Every week, Nate Hamilton will cover fantasy football waiver wire pickups. Read his Week 9 Waiver Wire picks and FAAB tips (Free-Agent Acquisition Budget) for fantasy football.
DomiNate the Waiver Wire for Week 9
It’s official. We are halfway through the NFL season. How are your teams performing? What does your bench look like? Are there players you could drop in exchange for the ones I list below?
These are the types of questions you should be asking yourself on a weekly basis. Each week, you should be re-evaluating your team and looking at the available players on your waiver wire.
Take a look at the players I recommend you add to your rosters for Week 9!
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I will include a dollar range of your free agent acquisition budget (FAAB) you should bid for each player.
(Note: Roster % is as listed for Yahoo! Fantasy leagues. FAAB bid range is based on a $100 budget.)
Week 9 Waiver Wire: Fantasy Football Pickups
Curtis Samuel, WR, Carolina Panthers (20% rostered)
Curtis Samuel has been more involved in the Panthers’ offense in the last three weeks. He has scored double-digit fantasy points in two consecutive games. He hasn’t had a monster game in terms of yardage yet this season, and it may not feel amazing to throw him into your starting lineup, but Samuel has his perks.
Having someone like Curtis Samuel on your roster gives you a safe floor. Not only can he be heavily involved as a receiver (4 or more receptions in 5 of 7 games this season), but he has been used in the run game as well.
Curtis Samuel has 19 carries on the year and has now scored a rushing touchdown in each of his last two games.
He popped a 2-touchdown game in Week 8, so he has that ability as long as he’s getting this versatile workload.
Pick him up and stash him. Play him in your flex if needed. He becomes a solid WR2 should Robby Anderson or D.J. Moore miss any time.
- Curtis Samuel FAAB bid range: $8-$12
Nyheim Hines, RB, Indianapolis Colts (29%)
Nyheim Hines’ performance this past weekend is what I expected to see out of him this season.
He is a great pass-catching back, and I believed prior to the season that Philip Rivers and the Colts would have utilized him more than we’ve seen thus far. Maybe the fact that fantasy players will see those 2 TDs from Week 8 will earn him more touches going forward.
Regardless of his usage in the first half of the season, Hines has done his best with his opportunities. Among running backs, Hines is tied with the 8th most targets (32), 7th most receptions (26), and has the 2nd most receiving touchdowns (3).
The Colts’ offense appeared rejuvenated behind the efforts of Nyheim Hines and Jordan Wilkins. This could mean more involvement from both moving forward, especially if the other normal starting running back’s injury from Week 8 proves difficult to recover from.
- Nyheim Hines FAAB bid range: $8-$12
Jordan Wilkins, RB, Indianapolis Colts (2%)
As mentioned above, Jordan Wilkins provided the Colts with some impressive efforts in Week 8. He led the Colts’ running backs in snap percentage (51%), rush attempts (20) and rush yards (89) while scoring the only rushing touchdown. Wilkins also caught his only target and turned it into a 24-yard gain.
His usage appeared to be a “hot-hand" situation, but there may be more to the story. Coach Frank Reich has said that Jonathan Taylor is dealing with an ankle issue. This would explain his less than desirable production and the increased work for Wilkins.
If Taylor’s ankle issues continue, Wilkins should be in for a similar workload more consistently.
- Jordan Wilkins FAAB bid range: $6-$9
Darnell Mooney, WR, Chicago Bears (6%)
The beautiful thing about fantasy football is that we get to talk about players most people would never even think of. Darnell Mooney has been significantly involved in the Bears’ offense this year, at least from a volume standpoint. He has the second-most targets and receiving yards for the Bears.
Mooney has 5 or more targets in every game since Week 3. Unfortunately, he finds himself in one of the worst offenses in the league. I wouldn’t invest too much in him, but if you can get him on the cheap, Darnell Mooney could become a great depth piece for your fantasy squad.
- Darnell Mooney FAAB bid range: $3-$6
Other Waiver Wire Pickups to Consider ($1-$6 FAAB)
Tony Pollard, RB, Dallas Cowboys (19%)
The Dallas Cowboys offense has been in shambles since Dak Prescott went down. There hasn’t been great production from their key contributors in weeks. That said, Tony Pollard has seen an uptick in his usage. At times, he’s even looked more explosive than Ezekiel Elliott. If you are hurting at the RB position, give some consideration to Pollard.
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Jordan Reed, TE, San Francisco 49ers (3%)
George Kittle is expected to miss 8 weeks with a broken foot. Jordan Reed has been on IR for the last five weeks but did return to practice in Week 7. Since the 49ers are without Kittle, they will want to activate Reed as soon as possible as he is their best option at the position at this point.
Jordan Reed has 11 receptions on 16 targets for 85 yards and 2 touchdowns in three games played this season.
Jakobi Meyers, WR, New England Patriots (1%)
In the last three games, Jakobi Meyers leads the Patriots’ wideouts in targets (16), receptions (10), and receiving yards (118), and those stats are all just from the last two games for Jakobi. He was targeted 10 times in Week 7. It’s clear: Cam Newton has found a new favorite target, and with Julian Edelman on IR, Meyers will see increased target share in a Bill Belichick offense.
Nate Hamilton is a regular contributor to the fantasy football industry and brings his nearly two decades of experience as a fantasy football player to The Game Day. He also writes The Game Day’s weekly DFS tips article.
He provides advice & analysis on a daily basis via Twitter (@DomiNateFF). He has previously written content for FantasyPros, The Fantasy Footballers, and Fantrax. He is a co-author of Amazon’s #1 Best Selling “The Fantasy Football Black Book” with Joe Pisapia. Nate hosts his solo podcast “The DomiNate Fantasy Football Show" and performs weekly AMA live streams on Twitter/Periscope. He is a member of the Fantasy Sports Writer’s Association (FSWA).
Prepare Week 9 betting tips and plan
- After reading the Week 9 Waiver Wire for fantasy football, check out our latest NFL news, analysis, tips, predictions and betting tips.
- Learn how to bet on sports, including strategies, key terms, and betting process.
- Watch videos of our latest NFL analysis and predictions from experts.
- Choose the sportsbook and betting offer that fits your budget and strategy.
