Fantasy Football Week 9 FAAB Advice: Tyrone Tracy Jr., Jameis Winston, Isaac Guerendo, T.J. Hockenson and More

The NFL season is 44.4% over in terms of regular season weeks. Most fantasy leagues will start their playoffs in Week 15 and finish in Week 17, meaning we are 57% of the way through the fantasy regular season and 47% done overall. Time goes fast.

In the land of free agent auction bidding (FAAB), that means time is running out to spend your money. It’s like when you have a coupon to a restaurant that is close to expiring: You make a plan to go to that place. If your FAAB budget is burning a hole in your pocket, you might have to make a plan to spend that dough.

I recently looked at ways to proceed over the rest of the season depending on your budget and team’s status in the standings. Things change week to week, and a nice fat stack of (fake) cash might be drained quickly if you lose a major player or a few weekly contributors.

Let’s run through some of the hot waiver wire names heading into Week 9 and what reasonable bids might look like. Everyone’s situation is different, so you might have to lean a little higher or lower in these estimates depending on your remaining budget and needs.

I used defensive stats from NFL and our FantasySP defensive fantasy rankings and will reference those numbers often.

Quarterback

Bo Nix, Denver Broncos

Holy Nix! The rookie set his career highs against the Panthers on Sunday in completions (28), completion percentage (75.7%), yards (284), yards per attempt (7.7), and touchdowns (three). He didn’t throw an interception and ran for a touchdown.

It was a great performance, but it comes with the caveat that it was against the Panthers. Carolina has allowed the fifth-most yards per pass attempt and fourth-most fantasy points per game to quarterbacks. They rank as the second-worst defense by DVOA.

(The Panthers are fourth worst by offensive DVOA, ninth worst on special teams, and the bottom ranked team overall; there’s not much hope in Carolina.)

The good news for Nix is that he has another fantastic matchup against the Ravens in Week 9. Baltimore has allowed the most passing yards, most passing touchdowns (17, tied with Jacksonville and Carolina), and the third-most yards per pass attempt. The Ravens have also given up the third-most fantasy points per game to quarterbacks.

Nix will be a good streamer in Week 9, but he can’t be counted on for regular production. Tougher matchups will remind us of the struggles he has had as a rookie.

Conservative Bid: $0-1

Aggressive Bid: $2

Desperation Bid: $3

Jameis Winston, Cleveland Browns

Speaking of those Ravens, Winston just burst into the Cleveland starting lineup and led an upset victory over the Super Bowl hopefuls. Winston was 27-41 for 334 yards (8.1 per attempt) with three touchdowns and no interceptions.

There will be plenty of debate about Winston being the answer and how the team should have turned to him long before Watson ever got injured. While that may be true, Winston’s numbers were inflated by one of the best matchups for which a quarterback can hope.

I listed Baltimore’s numbers in the previous section; it’s ugly. Winston has a much tougher matchup in Week 9 against the Chargers. LA has allowed the ninth-least yards per pass attempt and ninth-fewest fantasy points per game to QBs.

The Chargers held Kyler Murray to 145 yards two weeks ago, and while the New Orleans duo of Spencer Rattler and Jake Haener combined for 278 yards last week, it took more than 40 attempts to get there, and the Saints were held without a touchdown.

Winston will ebb and flow with his matchups. This week against the Chargers is one where he should be skipped.

Conservative Bid: $0

Aggressive Bid: $1

Desperation Bid: $2

Running Back

Dalvin Cook, Dallas Cowboys

Dallas’ top running back, Rico Dowdle, missed Sunday night’s game because of illness, leaving Cook and Ezekiel Elliott in charge of the backfield; it was 2019 all over again. Elliott ran 10 times for 34 yards and a touchdown, while Cook turned six attempts into just 12 yards.

Each back caught one pass, not doing much damage in that department either. Neither veteran back is likely to be a fantasy factor any week. Dowdle will lead the backfield, but the Cowboys’ league-worst rushing game might lead to Cook getting a chance.

It’s unlikely, but there’s a little value in stashing Cook on your bench if you have an open spot (or two). This is a lottery ticket that’s likely to bust; the upside is a starting running back in a supposedly good offense.

Conservative Bid: $0

Aggressive Bid: $1

Desperation Bid: $2

Isaac Guerendo, San Francisco 49ers

Guerendo got his shot at one of the most valuable fantasy slots in football: San Francisco’s RB1. Jordan Mason left early in the game with a shoulder injury, and Guerendo took 14 carries for 85 yards (6.1 per carry) and a touchdown. He also caught three passes for 17 yards.

Guerendo could have had a second touchdown near the end of the game but went down in bounds to allow the 49ers to kneel out the clock, the second time he has done that this season. The rookie fourth-round pick looks like he belongs.

The only problem is opportunity. If Chirstian McCaffrey ever returns, he will take 99% of the workload. It’s unknown how serious Mason’s injury is, and he could return to the starting lineup next week.

Guerendo is a high-upside player with a floor at 0.0. He’s worth a few bucks if you’re super desperate or if you have room on your bench to stash him in case he keeps his role.

