FlurrySports’ best fantasy football waiver wire pickups to make in Week 9 include the Las Vegas Raiders’ Mike Washington Jr.
Add us as a preferred source on Google searches!
Weather, injuries, and the Fantasy Gods causing chaos led to a very odd NFL week. From a fantasy football perspective, the landscape seems to get more convoluted by the week. The NFL Trade Deadline is right around the corner, so I’m sure the fun is only beginning.
Given the number of injuries, there are several valuable Week 9 fantasy football waiver wire pickups this week. Luckily, bye weeks will play less of a factor, since only the Pittsburgh Steelers and Tennessee Titans are off. Still, creating a lineup you’re confident in doesn’t seem to be an easy task, so make sure you get all the league-winning data, fantasy waiver wire rankings and more at the FlurrySports Playbook!
On Playbook.FlurrySports.org, I have everything your league doesn’t want you to have. My fantasy rankings, the NFL Survivor tool, a weather app and hundreds of NFL team stats are all free. However, I also have my fantasy football waiver rankings, exclusive stats, fantasy football trade value chart and more for those who want more information. Simply, I wanted a one-stop shop to help you win on your NFL and college football picks this season!
Go check that out after reading the best fantasy football waiver wire targets ahead of Week 9.
Note: Players must be owned in less than 50% of ESPN leagues to be included in the best fantasy football waiver wire pickups column. Ownership percentages will reflect their status on Tuesday mornings ahead of standard waiver processing.
Best Fantasy Football Waiver Wire Pickups Week 9
QB Fantasy Football Waiver Wire Pickups
Malik Willis, Miami Dolphins (10.6%)
If you are a Baker Mayfield or Lamar Jackson owner, you may be wanting a player who can get you some reliable points every week. Honestly, Willis looks to be a high-floor option you can get off the fantasy football waiver wire.
Typically, Willis has guaranteed fantasy points on the ground. He has over five fantasy points from his legs in three of his past five games. One of those failed games was against the Vikings, and the other was last week. Due to the poor NFL weather in the game last week, the Patriots put their efforts towards stopping the run, which they did well. However, Willis proved he can get it done with his arm if defenses want to do that. He threw for 211 yards, two touchdowns and an interception in bad weather.
The next three weeks look good for Willis, facing the Lions, Colts and Bills. Whether you need a bye week fill-in or just want a QB who won’t lose you the week, Malik Willis is a name to look to.
Other Fantasy QBs to Consider:
- Bo Nix
- JJ McCarthy
- Deshaun Watson
RB Fantasy Football Waiver Wire Pickups
Mike Washington Jr. (17.5%)
Was last week a turning of the tide? Apparently, Ashton Jeanty was told prior to the game that he would see a reduced role in the running game, so the increased role for rookie Mike Washington Jr. was the Raiders’ plan. The rookie ended up playing 60% of the Raiders’ snaps while Jeanty played the other 40%. This led to Washington totaling 25 carries and 83 yards.
It has been an inefficient season running the ball by Jeanty, so all signs point to Washington continuing to lead this backfield in carries while Jeanty is used more as a receiver. This schedule coming up for Mike Washington Jr. isn’t great (49ers, Seahawks, Broncos, Browns), but the volume is too good to ignore.
Other Fantasy RBs to Consider:
- Emmett Johnson
- Dylan Sampson
- Tyler Allgeier
WR Fantasy Football Waiver Wire Pickups
Antonio Williams, Washington Commanders (16.3%)
Speaking of increased roles for rookies, Antonio Williams was promoted in the Washington Commanders’ receiving corps due to the Terry McLaurin injury. Last week, he led the wide receivers with 83% of the snaps, which was a whopping 10 more plays than the next receiver. This led to a team-high 25.9% target share.
Washington doesn’t have a great backfield, so they will have to continue throwing the ball. His role will be consistently big, and while next week’s matchup against the Rams isn’t great, he has matchups to exploit after that (Giants, Bengals, Cardinals, Titans). I know his 54 yards didn’t make headlines last week, but Antonio Williams is a player who has to be picked up off the fantasy football waiver wire in Week 9.
Other Fantasy WRs to Consider:
- Adonai Mitchell
- Keenan Allen
- Jordyn Tyson
TE Fantasy Football Waiver Wire Pickups
Mike Gesicki, Cincinnati Bengals (15.1%)
Shoutout to Mike Gesicki, who continues to be an unbelievable anytime touchdown bet. He has scored in all but one game this season. Gesicki has been a red zone monster for the Cincinnati Bengals, seeing four end zone targets and a 16.7% goal line share for the team. When they get the ball close to the end zone, the running game hasn’t been great, so Joe Burrow is targeting his big receivers like Gesicki.
Another great think about Gesicki is that he can be considered as a handcuff as well. If either Ja’Marr Chase or Tee Higgins miss any time, Gesicki’s target share rises by quite a bit. So, despite being unowned in 85% of leagues, Mike Gesicki is a very valuable fantasy football waiver wire pickup.
Other Fantasy TEs to Consider:
- Chig Okonkwo
- Greg Dulcich
- Michael Mayer
DST Fantasy Football Waiver Wire Pickups
Dallas Cowboys (15.8%)
In Week 9, the Cincinnati Bengals have the privilege of facing the Indianapolis Colts, who are allowing the second-most fantasy points to defenses. I understand that Gardner Minshew, Tyler Allgeier and the Arizona Cardinals torched Dallas last week. However, I would argue the Colts would love to have players who fight like the Cardinals do.
The Colts rolled over last week, losing 42-7 to the Jacksonville Jaguars, who put up 21 fantasy points as a defense. While Dallas wasn’t great last week, the pass rush has been turned up for them. They got five sacks against the Cardinals. Over the past three weeks, Dallas has 10 sacks and three interceptions, so they are improved from earlier in the season.
