It’s essential never to get complacent in fantasy football. The NFL is ever-changing, with new opportunities and scenarios emerging.
Staying up to date on that news can help you identify hidden waiver wire pickups, giving you an edge for the rest of the season or at least for one week, such as this one.
Keep an eye on players coming off the bye week; you can add them from waivers before Tuesday since they won’t have a game.
Keep reading for our Week 9 fantasy football waiver wire report.
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Best fantasy waiver wire pickups Week 9
Oronde Gadsden, TE, Chargers (61% rostered in Yahoo Fantasy leagues)
At this point, most fantasy managers know Oronde Gadsden’s name, but he still is not rostered high enough.
In Week 8, TNF against the Minnesota Vikings was similar. Gadsden caught all five targets for 77 yards and a TD, mainly in the first half. The game then became a blowout, with the Chargers dominating the Vikings on the ground in the second half.
Once Omarion Hampton is back, the Chargers are likely to run the ball more effectively, potentially reducing their overall pass attempts.
Until then, Gadsden should be a starting option going forward and rostered at a much higher percentage. Oronde Gadsden FAAB: 20%
Troy Franklin, WR, Broncos (37%)
It’s time to stop overthinking Troy Franklin as a fantasy football manager. Is he slightly TD dependent? Sure, but he’s also one of Bo Nix’s favorite targets on the team.
Franklin was targeted 8 times by Nix in their Week 8 win over the Cowboys. He caught 6 of these passes for 89 yards and two touchdowns.
In the past two weeks, Franklin has been targeted 18 times by Nix, which has led the entire team (yes, even Courtland Sutton). In fact, in the year, Franklin has been targeted only two fewer times than Sutton.
Franklin should be rostered at a much higher percentage, and the schedule after the Week 14 bye is incredible. Troy Franklin FAAB: 15%
NEW- Chimere Dike, WR, Titans (8%)
Cam Ward trusts the ball in Chimere Dike’s hands, and Dike is taking advantage of this usage.
Following a good Week 8 performance in which Dike caught his first career touchdown, he was another integral piece of this offense.
In Week 9, Dike was the leading receiver for the Titans. He was targeted 8 times by Ward and was able to haul in 7 of them. This turned into 93 yards and another great fantasy outing. Chimere Dike FAAB: 10%
Emanuel Wilson, RB, Packers (5%)
A couple of weeks ago, in Week 4 against the Cowboys, Emanuel Wilson stood out in fantasy football. However, this was against the Cowboys, who everyone looks awesome against.
Then, a few weeks went by, and he was not nearly involved enough in the offense to be a reliable option. But once again, in Week 8, Wilson was hard to ignore. Against the Pittsburgh Steelers, Wilson had 15 touches, turning them into a season-high 87 yards from scrimmage.
Wilson offers tremendous value as he continues to show the Packers he can be productive with a workload. As a handcuff, he is one of the top options if Josh Jacobs ever misses time.
The final four weeks of the season, from a strength-of-schedule standpoint, are insanely desirable. Emanuel Wilson FAAB: 10%
Bam Knight, RB, Cardinals (18%)
Sure, Trey Benson might return in Week 9, but that is not certain. What we do know for sure is that if Benson misses Week 9, Bam Knight is a smash start.
Knight will get the Dallas Cowboys, who allow 26.9 fantasy points per game to opposing RBs.
The potential value is too high for him to be rostered at such a low percentage. Benson is more likely to return in Week 10 with his particular injury. Bam Knight FAAB: 10%
Jayden Higgins, WR, Texans (27%)
We got to see what this Houston Texans offense looked like without Nico Collins in Week 8. While all of the WRs actually had good fantasy days, Jayden Higgins was the most involved.
Higgins was targeted 8 times by C.J. Stroud in their Week 9 win over the 49ers. This led the WR core and the team. Higgins caught 4 of these targets for 34 yards and a touchdown.
While Collins will most likely be back in Week 9, Higgins is someone with immense upside in this offense. The Texans staff continues to look to get Higgins involved, and he’s a big-play ability kind of player. Jayden Higgins FAAB: 5%
NEW- Roman Wilson, WR, Steelers (0%)
While it is unknown how consistent this will be, Roman Wilson was the Steelers’ leading receiver on SNF.
