Week 9 Waiver Wire

Lineup wrecked by injuries, under-performers, or bye weeks? The following players should be the top waiver wire priorities for the week.

Should already be on your roster:
The following players should have already been picked up in past weeks, but if still available should be a top target for you this week:

QB
Dak Prescott (DAL) – This might seem like a no-brainer as Dak has been crushing thus far. However, with a bit of uncertainty surrounding Tony Romo’s return, folks seem to be wary of having Prescott on their roster, making him available in many leagues. I couldn’t disagree more. Sure, I wouldn’t drop someone with a little more job security for him, but if you’re in need of a QB I’d roll with Dak until he gets benched, which again might not even happen.

WR
Donte Moncrief (IND) – As noted last week, Moncrief is back and has already reached pay dirt. This guy is a legitimate talent and needs to be on your team, if somehow still available.

RB
Matt Asiata (MIN) – Asiata didn’t have the dominant performance we were looking for against the Chicago Bears. However, with Jerick McKinnon still injured and the Detroit Lions on the docket this week, Asiata is a good add during a week with 6 teams on bye.

 

On to the next one:
Whether they had a big Week 8, are coming off a bye, or their team has suffered a loss to injury, these guys need to be your targets for the week:

WR
Mohamed Sanu (ATL) – Sanu seems to be settling into his new home. A nice compliment to Julio Jones in an explosive Atlanta Falcons offense, Sanu caught 9 passes for 84 yards and a game-winning touchdown on Sunday. With the Jones banged up and Sanu earning the confidence of Matt Ryan, Sanu should be a good play moving forward. Though they’re on a short week, let’s not forget what the Oakland Raiders just did to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers’ defense. Sanu’s eating good on Thursday Night Football.

Corey Coleman (CLE) – After going off with 5 catches for 104 yards and 2 touchdowns in just his second career game, Coleman missed the next 6 games with a hand injury. Luckily, it looks like he’ll finally be back this week to face the Dallas Cowboys. Though he is now the likely WR2 for Cleveland with Terrelle Pryor filling the WR1 void in his absence, he has shown that he is a talented player when healthy, and needs to be picked up wherever he wasn’t stashed.

J.J. Nelson (ARI) – A newly designated starter and speed demon, Nelson caught 8 balls for for 79 yards and 2 scores against a pretty soft Carolina Panthers secondary. The Arizona Cardinals are heading into a bye, but get the San Francisco 49ers when they return to action. The weak matchup and his big play ability make him a good add if you’re looking for WR depth.

RB
Charcandrick West (KC) –  Let me preface this note with the fact that this pick up depends entirely on Spencer Ware’s status for the week, as he’ll have little value if Ware is active. That said, with both Jamaal Charles and Spencer Ware banged up, West is next in line. He did a solid job filling in for Charles last year, who is getting his knee checked out, and if Ware misses time due to this concussion, West could get a lot of work Week 9 against the Jacksonville Jaguars. Because planning ahead is a major key to fantasy success, West should be scooped in all leagues ahead of the week’s first injury reports.

Tim Hightower (NO) – While not as immediately valuable an add as someone like Charcandrick West might be, Hightower will be a popular pick up this week. After Mark Ingram’s awful day, and Sean Payton saying he wanted to get Hightower more touches, he’ll be a good stash if Ingram continues to struggle, and a possible FLEX play depending on matchups.

Derrick Henry (TEN) – He is who we thought he’d be. A Heisman winner last year with Alabama, Henry is looking like the player the Tennessee Titans hoped they were investing in when they drafted him. He’s clearly got a ton of talent and plays for a team with a run-heavy approach. He found the end zone last week, and it looks like DeMarco Murray is not 100%. While this might be a bit of a stash, Henry will have RB1 status if he takes over the starting role from Murray.

Bilal Powell (NYJ) – While Powell is clearly Matt Forte’s backup, he has once again shown us that he can ball when he gets the rock. Powell is also more of a stash at this point, but Forte hasn’t been the most sturdy over the course of his career, and Powell is next up if he’s to miss any time.

TE
C.J. Fiedorowicz (HOU) – Brock Osweiler is not the most reliable of fantasy assets, but he seems to like CJF, and that’s good enough for us. The TE position has been incredibly thin this year unless you have someone like Rob Gronkowski or Delanie Walker. If you don’t have one of those elite TEs, Fiedorowicz is a great add. Over the last month only Gronk and Walker have more fantasy points at the TE position than CJF. You’ll have to wait until Week 10 to play him, as the Houston Texans have a bye this week, but they have a tasty matchup against the Jacksonville Jaguars when they get back.

Eric Ebron (DET) – Back from injury and ready to rock. Ebron hauled in 7 catches for 79 yards in his first game back since Week 4. Similar to Fiedorowicz, Ebron is a good add for a position that hasn’t had much production this year. Oh, and Matt Stafford can really toss that pigskin.

K
Justin Tucker (BAL) – Tucker is arguably the best in the game. With the Baltimore Ravens coming off a bye he was probably dropped in many leagues – just like Dan Bailey last week. If so, get him. You’ll be set at kicker for the rest of the season. The guy’s also got some swagger, for what it’s worth.