Week 9 Trending Waiver Wire Pickups & Projections:Â Three Defenses To Stream!
We are almost midway through the season after the Cincinnati Bengals were completely shut down by the Cleveland Browns on Monday Night Football. Week 8 was chalk-full of surprises such as the blockbuster trade that sent Christian McCaffrey to the San Francisco 49ers, Tony Pollard’s breakout performance in the wake of Ezekiel Elliott’s absence, a monster performance from last week’s waiver wire darling, D’Onta Foreman, and so much more!
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Unfortunately for fantasy owners, Week 9 is another tough one when it comes to bye weeks. Several high-powered offenses will not be suiting up this week. The San Francisco 49ers, Dallas Cowboys, Cleveland Browns, Denver Broncos, New York Giants, and Pittsburgh Steelers are all on bye weeks. This is perhaps the most difficult week fantasy managers have had to deal with thus far this season. That’s why the waiver wire is so critical. You aren’t going to find a replacement of Christian McCaffrey’s caliber but if you are a Daniel Jones owner, you could easily find a quarterback to stream for one week. Overall though, this week is the week to stream defenses due to all the bye weeks. Three different defenses are being added at a dramatic rate heading into Week 9 but none moreso than the Minnesota Vikings.
Check out all the noteworthy players on the six teams on byes in Week 9.
Cleveland Browns
- RB Nick Chubb
- WR Amari Cooper
- RB Kareem Hunt
Dallas Cowboys
- WR CeeDee Lamb
- RB Ezekiel Elliot
- RB Tony Pollard
- QB Dak Prescott
Denver Broncos
- WR Jerry Jeudy
- WR Courtland Sutton
- QB Russell Wilson
New York Giants
- RB Saquon Barkley
- QB Daniel Jones
- WR Darius Slayton
- WR Wan'Dale Robinson
Pittsburgh Steelers
- RB Najee Harris
- QB Kenny Pickett
- WR George Pickens
- WR Diontae Johnson
San Francisco 49ers
- WR Deebo Samuel
- RB Christian McCaffrey
- TE George Kittle
- WR Brandon Aiyuk
With six really good teams on byes in Week 9, it will be important to pinpoint a few options on the waiver wire in case you need a new starter or two.
It seems that every single season, this is the time when a few players emerge as league-winning contributors. As we gear up for Week 9, it is time to make those pivotal waiver wire claims and FAAB bids. So lets arm ourselves with FantasySP’s unique Predictive Analytics. Keep reading here to access our Predictive Analytics or log into your account, and utilize the Fantasy Assistant. From there, you can see the predictive adds, drops, trades, and FAAB.
Predictive Analytics in a nutshell is a game-changer for fantasy players. No one else in the industry offers these types of insights. You will now be able to analyze the most important fantasy metrics of the current week BEFORE waivers are processed.
Find out the Expected Waiver Interest (EWI) of each player, as well as how much of your FAAB budget it would take to get “your guy” in the average league. You will now have unique insights into which players fantasy owners are giving up on and which players fantasy owners are fighting for in the current week.
And don’t forget that last week, D’Onta Foreman was at the top of our list in terms of priority. For those of you who listened, Foreman delivered with his second 118-yard performance in two weeks but this time found the end zone a whopping three times! After breaking 100 yards two weeks in a row, Foreman seems like the real deal and he won’t be available on the waive wire. Let’s see if we can find the Foreman of this week!
Looking At Week 9 Fantasy Football Predictive Adds:
[predict="add-2022-9"]
Minnesota Vikings DEF/ST
Fantasy owners are adding the Vikings’ defense more than any skill player or any other defense heading into Week 9. There are a few reasons for this. Minnesota had been very solid defensively this season. In their last two games (which were in between a bye week), Minnesota forced a combined six turnovers (four interceptions and two fumble recovories) and sacked the quarterback a whopping 10 times. And that was against the Miami Dolphins and Arizona Cardinals, two offenses with several game-changing playmakers and quarterbacks who can scramble outside of the pocket. The Vikings get a much juicer matchup in Week 9 against the Washington Commanders. Minnesota will find a way to halt Washington’s win streak. Washington lost veteran quarterback Carson Wentz and Taylor Heinicke will be under center. The Commanders may have momentum on their side but Minnesota’s defense really knows how to get after the quarterback. Heinicke could be in trouble this week, especially given the lack of weapons around him. Savvy fantasy owners are making the right decision by prioritizing the Vikings’ defense at the top of their waiver claims given the weak talent pool available at the skill positions. Add Minnesota with confidence.
Cincinnati Bengals DEF/ST
Clearly this isn’t a big waiver wire week if two defenses are at the top of the list but with so many teams on byes, fantasy owners need to find replacements for the holes on their starting lineups. The Bengals are not coming off an impressive performance. Without Ja’Marr Chase out there, Cincinnati had no identity on offense and they were absolutely manhandled by Cleveland’s running game. Yes, they forced two turnovers (one interceptions and one fumble) but that was against Jacoby Brissett. So fantasy owners aren’t adding the Bengals’ defense because it’s that stellar but instead, they are playing the matchups. Cincinnati faces the dreadful Carolina Panthers in Week 9. Although the Panthers played great last week against the Falcons, I wouldn’t anticipate another three-touchdown performance from D’Onta Foreman. That said, I wouldn’t spend a chunk of my FAAB budget on a Bengals defensive unit that was lit up by the Browns.
