If you are reading this, congratulations — you have survived the fantasy football Byepocalypse. Whether you grabbed a win in the process or just managed to escape with your life, there’s no time for looking back. This article is all about looking forward to the best fantasy football waiver wire pickups for Week 9 (or at least the best ones that have already revealed themselves). Without further ado, here they are.
Early Week 9 Fantasy Football Waiver Wire Pickups
Oronde Gadsden (TE – LAC) | 68.7% Rostered
Normally, I try to keep my recommendations to players rostered in fewer than half of fantasy leagues. But Oronde Gadsden’s last two performances have been so impressive that he deserves mention even at right about two-thirds rostered.
Over the last two weeks, the rookie tight end has caught 12 passes for 241 total yards and two touchdowns. He was the overall TE1 last week in half-PPR formats, and he has a real shot to finish there again this week. If he’s still available in your league, add him, even if you don’t think you need tight end help.
Tyrone Tracy Jr. (RB – NYG) | 41.4% Rostered
Unfortunately, Giants rookie running back Cam Skattebo suffered an ugly-looking injury on Sunday. He is likely to miss extended time, if not the rest of the season. In his absence, sophomore Tyrone Tracy Jr. should step back up as the Giants’ starting back.
Tracy Jr. finished with 10 carries and two receptions for just 53 scoreless yards in Week 8. But don’t let that lackluster final stat line dissuade you — he is a must-add in all formats.
Dylan Sampson (RB – CLE) | 11.8% Rostered
Cam Skattebo wasn’t the only exciting rookie back to suffer an injury today, as Quinshon Judkins went down with a shoulder issue. His injury is less likely to be long-term than Skattebo’s, but he was still ruled out early in a competitive(ish) game. In his absence, the Browns’ other rookie back, Dylan Sampson, took the lead in Cleveland’s backfield.
The Browns were trailing big by the time Judkins exited, so Sampson only handled three carries for a total of zero yards. But he was involved in the receiving game, catching five out of six targets for 29 yards. Meanwhile, veteran Jerome Ford saw zero carries and just two targets. Especially if we get info that Judkins is likely to miss a week or two, Sampson is a priority add this week.
Malik Washington (WR – MIA) | 15.8% Rostered
As a long-time Malik Washington truther, I wanted to get excited when he led the Dolphins with a 78% route participation rate last week. That was a big difference from the part-time role he had previously played, and he also caught five of his seven targets. However, he was still seeing primarily low average depth of target (aDOT) designed looks and, more importantly, the Dolphins as a whole seemed to be imploding.
Well, Miami bounced back this week, absolutely dominating the Falcons 34-10. And Washington was involved, catching four of his five targets for 36 yards and a touchdown. Early data does indicate that his routes trended back in the wrong direction, but the game script may have had something to do with that. Given his playmaking ability, the sophomore receiver is worth adding in deeper formats.
Joe Flacco (QB – CIN) | 51% Rostered
We are back above the 50% rostered threshold here, but close enough that Joe Flacco still deserves mention. Today, the veteran had a solid outing against the Jets’ defense to the tune of 223 passing yards and two passing touchdowns. He even scored a rushing touchdown (a quarterback sneak from the one-inch line). He’s leaning heavily on the elite receiver duo of Ja’Marr Chase and Tee Higgins, who accounted for 135 of those passing yards and one of the two touchdowns.
In his three games as the Bengals’ starter, the 40-year-old has now scored 18.8, 26 and 24.3 fantasy points. And he hasn’t even had particularly soft matchups (Packers, Steelers, Jets). Flaco won’t record a rushing touchdown (or even a rushing yard) in most weeks, but it’s not at all absurd to expect him to continue to put up borderline QB1 numbers as long as he is Cincinnati’s starter. If he is available and you need quarterback help, he’s worth adding.
Tank Bigsby (RB – PHI) | 32.8% Rostered
Saquon Barkley departed this game early with a groin injury, last touching the ball late in the third quarter. To be fair, this was likely precautionary, as the Eagles were winning big by that point. But Tank Bigsby stepped in as the team’s primary back, handling nine carries while Will Shipley saw three. Bigsby made the most of his carries, too, racking up 104 yards with multiple chunk gains.
If Barkley misses time, Bigsby could become a must-start player in fantasy as the lead back in the Eagles’ offense. More likely, Barkley will be good to go by next week, but that doesn’t mean Bigsby isn’t worth adding. His usage this week clarified that the former Jaguar is probably the handcuff to roster in this offense, ahead of Shipley and A.J. Dillon. That makes him one of the league’s most valuable handcuffs, so he might be worth stashing in deeper formats even if Barkley is good to go.
Jayden Higgins (WR – HOU) | 21.2% Rostered
Selected in the second round of this year’s draft, Jayden Higgins has had a relatively slow start to his NFL career on the Texans’ struggling offense. But with Nico Collins sidelined by a concussion, he had a breakout game against the 49ers. He led Houston’s wide receivers in both targets (eight) and routes (34) on 42 C.J. Stroud dropbacks.
Higgins only caught four of those eight targets, but he finished with a solid 11.4 half-PPR points thanks to his second NFL touchdown. Going forward, Collins will likely be back next week. But if Higgins can use the momentum from this game to remain ahead of veteran Xavier Hutchinson and if the Texans’ offense can stay competent, the rookie could be due for a classic second-half breakout. That is a couple of ifs, so he’s not a must-add, but Higgins is worth stashing in deeper leagues.
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Ted Chmyz is a fantasy football contributor for FantasyPros.com. Find him on Twitter and Bluesky @Tchmyz for more fantasy content or to ask questions.
