rostered)

Surprisingly, DeVante Parker is rostered in just 36% of Yahoo leagues. Parker was targeted 11 times last week, catching 8 of them for 85 yards. He should be rostered everywhere.

With Will Fuller on injured reserve, Parker and Waddle figure to see most of Miami’s WR snaps going forward. If he’s available in your league, Parker is worth 10-20% of your FAAB as an every-week WR3.

Elijah Moore & Jamison Crowder, New York Jets (41% rostered)

The savior, Mike White, led the Jets to a win over the Bengals. He targeted Elijah Moore 6 times (6 catches for 67 yards) and Jamison Crowder 9 times (8 catches for 84 yards). With the Jets on a short week, it’s possible that Corey Davis misses another game.

Moore is rostered in just 16% of Yahoo leagues; Crowder is at 19%. Both are worth a 3-5% FAAB bid in the event you need a spot starter.

Russell Gage (39% rostered) & Tajae Sharpe (2% rostered), Atlanta Falcons

Calvin Ridley has stepped away from football indefinitely. I would not expect Ridley to play again this season. With Ridley gone, Matt Ryan has to throw to someone. On Sunday, Russell Gage and Tajae Sharpe led all Falcons wide receivers in snaps.

Sharpe saw 6 targets while Gage did not catch a pass. Regardless, both are worth speculative pickups as potential volume-based WR4s. You should be able to get either for minuscule FAAB bids.

Jamal Agnew, Jacksonville Jaguars (13% rostered)

Jamal Agnew was on this column two weeks ago as a sneaky stash. He was inefficient on his 12 targets, catching just 6 for 38 yards and a touchdown, but 12 targets are 12 targets.

With Trevor Lawrence either unwilling or unable to push the ball downfield, Agnew is there for the underneath targets. You could do worse for a bye week filler. He’s worth a small FAAB bid.

Week 9 Waiver Wire Targets | Tight Ends

Which tight ends should you pick up on the waiver wire in Week 9?

We give you two to consider — Pat Freiermuth and Dan Arnold.

Pat Freiermuth, Pittsburgh Steelers (36% rostered)

Pat Freiermuth caught 4 of 7 targets for 44 yards and a touchdown in Week 8. Hopefully, even when Eric Ebron returns, Freiermuth remains the primary tight end. He could be a modern version of Heath Miller for Ben Roethlisberger.

Given his status as a rookie second-round pick, Freiermuth can be both the present and the future for Pittsburgh. Rostered in just 10% of Yahoo leagues, he’s worth a 5-10% FAAB bid with the hope that he’s a TE1 the rest of the way.

Dan Arnold, Jacksonville Jaguars (25% rostered)

Whenever a tight end sees 10 targets, he’s worth picking up. Dan Arnold caught 8 of them for 68 yards. Since being traded from the Panthers to the Jaguars a few weeks ago, the veteran tight end has become a valuable part of Jacksonville’s offense.

Sure, a lot of Arnold’s Week 8 production came in garbage time (which was the majority of the game). But he can get fantasy managers through bye weeks or injuries. As a result, he’s worth a 3-5% FAAB bid.