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Should I pickup Luke McCaffrey or Chris Moore as fantasy football waiver wire pickups for Week 9 of 2025? Read our fantasy football waiver wire outlooks.
The Washington Commanders continue to deal with injuries all over the rosterleading into their matchup against the Seattle Seahawks on Sunday Night Football in Week 9. But thankfully, they get their star quarterback back for an important game in primetime.
Top wideout Terry McLaurin returned from his four-game absence last week against the Chiefs, but re-aggravated his quadriceps and was ruled out for Sunday early in the week. Deebo Samuel Sr. returned as well after missing Week 7, but has been impacted by a heel injury. That opens up more opportunities for their depth receivers, including second-year Luke McCaffrey and veteran Chris Moore.
So should you pick up Luke McCaffrey or Chris Moore ahead of Week 9? Let's dive in.
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Luke McCaffrey Fantasy Football Waiver Wire Outlook
McCaffrey has had a limited but impactful role on offense in his second season. The 24-year-old has only 11 receptions (15 targets) in eight games this season, but has totaled 203 yards and three touchdowns. McCaffrey has been dynamic with the ball in his hands, although that's mostly shown up on special teams as a kick returner, where he ranks second in the league in yards per return (30).
In the games where McLaurin was out, McCaffrey's routes still didn't tick up to a full-time role. His highest route share during that span was only 50% in Week 7 against the Cowboys, where he saw only two targets and didn't record a reception. Two of his three touchdowns have come against busted coverages, but his most impressive play of the season came in Week 5, when he hauled in a contested deep ball from Daniels for 50 yards.
Luke McCaffrey with the toe tap
WASvsKC on ESPN/ABC
Stream on @NFLPlus and ESPN App pic.twitter.com/nug5nuerzD— NFL (@NFL) October 28, 2025
It's a tough matchup for McCaffrey against a Seahawks defense that returns top cornerback Devon Witherspoon and is loaded at all three levels. McCaffrey is a big-play threat, and the return of Daniels favors him, but he doesn't run enough routes to be relied on as anything more than a desperation play for Week 9.
Chris Moore Fantasy Football Waiver Wire Outlook
The WR whose playing time has benefited the most from McLaurin's absence is the veteran Moore. The 32-year-old has bounced around the league over the last few years, but has stepped into a semi-prominent role in a thin Washington wide receiver room.
Moore entered the season on Washington's practice squad, but in Weeks 3-7, when McLaurin was out, Moore's route shares were: 76.7%, 62.5%, 74.3%, and 80%. He either led Washington receivers in routes or was just behind Samuel. The veteran wasn't overly productive, catching just seven of his 16 targets for 130 yards and one touchdown in the four-game stretch, but his size and ability to block served a purpose for the offense.
Jayden Daniels drops a DIME to Chris Moore for the TD 💰
CHIvsWAS on ABC
Stream on @NFLPlus and ESPN App pic.twitter.com/gwYbafEY1c— NFL (@NFL) October 14, 2025
Moore clearly has the trust of the coaching staff, as he's stepped in and had a full-time role over the younger players on the team. And Daniels trusts him to be in the right spots at the right time.
Should I Pickup Luke McCaffrey or Chris Moore For Fantasy Football?
Washington's passing game plan may look similar to their Week 5 game against the Chargers, where nearly all the targets consolidated around Samuel. In that game, Samuel totaled eight catches for 96 yards and a touchdown on 11 targets. No other Washington pass catcher had more than two targets. Moore saw one target and dropped a touchdown on a great running throw from Daniels, while McCaffrey made the aforementioned 50-yard catch on one of his two targets in that game.
It may not be that drastic, but with Samuel another week healthier from his heel injury, he should be expected to see a heavy target share in the passing game. McCaffrey, Moore, along with rookie Jaylin Lane will all be in the mix for routes and targets behind Samuel. Moore is certainly the favorite to run the most routes as the trusted veteran, plus we've already seen it play out that way.
Moore would be the preferred fantasy play based on the volume of opportunity. McCaffrey has been schemed up for easy looks more often, and is likely the better bet to make a big play or score a touchdown. But the safer play is likely with the veteran Moore, who should see more snaps and have more opportunities for catches.
Who Should I Pickup Tool
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