RADIO
Mike's top Week 9 college fantasy football team offense and defense waiver wire streamers - OFF, DEF pickups, streamers and starts for 2026. Target these fantasy CFB streaming options with strong matchups.
We don't have any FCS opponents to pick on again this week. We also have to compensate for the powerful offenses of Alabama, LSU, Tennessee, Houston, and West Virginia. They are all on bye this week. We have to pick on the likes of Cal, Stanford, and Rutgers this week, though that fruit isn't as low-hanging as it was a month ago.
The Northwestern and Arizona offenses went off last week. Kentucky and NC State had solid weeks. Houston was a complete bust with just 3.75 fantasy points. Baylor and UCLA scored 14 and 15 fantasy points on defense, so they had a major impact on your fantasy week. Kentucky had another strong week. Virginia Tech and Mississippi State were merely average.
Waivers for Week 9 open tomorrow. We'll highlight some team offense and team defense adds for Week 9 in college fantasy football. Teams featured are 25% rostered or lower on Yahoo! leagues. I'm going to put these in order of the best claims, not based on roster percentage. The best options aren't always the ones that are on the most rosters.
Waiver Wire Adds Week 9 - Team Offense
Arizona OFF
8% rostered
The 5% of you who picked up Arizona after last week have to be feeling good about your investment. Arizona put up 19.25 fantasy points on Iowa State. That's five straight games over 15 fantasy points for the Wildcats.
ISAIAH MIZELL ARE YOU FOR REAL??? ?
? ESPN2 https://t.co/cFHh4euCng
— Arizona Football (@ArizonaFBall) October 24, 2026
I don't think that ends this week. Texas Tech was opened up like a tuna can by Cincinnati's offense. Arizona is at least as good as the Bearcats.
North Carolina State OFF
21% rostered
The Pack was a disappointment last week, but I'm going back to the well. Cal's defense has been abysmal for a while now.
We saw a sleepwalking SMU offense blow up for 59 points and 28.25 fantasy points on Cal last week. I wouldn't expect that high of a total, but NC State should score in the mid-teens.
Wake Forest OFF
10% rostered
I'm still a big fan of the Wake Forest offense, but they don't get top billing this week because Virginia's defense has been pretty good. This is the best defense that Wake has faced since Miami in Week 3.
GIO LOPEZ WAS PERFECT IN BERKELEY ?
16/23, 267 YDS, 4 TDS, 0 INT vs Cal
266 yards and 3 TDs in the first half alone. Wake led 34-0 at the break and is bowl eligible. https://t.co/GWBf20TzSV
— CFB Performances (@performancesCFB) October 21, 2026
You know me. I trust Gio Lopez in any matchup. Wake scored 7.5 fantasy points on Miami. They'll be better than that against Virginia. I'll take around 10 points from a waiver offense!
Missouri OFF
2% rostered
Missouri had a floor game against Ole Miss before the bye. Don't expect a repeat. Ahmad Hardy rides again.
#Mizzou next two games:
-@ Arkansas
-vs Texas at homeWith Ahmad Hardy coming back and a favorable schedule over the next couple weeks, Missouri has a chance to get right back in the race.
https://t.co/WjiYI5XlyJ— Show Me Football (@ShowMeFB) October 25, 2026
Hardy is practicing this week and could see his first game action of 2026 in this one. Jamal Roberts has been an outstanding replacement. If one elite back is great, two is greater, right?
Nebraska OFF
3% rostered
Nebraska was dropped en masse with a rough stretch of Indiana, Oregon, and a bye week. Washington is going to feel like they're playing a practice squad after that stretch.
Washington gave up 329 yards to Minnesota, 360 to USC, 465 to Iowa, and 371 yards to Purdue. Nebraska's offense is better than all four of those units.
Other offenses to consider:
Northwestern vs. Oregon, Pittsburgh vs. Georgia Tech, UCLA vs. Nevada
Waiver Wire Adds Week 9 - Team Defense
UCLA DEF
21% rostered
A SACK FOR THE NO. 12 @UCLAFootball DEFENSE ?
Watch on NBC https://t.co/Fg4ieN3BAl
— UCLA on BTN (@UCLAOnBTN) October 18, 2026
People are finally starting to pay attention to the UCLA defense. 16% of you picked them up last week for the 14 fantasy points against Michigan State. The Bruins should phase off this list by next week.
It's about time! UCLA has scored the fourth-most fantasy points among defenses in Yahoo leagues with 88 points. Only Alabama (95), Notre Dame (94), and Tennessee (89) have scored more. The sad part is that none of those are on 100% of rosters.
Nevada has been better lately, but this team lost to Montana State earlier this season. UCLA thrives on creating chaos. The Bruins have 16 sacks, 12 interceptions, 10 fumble recoveries, and two touchdowns in seven games.
They have only allowed 35 points in the last four games combined! UCLA has a great chance at a shutout here, and a lot more points from chaos plays (sacks/turnovers).
Wisconsin DEF
1% rostered
If it weren't for UCLA playing what is essentially an FCS team, Wisconsin would receive top billing. Honestly, I wouldn't be shocked if Wisconsin outscored UCLA anyway.
Aside from the opener against Notre Dame, the Badgers have bordered on elite. In the six games since, Wisconsin has only allowed 66 points. Wisconsin doesn't rack up the sacks like Baylor (they only have 13), but they have scored two defensive touchdowns.
Iowa's offense was a total disaster after Kamari Moulton went down against Minnesota last week. Moulton is not listed on Iowa's depth chart for this week.
There is nothing official yet, but it's looking like Iowa will be without both Moulton and his backup, LJ Phillips, against Wisconsin. That makes an already anemic offense even worse.
Michigan DEF
21% rostered
We all thought that Michigan put on a good defensive show against Indiana, right? It wasn't for fantasy purposes. Michigan only generated one sack and one interception. With Yahoo scoring the way it is, we need more.
We might get it against Rutgers. The Rutgers offense was good enough to get Mike Locksley fired, but they're not going to get much traction against Michigan.
The Michigan defense is nice for fantasy purposes since they haven't allowed more than 20 points in a game this season. The floor is higher than most, even if the ceiling isn't what we would think for as good as the unit has been.
Baylor DEF
1% rostered
I'm a little nervous about this considering how well Central Florida played last week against BYU, but the Bears don't get their fantasy points from not allowing points.
This is an elite sack defense. Baylor has 27 sacks already this season. They have at least three in all but one game, and five sacks in three different games this season.
That's just the beginning. Baylor has forced 13 turnovers and scored a touchdown. I may chicken out if Alonza Barnett III returns, but I trust this Baylor defense against Keyone Jenkins running the offense.
Pittsburgh DEF
5% rostered
I said I wasn't going to do this anymore. I said I was going to quit the Pitt. The offense has been terrible lately, which has put undue strain on the defense.
Then I watched the Boston College defense stack points against Georgia Tech last week. Yeah, Pitt can do that.
The only truly poor defensive game that Pitt has had was against Miami, and they still didn't lose points. Pitt has between nine and 11 fantasy points in five of eight games. They might break through that glass ceiling against what has turned out to be a putrid Georgia Tech offense.
Other defenses to consider:
Nebraska vs. Washington, Boston College vs. Georgia Tech, Northwestern vs. Oregon
