November 1, 2016

Ben Ruppert's 2016 fantasy football tiered rankings for Week Nine wide receivers (WR) - waiver wire pickups, adds & sleepers for PPR and non-PPR. These are NFL WRs to target.

What’s up everyone! Welcome back for your Week 9 fantasy football waiver wire WR options. This week we have a number of options that have emerged, several of whom are likely available in your league and could help out your WR situation.

Below you will find some deeper waiver wire grabs heading into Week 9. Check out my entries from Week 8 as well. If players like Terrelle Pryor or Tyrell Williams are still out there, PICK THEM UP FIRST. These are deeper options who will likely be available in many leagues. If you are forced to pick between two players, find me on twitter @Ben_Ruppert_21, and I will be more than happy to help you out!

Now, let’s get rolling.

Editor's Note: Once you're done here, be sure to read about even more Week 9 waiver wire recommendations, for all fantasy-relevant positions. Just click on any link: ALL - RB - WR - TE - QB - DEF - FAAB - CUTS

Week 9 Waiver Wire - Wide Receivers (WR)

The Shallow End (Under 50% Owned)

Mohamed Sanu, WR, ATL- 49% owned on Fleaflicker

Mohamed Sanu had his finest game as a Falcons receiver this week, securing 9-of-10 targets for 84 yards and a TD on Sunday. The Packers defense focused on shutting down Julio Jones all game long, giving Sanu plenty of room to operate. His TD late in the fourth quarter proved to be the difference as the Falcons snuck by with a 33-to-32 win. Jones will be the preferred target of QB Matt Ryan all season, but Sanu is proving to be a viable number two target; his 10 targets this game mark the second time in the past three weeks he has received double digit targets. Not to mention, it is also the second time in the past two weeks he has out-targeted Jones.

Atlanta has only thrown the ball 279 times this season (14th most in the league), but currently lead the league in passing yards at 2,510. In a high-octane Falcons offense, Sanu will have plenty of opportunities to make things happen, as defenses key in on stopping Jones (successfully or unsuccessfully). If anything were to happen to Jones it would change the dynamics of the offense, but Sanu would undoubtedly get a big bump in his fantasy output. Jones came up limping on his ankle in the first half, and appeared to be limited after the fact. Instead of going back to him in the passing game, Ryan looked for Sanu. He makes for a great depth WR add this week.

Quincy Enunwa, WR, NYJ- 43% owned on Fleaflicker

Quincy Enunwa enjoyed his second straight game with a TD on Sunday, catching four of his team-leading 11 targets for 93 yards and a score. It was the second time this season he has received double digit targets from QB Ryan Fitzpatrick. Fitz completed less than 50% of his passes on the day (16-of-34, 47%), making for an inefficient day all around for the Jets offense. After a quiet first half, Enunwa got things going early in the third quarter with a 57-yard reception, which set him up for a nice 24-yard catch-and-run TD. The volume he received after taking a back seat in the passing game last week was great to see.

Fitz is a streaky QB; sometimes he will give you great games and is capable of stringing together a few in a row even. Other times he will be putrid, like he was in his six INT game against the Chiefs earlier this season. Right now he is in the midst of a cold stretch, meaning the Jets offense will have some tough days ahead. Regardless, if Enunwa can continue garnering that many targets per game, he is bound to put up more games like this one. The Jets WR2 is more of a WR3 or flex option in fantasy leagues. Next up is a game against the Dolphins, who have given up the seventh most fantasy points to opposing WRs this season. He has a chance for another solid game next week.

Kendall Wright, WR, TEN – 18% owned on Fleaflicker

Kendall Wright shouldn't need to do much more to justify to the coaching staff that he needs more playing time. Wright caught 4-of-5 targets for 84 yards with a score against the Jaguars on Thursday night. He also added in one rush for six yards. His TD came on an excellent play-action fake, where Wright got behind the defense and into the end zone for a 36-yard strike. He led the team in receiving for the second time in the past three weeks, totaling 229 yards and two TDs. Unfortunately, sandwiched in between his two good performances is a two catch, 12 yard performance.

His reemergence has put the value of Tajae Sharpe into the ground; the two operate in a similar role with Wright being the more efficient receiver of late. The only difference between the two right now is that Sharpe has out-snapped Wright this season. Head coach Mike Mularkey said they intend to keep Wright as a rotational receiver, saying he is a "very good slot receiver, third-down receiver." Wright is clearly the best WR on the team, even though he has yet to play more than 50% of the teams snaps this season. Performances like this one will make keeping him down difficult; it is only a matter of time before they cut him loose and allow him to take over Sharpe's role permanently. Wright is a great speculative add with plenty of upside if he can get his playing time up.

