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Welcome to the post-Week 8 installment of the Waiver Wire weekly series for the 2016 fantasy football season. Hopefully you survived the Ty Montgomery fiasco and are ready to move forward here. It doesn't look like there are any real candidates for those of you holding onto that precious #1 waiver, though Spencer Ware owners will definitely want to grab Charcandrick West.
Week 9 plops down another six-team bye week on our plates, with Arizona, Chicago, Cincinnati, Houston, New England and Washington sitting this week out. Let’s check in on players that are owned in roughly 40% of leagues or less, so that you can make an educated decision about who to add to your squad.
Be sure to also check out our weekly rankings and analysis columns, with in-depth analysis for all options heading into Week 9.
Editor's Note: Once you're done here, be sure to read about even more Week 9 waiver wire recommendations, for all fantasy-relevant positions. Just click on any link: ALL - RB - WR - TE - QB - DEF - FAAB - CUTS
Week 9 Running Back Waiver Wire Pickups
Matt Asiata (RB, MIN) – 46% Owned
Jerick McKinnon is out for Minnesota’s Monday night game against a rather soft Bears front, and Asiata is coming off of a game where he got 80 total yards on 18 touches. Given how well the Vikings have played defense and how poorly Chicago has played overall, gameflow should favor Asiata and the rushing attack here before another great matchup against a horrid Detroit defense in Week 9 and an even worse rushing defense in Washington in Week 10. Gravy.
Dion Lewis (RB, NE) – 40% Owned
We’re still looking at a possible return date of Week 10’s game against Seattle for Lewis, as he started practicing on Oct. 27 after being removed from the PUP list. He’s a popular stash, and rightfully so given how potent New England’s offense is, but he’ll need to show that his body – namely his leg – can hold up enough to handle enough volume to make him fantasy viable. You can’t be late to this party though, so stash him if he’s sitting there, especially in PPR formats.
Mike Gillislee (RB, BUF) – 39% Owned
With LeSean McCoy finally held out of action to rest his ailing hammy, Gillislee looked the part for Buffalo as the spearhead of their RB committee by rushing 12 times for 85 yards and TD. He also caught all three of his targets for nine yards. With McCoy’s Week 9 status up in the air, Gilly should be an okay fill-in option for more hard-pressed owners against a stout Seattle front.
Alfred Morris (RB, DAL) – 33% Owned
In case you were under a rock on Sunday morning, a report from Jason La Canfora surfaced that stated Ezekiel Elliott may miss extended time under the NFL’s Domestic Abuse policy. You don’t have to believe in Morris being a world-beater to view him as an absolute must-have waiver add if he were to become the lead RB for Dallas. That offensive line might just make Trent Richardson look good, if we’re being honest.
Rob Kelley (RB, WAS) – 22% Owned
Kelley got the bulk of the work in Week 8 as Matt Jones sat out due to an injury, as the UDFA and preseason darling put together 87 yards and a TD on 21 carries. Washington has a bye in Week 9 before an unfortunate matchup against the Vikings in Week 10, but Kelley may have run well enough to earn “1A” duties over Jones even when the latter’s knee heals up. The big thing was that Kelley didn’t fumble, something Jones has yet to embody. I tried to tell y'all that Chris Thompson wasn't going to be "the guy".
James Starks (RB, GB) – 19% Owned
This got some push back last week, but I still hold that Starks is going to end up being the short-yardage and goal-line beneficiary for the Packers when he returns. Don Jackson only rushed four times for 10 yards, and Knile Davis turned his three totes into four yards. If anything, fullback Aaron Ripkowski is the short-term RB add (six rushes for 34 yards). Starks isn’t special, but he’s a known commodity that HC Mike McCarthy has some trust in.
C.J. Prosise (RB, SEA) – 14% Owned
Seattle’s pass-catching rookie rushed four times for 23 yards and caught all four of his targets for 80 yards, including a 43-yard reception on a trick play. While Prosise and the Seahawks won’t get the Saints defense again, it was apparent that Seattle will use the rookie as the #2 behind Christine Michael with Thomas Rawls out. Prosise isn’t a guy you want to start right now, even in PPR formats, but has shown enough to be worth a stash.
