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Who Should I Pickup for Week 9? Fantasy Football waiver wire outlooks for Calvin Ridley, Matthew Golden, Tez Johnson, Chimere Dike, Jayden Reed, Brandon Aiyuk, Chris Godwin, Dylan Sampson, Bam Knight, Cade Otton.
Who Should I Pickup? Who Should I Stream? Some of the most common Week 9 fantasy football waiver wire decisions involve players like Calvin Ridley, Matthew Golden, Tez Johnson, Chimere Dike, Jayden Reed, Brandon Aiyuk, Chris Godwin, Dylan Sampson, Bam Knight, Cade Otton. However, don't worry, we are here to help you make these waiver wire decisions and make winning moves for Week 9. Add your optimal fantasy football pickups for Week 9 of the 2025 NFL season. Our free Who Should I Pickup? tool will help make your fantasy football waiver wire decisions. Compare up to four NFL players, and we tell you who to add... all free! Get your winning waiver wire pickups set.
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Fantasy Football Waiver Wire Outlooks
Below are some fantasy football waiver wire outlooks written by our NFL team here at RotoBaller, bringing you their fantasy football analysis and advice on which players to consider adding off waivers in Week 9:
Brandon Aiyuk, WR, 49ers
San Francisco 49ers wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk (knee) has yet to begin practicing as he continues rehabbing from a torn ACL and MCL suffered in Week 7 of last season. Head coach Kyle Shanahan confirmed that the 49ers do not plan on opening his 21-day practice window and that he won't practice on Wednesday after mentioning it as a possibility last week.
The 27-year-old wideout will, in all likelihood, have to wait at least another week before being activated off the Physically Unable to Perform List and making his season debut, as the team has taken things slow in his recovery. Aiyuk is still a very talented player who is worth stashing if fantasy managers have an open bench or IR spot, but he will likely take some time to get ramped up when he is able to return.
Chimere Dike, WR, Titans
Tennessee Titans rookie wide receiver Chimere Dike is coming off his best game of the season in Week 8 against the Indianapolis Colts, catching seven of eight targets for 93 yards. Dike has taken advantage of his opportunities, and that's been acknowledged by the team's offensive coordinator, Nick Holz, who said that he's "going to be a really good player in this league." The 23-year-old played a season high 88.1% of snaps and had an 86% route share, only trailing fellow rookie Elic Ayomanor.
The fourth rounder out of Florida has elite 4.34 speed with the ability to win downfield and be a threat with the ball in his hands. With Tyler Lockett now with the Raiders and Calvin Ridley battling a hamstring injury, Dike could emerge as the team's top receiving option over the second half of the season.
Matthew Golden, WR, Packers
Green Bay Packers wide receiver Matthew Golden has disappointed many fantasy managers this season, as he's felt like he was on the cusp of breaking out but hasn't. In Week 8 against the Pittsburgh Steelers, Golden had one of his least productive fantasy outings this season, with three receptions for just four yards. Golden, the 2025 first-round pick, has just two games of five or more targets and has been a top 24 fantasy wide receiver just once through seven games.
His involvement in the Packers' offense took another hit when Christian Watson played his first game of the season and immediately caught 4-of-4 targets for 85 yards. While the thought is that better days are certainly on the horizon for Golden, he can't be a starting option right now for fantasy managers in Week 9 against the Panthers until we see the Packers show true intent to involve Golden more in the offensive game plan.
Cade Otton, TE, Buccaneers
Tampa Bay Buccaneers tight end Cade Otton started the season by posting some duds, but he has turned it around lately. Over the last four games, Otton has hauled in four receptions or more in every game. The 26-year-old has also finished with 40 receiving yards or more in all of those contests. The Bucs are extremely shorthanded with multiple playmakers out for the foreseeable future. That being said, Otton figures to continue seeing the ball coming his way during the second half of the season. The Bucs head into a bye in Week 9, but Otton should be a viable TE2 in the second half.
Bam Knight, RB, Cardinals
Arizona Cardinals running back Bam Knight appears to have a clear runway to be his team's lead back in a favorable Week 9 matchup against the Dallas Cowboys. Cardinals running back Trey Benson (knee) will be on Injured Reserve for at least one more game, and the team released veteran back Michael Carter earlier this week.
Before Arizona's Week 8 bye, Knight had recorded 118 scrimmage yards and a touchdown on 29 touches across his last two games. He'll likely split backfield snaps to some degree with Emari Demercado in Week 9, but Knight profiles as the early-down and goal-line back. The Cowboys have allowed the third-most rushing yards (1,168) in the NFL this season. Knight should be viewed as a low-end fantasy RB2 heading into Week 9.
Who Should I Pickup Tool
Trying to decide who to pick up off the waiver wire? Check the Who Should I Pickup tool here.
2025 Player Decisions. Today's focus is on specific players - Calvin Ridley, Matthew Golden, Tez Johnson, Chimere Dike, Jayden Reed, Brandon Aiyuk, Chris Godwin, Dylan Sampson, Bam Knight, Cade Otton. These are some common searches for 2025 fantasy football waiver wire pickups.
Using The Tool. This is a simple tool but very powerful. The first step is to enter the player names that you want to compare. In the first box, search for the first player's name. In the second box, search for the second player's name. Compare up to four NFL players at once, and then click the Who To Pickup? button to see who the recommended waiver wire pickups are based on fantasy football rankings, projections, and more.
Improvements For Who Should I Pickup? You may have noticed, our Who Should I Pickup? tool has gotten an overhaul. We've added lots of great features for you to give you as much information as possible to win on the waiver wire in 2025. You'll see NFL player tiles with headshots and bye weeks, stats, projections, strength of schedule, enhanced search results with data to compare, and a slick new interface. We hope you enjoy!
How It Works. Our RotoBaller staff puts together their weekly fantasy football waiver wire rankings and projections based on their research, and updates them constantly throughout the week. That information is the core data that is powering the decision-making in this tool. When you search for player names, you will only see those players who are ranked.
Popular Player Comparison Searches - Who To Pickup
Below are some popular searches and comparisons from our Who To Pickup tool for 2025 for Calvin Ridley, Matthew Golden, Tez Johnson, Chimere Dike, Jayden Reed, Brandon Aiyuk, Chris Godwin, Dylan Sampson, Bam Knight, Cade Otton:
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