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Assisting our famous waiver wire pickups list, and our weekly waiver wire columns by position, this column focuses on suggested waiver wire bidding percentages for fantasy football owners in leagues using a Free Agent Acquisition Budget (FAAB).
As a caveat, these prices do not by any means indicate how much these free agent players will go for. Each league values players differently and will continue to do so. These values are here to provide a baseline to understand roughly how much you should be targeting to spend on a particular player. You only have so much FAAB money, spend it as wisely as possible.
We're halfway through the season and the trade deadline is Tuesday. Look ahead and be ready to pounce on vacated roles and opportunities. Don't be bashful about entering win-now mode if you need it -- finishing 6-7 with your favorite players on your roster won't make you feel better. Without further ado, here are our FAAB auction bidding recommendations for Week 9 below.
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FAAB Waiver Wire Bids - Quarterbacks
Cam Newton (QB, CAR) - FAAB Bid: 0-1%
41% owned
Kyle Allen was awful in Week 8 while Cam Newton was out on the field for pregame warmups. He’s been out since Week 2 and is ruled out for Week 9, but there's no QB controversy here with Allen's poor play. Missing that Tennessee matchup might be a blessing in disguise anyhow. If you can scoop a healthy Cam that feels comfortable rushing before news hype hits that he’s practicing again then you’ll save FAAB and perhaps land a top-10 QB while you're at it.
Derek Carr (QB, HOU) - FAAB Bid: 0-1%
26% owned
Carr just tossed a season-high three TDs in a Week 8 loss to the Texans, giving him five TDs and 578 yards in Oakland’s two (road) games following their bye. The Raiders are dinged up, but face a Lions Defense that yielded 42 points to the Vikings in Week 7 and then Daniel Jones’ four-TD performance in Week 8. The Antonio Brown drama scrambled their plans early and Tyrell Williams' absence exacerbated it, but Tyrell and Darren Waller are a solid one-two punch with Josh Jacobs pushing them downfield.
FAAB Waiver Wire Bids - Running Backs
Jaylen Samuels (RB, PIT) - FAAB Bid: 10-12%
19% owned
James Conner suffered a "shoulder, AC injury" per Mike Tomlin in a postgame interview, with more details coming on Tuesday. Benny Snell got hurt on Monday night as well, which means Samuels, who didn't play Monday himself due to a knee injury, would be the likely starter come Week 9 against the Colts should Conner be seriously injured. Samuels is recovering from a knee scope and got in full practices on Thursday, Friday and Saturday before the Monday night scratch. He's a solid handcuff to own in general, but he gets a priority bump with Conner's unknown status heading into the week.
Mark Walton (RB, MIA) - FAAB Bid: 10-12%
23% owned
Kenyan Drake is now an Arizona Cardinal and Walton is Miami’s feature back. We follow opportunity in fantasy football, and Ryan Fitzpatrick’s aggression makes the Dolphins slightly better than a joke...for fantasy purposes, at least. Kalen Ballage’s red-zone vultures will annoy you, but Walton should see at least 12-15 touches per game. He saw 14 on Monday night, posting 54 yards in another tough showing for the Dolphins. You won’t find that volume on the waiver wire so easily.
Derrius Guice (RB, WAS) - FAAB Bid: 5-6%
29% owned
Washington’s coach, Bill Callahan, says Guice is on track to return in Week 11. He’s been out since Week 1 on the IR with a return designation and would surely retake the starting job. Remember, Adrian Peterson was inactive in Week 1 and they need to see how the youngster looks over extended play before the 2020 offseason evaluations. The schedule isn’t soft, but a Week 16 date with the Giants could help deep-leaguers take home the title.
Raheem Mostert (RB, SF) - FAAB Bid: 2-3%
6% owned
Jeffery Wilson went down with a head injury and then Matt Breida was once again dinged up, this time with an ankle injury. Tevin Coleman’s four-touchdown week overshadows the damage, but Mostert managed 60 yards on nine rushes in garbage time. He’d step back into the high-powered, Kyle Shanahan rushing attack as the change-of-pace back for Coleman should Breida miss Week 9 at Arizona. The 49ers face Arizona twice over the next three weeks, though Breida was a limited participant on San Francisco’s projected injury report filed on Monday. Monitor the actual practices closely.
FAAB Waiver Wire Bids - Wide Receivers
Danny Amendola (WR, DET) - FAAB Bid: 6-8%
9% owned
Do you think Matthew Stafford misses Golden Tate? Danny Amendola is filling Tate’s shoes nicely, putting up 8-95-0 after last weeks’ 8-105-0 line. Amendola defines the PPR slot maestro, and he’s clearly back after an injury zapped momentum following his Week 1 7-104-1 performance. Week 9 against Oakland could provide a sneaky shootout between two underwhelming defenses, with Amendola abusing Oakland’s interior.
Demaryius Thomas (WR, NYJ) - FAAB Bid: 6-8%
6% owned
Thomas caught all five of his targets for 63 yards in Week 8, giving him 27 targets over his last four games. DT’s twilight campaign would get a boost should Robby Anderson be traded, especially with MIA, NYG, WAS, OAK and CIN as Gang Green’s next five contests. He shouldn’t cost much and may become NYJ’s No. 1 WR shortly.
Josh Reynolds (WR, LAR) - FAAB Bid: 4-5%
0% owned
Reynolds stepped into the Rams’ oft-deployed three-wide sets in Week 8 after Brandin Cooks left with a head injury. Cooks will have the bye week to recover, but the number of times we’ve seen him get his bell rung is getting a bit frightful. All concussions are different and Reynolds would instantly be a weekly top-40 WR for me should he become a starter.
