Deeper League Waiver Wire Pickups - Week 9

November 3, 2020

Rishi Patel identifies players at QB, RB, WR, and TE to target or add from the waiver wire in deep fantasy football leagues for Week 9 of the 2020 NFL season.

We are now at the midpoint of the season. This 2020 campaign certainly seems like a blur, but this is now the stretch where fantasy teams make that final push to get to the playoffs and win the title.

This week unfortunately brought another serious injury, this time to 49ers tight end George Kittle, who could miss the rest of the 2020 season with a foot injury. The deep portions of the waiver wire still have a few hidden gems, so let’s look at who you should consider grabbing as a replacement or depth.

As a reminder, players in this column will be rostered at or below 15% in Yahoo leagues.

Free Agent Quarterbacks

Drew Lock, Denver Broncos - 9% rostered

Now that was the QB Broncos fans had been longing to see since the great Peyton Manning retired a half-decade ago. Youngster Drew Lock engineered an incredible come-from-behind victory at the literal last second over division rival Los Angeles in Week 8.

Lock finished with 248 yards, three touchdowns, and a pick after an abysmal showing against KC last week. Though this QB is anything but consistent, he does bring potential, which is more than enough to make you consider him because this portion of the waiver wire has, well, uninspiring QBs.

Free Agent Running Backs

Jordan Wilkins, Indianapolis Colts - 1% rostered

Third-string RB Jordan Wilkins came out of nowhere in Week 8 for the Colts and put up an intriguing performance that saw him take 20 carries for 89 yards and a score along with getting one reception for 24 yards. The RB saw nine carries for the first three games of the season, but this was remarkable. Wilkins will be tough to trust as this performance could just be an outlier, but he has created enough intrigue to at least be stashed.

Free Agent Wide Receivers

Randall Cobb, Houston Texans - 15% rostered

Before their bye, the Texans’ Randall Cobb had an excellent performance against his old squad, Green Bay, and had eight receptions for 95 yards on 10 targets. We know Cobb can be effective and he has seen at least six targets in two of the past three games along with getting at least 45 yards in four of seven games. That puts him in the flex conversation.

Russell Gage, Atlanta Falcons - 13% rostered

Gage has been streaky this year, but an ankle injury to Calvin Ridley could thrust him into a larger role for the time being. When unleashing his true potential, Gage can get over 100 yards, as evidence of Week 1. Nevertheless, stash him for now and see how Ridley comes along before thinking of starting him.

Denzel Mims, New York Jets - 9% rostered

Yes, the Jets are horrific on offense, but Mims should see a good number of targets due to other WR injuries on the team. He now has 42 yards in each of the past two games along with 10 total targets and is the WR1 on New York (for now). Therefore, he’s worth considering.

Michael Pittman Jr., Indianapolis Colts - 7% rostered

Rookie WR Michael Pittman Jr. finally returned to action in Week 8 after being on the IR due to a leg injury. He came back to get one reception for six yards on a single target. Hear me out because you are probably scratching your head at this. T.Y. Hilton is currently banged up with a groin injury, meaning Pittman and Zach Pascal should lead the WRs unit should Hilton miss any time. In addition to that, regardless of Hilton’s status, Pittman is a decent insurance stash because his role is expected to be big going forward anyway as he is the WR2 or WR3 on the team.

Darnell Mooney, Chicago Bears - 6% rostered

Mooney is emerging as a clutch option for Nick Foles and the WR has now seen at least five targets in six straight games. He also posted his best line in Week 8 (5/69/1). Making a case from WR2 on the Bears, Mooney is one of the best options to pick up this week.

Josh Reynolds, Los Angeles Rams - 3% rostered

Reynolds has quietly put up a consistent stretch recently, which has seen him accumulate at least five targets in the past three games, at least 44 yards in the past four games, and a touchdown in two of the past three games. He’s the WR3 on this Rams team, meaning he should see modest production like this going forward. Thus, he may be a decent flex play if you have a shortage of depth, injuries, or byes for key players.

KJ Hamler, Denver Broncos - 2% rostered

Aside from rookie Jerry Jeudy, the Broncos have a relatively unknown WR corp. Enter another rookie WR in KJ Hamler. The 5’9” speedster caught the game-winning touchdown in Week 8 against the Chargers though he finished with three receptions for 13 yards on three targets total. With Tim Patrick out right now, Hamler should be considered the WR2 on the team and that could mean more targets. This WR is worth a stash.

Jalen Guyton, Los Angeles Chargers - 1% rostered

Unknown before the season (and probably still unknown right now), Jalen Guyton has become a terrific target for rookie QB Justin Herbert this season. The rookie may have left a dud in Week 8 (one reception for three yards on four targets), but he was on a roll prior to that. The 23-year-old had compiled 205 yards and two touchdowns on just four receptions in the three games before Week 8. Guyton is certainly an intriguing option to stash right now. He fills in as the WR3 on the team.

Willie Snead IV, Baltimore Ravens - 1% rostered

The Ravens are not known for their passing attack, but veteran Willie Snead IV delivered an epic performance against the Steelers’ vaunted defense in Week 8. Snead racked up five receptions for 106 yards on seven targets (all season-highs) in a performance that seemingly came out of nowhere considering his next best game came all the way back in Week 1 where he had 64 yards. Snead is worth stashing as depth, but it’s best to take a wait-and-see approach with the Ball State product.

Free Agent Tight Ends

Albert Okwuegbunam, Denver Broncos - 1% rostered

Having played in college with QB Drew Lock, Okwuegbunam already had chemistry with his QB entering the NFL. That showed during Weeks 6-7 where the TE had nine receptions for 105 yards on 13 targets. Week 8 saw him decline a bit (one reception for nine yards and a score on one target), but there is potential with this Missouri product who is the TE2 on the team. Aiding his case for more targets is a thin WR corp. This TE is certainly worth stashing for now.

Ross Dwelley, San Francisco 49ers - 0% rostered

With George Kittle expected to miss the rest of the season potentially, the next man up for TE1 duties is Ross Dwelley. The 25-year-old should see an increase in targets due to Kittle and Jorden Reed both being injured along with the WRs unit hobbled too. Dwelley managed to catch a touchdown pass in Week 8. He is a top-add for this week in deep-leagues.

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