Waiver Wire Watch: Week 9 Fantasy Football Targets

Oct 30, 2017

Editor's Note: We're happy to have Brandon Niles on the Waiver Wire Watch this year. He'll work in conjunction with Senior Editor John Paulsen to compile the weekly list of pickups and generate recommended prices for FAAB leagues.

Here is a look at the top waiver wire pickups for Week 9. To be eligible for discussion, the player must be owned in 50% or fewer Yahoo leagues, though we’ll stretch the rules a bit for the RB position, which is usually very thin. We’ll also include suggested bid prices (with a $100 budget) for those leagues that use Free Agent Acquisition Budgets (FAAB). Of course, player value depends on league characteristics and team needs. Players are listed by position in order of importance. For extremely shallow or extremely deep leagues, be sure to review our Rest-of-Season Rankings (updated every Tuesday) to get an idea of how to value players not on this list.

Quarterbacks

Josh McCown, New York Jets ($3)

The Bills are not a particularly good matchup for opposing quarterbacks, but McCown is currently the No. 9 passer in fantasy football, and has accounted for at least two touchdowns in his last four games. A Week 10 matchup against the Buccaneers in Week 10 is particularly tantalizing.

Next up: Bills, Buccaneers, Bye

Jimmy Garoppolo, San Francisco 49ers ($3)

Garoppolo will likely be a hot add this week now that he’s a 49er. However, his only significant regular season action was during the first two games of last year, where he threw for 496 total yards and four touchdowns. While those aren’t bad numbers, it’s hard to get too excited about the guy now that he’s in the struggling San Francisco offense. It may take time for Garoppolo to get a grasp on the playbook also, so be wary trusting him immediately. That being said, assuming he takes the job away from rookie C.J. Beathard, he’ll have some good matchups late in the season and has enough upside to warrant grabbing as a backup or as a starter in two-quarterback/superflex formats.

Next up: Cardinals, Giants, Bye

Brett Hundley, Green Bay Packers ($2)

Hundley didn’t do well against the Saints in Week 7, throwing for only 87 yards and a pick in a Packers loss. He did run in a touchdown, which gives him promise as a viable fantasy option, but it’s hard to imagine he’ll be a good streamer with Detroit and Chicago next on the schedule. Still, he has more upside than any other option on waivers for production later in the season, and he’s worth adding on potential alone.

Next up: Lions, @ Bears, Ravens

Matt Moore, Miami Dolphins ($1)

Moore hasn’t shown much in his short stint as the Dolphins starter, and he threw for only 176 yards and a pair of picks against the Ravens on Thursday night. However, if Jay Cutler remains out, Moore will face a Raiders defense this week that has given up at least 30 points in three of the past four games.

Next up: Raiders, @ Panthers, Bucs

I’m not buying: Ryan Mallett has a nice matchup against the Titans, but even if he winds up starting, I don’t see any reason to assume the Ravens passing game will suddenly become fantasy relevant. Drew Stanton has a great matchup against the 49ers this week, but there should be better streaming options available. I like Blake Bortles in good matchups, which means I’ll revisit him in Week 11 against the Browns. Despite a great matchup, I'll pass on Brock Osweiler.

Deep Stash Options: Jared Goff has a tough couple of games ahead, but he has a good schedule to close the season. I’m stashing him for late-season matchups. Teddy Bridgewater has a legitimate chance of playing as early as Week 10. If he can win that job back, he’ll have some weapons to work with in Minnesota. Colin Kaepernick quietly accounted for 18 total touchdowns in 12 games last season for a horrible team. If he lands on a team with some talent around him, he could quickly become a steady QB option.