This is the Waiver Wire Week 9!
November is almost here and the fantasy playoff race is starting to heat up. This waiver wire lacks too many high-impact players, but several ascending talents are starting to see increased usage and opportunities.
The dreaded Bye Weeks are back. There will be four teams on bye for the following three weeks. We want to try and be one week ahead when dealing with bye weeks so take a look at the upcoming weeks and act accordingly.
Upcoming BYE Weeks
Week 9
Detroit
Denver
Jacksonville
San Francisco
Week 10
Kansas City
Los Angeles Rams
Miami
Philadelphia
Week 11
Atlanta
Indianapolis
New England
New Orleans
NOTE: ALL PLAYERS ARE AVAILABLE IN 75% OF YAHOO LEAGUES OR MORE, UNLESS LISTED AS A SHALLOW LEAGUE ADD.
Quarterbacks
SHALLOW LEAUE ADD Derek Carr | New Orleans (37%)
Carr has passed for 300 yards or more in three consecutive games. He is on the QB1 streaming radar the next two weeks as New Orleans faces off against Minnesota and Chicago.
Will Levis | Tennessee (4%)
Where to even begin? Levis was simply sensational. All week long, we heard rumblings of Levis splitting time with Malik Willis. Willis ended up with two rush attempts, and Levis went nuclear. He finished with four TD passes. This is the first four TD performance by a rookie since Marcus Mariota. Levis displayed a cannon of an arm and connected with DeAndre Hopkins on three of his TD passes.
Levis needs to be a priority on the waiver wire for QB needy managers. We cannot discount a performance like this. The schedule ahead is demanding, as Tennessee faces off against Pittsburgh and Tampa Bay their next two games. Levis appears to be the long term answer at QB for the Titans.
Gardner Minshew | Indianapolis (16%)
Minshew’s yardage went down, as Indianapolis was highly effective running the football against a strong New Orleans defense. But Minshew still managed to throw two TD passes. He is a locked in mid QB2.
Bryce Young | Carolina (12%)
Young showed improvement in Carolina’s win over Houston. His trajectory is pointing up for the rest of the season. Young has two manageable games in a row with Indianapolis and Chicago on tap.
SHALLOW LEAGUE ADD Baker Mayfield | Tampa Bay (30%)
Mayfield passed for two TDs and finished with 256 combined yards against a tough Buffalo defense. He is playing through a knee injury and continues to put up QB2 numbers.
Mac Jones | New England (9%)
Jones has passed for two TDs in consecutive games. He now faces off against a Washington defense that has allowed 300 passing yards in six out of seven games. Jones is a matchup based streamer. Do not worry about who he is passing to. You should worry about who he is facing this week.
Running Backs
SHALLOW LEAGUE ADD Zach Charbonnet Seattle (42%)
If Charbonnet is available in your league, he is a top addition this week.
had a season-high 64 combined yards, and Ken Walker is dealing with a calf injury. If Walker were to miss time, Charbonnet would be a top 15 play at the RB position.
SHALLOW LEAGUE ADD Emari Demercado Arizona (36%)
Demercado had a season high 20 carries in Arizona’s loss to Baltimore. Until James Conner returns, Demercado is a flex consideration with a high volume of touches over the past two weeks.
Pierre Strong | Cleveland (10%)
Strong had a season-high of 11 touches and 82 combined yards including a 41-yard catch. Kareem Hunt and Jerome Ford played but both were banged up. He is the healthiest Browns RB and is producing. Strong’s role could continue to grow, and he can be flexed if Hunt or Ford miss time. He has contingent upside in this offense.
Devin Singletary | Houston (20%)
Singletary had 12 touches and continues to split the backfield work with Dameon Pierce. He is a low-ceiling option, but his role could continue to grow. He could be a helpful player during bye weeks.
Royce Freeman | Los Angeles Rams (22%)
Freeman has 21 carries and 110 yards over his last two games. He found the end zone against Dallas. He will see a weekly role behind Darrell Henderson until Kyren Williams returns from the IR. Freeman is playing well, and the Rams could run the ball a little more if Matthew Stafford cannot play this week.
Elijah Mitchell | San Francisco (27%)
Mitchell has passed Jordan Mason on the depth chart and returned to his role as handcuff RB on San Francisco.
He should be prioritized over the other handcuff backs based on the quality of the 49ers’ offense and his previous fantasy success.
Leonard Fournette |Buffalo (4%)
Fournette has appeared in this column recently on the chance he signed. As of Monday, all signs point to Fournette signing on with the Buffalo Bills as a practice squad player. The move for Fournette makes a lot of sense. Damien Harris is on the injured reserve, and Latavius Murray is 33 years old. Fournette is a better threat around the goal line than James Cook or Murray. He is a threat to Cook’s target volume. This is a GREAT landing spot for Fournette.
Tank Bigsby | Jacksonville (12%)
Zamir White | Las Vegas (3%)
Rico Dowdle | Dallas (3%)
Michael Carter | New York Jets (1%)
Joshua Kelley | Los Angeles Chargers (28%)
All these players are the handcuff RBs who would become big waiver wire additions if the starter in front of them missed time. If you have the room, roster one of these running backs.