Charcandrick West (RB, KC) – 14% Owned
West was the only active RB left for Kansas City after Spencer Ware left their Week 8 matchup with a concussion, and Jamaal Charles was already out due to his own knee woes. Charcandrick didn’t amaze, rushing 14 times for 52 yards with two catches for eight yards sprinkled in, but the opportunity here is immense should Ware and Charles be less than 100% for KC's Week 9 tilt against the Jaguars.
Paul Perkins (RB, NYG) – 14% Owned
The Giants really haven’t been good at running the ball in 2016 (and most of 2015 as well), as Rashad Jennings has failed to build on the momentum he gained at the end of last season. It’s possible that HC Ben McAdoo realized that Jennings has averaged less than two yards per carry over his last three games, and that maybe he should give Perkins a crack. Be ahead of the wave here and stash him in deeper formats.
Ka’Deem Carey (RB, CHI) – 12% Owned
Carey tallied four more touches than Jordan Howard to the tune of 35 more yards against the Packers in Week 7, and may very well get more usage in Week 8’s Monday night showdown against a stout Minnesota front. Chicago’s only hope may be to utilize the shiftier pass-catching RB on the perimeter rather than trying any sort of north-south attack. Chicago’s schedule isn’t all that enticing, but someone is going to get the ball and Carey looks the most effective out of everyone right now.
Tim Hightower (RB, NO) – 8% Owned
Ok, so his crazy Week 8 workload was more likely a short-term message to Mark Ingram to hold onto the ball, but this is still a handcuff worth owning due to the potency of this New Orleans offense. Hightower turned 26 carries against a tough Seattle defense into 102 yards, and many of you may have won quite a few fantasy playoff games last season due to Hightower’s strong play down the stretch. Ingram has not impressed in 2016, and Hightower may very well eat into his snaps moving forward. For what it’s worth, HC Sean Payton said that Ingram would bounce back, but the overall point remains. *UPDATE: Aha, so Hightower has indeed earned more snaps moving forward according to Payton, and we've now got a bit of a committee on our hands.
Antone Smith (RB, TB) – 1% Owned
Jacquizz Rodgers left Tampa Bay’s Week 8 pirate fight with the Raiders due to a foot injury, and will only have a few days to recover before the Bucs play on Thursday night against the Falcons. While Peyton Barber (9% owned) was the one to step in and look good spelling Rodgers in Week 7, it was Smith who out-touched Barber five to one after Rodgers left. There’s also a bit of revenge-street here for those who like a good narrative, as Smith wore Falcons colors in the first five seasons of his career. For what it's worth, I think Barber will be the short-yardage and goal-line guy moving forward, but Smith hasn't been put on any radars yet so we'll give him the shoutout. *UPDATE: Rodgers is dealing with a foot sprain and HC Dirk Koetter is pessimistic about his chances to start in Week 9.
Terron Ward (RB, ATL) – 1% Owned
With Tevin Coleman on the shelf and Devonta Freeman dealing with a bit of a hip issue (he did fine, of course), Ward was the clear spell-back who rushed six times for 46 yards while catching an 11-yard reception. Atlanta will face a stout Tampa Bay D-line on a short week in Week 9 on Thursday night, but it’s still worth grabbing the handcuff RB for the league’s highest scoring offense.
Week 9 Wide Receiver Waiver Wire Pickups
J.J. Nelson (WR, ARI) – 6% Owned
Nelson may have entered Week 8 as a rather unknown commodity, but he sure left his mark by catching eight of his 12 targets for 79 yards and two TDs against the Panthers. While Carolina’s secondary is an easy target, Nelson’s play earned him the #2 WR duties according to HC Bruce Arians after the game (with the obvious coachspeak caveat). He led the team in snaps with 65 (out of 71), with Larry Fitzgerald tallying 56, John Brown 38, and Michael Floyd only 29. This is all very good news for Nelson. Arizona gets to pick on San Francisco in Week 10 after their bye, though a Week 11 date with Minnesota isn’t the greatest sight. Worry later. Nelson will rightfully be one of the hotter adds this week.
Quincy Enunwa (WR, NYJ) – 42% Owned
We told ya, Enunwa still has plenty to offer even in a subpar Jets attack. He was peppered with 11 targets in Week 8, needing to catch only four of them for 93 yards and a TD to make healthy value for fantasy owners. Playing the Browns tends to yield good numbers for opposing players, but a Week 9 date against Pittsburgh shouldn’t be daunting either as PIT is currently 19th in the league against #2 WRs according to FootballOutsiders’ DVOA metric.