 Brian Quick, WR, LA- 18% owned on Fleaflicker

Coming out of the bye week, Brian Quick is certainly someone who can help get you through the Week 9 bye weeks at a cheap price. With the likes of Larry Fitzgerald, Alshon Jeffery, and DeAndre Hopkins all taking the week off, Quick is a widely available option with big upside next week against Carolina and onward. The Panthers have allowed the ninth most fantasy points to opposing WRs this season, most recently picked apart by the New Orleans Saints and Arizona Cardinals. Case Keenum has seen his two highest passing yardage games come in the past two weeks, giving the Rams passing attack some hope this season.

Quick leads the Rams in average yards per target at 17.9 (8th in the NFL), and leads the team with three reception TDs. He is the preferred deep threat for Keenum, with Kenny Britt and Tavon Austin also getting targets in the short-to-intermediate game. Over the past five games, Quick has averaged three receptions for 65 yards, with three scores in those five games. He has been excellent on getting big chunk gains, with receptions of 65, 48, and 44 yards this season. He is more valuable in a standard scoring league given his low catch totals, but has value since those catches go for big gains more often than not.

More Options: Brandon LaFell, CIN (45% owned), Rishard Matthews, TEN (45%), Chris Hogan, NE (42%), Dorial Green-Beckham, PHI (38%), Pierre Garcon, WSH (37%), Cameron Meredith, CHI (33%), Tyler Boyd, CIN (27%), Kenny Stills, MIA (27%), Marqise Lee, JAX (17%), Robert Woods, BUF (17%)

The Deep End (Under 15% Owned)

Tyreek Hill, WR, KC- 8% owned on Fleaflicker

Tyreek Hill has very quickly emerged as a go-to deep threat for the Chiefs offense. Last game with Alex Smith under center, he hauled in a 38-yard TD pass. This week with mostly Nick Foles under center, Hill caught 5-of-6 targets for 98 yards and a TD against the Colts. He also rushed once for seven yards. In an offense dominated by the run, on top of a starting QB that doesn't normally throw down the field means chances for Hill will be few and far between. However, when he does strike he has the potential to find the end zone like he has the past two weeks. He should be added in only the deepest of leagues, even with a good matchup against the Jaguars up next week. The Jags have allowed the eighth most fantasy points to opposing WRs this season.

Seth Roberts, WR, OAK- 8% owned on Fleaflicker

Seth Roberts has a nose for the end zone, evidenced by his four TDs in eight games this season as the Raiders third WR. It took Roberts some extra time, but he hit pay dirt again last week. He caught a pass from QB Derek Carr, broke a tackle, then scampered 41-yards for the game winning score. He normally does not receive many targets as the third option in the offense, but he has 22 targets over the past three weeks. Roberts makes a great depth WR add this week, and a playable option in the flex as bye weeks continue to ravage fantasy owners.

J.J. Nelson, WR, ARI- 6% owned on Fleaflicker

The absence of Jaron Brown and an unhealthy Michael Floyd helped swing the door of opportunity wide open for Nelson on Sunday. He caught 8-of-12 targets for 79 yards with two TDs on the day, in the Cardinals loss to Carolina. Nelson's success was largely dictated by game flow, with Arizona getting down 24-to-0 at one points. He was able to make the most of his opportunities however, scoring two TDs in the red zone. Nelson looked good in the offense for the second straight week, meaning the Cardinals will need to think about getting this man move involved in the offense after the bye week. If he can emerge as the third WR to own in the offense this season, he may be able to have a John Brown-type impact like he did last season. Nelson is worth adding if you have the space even with his team on a bye.

Russell Shepard, WR, TB- 6% owned on Fleaflicker

Shepard scored a TD for the second straight game on Sunday, hauling in 2-of-3 targets for 23 yards and a TD. This was a bit of a step down from his five catch, 77 yard performance last week, but his red zone TD  was nice to see. He is currently third on the team in red zone targets behind Mike Evans and Cameron Brate, despite not getting much attention before last week. Shepard was out-produced by Adam Humphries this week, but when looking for the proper Vincent Jackson replacement look no further than Shepard, who will stay relevant due to his red zone usage.

More Options: Cordarrelle Patterson, MIN (15%) , Adam Humphries, TB (11%), Jermaine Kearse, SEA (9%), Jeff Janis, GB (6%), Justin Hunter, BUF (5%), Andrew Hawkins, CLE (4%), Ricardo Louis, CLE (3%), Taylor Gabriel, ATL (1%)

That’s all for this week folks, hope you get everyone you claim! For all your WR waiver wire questions, read these articles each week and get at me on twitter @Ben_Ruppert_21. I am more than happy to lend a hand to hungry fantasy owners!