Wide Receivers
DeMario Douglas | New England (3%)
Douglas led New England with seven targets and caught five of them. He also had a rushing attempt. Kendrick Bourne tore his ACL, and Douglas’ growing role will be even larger in the weeks ahead. New England is devoid of playmakers, and Douglas will get all that he can handle. Prioritize him this week.
Khalil Shakir | Buffalo (1%)
Shakir has emerged from the logjam as Buffalo’s WR3 and is starting to see increased work and noticeable production. He finished Thursday’s win with season-highs of six targets, six receptions, and 92 receiving yards.
Shakir is only in his second year and has some unknown upside. This past week, he posted a 65-percent snap share and an 18-percent target share. He can be a bye-week fill-in at the very least.
Jayden Reed | Green Bay (17%)
Reed made my Sleepers column this week and has been in this Waiver Wire column all season. He is one of my favorite WRs available on the wire this week. Reed led Green Bay with a career-high 83 receiving yards and had six targets- his highest total since Week 3. The second-round draft pick has flashed at times this year and appears to have a growing role in the offense.
Michael Wilson | Arizona (15%)
I am contractually obligated to write about Wilson in every article of mine. Wilson is a stash but a fun one. When Kyler Murray returns, Wilson could be playable. Wilson also has a quicker path to viability if Marquise Brown were to be moved at the trade deadline. He finished second among all Cardinals with 58 receiving yards in Sunday’s loss to Baltimore.
Jonathan Mingo | Carolina (6%)
The Carolina Panthers second-round draft pick finished with a season-high 62 receiving yards in Sunday’s win over Houston. Mingo trailed only Adam Thielen in catches, yards, and targets among all Carolina pass catchers.
The Panthers need a secondary option for Bryce Young, and Mingo increasing his production in the second half of the season would be beneficial for the Panthers in the short term and the long run. He will appear in the overall top 10 for the first time this season.
Jamison Crowder | Washington (0%)
Crowder filled in for Curtis Samuel (toe injury) and posted a throwback line: seven targets, seven catches, 95 receiving yards, and a TD. Crowder is a deep league consideration if Samuel were to miss some time.
Trey Palmer | Tampa Bay (0%)
This is a deep league stash. If Godwin or Evans miss time, Palmer would see a huge increase in snaps.
Tight Ends
Trey McBride | Arizona (20%)
McBride is the No. 1 Waiver Wire addition this year at the TE position. His ascent has been rapid. He is a TE1 rest of season and has top six potential. The second-year player caught a Travis Kelce-like 10 passes for 95 yards and a TD. McBride was targeted 14 times and had a 39 percent target share. Do not overthink this one. Bid aggressively.
Michael Mayer | Las Vegas (19%)
I am writing this article before Monday Football has aired, but Mayer is available in 81 percent of Yahoo Leagues. This feels like way too much. Two weeks ago, Mayer had five catches for 75 yards. Last week there was minimal production, but Brian Hoyer was behind center. Mayer should have a strong second half of the season.
SHALLOW LEAGUE ADD Taysom Hill | New Orleans (35%)
HE CAN’T KEEP GETTING AWAY WITH THIS!!! (Breaking Bad reference, come on people). In leagues where Hill has TE eligibility, he is a strong addition this week. He caught one pass, but he returned to his old ways with 63 rushing yards and two scores. If he is listed as a QB, ignore him.
Luke Musgrave | Green Bay (22%)
A bet on talent recommendation for the second half of the season. Musgrave has been hit or miss and struggled along with Jordan Love in Sunday’s loss, providing almost no production.
He has been dealing with an ankle issue. When he heals up, he should have opportunities for better performances.
Connor Heyward | Pittsburgh (0%)
Pat Freiermuth is on the IR, and Heyward has seen a huge increase in usage. This past week, he posted season highs in targets (six) and receptions (five). TE Premium managers should prioritize him in case this usage is sustainable.
Donald Parham | Los Angeles Chargers (3%)
Parham now has four TD catches on the season. He is a part-time player but had season highs of five targets and four catches in Sunday night’s win over Chicago. Parham is a dice role start with two great matchups over the next two: at the New York Jets and at home against Detroit.
Cade Otton | Tampa Bay (2%)
Otton is the new break glass in case of emergency option at the TE position.
He has 12 targets and nine catches in his last two games and is on the field a lot. If you need a bye week fill in or injury replacement, he is a low-ceiling option with a low floor.
Daniel Bellinger | New York Giants (0%)
Bellinger would be an every down player if Darren Waller misses time.
Top 10 Overall
1- Trey McBride TE Arizona
2- Demario Douglas WR New England
3- Khalil Shakir WR Buffalo
4- Leonard Fournette RB Buffalo
5- Pierre Strong RB Cleveland
6- Will Levis QB Tennessee
7- Devin Singletary RB Houston
8- Royce Freeman RB Los Angeles Rams
9- Jonathan Mingo WR Carolina
10- Michael Wilson WR Arizona