Steve Smith Sr. (WR, BAL) – 42% Owned
Smith may have been dropped in your league thanks to his injury and the Ravens bye week, so just be aware. If he doesn’t return, look to Kamar Aiken (30% Owned) and Breshad Perriman (28% Owned) as solid fill-ins. Week 9’s matchup against Pittsburgh plays well for Smith, as the Steelers’ main vulnerability in the passing game is against opposing #1 WRs (27th in DVOA against them). If Smith can’t return until Week 10, well that just means he gets to be welcomed back by Cleveland’s defense. That’ll do.
Kenny Stills (WR, MIA) – 27% Owned
Miami was on a bye, so we'll repeat last week's blurb. He’s basically providing a lighter version of DeSean Jackson and Ted Ginn, but has actually been more “boom” than “bust” lately (especially compared to those two). He averages less than five targets a week and barely over two catches, but three of his seven games have resulted in a nice long TD for his owners. This was no more apparent than in Week 7 when he hauled in a 66-yard TD where both defenders collided into one another, leaving him free to trot into the end zone. He’ll be a nice roulette-wheel spin in Week 9 against a vulnerable Jets secondary.
Kendall Wright (WR, TEN) – 18% Owned
Wright was part of Tennessee’s Thursday night shellacking of the Jaguars defense, as he caught four-of-five targets for 84 yards and a TD with a 15-yard rush tacked on. The Titans will face the Chargers in San Diego in a Week 9 game that could turn into a sneaky shootout, but Wright still shouldn’t be viewed as more than a WR3 dart throw. Banking on his regularly turning five targets into big production would be unwise, but the good news is that he looks healthy and has Marcus Mariota’s trust.
Adam Thielen (WR, MIN) – 17% Owned
Keep an eye on Thielen in Minnesota’s Monday night matchup against the Bears tonight to close out Week 8, as he has seen 13 targets over the past two weeks for nine catches, 189 yards and a TD. I doubt the Bears do much to stop him, but the biggest piece here is a dream date against Detroit’s horrible secondary in Week 9.
Robert Woods (WR, BUF) – 17% Owned
Woods returned to the lineup for Buffalo’s Week 8 loss to the Patriots, but he’s definitely not healthy. He showed minimal burst and didn’t have any extra gear on Sunday, though he still caught four balls for 50 yards after Buffalo engaged their desperation catch-up mode to make a little value. A less-than-100% Woods is not someone you want to play in Week 9 against Seattle on the road, but perhaps their Week 10 bye will yield a healthy Woods from Week 11 on. The earliest Sammy Watkins can return is Week 12, for what it’s worth.
Cordarelle Patterson (WR, MIN) – 15% Owned
After seeing only two targets in Minnesota’s first three games, he’s seen at least six targets for a total of 19 in the following three games. His best game of the season came last week against Philadelphia, when he caught all seven of his targets for 67 yards and a hard-earned TD. He’s a big playmaker when given the chance to shine, and should be able to continue this trend against Chicago on Monday night before facing off against the Lions in Week 9. The floor is still scary low here, but his range of outcomes is trending upwards.
Tyreek Hill (WR, KC) – 8% Owned
Hill didn’t even need his world-class sprinter speed on his touchdown, as Indianapolis left him woefully uncovered. Of course, his speed still plays up and led to his catching five balls for 98 yards and said TD. If Nick Foles is indeed KC’s QB moving forward for a bit, that bumps up Hill’s stock a bit as Foles is no stranger to airing it out. That goes double if Spencer Ware and Jamaal Charles are both out, meaning the passing game needs to step up. Hill has caught a TD in three of KC’s last four games, as they’re perhaps coming around to using their weapons appropriately. Bonus points if you count return yards.
Seth Roberts (WR, OAK) – 8% Owned
Roberts was extremely quiet for much of Oakland’s Week 8 until he “broke” a couple of tackles (the safety gave him a little bump) on the game-winning 41-yard TD scamper. He has seen a surprising amount of red-zone looks over the course of this season, which has helped him secure four TDs on only 22 catches thus far. This is more about tucking the info away, as a horrible Week 9 matchup with Denver’s Chris Harris Jr. in the slot looms before Oakland’s Week 10 bye.
