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Jackson Sparks' deeper-league waiver wire pickups and fantasy football sleepers for Week 9. His top free agent options for 14-team fantasy leagues or deeper.
Week 9 marks the midway point of the 2023 NFL season. The fantasy football playoffs are just over six weeks away in most leagues, so it's time for deep league fantasy managers to position themselves for a playoff run using the waiver wire. As expected, the options are running thin in deep leagues, meaning most of the players on this list won't pan out. Still, it's smart to take flyers on players who could have future upside.
The top waiver wire adds are often obvious for traditional 10 and 12-team leagues, but a larger pool of players is in consideration in leagues of 14 people or more. Some of these Week 9 deeper-league waiver wire suggestions will have value right away, while others are simply bench stashes that could help your fantasy team in the future. We won't cover chalk pickups for smaller leagues in this article.
Without further ado, here are the top deeper league waiver wire targets for Week 9, including Will Levis, Zach Charbonnet, Brandin Cooks, Julio Jones, Gerald Everett, and more.
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Running Back Waiver Wire Targets For Deep Leagues
Zach Charbonnet rushed five times for 53 yards and caught one pass for four yards in the win over the Cleveland Browns. He played more snaps than Kenneth Walker for the first time this season, so he's worth stashing in a high-upside offense.
Royce Freeman had more rushing yards (44) than Darrell Henderson (31) despite seeing fewer carries for a second straight week. Henderson was the chalk waiver pickup after Week 7, but Freeman should be picked up in deep leagues after scoring his first touchdown over the weekend.
Jeff Wilson Jr. has handled just eight total touches since making his season debut in Week 7. However, the starter, backup, and third-string running back should be rostered in this explosive Dolphins' offense depending on your league size. Wilson is a few injuries away from RB1 upside.
Tyjae Spears continues to work behind Derrick Henry. If Will Levis raises the ceiling of the Titans' offense, he could have even more standalone value. He remains a solid handcuff RB, despite the fact that Henry likely won't be traded.
Joshua Kelley was disappointing in his handful of starts in the absence of Austin Ekeler early in the season. However, he remains a top-tier handcuff RB in an explosive Chargers offense.
Ezekiel Elliott has 80 total touches his season. If something happens to Rhamondre Stevenson, he'd likely assume a workhorse role in the New England offense, for whatever that's worth.
Justice Hill has taken a backseat to Gus Edwards in recent weeks, but stashing backup running backs in great rushing attacks is always a good idea.
Emari Demercado has value as the Cardinals' RB1 until the return of James Conner (knee).
Jordan Mason and Elijah Mitchell should both be rostered in deep leagues. Christian McCaffrey has already been banged up this season, and there's a real chance he will miss a game or two down the stretch. Mitchell and Mason would compete to have RB2 upside.
Rico Dowdle remains an attractive handcuff running back, especially since the Dallas offense looked incredible in the blowout of the Los Angeles Rams.
Tank Bigsby is simply worth stashing because he'd likely see a full workhorse role if Travis Etienne has to miss any time this season. The Jaguars offense is getting on track, so that would be a valuable role.
Note: Any direct backup running back, especially one in a good offense, should be considered a bench stash in deep leagues.
Wide Receiver Waiver Wire Targets For Deep Leagues
Brandin Cooks has scored a touchdown in each of his last two games. He's only seen four targets in five of his six games, but his role could grow as he starts to find more success.
Tyler Boyd is always a must-roster "handcuff" wide receiver behind Ja'Marr Chase and Tee Higgins. Joe Burrow is now fully healthy and looks like a top-five quarterback in the NFL again.
Robert Woods led the Texans with 43 targets heading into Week 7. However, he missed the Week 8 loss to the Carolina Panthers with a rib injury. This offense led by C.J. Stroud has produced solid booms weeks, so Woods is worth a pickup in deep PPR leagues.
Zay Jones has only played in three games this season. He has touchdowns in two of them. He has value as the Jaguars' WR3 but would become a must-add if Calvin Ridley or Christian Kirk have to miss time.
Quentin Johnston has yet to break out. However, Joshua Palmer is dealing with a knee injury, so he eventually has to see more targets, right?
Jameson Williams is a classic boom-or-bust weekly fantasy play. If you're deciding between mediocre options, you might as well pick up a speedy player on a great offense.
Mecole Hardman Jr. has caught the third-most touchdowns from Patrick Mahomes all time, trailing only Travis Kelce and Tyreek Hill. As Hardman gets reacclimated to the Kansas City offense, he could have legitimate deep-league value.
Julio Jones caught his first touchdown as an Eagle in Week 8. Although he should not be started immediately, we've seen crazier things than a 34-year-old wide receiver entering the fantasy radar. The offensive environment is great, so he might be worth an add in ultra-deep formats.
Treylon Burks and Nick Westbrook-Ikhine are both clearly shaky fantasy options. However, Will Levis at quarterback could give one or both of them a boost moving forward. Time is running out for Burks to show his upside. Hopefully, he can contribute to deep fantasy rosters down the stretch.
Tight End Waiver Wire Targets For Deep Leagues
Gerald Everett missed the Week 8 game against the Chicago Bears but caught touchdowns in his two prior contests. With Mike Williams (knee) out for the season and Joshua Palmer also dealing with injury, he's become close to a must-start tight end if he can return in Week 9 against the New York Jets.
Jonnu Smith has cooled off in recent weeks, but he still has the 10th-most receiving yards among tight ends this season with 322. He remains on the fantasy radar.
Chigoziem Okonkwo has seen 19 targets over his last three games. Again, hopefully, Will Levis can raise his fantasy floor and ceiling.
Quarterback Waiver Wire Targets For Deep Leagues/2-QB Leagues
Will Levis threw for four touchdowns in his NFL debut. The Kentucky product flashed his rocket arm in the win over the Falcons, and he should be named the Titans' starter for the rest of the season.
Derek Carr has thrown for at least 300 yards in each of his last three games. The veteran seems to have healed from his shoulder injury, so he is an attractive streamer in favorable matchups.
Gardner Minshew will have the starting QB job in Indianapolis for the rest of the season after Anthony Richardson underwent season-ending shoulder surgery. He has seven total touchdowns in his last three games.
Taylor Heinicke has not been named the Falcons' starter, despite outplaying Desmond Ridder mightily in the loss to the Tennessee Titans. If Ridder continues to turn the ball over, Arthur Smith will have no choice but to turn to the veteran.
P.J. Walker might draw more starts for the Browns this year since Deshaun Watson seems to suffer a new injury or setback every week.
Mike White would be given the keys to the Dolphins' explosive offense if the oft-injured Tua Tagovailoa gets banged up this year. That makes him worth stashing in Superflex and two-QB leagues.
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