Brendan Tuma | Sun, Oct 31st 2021, 7:38pm EDT

Early Waiver Wire Pickups for Week 9 (2021 Fantasy Football)

Remember to reach out with questions on Twitter (@toomuchtuma) anytime.

Note: Most players are less than 30% rostered in Yahoo leagues.

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Running Back

Boston Scott (RB – PHI): 19% rostered
Jordan Howard (RB – PHI): 2% rostered
Philadelphia running backs totaled four touchdowns against the Lions, and somehow Kenneth Gainwell had zero of them. Scott and Howard each scored twice, though (extremely) positive game script played a huge factor. Nonetheless, fantasy managers can become desperate for RBs during bye weeks, and the Eagles’ Week 9 opponent (Chargers) is best attacked on the ground. Both Scott and Howard were given 12 carries today. They’ll be valued as RB3s against LA.

Mark Ingram (RB – NO): 37% rostered
By no means was it an explosive reunion with the Saints on Sunday, but Ingram still factored in for eight touches (six carries, two receptions) for 52 yards. He won’t have as high of a share of his team’s rushing attempts as he did with the Texans, but New Orleans is still a run-first team who could feature Ingram in the red zone. The Bucs were a brutal Week 8 matchup. The Falcons, who the Saints play next weekend, are a rushing defense to attack.

Wide Receiver

DeVante Parker (WR – MIA): 34% rostered
Parker returned from injury in Week 8 and had a nice performance against one of the best pass defenses in football. The 28-year-old hauled in 8-of-11 targets for 85 yards in Miami’s loss to the Buffalo Bills. He was far more efficient than rookie Jaylen Waddle (4-29-0 on 12 targets). He also stole a lot of work from Mike Gesicki, who was held to just four opportunities. Parker draws a fantastic matchup against the Jets in Week 9.

Rashod Bateman (WR – BAL): 30% rostered
The Ravens had a bye this week, but this is your reminder to make sure Bateman is rostered entering Week 9. The rookie wideout received 12 targets in his first two games since being activated off IR, and Lamar Jackson is throwing the ball more often than ever this season.

Elijah Moore (WR – NYJ): 16% rostered
We know that rookies get better as the season moves along. Moore’s surrounding environment has been bad enough that we haven’t been interested for fantasy purposes despite the fact he was a good prospect coming out of college, but the Jets’ offense came to life behind Mike White today. Moore caught 6-of-6 passes for 67 yards against the Bengals. This is more of a suggestion for deeper leagues, but it’s one to monitor.

Tight End

Evan Engram (TE – NYG): 32% rostered
Reusing this recommendation from last week since the Giants haven’t played yet and nobody really separated themselves at fantasy’s thinnest position in Week 8. Engram has been benefitting from so many Giants pass catchers being hurt, but the usage is notable nonetheless. Last weekend against the Panthers he saw a season-high eight targets. There’s also reports of teams showing interest in trading for him, which gives him hidden upside if another organization decided to feature him more than New York has been willing to.

Quarterback

Justin Fields (QB – CHI): 22% rostered
The rookie QB finally had his coming out party from a fantasy perspective, and it’s fair to wonder whether or not the absence of Matt Nagy played a role in it. Note that Fields completed 4-of-4 passes for 40 yards and a score on designed rollouts (per Next Gen Stats), which seems like solid play design! That narrative aside, Fields’ rushing performance is what has us excited. The 22-year-old tied a season-high in carries (10) to run for 103 yards and a score.

Through the air, Fields completed 19-of-27 passes for 175 yards, one touchdown, and one interception. It wasn’t a perfect game by any means, and the skill level of his supporting cast remains questionable at best, but it was at least a step in the right direction. Fields draws the Steelers next Sunday before the Bears have their bye week. He’s once again worth rostering based on the box score upside he displayed against the 49ers today.