Russell Shepard (WR, TB) – 6% Owned
Shepard may not have matched his five-catch, 77-yard effort from Week 7 (two catches for 24 yards), but he did match the TD. The Bucs’ special-teams captain made a wonderful grab in the end zone for six points a week after doing the same in traffic, and should have the confidence of his quarterback and his head coach as an offensive weapon moving forward. With a likely shootout against Atlanta on the horizon for Week 9, Shepard may have a good shot at being a WR4 for deep-league owners.
Jeff Janis (WR, GB) – 6% Owned
Janis was Green Bay’s third receiver with Randall Cobb and Ty Montgomery ailing, and caught all four of his targets for 30 yards and a TD. His raw skills have earned him praise, but he has yet to really refine his stuff and jump into a set role for the Packers. The talent above him on the depth chart doesn’t help of course, but if Cobb and/or Montgomery are still banged up for Green Bay’s juicy Week 9 home contest against the Colts, then Janis makes for a solid deep-league dart throw.
Robby Anderson (WR, NYJ) – 2% Owned
Anderson appears to have really carved out a role as the Jets’ #3 WR, as he turned six targets into three catches for 31 yards. While he’ll see plenty of snaps due to the Jets not having a viable tight end, he’ll still take a backseat to the top WRs as well as Matt Forte and Bilal Powell. Regardless, those in deep formats could do worse than Anderson in a nice Week 9 matchup against the Dolphins.
Week 9 Quarterback Waiver Wire Pickups
Josh McCown (QB, CLE) – 9% Owned
Yes, McCown got to feast on a pretty bad Jets secondary in his return from a shoulder injury, but stats are stats and they say he went 25-of-49 for 341 yards, two TDs and two INTs with 10 rushing yards. The team is his again and he showed a healthy rapport with Terrelle Pryor and even found “Baby Hawk” aka Andrew Hawkins twice. We know he do work with Gary Barnidge and Duke Johnson as well, and with a defense that won’t ever win a game on its own, McCown should be a deep-league consideration for desperate owners for when he faces Dallas at home in Week 9.
Nick Foles (QB, KC) – 4% Owned
Alex Smith was hit hard in KC’s Week 8 matchup with the Colts, leaving early on with an arm injury before eventually leaving for good after he took a shot to the head. All-in-all, Foles compelted 16-of-22 passes for 223 yards, two TDs and zero turnovers. Like McCown, Foles got to get his feet wet against a horrible defense, but was able to utilize Travis Kelce well, give Jeremy Maclin some value, and he even found speedster Tyreek Hill down the left sideline for a nice, wide-open TD. *UPDATE: The Chiefs are claiming that Smith didn't suffer a concussion, and was only held out because he was removed from the game twice due to protocol. Downgrade Hill and the rest of KC's pass catchers again for now, but keep Foles on deck.
*We’re repeating these next four QBs from last week, as the first two (Bradford, Cutler) play each other on MNF and Kaepernick and Goff were on a bye.*
**Sam Bradford (QB, MIN) – 34% Owned
Bradford was not good in his return to Philadelphia, completing 24-of-41 pass attempts for 224 yards and a TD, but the damage was done with three turnovers (one INT, two fumbles lost). He was constantly under pressure from an underrated Eagles front seven though, and gets to travel to Chicago for a Monday-night matchup against a soft Bears defense that just resuscitated the Packers on Thursday.
**Jay Cutler (QB, CHI) – 21% Owned
Chicago has a horrible date with the Vikings on Monday night in Week 8 and then they hit their bye week, but after that they’ll face the Bucs in Week 10 in a juicy matchup. Hopefully Cutler’s thumb is healthy by then, and he’ll be able to take the reins in a plus matchup fully rested. If he starts and gets destroyed in Week 8, it’ll only be that much better for his Week 10 availability.
**Colin Kaepernick (QB, SF) –19% Owned
This is looking forward to a home date against the Saints in Week 9, for the record. Kaepernick’s arm was poor yet again against a Bucs defense that is known for making opposing QBs look good, but Kaep only logged 143 air yards on a less than 50% completion rate (16-for-34). Luckily, he was able to float his value with 84 rushing yards on nine carries (he totaled 66 rush yards on eight totes the previous week).
**Jared Goff (QB, LA) – 14% Owned
Case Keenum stunk yet again in Week 7, and there’s really no better time to transition to your number one overall pick than a bye week that grants you two weeks’ worth of preparation for a matchup against a terrible Panthers secondary. Deep-league two-QB owners could take the dive, as he’ll get the Jets, Dolphins and Saints secondaries after Carolina too. Not bad.