Conservative Bid: $0-1

Aggressive Bid: $2-4

Desperation Bid: $6

Tyrone Tracy Jr., New York Giants

A late addition here after Monday night's explosion, this is the major splash you may have been waiting for. I was in on the idea that Tracy would split the work with Devin Singletary and eventually take over as the lead back in New York; Tracy had 20 carries versus just two for Singletary, racking up 145 yards and a touchdown.

Tracy is in concussion protocol after suffering the injury late in Week 8. When he comes back (maybe as soon as this week), I can't imagine the Giants turning back to Singletary as the lead guy. Tracy is younger, cheaper, and has been producing better.

This might be an opportunity to spend your whole budget. A lot depends on your team: If you're set at running back and will see Tracy more in the flex rotation, it might not be worth handicapping your budget for the rest of the season. If you need that impact back, though, or just have a bunch of money left and want to spend it, Tracy is the fantasy football pickup we all dream about.

Conservative Bid: $6-11

Aggressive Bid: $21-51

Desperation Bid: Your entire budget

Wide Receiver

Cedric Tillman, Cleveland Browns

Elijah Moore, Cleveland Browns

Cleveland can officially play offense! All it took was Watson exiting the lineup, and the Browns looked like an honest-to-goodness NFL team. We talked about Winston’s performance above, and these two were the main beneficiaries:

• Tillman: 7 receptions, 99 yards, 2 touchdowns
• Moore: 8 receptions, 85 yards
• Jerry Jeudy: 5 receptions, 79 yards

Jeudy could be listed here too; he’s owned in half of leagues. The other two are available in almost every league, though, and a little more exciting (at least Tillman).

These guys won’t continue at this level. The matchup was about as sweet as could be, and the whole passing game took advantage. These players will be matchup-dependent and have a volatile quarterback: remember when Winston threw 30 touchdowns and 30 interceptions in the same season?

Moore has a higher floor as a slot guy who will catch more short passes on a regular basis. Tillman is the higher upside guy who can explode like he did in Week 8. Tillman also had eight catches for 81 yards in Week 7 in another good matchup against Cincinnati; he’s shown his high ceiling.

Add the guy who fits best on your team. Moore might be a little better in PPR leagues and Tillman in standard. Jeudy can be valued at about the same level as these guys.

Conservative Bid: $2-3

Aggressive Bid: $6

Desperation Bid: $8-11

Ricky Pearsall, San Francisco 49ers

Pearsall met all the parameters of a potential breakout simply by having a role in one of the best passing games in football. His four catches for 38 yards weren’t breathtaking, but he added a rush attempt for 39 yards, putting him in double digits in PPR.

Brandon Aiyuk is out for the season, and Deebo Samuel Sr. has dealt with a few different ailments, including a trip to the hospital with pneumonia. Jauan Jennings has missed the past few games, so Pearsall’s return in Week 7 came just when the team needed it most.

He won’t be a consistent high-level player, but there’s always the chance of a big game in San Francisco’s offense. Touchdowns usually come at a higher rate for the 49ers, an added benefit to all their players.

Pearsall is a WR3/4/flex player to consider each week. He will probably have a few games when he is among the top 20 receivers and others when he is anonymous. There are much worse options than a guy who will be involved in this attack, though.

Conservative Bid: $0-1

Aggressive Bid: $2-4

Desperation Bid: $6

Tight End

Taysom Hill, New Orleans Saints

Hill returned from missing a few games: He threw a pass, ran four times, and caught two passes. That’s the appeal in Hill as a fantasy option, is that he will be involved in so many ways to potentially rack up stats and maybe get into the end zone.

I’ve operated with something of a “Taysom Hill Line.” The idea is that somewhere in the hierarchy of tight ends on any given week there is a point where guys stop being “good” fantasy options and are just filling out starting lineups.

Say in a certain week there are four no-question starters and three guys with good matchups. After those seven, it’s a toss up as to who might get lucky and score a touchdown. Around that eighth spot is The Taysom Hill Line, where his multi-faceted involvement offers more value than any lower option.

I don’t hate Hill as a weekly tight end starter, but there are going to be some really low weeks where he does barely anything. Hill is more of a football player than a tight end; it’s hard to quantify that in fantasy terms.

Conservative Bid: $0

Aggressive Bid: $1

Desperation Bid: $2

T.J. Hockenson, Minnesota Vikings

Hockenson is set to make his return from a major knee injury suffered near the end of last season. It’s always tricky to gauge what a player will look like in his return from such a long time off, especially with no preseason to prepare.

The idea is tantalizing, though, as Minnesota has been one of the surprise teams of 2024, starting 5-0 before close losses in back-to-back games. The Vikings rank fourth in most yards per pass attempt and have gotten nothing from tight ends. Hockenson’s presence has a chance to unlock another part of the team’s offense.

I’m not expecting him to produce right away, but I also wouldn’t be surprised if he did produce right away. Hockenson is a low-floor, high-ceiling player as he returns.

Conservative Bid: $0

Aggressive Bid: $1-4

Desperation Bid: $6