NFL Waiver Wire: Week 9 Deep Dive

Welcome to the Week 9 Waiver Wire Deep Dive. As is typically the case, we have varying levels of interest at each position. Wide receiver and tight end are particularly deep with starting options available, even in deeper formats. Running back is a different story as we're mostly looking at stash candidates.

As a reminder, we don't cover any of the options highlighted in the traditional waiver wire article. Let's jump in.

Quarterback

Joe Flacco – 5% ESPN, 26% FFPC

Perception is greater than reality when it comes to Flacco's fantasy value, but he should get at least a few starts alongside a strong wide receiver corps. We know he'll be aggressive with the ball, and fantasy points could follow.

Bryce Young – 2% ESPN, 66% FFPC

Young showed mild signs of improvement in Week 8 by averaging 6.1 yards per attempt (his highest mark in a start this season) with his first two touchdowns of the season. It's a very small step forward, so maybe he can use that to build some momentum and get his career back on track.  

Drake Maye – 11% percent ESPN

This might be the last call for Maye, particularly if he gets dropped as he recovers from a concussion. He's a very good fantasy QB, even if his real-life results aren't consistent.

Running Back 

Audric Estime – 1% ESPN

It's not a great week to add running backs that will immediately step into a role, though it's a reasonable time to stash for those teams with the luxury to do so. Javonte Williams has largely played well this season, but coach Sean Payton has suddenly flipped roles and Estime could be someone to target.  

Sean Tucker – 6% ESPN, 44% FFPC

Tucker isn't in a shared backfield as coach Todd Bowles claimed a few weeks ago. What is clear is that when opportunity arises, Tucker has taken advantage and is among the best stash candidates available.

Kimani Vidal – 6% ESPN

Vidal represent another solid stash. He's the clear backup to J.K. Dobbins and has slowly (very slowly) seen his carry total increase. Dobbins deserves some good luck, yet we can't ignore his injury history.

Ameer Abdullah – 1% ESPN, 2% FFPC

Something needs to change in the Raiders' backfield. Neither Alexander Mattison nor Zamir White have gotten the job done, likely an indication of the offense's poor overall performance. Dylan Laube has been a healthy scratch after losing a fumble against the Steelers in Week 6, leaving Abdullah as the likely option if Vegas opted to change things up.

Wide Receiver

Joshua Palmer – 11% ESPN

The Chargers have started to shift their offensive identity, which is indicated by their pass rate over expectation. From Weeks 5-8, only the Bengals have a higher mark than the Chargers. The problem from a fantasy perspective is that there's no clear top target, leaving a flat distribution among several pass catchers. What stands out for Palmer is his big-play ability with four catches of at least 20 yards across the last four contests. That gives him the opportunity to produce on relatively few targets.  

Jalen Coker – 0% ESPN, 2% FFPC

The Carolina offense is trending young after the Diontae Johnson trade as Xavier Legette and Coker are likely to be on the field for nearly all offensive snaps. With Johnson sidelined in Week 8, Coker delivered a 4-78-1 line on six targets. Quarterback play will be an issue, though he's worth an add.

Darius Slayton – 9% ESPN

Slayton produced a decent performance Week 8 against the Steelers, which was notable because it came with Malik Nabers healthy and on the field. Nabers could make Slayton worthless from a fantasy perspective, but his recent production is intriguing.   

Elijah Moore – 1% ESPN, 40% FFPC

Jameis Winston lifted all of the Browns' skill-position players. Cedric Tillman posted the attention-catching stat line, yet Moore paced the team with 12 targets. He's likely to be primarily used in short areas of the field, a combination that makes him particularly favorable in PPR formats.

Tim Patrick – 1% ESPN, 22% FFPC

The Lions had a strange game script in Sunday's blowout win over the Titans, limiting volume for pretty much all of their skill players. In the absence of Jameson Williams (suspension), Patrick logged a season-best 77 percent of snaps. He should have the chance to do that again against the Packers with Detroit likely to throw more. Assuming Williams is back after the suspension, Patrick would only be a short-term add.

