Waiver Wire Winners for Fantasy Football – Week 9

Week 9 of Fantasy Football has arrived, and I’ve highlighted my top waiver wire targets. These players are rostered in fewer than 60% of Fantrax leagues. To accommodate different league formats and roster sizes, I’ve provided several options to help you find the best fit for your team.

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Waiver Wire Winners for Fantasy Football – Week 9

Troy Franklin (Broncos WR)

Troy Franklin caught six of his eight targets for 89 yards and two touchdowns in Week 8 for 26.9 Fantasy Points. This marks 18 targets to Franklin across the last two weeks, with three touchdowns scored, showing the connection Franklin has to his former Oregon quarterback in Bo Nix. Week 8 was the fourth time Franklin has earned eight or more targets, the second time he has produced 89 receiving yards, the third game he has scored in, and the second time he has scored 24+ Fantasy Points.

Tyrone Tracy Jr. (Giants RB)

Cam Skattebo suffered a dislocated ankle, which will end his season. This means Tyrone Tracy Jr. should again assume the Giants’ RB1 role. Tracy rushed nine times for 46 yards and a touchdown in Week 7, then 10 times for 39 yards in Week 8 with two catches. As a rookie last season, Tracy totaled 839 rushing yards, 38 receptions, 284 receiving yards, and six total touchdowns.

Kayshon Boutte (Patriots WR)

Kayshon Boutte caught three of his five targets in Week 8 for 75 yards and a touchdown, which was 16.5 Fantasy Points. Boutte has scored four receiving touchdowns across the last three weeks and has five on the season, which shows upside attached to Drake Maye. Week 8 was the third time Boutte scored 16+ Fantasy Points this season, and the third week in a row scoring 13.5-26.3 points. The FLEX potential is clearly here.

Harold Fannin Jr. (Browns TE)

Harold Fannin Jr. caught six of his eight targets for 62 yards and a touchdown in Week 8 for 18.4 Fantasy Points, which was a season-high. Week 8 marked the third time the rookie earned eight or more targets, the third time he caught six or more passes, and the third time he produced over 60 receiving yards. Fannin has scored over 15 Fantasy Points in two of his last three games.

Christian Watson (Packers WR)

Christian Watson returned to the Packers’ lineup in Week 8 after recovering from a torn ACL he suffered in the last game of the 2024 regular season. Watson instantly had an impact, catching all four targets for 85 yards (21.3 Fantasy Points), which was 12.5 Fantasy Points. Watson played 56% of the snaps in Week 8, so that number, along with the targets, can trend up. Watson has historically displayed a ton of receiving yards, receiving touchdowns, and Fantasy scoring upside.

Chimere Dike (Titans WR)

Chimere Dike has been a solid special-teams contributor in his rookie season, but he has been rising as a Wide Receiver the last two weeks. Dike caught all four targets for 70 yards and a touchdown in Week 7 for 16.9 Fantasy Points. Then in Week 8, Dike caught seven of his eight targets for 93 yards, which was 16.4 Fantasy Points. Solid Fantasy Football upside two weeks in a row now.

Bam Knight (Cardinals RB)

The Cardinals had a BYE in Week 8, so many people may have forgotten that Bam Knight has been operating as a the lead back for Arizona. In Week 6, Knight rushed 11 times for 34 yards and a touchdown with a 20-yard catch for 12.4 Fantasy Points. Then in Week 7, Bam rushed 14 times for 57 yards with three catches for seven yards. Trey Benson could return in Week 10, which would make Knight a handcuff, but he might just continue to earn work, especially with Michael Carter being released.

Tyjae Spears (Titans RB)

Tyjae Spears returned to football in Week 5 after dealing with injuries and has been creating a committee with Tony Pollard the last three weeks. From Weeks 6-8, Spears has played 59%, 43%, and then 52% of the snaps with nine, eight, and then twelve touches. Spears rushed nine times for 59 yards and a touchdown, and caught three balls for 23 yards in Week 8 for a solid 17.2 Fantasy Points.

Tyler Allgeier (Falcons RB)

Tyler Allgeier scored his fourth rushing touchdown of the season in Week 8. Allgeier has finished four weeks with double-digit touches, two weeks with 50+ rushing yards, and three weeks with double-digit Fantasy Points. Game script can create some stand-alone value, but at minimum, he is an upside handcuff to stash for Bijan Robinson as a former starting running back with a history of Fantasy impacts.

Tank Bigsby (Eagles RB)

Tank Bigsby rushed nine times for 104 yards in Week 8. Saquon Barkley left in the fourth quarter with a groin injury, and while Barkley brushed this injury off after the game, it is one worth monitoring. This sort of rushing upside out of Bigsby confirms he is a handcuff worth stashing in this Eagles offense.

Mason Taylor (Jets TE)

Rookie Mason Taylor caught five of his eight targets for 34 yards and a touchdown in Week 8 for 14.4 Fantasy Points. Week 8 was the third time Taylor has earned seven or more targets, the third game he caught five passes, and the second week Taylor has scored over 14 Fantasy Points. The Jets have minimal solidified pass-catchers, so Taylor can have a huge role for the remainder of the season.

