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Week 9 Fantasy Football Waiver Wire Rankings

Q1. Who is your top waiver wire option of the week, and why?

It’s Adrian Peterson now that he has signed with the Titans. Peterson is 36 years old, hasn’t played at all this year, and is walking into an unfamiliar offense in the middle of the season. But he’s walking into about as good of a situation as he could have asked for. The Titans run the ball 48% of the time, fourth-most in the league, and as of this writing, Peterson is going to be their lead running back. He won’t factor into the passing game much, but he won’t need to in order to return RB2 value, and he was still productive last year and scored seven touchdowns. There are still question marks, including whether Tennessee will trade for a running back before the deadline. But as of now (and we will update if there are any changes), he should be the top pickup.
– Dan Harris (@danharris80)

Rashod Bateman may not be the best short-term add, but I will remain steadfast believing he’s the best rest of season addition available on the waiver wire. In his two games, Bateman has 7 receptions on 12 targets for 109 yards. This is impressive considering he missed his rookie preseason and several regular-season weeks with an injury. By fantasy playoffs, he could very well evolve into a reliable WR3 (10% FAB)
– Joe Pisapia (@JoePisapia17)

The Titans signed Adrian Peterson on Monday in an attempt to replace the irreplaceable Derrick Henry. Peterson managed to run for 604 yards and seven touchdowns with the Lions last year. At 36, he can’t handle the sort of load Henry was shouldering, but Peterson figures to get most of the early-down work while Jeremy McNichols handles passing-down work. I don’t think the venerable Peterson is worth an all-in FAAB move, but he’s probably worth 30% of your original FAAB budget in 0.5 PPR leagues — a little more in standard scoring leagues, a little less in full-point PPR.
– Pat Fitzmaurice (@Fitz_FF)

Q2. Which high-end waiver wire option for Week 9 was the most difficult to rank?

Jeremy McNichols. With the Titans now adding Adrian Peterson, we can feel confident that McNichols is not going to get a workhorse role with the Titans. But we know Peterson won’t factor into the passing game much, and we don’t know how the Titans will run their offense without Derrick Henry. McNichols is talented, and should, at a minimum, factor into the passing downs role going forward. But without clarity on his exact role, it’s hard to know exactly how high we should prioritiz him.
– Dan Harris (@danharris80)

Brandon Aiyuk had more fantasy points Sunday than the last three games combined. Yet, that number was still just 9.5 PPR points. Could this be the beginning of Aiyuk regaining a foothold in the 49ers? Or is this just a one-off tease? Either way, I’m not super confident allocating any substantial FAB.
– Joe Pisapia (@JoePisapia17)

Deshaun Watson. He’s one of the five best quarterbacks alive and could be on the verge of being traded to a team looking for a long-term solution at QB, but Watson’s legal troubles — he faces nearly two dozen lawsuits alleging sexual harassment and sexual assault — could potentially keep him off the field both short-term and long-term. It’s almost impossible to gauge his value.
– Pat Fitzmaurice (@Fitz_FF)

Q3. For managers renting a D/ST in Week 9, what readily available option (under 40%) should they target?

It’s not the best week for streaming D/STs, but I’ll go with a rested Las Vegas Raiders team taking on the Giants off a short week. The Giants have allowed the 11th-most fantasy points to D/STs this year, and the Raiders have multiple sacks in every game thus far. It’s a cross-country trip but with the bye week, the Raiders should be in a good spot to force Daniel Jones into some mistakes.
– Dan Harris (@danharris80)

The Las Vegas Raiders on the road off of a bye versus the turnover-prone Daniel Jones feels like the way to go. Safety Johnathan Abram has done an excellent job of stabilizing that Raider secondary this year and MLB Denzel Perryman‘s 45 solo tackles make him a presence in the middle of the field.
– Joe Pisapia (@JoePisapia17)

Going with the team facing the Texans is never a bad approach, and that’s the Miami Dolphins this week.
– Pat Fitzmaurice (@Fitz_FF)

Notable Week 9 Waiver Wire FAB Recommendations (in %)

Q4. Which Week 9 waiver wire option carries the biggest risk of being a waste of FAB dollars?

Carlos Hyde. Assuming James Robinson's heel injury keeps him out next week (which we don't know for sure yet given that he is just day-to-day), Hyde should get upwards of 15 carries. But he'll take on a Buffalo defense that allows the second-fewest fantasy points to opposing running backs, and that's including a three-touchdown game from Derrick Henry. Hyde needs to be added and he'll be ranked as a starter next week, but the chances of him disappointing are high.
- Dan Harris (@danharris80)

With Calvin Ridley stepping away from football, there will be a lot of money thrown at Russell Gage and perhaps even Tajae Sharpe. However, the void left behind by Calvin Ridley can't be filled by these types of wide receivers. Vacated target share is one thing, replacing elite talent is another.
- Joe Pisapia (@JoePisapia17)

Deshaun Watson could be the answer here, too, but since I already mentioned him as the toughest waiver wire player to rank, let's go with Jaret Patterson. For now he's the No. 3 running back in a mediocre Washington offense, but he could eventually become the Football Team's lead RB if they fall out of the wild-card chase and decide to shut down Antonio Gibson due to the stress fracture in his shin.
- Pat Fitzmaurice (@Fitz_FF)

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