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WR Rondale Moore, Arizona Cardinals
Moore was poised to break out when Marquise Brown went down with a significant injury. In a way, he sort of did, catching 13 balls for over 100 yards in Week 5 and Week 6. All he was missing was a touchdown. But Moore took a significant step back in Week 7 when DeAndre Hopkins returned from serving his six-game suspension for violating the league’s PED policy. Instead of seeing eight or nine targets, Moore only saw two targets in Week 7. But it was a completely different story in Week 8. Not only did the second-year wideout find the end zone but he also hauled in seven-of-eight targets for 92 yards and the aforementioned touchdown. With Brown sidelined for perhaps the entire season and defenses spending so much time trying to defend Hopkins, Moore could be a solid WR3 in PPR formats. If you have roster space, don’t hesitate on this move.
[projection="Rondale Moore"]
Kansas City Chiefs DEF/ST
The Chiefs have to be feeling pretty good about themselves right now. They might not have the record they were hoping for but they are coming off perhaps their most impressive victory this season in Christian McCaffrey’s debut with the 49ers. Kansas City forced three turnovers (including one interception in the end zone) and recorded five sacks in the win. Then the Chiefs got that Week 8 bye to rest up some of their defenders with multiple injuries. Now, Kansas City is gearing up for a Week 9 date with the Tennessee Titans. Tennesee employs a run-heavy philosophy and if the Chiefs can take away Derrick Henry’s effectiveness, they will capitalize on at least one mistake from either Ryan Tannehill or Malik Willis. The Chiefs are definitely a sneaky streaming option at the defensive position in Week 9.
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TE Tyler Conklin, New York Jets
Conklin was being added by all the tight-end-needy teams early on in the season. In the first three games of the season when the Jets were playing from behind, Conklin averaged eight targets per game. Sadly, Conklin was useless from Week 5 to Week 7 but he finally bounced back once the Jets went down by two possessions. Yet again, when the Jets are playing catch up, Conklin is one of the main beneficiaries. In Week 8, the big tight end saw a season-high 10 targets. He hauled in six balls for 79 yards and two touchdowns. That’s better than Mark Andrews’ last two games combined! In Week 9, the Jets must face a stout defense in the Buffalo Bills but game flow should give Conklin an advantage as the Jets will likely be playing from behind against arguably the best team in football.
[lastten="Tyler Conklin"]
RB Caleb Huntley, Atlanta Falcons
With Cordarelle Patterson still on Injured Reserve, the Falcons continue to operate as a run-first offense with Marcus Mariota under center. With Patterson sidelined, Tyler Allgeier has been the starter but Huntley has seen plenty of touches. Although both struggled to find the end zone early this season, Allgeier has scored in back to back outings. However, Huntley saw more rushing attempts than Allgeir last week and was much more effective (5.7 YPC to 2.8 YPC). Over the course of the entire season, Huntley averages almost a full yard more than Allgieier per game. Not only do the stats point to Huntley over Allgieier but so does the eye test. Atlanta has a Week 9 date with a Los Angeles Chargers defense that allows the second-most fantasy points per game to opposing running backs. Since the Chargers allow 125+ yards per game to running backs, Huntley could split carries with Allgieier and still have a solid day. If you were ever going to add and start Huntley, now is the time to do it.
WR Terrace Marshall Jr., Carolina Panthers
It’s difficult to suggest anyone on the Carolina Panthers not named D’Onta Foreman or DJ Moore. However, this offense looked like a completely new franchise in their Week 8 shootout with the Atlanta Falcons. Foreman steamrolled defenders on his way to 100+ yards and three touchdowns. Moore went bonkers, hauling in six of 11 targets for 150+ receiving yards and a touchdown. And PJ Walker took care of the football. With everything working on Sunday, Terrace Marshall Jr. joined the party by producing a season-high 87 scoreless yards on four receptions. Although Carolina had so much success last week, it’s worth noting that Atlanta’s defense allows the most fantasy points per game to opposing wide receivers so Week 9 might not be as fruitful for Marshall owners. That said, with Robbie Anderson now in Arizona, more targets have opened up for Marshall. Although Carolina has a tough matchup against a good Bengals secondary in Week 9, they get to play against the Falcons again in Week 10. Marshall is definitely worthy of a speculative addition to your roster. Just don’t spend more than 5% of your budget.
QB Taylor Heinicke, Washington Commanders
Heinicke is proving that he has the potential to be a starting quarterback in this league. When all hope seemed lost for the Commanders, Heinicke replaced the injured Carson Wentz and has Washington rolling on a three-game winning streak heading into a Week 9 date with the Minnesota Vikings. Minnesota allows the ninth-most fantasy points per game to opposing quarterbacks and Heinicke is capable of putting up points with both his big arm and his speedy legs. I wouldn’t break my bankroll for the quarterback but if you are in a SuperFlex league and need a QB2, Heinicke could be your guy.
RB Kyren Williams, Los Angeles Rams
The Rams have had one of the worst running games in the league this season. Cam Akers has been a total bust and Darrell Henderson is the definition of average. Williams will be activated within the next week or two and there is a good chance that he will become the RB1 for a depleted Los Angeles backfield. He was a dangerous threat at Notre Dame and the Rams really liked him in training camp. Scoop him up before his price increases tenfold.
And that’s a wrap. Thanks for checking out our Week 9 Predictive Adds! Head back next week to see who fantasy owners are flocking towards ahead of Week 10!
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