Devante Parker (WR, MIA) - FAAB Bid: 4-5%
25% owned
Parker turned a season-high 10 targets into a 5-55-1 line in Week 7 -- his third-straight game with a score. Trade rumors have swirled the sinking Dolphins and Parker is one of the bigger names. You’re preemptively adding him in case he heads to a contender or at least a team that finds the red zone more often than Miami.
Ted Ginn (WR, NO) - FAAB Bid: 4-5%
7% owned
Ginn is another stasher through his team’s bye week, as the Saints rest until Week 10 against Atlanta’s softer defense. The speedster caught two balls for 42 yards with Drew Brees back under center, with Brees’ willingness to throw deep giving Ginn life versus Teddy Bridgewater’s approach. Facing ATL, TB, CAR, and ATL again in the coming weeks brings three premium matchups to attack downfield.
Russell Gage (WR, ATL) - FAAB Bid: 1-2%
0% owned
Gage stepped into Mohamed Sanu’s role and saw nine targets thanks to Matt Schaub chucking it 52 times. We can’t lean on that volume moving forward, though Atlanta’s ground game has underwhelmed and the defense leaves them in catchup mode often. Gage’s seven catches were good for 58 yards, but Atlanta is on bye so only the most desperate of PPR players should stash here.
FAAB Waiver Wire Bids - Tight Ends
Darren Fells (TE, HOU) - FAAB Bid: 1-2%
18% owned
Fells’ second two-TD game of 2019 gives him five scores on the year as Houston awaits Jacksonville, who just let Ryan Griffin put up a two-TD game of his own. The Texans didn’t utilize Fells much in their first two games, but the six games since have yielded 22 catches on 24 targets for 235 yards and five TDs. If you’re stuck throwing TD-dependent TE darts, get the hot hand on a team with a lackluster RB stable. Deshaun Watson helps too.
Dallas Goedert (TE, PHI) - FAAB Bid: 1-2%
20% owned
Goedert’s 3-22-1 line from Week 8 quietly tells an intriguing story. Dallas saw five targets while Zach Ertz only saw four after Goedert’s loud 4-69-1 line from Week 7. Back-to-back games with a TD and eating into Ertz’s workload is important ahead of Philly’s date with Chicago at home. He’ll be TD-dependent there and then Philly hits their bye, but he could be an asset down the stretch -- especially if Zach Ertz gets moved.
Jonnu Smith (TE, TEN) - FAAB Bid: 0-1%
19% owned
Smith stepped up with Delanie Walker on the shelf, catching six-of-seven targets for 78 yards and his first TD of 2019. The Bucs did a great job at limiting Derrick Henry, but flopped against the pass, showing their true funnel colors. Facing the Panthers is tougher for Smith, but Jonnu’s athleticism would keep him in the top-12 conversation should Walker miss again.
Cameron Brate (TE, TB) - FAAB Bid: 0-1%
14% owned
With O.J. Howard out, Brate saw six targets (good!) but only caught three of them for 32 scoreless yards (bad.) I have no clue why Brate, oft-used in the red zone, was on the sidelines while Tanner Hudson was on the field. If you want to throw a free bid at Brate in case Howard is out again for Week 9 at Seattle then great, otherwise, I’d let someone else pay up.
FAAB Waiver Wire Bids - Defense/Special Teams
Cleveland Browns D/ST (at NYG) - FAAB Bid: 1-2%
24% owned
The Browns offense is a laughing stock despite its superstars, but the defense has 22 sacks over seven games ahead of a dream date with Denver’s backup QB, Brandon Allen. The Broncos don’t have the playmakers to elevate a backup, so I expect the Browns to defy the altitude advantage and harass Allen into several sacks and many mistakes.
Philadelphia Eagles D/ST (vs. CHI) - FAAB Bid: 0-1%
39% owned
The Eagles Defense soared in terrible Buffalo weather in Week 8, sacking Josh Allen four times while allowing just 13 points. They’re capable of greatness in plus matchups -- remember Week 5 against the Jets -- with Mitch Trubisky looking only a little better than Luke Falk right now. Philly may also be active at Tuesday's trade deadline, perhaps bringing in Darius Slay to help the secondary? Regardless, Chicago is rather one-dimensional on offense and makes for a decent DEF stream target.
New York Jets D/ST (at MIA) - FAAB Bid: 0-1%
12% owned
Despite the love for Miami in this column, there’s a reason they’re widely available and it isn’t all Josh Rosen. The Jets are on the back foot, but Miami’s low-level pass rush could give Sam Darnold and company time to tilt the field. The Jets started with seven takeaways and three defensive TDs in their first three games, but facing Philly, Dallas and New England with no offense knocked them down. They’ll face the Dolphins, Giants and Redskins over the next three weeks for those seeking a long-term stream.
Dallas Cowboys D/ST (at NYG) - FAAB Bid: 0-1%
31% owned
The Cowboys enjoyed a Week 8 bye and travel to East Rutherford for a date with the rookie Daniel Jones and the G-men. This well-rested unit is coming off their best game yet, holding the Eagles to 10 points with three sacks and four takeaways. Jones has his flashes, but they’ve largely come in garbage time after big mistakes. His four-TD game against the Lions still yielded three sacks and a fumble recovery for a score.
