Well that was fun, huh? Week 8 saw a bunch of devastating injuries to some of fantasy football’s top producing players, including season ending injuries to the likes of Le’veon Bell and Steve Smith Sr. With all that in mind let’s just get to it and take a look at what players you should be adding off the waiver wire in Week 9 to improve your fantasy roster.
– Note the FAAB Bids are based off of a $100 budget.
Quarterbacks
Derek Carr, OAK – The Raiders Week 6 bye has done wonders for Carr as he has come out of it firing the football all over the field for 622 yards and seven touchdowns over the past two weeks. Carr is owned in just over 30 percent of most standard leagues so it’s likely he is sitting on your waiver wire, and given the talented receiving corps at his disposal and his big NFL arm, he should be a viable bye week fill in for Week 9 and potentially beyond.
FAAB Bid- $5-$10
Tyrod Taylor, BUF – Taylor was a hot add earlier this season but a knee injury has kept him out of action for the previous two Bills contests which saw some owners cut bait. As the Bills come out of the bye week head coach Rex Ryan has stated that Taylor is 100 percent healthy and ready to start in Week 9 against the Dolphins who Taylor torched for 277 yards and three touchdowns back in Week 3, though Miami is seemingly looking like a different team since making a head coaching change and the Bills will be without receivers Percy Harvin and potentially Sammy Watkins as well.
FAAB Bid- $5-$10
Tony Romo, DAL – Let’s call this the two-week warning on Romo as he is expected to make his return in Week 11 against the Miami Dolphins and will begin to do some light work this week during practice in preparation for that return. Romo of course has been out since Week 2 due to a broken clavicle but upon his return should be among the top quarterback options in fantasy given the Cowboys propensity for throwing and the fact that they now have a healthy Dez Bryant back on the field as well. Dallas has really been struggling at the quarterback position but unfortunately for the Cowboys, Romo will not be eligibile to come off the IR until Week 11.
FAAB Bid-$10-$15
Running Backs
DeAngelo Williams, PIT – Williams is back in the starting role for the Steelers after Le’Veon Bell suffered an MCL tear that will end his 2015 season. Williams started the first two games of the season for the Steelers and totaled 204 yards and three touchdowns on 41 carries while Bell served a suspension. In relief of the injured Bell on Sunday, Williams carried the ball nine times for 71 yards and added four catches for 39 yards against the Bengals. The Steelers have some favorable matchups coming up against the Raiders and Browns, who have both struggled against the run this season which bodes well for Williams.
FAAB Bid- 100% of your budget
Jeremy Langford, CHI – Langford was the Bears' fourth round pick out of Michigan State this season and has now been thrusted into the starting role after Matt Forte suffered a knee injury on Sunday. Unlike Le’veon Bell, however, the belief is that Forte’s injury is not going to be season ending however there is no definite timetable on his return and there has been no official release on what exactly the knee injury is. Langford carried the ball 12 times for 48 yards against the Vikings in Week 8 and draws a favorable matchup against the Chargers in Week 9 who have allowed the most fantasy points to opposing running backs this season.
FAAB Bid- $20-$25
Joique Bell, DET – Here is a name you likely haven’t thought too much about this season as the Lions' former bell cow has been dealing with injuries and inconsistent play for the majority of the season but showed some life in Week 8 against the Chiefs as he rushed for 56 yards on seven carries. Bell lead the Lions' rushing attack and rookie Ameer Abdullah saw just one carry during the game which could indicate Bell could be seeing a larger role once the Lions come out of the bye in Week 10. While he’s of little use now if you find yourself in a poor waiver situation, or not enough FAAB budget to land Jeremy Langford or DeAngelo Williams, he is certainly worth a flier given how productive he has been in years prior.
FAAB Bid- $5-$10
Wide Receivers
Kamar Aiken, BAL – Aiken makes a reapperance on the Waiver Flavor article after Steve Smith suffered a season ending Achilles injury on Sunday. Aiken had struggled in the passing game since Smith returned but with him now gone he finds himself as the Ravens' No.1 receiving option. In Week 8 Aiken caught six passes for 62 yards and as Baltimore heads into the bye week should be in for a solid game in Week 10 against the Jaguars.
FAAB Bid- $5-$10
Malcom Floyd, SD – The Chargers in Week 8 saw No.1 receiver Keenan Allen suffer a kidney injury that his him out indefinitely. For most, the obvious pivot from Allen would be Stevie Johnson but I am going with Malcom Floyd as he and Philip Rivers connected on 4-of-6 targets for 92 yards and two touchdowns on Sunday against the Ravens while Stevie Johnson saw just four targets. Floyd has been a fantasy relevant wide receiver with Philip Rivers throwing him the ball in years past and should see a big boost as Rivers' main downfield threat in Week 9 against a Bears secondary that has been torched all season long.
FAAB Bid- $5-$10
Brandon LaFell, NE – LaFell still finds himself available in over 50 percent of standard leagues despite being the No. 2 receiver in the NFL’s most potent passing offense. In two games since LaFell’s return he has seen 15 targets and while he has caught just six of those passes the volume of targets is what is worth noting. LaFell just missed notching his first 1,000 yard season in 2014 as he caught 74 passes for 953 yards and seven touchdowns in his first year with New England. LaFell really should be a must-own in all formats as the season rolls along as the Patriots will continue to rely on him as teams focus on taking away Rob Gronkowski and Julian Edelman.
FAAB Bid- $5-$10
Tight Ends
Benjamin Watson, NO – I have a confession to make here, and that is that I was not a believer in Watson after his big Week 6 game against the Falcons. But after another huge performance on Sunday against the Giants it’s hard not to believe in him now. Over the past four weeks Watson has caught 26 passes for 369 yards and three touchdowns which has him ranked among the top tight ends in fantasy during that stretch. At 34 years old and almost retired it seemed far fetched that Watson would be an integral part of the Saints' passing attack but he has seemingly turned the clock back nearly a decade when he was a fantasy relevant tight end for the Patriots and Browns and is looking like the security blanket that Drew Brees needs since the trade of Jimmy Graham in the offseason.
FAAB Bid- $10-$15
Vernon Davis, DEN – Davis has become fantasy relevant after the 49ers traded him on Monday to the Denver Broncos for draft picks. The 49ers' passing attack has been in shambles this season and Davis has also dealt with injuries which has kept him largely unproductive but now healthy and in a much better situation he may be rejuvenated and could thrive in a Gary Kubiak offense that likes to feature its tight ends in the passing attack. Davis in his prime was among the elite tight ends in football and as his career winds down he could very well be looking at his last shot at a Super Bowl which could make him a very motivated player over the final nine weeks of the NFL season.
FAAB Bid- $5-$10
Crockett Gillmore, BAL – The injury to Steve Smith should help Gillmore’s fantasy value as he figures to be Joe Flacco’s No. 2 receiving option behind Kamar Aiken. Over the past three weeks, Gillmore has caught 7-of-17 targets for 91 yards and a touchdown and it would not surprise me to see those numbers increase as the Ravens come out of their bye in Week 10 against the Jaguars.
FAAB Bid- $0-$5