Fantasy Football Week 9 Waiver Wire Pickups Running Backs and Wide Receivers: Leonard Fournette, Tyjae Spears, Rashid Shaheed, Jaxon Smith-Njigba and More
We finished our seventh football Sunday, and now it's time to hit the waiver wire. With Week 8 nearly over, we are really starting to see things take shape around the league. Here, we are going to focus on the best running backs and wide receivers that may be available in your league.
Week 9 Waiver Wire Pickups
Running Backs
Tyjae Spears, Tennessee Titans
Spears has proven that he holds value on his own, especially in PPR leagues. When the Titans are trailing they often turn to their change-of-pace back. While he is just a change-of-pace back for now, he has flashed enough to show a potential upside was he given a chance to be the top guy. That's not going to happen as long as Derrick Henry is there, however, there is a legitimate chance that Hanry is traded at some point on Tuesday after your waivers clear. If Spears is available he's more than worth a speculative add and isn't useless if Henry does end up staying in Tennessee.
Emari Demercado, Arizona Cardinals
This is two weeks in a row that Demercado has shown that he is clearly the top running back while James Conner is sidelined. In Week 8, he saw 20 carries and took them for 78 yards while adding one reception. No other running back handled more than two carries and all three of them combined for four carries. His one reception was also tied for the team-high by a running back. We don't know exactly how long Conner will be out, but Demercado has a ton of value as long as he is. He should be a top priority on the wire this week if you need a running back to plug in.
Royce Freeman, Los Angeles Rams
Darrell Henderson once again led the team in carries and Freeman once again outperformed him on the ground. This week, Freeman was a significantly better runner. Henderson rushed 12 times for 31 yards at a putrid 2.6 yards per carry. Freeman ran the ball nine times for 44 yards at 4.9 yards per carry and a touchdown. We expect the touches to shift from Henderson to Freeman. There is a reason Henderson was let go by the Rams and didn't have a job until a week ago and we are all seeing that reason each week. Freeman is the back to own in LA.
Leonard Fournette, Buffalo Bills
Lenny has finally found a job and he landed in Buffalo. We don't have high expectations for Fournette with the Bills, but that doesn't mean he's not worth kicking the tires on. Odds are he's little more than a depth piece, nevertheless, he is a proven commodity. What has given him so much value is the fact that he thrives in the two most valuable roles a running back can have. He's great as a pass-catcher and in short-yardage situations. We just watched Latavius Murray struggle to get the job done on Thursday Night Football and Lenny could be coming for his job. Will he be a depth piece? Probably. Could he become a significant fantasy asset on a high-powered offense? Yes, he could.
Wide Receivers
Rashid Shaheed, New Orleans Saints
We have been telling you since the preseason to draft Shaheed and now he seems to be a weekly fixture in the waiver wire article. If he is still on your wire and you aren't in an eight-team league then what are you doing? There isn't a player on the wire that has more upside than Shaheed. He's a big-play machine and is coming off another monster game. In Week 8, he caught three passes for 153 yards and a TD. That's 51 yards per reception with his longest reception being 58 yards. His three catches went for 58, 51 and 44 yards. That's who he is and he's an electric playmaker.
Jayden Reed, Green Bay Packers
Romeo Doubs was hot early but has taken a huge step back the past few weeks since Christian Watson has gotten healthy. This is a very young WR corps and they are jockeying for position in the passing attack. This week, second-round rookie Jayden Reed was the top guy, catching four passes for 83 yards on six targets. Any one of the top three wideouts on this offense could separate themselves from the pack and become a valuable asset down the stretch and through the fantasy playoffs. Reed is the guy who is most available and is coming off the hot week.
Jaxon Smith-Njigba, Seattle Seahawks
JSN is finally emerging and becoming what we thought he would be when the Seahawks drafted him. He has caught a TD in each of the past two games and in his last three games have been his three highest yardage totals. While he's not yet anywhere near where we think he will eventually get to, it's good to see him taking a step in that direction each week. As long as DK Metcalf and Tyler Lockett are healthy, JSN is going to be the third option for the rest of this season. With that said, he has the talent to have big blowup games and if one of them were to get injured, JSN could be a league winner.