Anytime a WR leads his team in receiving stats, it’s hard not to take note of it. Wilson was targeted 5 times by Aaron Rodgers in their Week 8 loss to the Packers. He caught four balls for 74 yards and a touchdown.
This was by far the best performance of Wilson’s young NFL career. He offers value, especially given the lack of depth at the WR position in Pittsburgh. Roman Wilson FAAB: 5%
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Week 9 waiver wire streamers: Bye-week replacements to add
QB Fantasy Streaming Pickups
Kyler Murray, Cardinals (63%)
While Murray is rostered at a relatively high percentage, many managers have dropped him due to poor play, injury, and his bye.
However, if he starts over Jacoby Brissett n Week 9, Murray may have the pleasure of facing the Dallas Cowboys, which is a great spot to start him.
TE Fantasy Streaming Pickup
Colston Loveland, Bears (22%)
Loveland has slowly become more involved in this Chicago offense. In all honesty, he should be a stash, but the matchup in Week 9 is too juicy. He’ll face a Bengals team that allows the most fantasy points per game to opposing TEs.
Team Defense Fantasy Streaming Pickups
Detroit Lions (51%)
With them on a bye, the Lions D/ST is widely available, and you can scoop them right up before Tuesday. They’ll potentially face J.J. McCarthy, and, if not, Carson Wentz. Either way, it’s a must-start scenario.
Kicker Fantasy Streaming Pickups
Tyler Loop, Ravens (45%)
With Lamar Jackson out, Loop has been dropped in many leagues. Now that the Jackson near return is imminent, Week 9 becomes an interesting spot for Loop against Miami.
Week 9 Fantasy Waiver Wire stashes & watch list
Quarterback waiver pickups to stash this week
- Quinn Ewers, Dolphins (0%)
- Russell Wilson, Giants (1%)
Both these QBs are recommended for deeper leagues or 2QB, but they offer some value. Ewers may take over starting from Tua Tagovailoa at some point, and the remaining schedule is excellent.
Meanwhile, Wilson may be traded to a favorable backup spot to prompt superflex/2QB players to acquire him.
Running Back waiver pickups to stash this week
- Tyrone Tracy, Giants (48%)
- Devin Singletary, Giants (1%)
- NEW- Tank Bigsby, Eagles (17%)
- NEW- Isaiah Davis, Jets (9%)
- NEW- Dylan Sampson (14%)
With the unfortunate injury to Cam Skattebo, these two options will step into a massive workload. Neither of them is good enough to separate themselves, so expect it to be a committee. However, they’re still worth a stash to see how it shakes out.
NEW- Bigsby looked fantastic in Week 8, despite an excellent performance from Saquon Barkley. Bigsby turned nine carries into 104 yards on the ground. While Barkley was banged up, Bigsby could be more involved to save Barkley for another deep postseason run.
NEW- Davis had a career-high performance in Week 8 against the Bengals. With the recent trade buzz around Breece Hall, Davis could find himself the RB1 before we know it.
NEW- Sampson could find himself in a larger role in Week 10 if Quinshon Judkins misses time. Judkins went down with a shoulder injury, which makes Sampson an interesting stash over their Week 9 bye.
Wide Receiver waiver pickups to stash this week
- Xavier Hutchinson, Texans (1%)
- Jaylin Noel, Texans (9%)
- Tyler Johnson, Jets (0%)
- NEW- Christian Watson (16%)
Both of the Texans WRs are on here for similar reasons to Higgins. With no Collins, the ball was spread out and everybody ate. Still with Collins, there is value here with them.
Tyler Johnson had a great game, but the Jets had no other WRs. He was the one who stepped up, and that should be noted.
NEW- Watson made his 2025 debut for the Packers, and it was a solid outing. Watson caught all four of his targets for 85 yards. This is notable due to the Jayden Reed injury and the lack of depth at the WR position in Green Bay.
Tight End waiver pickups to stash this week
- Noah Fant, Bengals (4%)
- Ja’Tavion Sanders (1%)
Fant has remained consistent and reliable with Joe Flacco as the starting QB. It’s nothing that can win you your week, but with a position as thin as TE, someone like this can be nice.
Sanders played his first game back from injury, and while the Bills handled the Panthers, he was moderately involved in the offense. When Young was the starter, Sanders was targeted 14 times in just 3 weeks.
