Image via Jason Hanna/Getty Images
This week’s waiver wire is interesting to say the least. There is a mix of players from potential starting RBs, to one week streamers, to some high upside players who could jump into stardom if the NFL trade deadline falls the way we believe it will. Think one step ahead of your league mates and go grab some of these players off of your wire!
CHI QB Justin Fields (39.1% Owned)
Fields put up his 3rd straight solid fantasy day in week 8 against Dallas. I don’t know how, I still cringe most times when I see him drop back to throw, but something the Bears have started doing in recent weeks is working. Fields is my streaming QB of the week for week 9 entering a game against Miami and their bottom 5 defense vs the QB.
KC RB Isiah Pacheco (30.6% Owned)
As predicted on last week’s waiver wire show, Pacheco’s ownership went down since last week. THIS IS A STARTING RB! ON AN EXPLOSIVE OFFENSE! Take advantage of some people giving up on the rookie RB and go add him. He is undoubtably the player with the highest upside on this week’s wire.
BAL RB Kenyan Drake (17.7% Owned)
Here we are, on the Baltimore RB carousel again. If you need a short term RB option, Drake could be your guy. JK Dobbins is on IR, Gus Edwards is suffering from a hamstring injury and there is only one game before their bye. If I had to guess, Edwards will sit this week to get extended time off to recover from the hamstring pull, and Drake will get 1 week to start at RB against the Saints.
LAR RB Kyren Williams (7.3% Owned)
We all know the Rams are trying to move Cam Akers at the trade deadline. If he does not get moved, it is expected that he will play for the Rams for the remainder of the season. That would obviously muddy their RB room even more, but for now, I am going to proceed as if Akers is a non-factor. Darrell Henderson is the current starter for the Rams. He was so unimpressive this week that he was out-touched by Ronnie Rivers and Malcom Brown. That backfield is wide open and the word on the street is that the Rams love Kyren Williams and want him to have a “big role” when he returns from injury. He is on IR, but had his 21-day practice window opened last week. This means he will return from IR in the next 2 weeks, and I want to own him before he plays so I can avoid the waiver wire rush if he goes off. This is the best get ahead of the waiver wire move of the week.
DEN RB Latavius Murray (13.4% Owned)
Murray is going to be a frustrating player through the rest of the season. I’m going to lead with that. He is in an almost 50-50 split with Melvin Gordon. With that being said, we know the fumbling issues Gordon has. He has already been benched once this season for those. Murray could be a lead back for portions of the season half of the season. Even with the 50-50 split, the Broncos are giving Murray some of the redone opportunities which has led to 2 straight games with a TD and he out-gained and out-touched Gordon in week 8. The Broncos do have a week 9 bye, so maybe this is a guy you can get after waivers pass, but I do think he is worth an add and can be, in a pinch, an emergency flex option.
CAR WR Terrance Marshall Jr. (0.1% Owned)
Terrance Marshall saw a noticeable uptick in targets the last 2 weeks after the trade of veteran WR Robby Anderson. Marshall had been buried on the depth chart below Anderson and DJ Moore before that trade. There is even a chance that by the time you read this, Marshall is WR1 for the Panthers as they continue to field trade options for Moore approaching the Tuesday 4PM trade deadline. Especially if the Panthers continue to look efficient under new QB PJ Walker, Marshall is a potential flex option going forward.
JAX TE Evan Engram (44.6% Owned)
Engram might finally be for real. He makes another appearance on this column thanks to a TD scored in week 8 as well as his 4th straight game with at least 6 targets. He is still a TD dependent TE option (but who isn’t beside Kelce and Andrews most weeks), but he is a little less TD dependent than most thanks to the target share he is demanding.
BAL TE Isaiah Likely (1.1% Owned)
3 things are certain in life. Death, Taxes, and the Ravens throwing the ball to the tight end. Mark Andrews missed the 2nd half of the Ravens Thursday night game due to a shoulder injury, Likely stepped in, and made it look like Andrews never left. Similar to the Gus Edwards situation I noted above, he may be rested in week 9 thanks to their week 10 bye. IF Andrews misses time, Likely is a streaming option TE in week 9. If Andrews plays, he is too much of a risk. So do not just play him anyway, but this could be a 1 week gem at a position that we don’t find gems at too often.
Comments