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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.
The NFL season keeps chugging along, and as fantasy managers, there's never a time to stop looking for deep league gems and potential late-season lotto-ticket stashes. These fantasy football waiver wire pickup suggestions are for fantasy managers in deep leagues of 14-teams or more or a higher number of bench spots than traditional fantasy leagues. That said, chalky waiver pickups like Rondale Moore, Khalil Herbert, and D'Onta Foreman won't be featured in this edition of suggestions.
Players like Joshua Palmer and DeAndre Carter are going to see usage increases immediately thanks to injuries at their positions, while guys like Travis Homer and Boston Scott are simply stashes for later down the road in the fantasy football season.
As always, these players are usually cheap to obtain and can be dropped if it's clear they won't have value after a few weeks. With seven weeks of data to examine, advanced stats and fantasy statistics carry more weight for the rest of the season. Buckle up, because it's time to do another deep dive of the Week 9 waiver wire.
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Fantasy Football Waiver Wire Targets for Week 9
Marcus Mariota continues to produce stellar fantasy performances and has eclipsed 40 rushing yards in four of his eight games this season. He faces the Los Angeles Chargers in Week 9, who have been friendly to fantasy QBs. With six teams on a bye, he's surely in play this week.
Andy Dalton is quietly leading a strong offense in New Orleans, even without Michael Thomas and Jarvis Landry. He's once again a top-tier streaming option in a matchup with the Baltimore Ravens on Monday Night.
Kyren Williams was just a fifth-round pick for the Rams in the 2022 NFL draft, but since Cam Akers (personal) has likely taken his last snap for the team, Williams has real fantasy intrigue in deep leagues. Ronnie Rivers is also a consideration, but Williams has unknown upside and should see a role as soon as he's off the injured reserve list.
DeeJay Dallas and Travis Homer could be worth rostering as handcuffs to Kenneth Walker. It's worth noting Homer saw three touches in his first game back from injured reserve, while Dallas did not get a single touch.
Kenyan Drake is a borderline chalky waiver add, but there's a chance fantasy managers won't want to put any trust in the Ravens' backfield by committee, so he's worth grabbing if he's available after posting 67 yards and a touchdown on 11 touches against Tampa Bay.
Jaylen Warren turned nine touches into 75 total yards against the Philadelphia Eagles and continues to be more explosive and efficient than Najee Harris. His weekly workload varies mightily, but he might be worth stashing if the Steelers decide to give him more run moving forward.
Boston Scott out-touched Kenneth Gainwell seven to three in the win over the Pittsburgh Steelers and both are worth rostering in an elite offense. If something happens to Miles Sanders, both would be top waiver pickups immediately. Stash them now.
Sony Michel is Austin Ekeler's clear backup after Joshua Kelley (knee) was placed on injured reserve. Michel has some standalone value, but his ceiling will be sky-high if Ekeler has to miss any games anytime soon.
Ty Montgomery was injured in his first game with the New England Patriots but could return as the lead third-down back as early as Week 9. Montgomery is worth adding to your IR spot on fantasy rosters if it's empty right now.
Chuba Hubbard might be dropped and forgotten about after D'Onta Foreman went nuclear in Week 8 against the Atlanta Falcons, but before Hubbard picked up an ankle injury in Week 7, he was the touch leader for Carolina – not Foreman.
Kadarius Toney is now a member of the Kansas City Chiefs, so his stock immediately rises. That said, it's smart to temper expectations as he's missed the last month of the season with a hamstring injury, and he could simply get a gadget wide receiver role in Andy Reid's offense. He's still worth picking up for the unknown upside as an elite playmaker in space.
Joshua Palmer and DeAndre Carter both have chances to see increased roles in the Los Angeles Chargers' offense while Mike Williams (ankle) misses time and Keenan Allen (hamstring) continues to get back to full strength.
Marquise Goodwin looked to have a ton of fantasy intrigue when fantasy managers thought DK Metcalf would miss time with a knee injury, but he's still worth picking up as a sort of "handcuff" wide receiver in one of the league's best offenses. Both Metcalf and Lockett were questionable heading into Week 8, so either could have real injury risk moving forward.
Parris Campbell and Alec Pierce were largely quiet in Sam Ehlinger's first game as the Colts' starting QB, but both have shown flashes and could have at least some upside later in the year.
Van Jefferson made his season debut in Week 8, but he failed to catch a pass. However, he played 55 percent of the Rams' snaps, and he could be a factor as he gets further away from his knee injury. This offense desperately needs someone not named Cooper Kupp to step up, and it could be Jefferson who is called on.
Donovan Peoples-Jones has had a few big weeks with Jacoby Brissett at quarterback, so his upside when Deshaun Watson returns in Week 13 could be huge.
Josh Reynolds has busted two weeks in a row but with all the injuries in the Lions' receiver room, he's still worth stashing after a few solid performances this season. He still was just behind Amon-Ra St. Brown in targets against the Miami Dolphins. Kalif Raymond should enter the fantasy radar after outproducing Reynolds over those two weeks.
Wan'Dale Robinson and Darius Slayton are locked into the top wide receiver roles in New York, especially since Kadarius Toney has been traded to the Kansas City Chiefs.
Terrace Marshall has 12 targets for over 100 yards in his last two games, and since Robby Anderson and Christian McCaffrey were shipped to the NFC West, there will continue to be plenty of targets for secondary receivers to DJ Moore.
Treylon Burks is going to fall off some fantasy managers' watchlist after suffering a turf toe injury that placed him on injured reserve. However, his injury is minor from a long-term perspective, and he's still worth rostering for the chance of a late-season breakout. It also helps he can be stashed in the injured reserve spot on your fantasy roster. His earliest return date is Week 10 against the Denver Broncos.
Tyler Conklin exploded back on the fantasy radar after catching six of his 10 targets for 79 yards and two touchdowns against the New England Patriots. His weekly floor has proven to be low, but his ceiling has rivaled any other player at the tight end position through eight weeks of the season.
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