Week 9 Tight End Waiver Wire Pickups
Eric Ebron (TE, DET) – 55% Owned
Just a quick shout in case he was left out on the wire in your league from when he was injured. He returned to action by catching seven balls for 79 yards but does have a horrid matchup against Minnoesta in Week 9 (and then a bye in Week 10). He’s a big target in a pass-happy offense though, so don’t let him slide by.
Cameron Brate (TE, TB) – 33% Owned
Brate has unfortunately only seen three targets in each of Tampa Bay’s last two games, but had garnered 18 of them across the previous two games. Bucs QB Jameis Winston needs Brate’s size and reliable hands over the middle and in the red zone, but he is more TD-dependent than it appeared a few weeks ago. The kicker here is that Week 8 brings a lovely matchup for Brate and Tampa Bay against the Raiders (26th in DVOA against TEs entering Week 7), so view him as a low-end TE1.
Ladarius Green (TE, PIT) – 32% Owned
Green got his first practice in on Oct. 25 during the Steelers’ bye week, which points to his having a decent shot at being activated for their Week 9 game against the Ravens. While it’d be bullish to suggest starting a guy who hasn’t played all season out of the gate, stashing a player with his raw skills on an offense that can score with the best of them at full strength is a baller move.
C.J. Fiedorowicz (TE, HOU) – 25% Owned
Fiedorowicz has now seen at least seven targets in each of his last four games, and has scored at least six points in half-point PPR leagues in each of his last five. While Fiedorowicz and the Texans are heading into their bye week, his rest-of-season outlook is promising with Weeks 11 (@OAK), 12 (vs. SD), 14 (@IND) and 16 (vs. CIN) yielding matchups against defenses that rank in the bottom-third in DVOA against the tight end.
Vernon Davis (TE, WAS) – 24% Owned
Davis has been serviceable in three-straight games now, as the return of Jordan Reed was largely offset by Washington playing five quarters in London and Kirk Cousins throwing the ball 58 times. It’ll be hard to bank on Davis for much more than being a boom-or-bust TE2 with Reed in the picture, but perhaps Washington is more open to using two-TE sets now that they’ve seen what Davis can offer first-hand. Unfortunately for speculators, Washington now heads into its bye week and then faces Minnesota in Week 10, so Davis is pretty darn low on the waiver-wire pecking order.
Virgil Green (TE, DEN) – 16% Owned
Green popped back up on the radar with a four-catch, 55-yard Week 8 as Denver tangled with San Diego. It wasn’t anything special, but it was encouraging to see him get some love from Trevor Siemian as the Broncos stampede into some great matchups in the next two weeks (@OAK, @NO). It’s not a lock, but his chances of popping off won’t ever be higher.
Austin Hooper (TE, ATL) - 10% Owned
Hooper caught all five of his targets in Atlanta's Week 8 points bonanza against the Packers after Jacob Tamme went down with a shoulder injury, and while Tamme's injury isn't considered serious, he's still a longshot to play on Thursday night as Atlanta has a quick turnaround against the Bucs. Hooper has actually caught all 11 of his targets thus far this season, but simply hasn't been utilized much. Those looking for a deeper TE or flex play on this treacherous bye week could give Hooper a twirl, but do note the Bucs actually entered Week 8 as the fourth best team against the TE according to the DVOA metric.
Week 9 Defense Waiver Wire Pickups
Dallas D/ST – 22% Owned
The Cowboys are averaging a solid 18.3 points allowed per game, but unfortunately they haven’t been blessed by the D/ST TD gods yet. They have recorded a sack in each game though, notably with eight in their last three contests, alongside five turnovers in their last two games—a total that matches their output from their first five games. Things are trending upwards heading into a road date with Cleveland, who is still a solid target even with Josh McCown back under center.
Pittsburgh D/ST – 32% Owned
This one is more of a longshot, but picking against a Ravens team that is sporting a dinged Joe Flacco in a gritty divisional game isn’t the worst move. The Steelers are expected to have Ben Roethlisberger back under center and that should lift their entire team up, and an offense that can stay on the field helps the defense remain effective. It also means Baltimore is more likely to be playing from behind and forced into taking risks.
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