Josh Downs (Colts WR)

Josh Downs caught all three targets for 39 yards and a touchdown in Week 8 for 12.9 Fantasy Points, after missing Week 7 due to a concussion. Week 8 marked three straight weeks with double-digit Fantasy Points and the second game in a row with a touchdown. Downs earned 15 targets across Weeks 5-6 prior to missing Week 7 as well.

Texans WR’s

Week 8 Stats:

• Xavier Hutchinson: Five catches on six targets for 69 yards and a touchdown. 17.9 Fantasy Points. 71% of the snaps played
• Jayden Higgins: Four catches on eight targets for 34 yards and a touchdown. 13.4 Fantasy Points. 83% of the snaps played
• Jaylin Noel: Five catches on six targets for 63 yards. 11.3 Fantasy Points. 39% of the snaps played.

Noel has had solid yardage now for two weeks in a row and has earned 13 targets across this span while playing under 44% of the snaps in these games. He stands out to me out of the group, but you can take shots on any of these guys to assume the lead WR2 role when Nico Collins is back.

Juwan Johnson (Saints TE)

Juwan Johnson caught five of his eight targets for 53 yards in Week 8 for 10.3 Fantasy Points. Week 8 marks the fourth time this season that Johnson has earned eight or more targets, the fifth time he caught five or more passes, the fourth time he has produced over 50 receiving yards, and the fifth time he has scored double-digit Fantasy Points.

Joe Flacco (Bengals QB)

Joe Flacco has been a true Fantasy Football asset since becoming the Bengals starter, evident via 18.76, 25.98, and 24.32 Fantasy Point weeks. Flacco has thrown for 219, 342, and 223 yards the last three weeks with eight total touchdowns. Having Ja’Marr Chase and Tee Higgins to throw to is wildly different than anything he had in Cleveland.

Darnell Mooney (Falcons WR)

Darnell Mooney has yet to have a productive Fantasy week, as a guy who has dealt with injuries through this season, but we cannot forget his historical FLEX upside from the past. Mooney earned 11 targets in Week 3, produced 44 yards in Week 3, and totaled 68 yards in Week 7. I am not sure he was fully healthy heading into Week 8 after being questionable this week, but I do believe there are better days ahead.

Xavier Legette (Panthers WR)

Xavier Legette caught just two of his three targets for 17 yards in Week 8, after a career-best game in Week 7. In Week 7, Legette caught nine of his 11 targets for 92 yards and a touchdown, which was 24.2 Fantasy Points. The Panthers offense is tough to trust through the air outside of rookie Tetairoa McMillan, but in deeper leagues, Legette is still worth rostering.

Malik Washington (Dolphins WR)

Malik Washington caught four of his five targets for 36 yards and a touchdown in Week 8 for 13.6 Fantasy Points. 36 yards was a season-high, which shows his limited ceiling there. Encouraging was the eight targets Washington earned in Week 7, and the fact that he has earned five or more now for four straight games. With Tyreek Hill out for the year and Darren Waller on the IR, Washington should continue to have a substantial role.

Samaje Perine (Bengals RB)

Samaje Perine rushed nine times for 94 yards and a touchdown, and caught a six-yard pass for 17 Fantasy Points in Week 8. Perine has played above 40% of the snaps in three of his last four games, and could have earned some more work moving forward after this production.

Isaiah Davis (Jets RB)

Isaiah Davis rushed seven times for 65 yards and also caught five balls for 44 yards in Week 8, which was 17.9 Fantasy Points. 12 touches was a season-high, and the pass-catching skillset could mean some potential stand-alone value beyond simply being the handcuff for Breece Hall.

Tez Johnson (Buccaneers WR)

Tez Johnson has played an important role for Tampa Bay with both Mike Evans and Chris Godwin out of the mix. Tez scored a 45-yard touchdown in Week 6, which was 11.5 Fantasy Points. Johnson then caught four of his nine targets in Week 7 for 58 yards and another touchdown, which was 15.8 Fantasy Points. In Week 8, Johnson caught five of six targets for 43 yards, which was not a huge Fantasy week but again shows some decent volume.

Tyler Johnson (Jets WR)

Tyler Johnson stepped up in Week 8 with both Garrett Wilson and Josh Reynolds out of the mix. Johnson caught three of his five targets for 64 yards and a touchdown, which was 15.4 Fantasy Points. Johnson totaled 60 receiving yards the week prior on three catches as well, which shows some yardage upside.

Roman Wilson (Steelers WR)

Roman Wilson caught four of his five targets for 74 yards and a touchdown in Week 8 for 17.4 Fantasy Points. All of those numbers were season-highs. While we should not overreact to one game with minimal flashes in the others, I will note that many people were fans of Wilson coming out of the 2024 NFL Draft as a third-round pick.