Xavier Hutchinson - 0% ESPN, 2% FFPC
John Metchie - 0% ESPN, 2% FFPC

The Texans need at least one wideout to step up against the Jets on Thursday, and preferably both Hutchinson and Metchie make an impact. We only have small samples to work with in terms of distinguishing this duo from each other, and there are data points in each player's favor. Hutchinson was on the field more and got better opportunities, though Metchie was superior at commanding targets.  

Parker Washington – 2% ESPN, 1% FFPC

Washington's appeal will come down to how Jacksonville's injury news develops during the week. We know Christian Kirk (collarbone) is out for the season, but Gabe Davis and Brian Thomas both appear to have dodged serious injury. If both are available, Washington becomes less interesting as his fantasy value is volume-dependent.

DJ Turner – 0% ESPN, 1% FFPC

The situation in Vegas is somewhat similar to what we've seen in Houston in the sense that Tre Tucker is on the field more than Turner with a better role on the surface. Their Week 8 stats suggest the fantasy value may be different as Turner commanded targets (19% targets per route run) and efficiency (1.33 yards per route run). Neither mark is fantastic and the Raiders offense is abysmal, so don't get too excited.

Calvin Austin – 1% ESPN, 6% FFPC
Van Jefferson – 1% ESPN, 4% FFPC

The QB controversy is over in Pittsburgh, and Russell Wilson has the passing offense moving at its best clip since Ben Roethlisberger hurt his elbow in 2019. George Pickens is the clear top pass catcher, while both Austin and Jefferson have shown flashes of production over the last two games. Jefferson posted a season-best 4-62 line in Week 8 and caught a touchdown the previous contest. Austin was the star of Sunday with a 3-54-1. Neither will likely emerge to be a consistent fantasy force, yet the relative rise of the offense is at least worth noting.  

Kayshon Boutte – 0% ESPN, 7% FFPC

Boutte is in a similar tier to Austin and Jefferson. The New England attack is trending up with Drake Maye (concussion), with Boutte leading the club in receiving yards since he took over as the starter in Week 6. This offers a low chance of success, though Boutte looks to have the most valuable role.

Mason Tipton – 0% ESPN, 3% FFPC 
Marquez Valdes-Scantling – 0% ESPN, 1% FFPC

The New Orleans offense has been miserable with Derek Carr (oblique) sidelined, but he is expected back in Week 9. That should lift the unit, and Tipton should have the chance to operate as the second receiver with Bub Means (ankle) sidelined. We know who MVS is, but he could be a deep threat in the mold of a (not-as-good) Rashid Shaheed (knee).

Nick Westbrook-Ikhine – 0% ESPN, 0% FFPC

Westbrook-Ikhine is on an unsustainable run of production having scored a touchdown in three straight games. However, he did log a 92 percent snap rate in the first week without DeAndre Hopkins around and matched his season-high of four targets. Like some of the other players on this list, QB play is a significant concern.  

Trey Palmer - 6% ESPN, 35% FFPC

After much debate, there was no "right answer" about which Bucs' receiver to roster and play in Week 8, and that's unlikely to change with a tough matchup against the Chiefs. Palmer and Jalen McMillan led the team in routes run. McMillan is already fairly heavily rostered, though Palmer is a decent speculative add for later in the season given the high-quality play of Baker Mayfield.  

Tight End

Will Dissly – 2% ESPN, 28% FFPC

It's time to take the Chargers' passing offense seriously (see the explanation under Joshua Palmer), and Dissly has carved out an impactful role with at least five targets and four receptions in each of his last three outings.  

Jonnu Smith - 9% ESPN

Smith emerged with Tua Tagovailoa sidelined, though I attributed that to being the team shifting the offense to shorter throws. He still commanded six targets in Week 8, suggesting his role may be more secure than anticipated. Consider Smith a solid streamer in most formats.

Grant Calcaterra – 1% ESPN, 6% FFPC

Calcaterra has done a solid job filling in for Dallas Goedert (hamstring) by topping 50 yards in two of three games. Goedert has yet to practice, so Calcaterra could remain a short-term streaming option.