Waiver Wire Pickups: Week 9 (Fantasy Football)
How about we all take a collective sigh of relief? We are looking at the Pittsburgh Steelers and Tennessee Titans as our Week 9 byes. Okay, sigh of relief over… Week 10 and Week 11 bring about byes for ten teams across the two weeks, including the Chicago Bears, Green Bay Packers, Los Angeles Rams, and Seattle Seahawks. As I always say, prepare early! There are quite a few rookie options who are showing up due to veteran injuries and overall talented play as we head into the second half of the season.
If you are starting to feel discouraged with recent losses, do not give up! Anything can happen, and fantasy managers tend to get lazy around this time of year. Press on, keep your head up, and make it to the playoffs.
Make sure to tune in to the weekly waivers episode of the Fantasy Footballers Podcast.
Quarterback Waiver Rankings
Sam Darnold, QB, Seattle Seahawks
Sam Darnold has not been blowing our socks off as a fantasy QB. In fact, he sits at QB24 on the year. However, he faces plus matchups over the next couple of weeks, and he is a solid streaming option. In Week 8, the Seattle Seahawks are facing a division opponent, the Arizona Cardinals, whose defense ranks 30th in schedule-adjusted fpts allowed to QBs. Following the Cardinals, Darnold will face the Las Vegas Raiders, whose defense is not performing much better. So, you have someone you can start in your lineup the next two weeks before they head into their Week 11 bye.
Malik Willis, QB, Miami Dolphins
The Miami Dolphins used their bye week to their advantage. In their first five games prior to the bye, they ranked 28th at the QB position and 31st at the WR position. Now, in their last two games post-bye, they rank eighth and seventh, respectively. Of course, we will need a couple more games to see if the trend holds, but part of fantasy is striking while the iron is hot. That is where Malik Willis comes in. In their Week 8 game against the New England Patriots, Willis completed 21-of-32 passes for 211 yards and two TDs and one INT. Next week, he will face a much easier matchup against the Detroit Lions defense, who rank 32nd against fantasy QBs. If you are down a QB – cough, Lamar Jackson, cough – Willis is a promising play.
Running Back Waiver Rankings
Mike Washington Jr., RB, Las Vegas Raiders
For the first time this season, Mike Washington Jr. saw a higher snap percentage than Ashton Jeanty. Washington had 25 carries for 83 yards compared to Jeanty’s two carries for nine yards and three receptions for 64 yards. There is some lore behind this decision, with Jeanty making bold comments to the media about the New York Jets defense, but whatever the reason is for Jeanty’s reduced rushing opportunities, Washington’s name has been coming up throughout the whole season, and he is a must-stash. Manage your expectations, but he will continue to have a role in the Raiders offense, and it will go up exponentially should anything happen to Jeanty health-wise.
#Raiders RB Ashton Jeanty not bothered after getting just two carries in the win vs. #Jets. HC Klint Kubiak said Jeanty is still a “huge part” of the run game going forward.
“I just want to win. That’s all.” https://t.co/IgmtCm4aZU
— Ryan McFadden (@ryanmcfadden_) November 2, 2026
Emmett Johnson, RB, Kansas City Chiefs
Rookie RB Emmett Johnson caught each of his five targets for 128 yards and one TD in the Kansas City Chiefs’ matchup against the Denver Broncos. And oh yeah, he rushed once for 15 yards. This breakout game for Johnson shows us how the Chiefs plan to make up for their lack of receiving options. However, it is important to manage expectations. I expect that we will continue to see more of Johnson throughout the second half of the year, but this fantasy output will likely be his best performance of the year. That being said, we are all fighting for decent RBs for our lineups. Johnson is on a high-powered offense, and he is available in over 70% of leagues. He absolutely needs to be rostered from here on out.
Seth McGowan, RB, Indianapolis Colts
What is going to happen with Jonathan Taylor? According to the reporting so far, no one has any idea, but it is important to plan ahead. Should the Indianapolis Colts decide to trade JT, rookie Seth McGowan will most likely be the team’s leading back and will inherently gain value. Go ahead and stash him for a week until we get some answers when the trade deadline hits. If JT ends up staying, you can move on until further notice.
Corey Kiner, RB, New England Patriots
The New England Patriots’ RB room has been a bit of a head-scratcher, and now there are trade rumors around TreVeyon Henderson. I want to mention Corey Kiner in a similar vein to Seth McGowan. Though far from a 1:1 situation, if TreVeyon Henderson is traded, Corey Kiner will inherit a larger role in the New England Patriots offense. On top of that, their lead RB, Rhamondre Stevenson, is an older back who could be susceptible to injury at any time. Kiner is a good stash until we have more answers after the trade deadline.
Wide Receiver Waiver Rankings
Antonio Williams, WR, Washington Commanders
Rookie Antonio Williams has the potential to be a rest-of-season value now that Terry McLaurin has undergone season-ending surgery. Williams has claimed the role of WR2 on the Washington Commanders behind the elder statesman, Stefon Diggs. In Week 8, he saw a season-high 83% of snaps and caught five of seven targets for 54 yards. Although he has been a waiver wire mention throughout the season, he is still available in over 60% of leagues. If he is available to snatch up, he is worth spending some FAAB with a potential breakout in his future.
ANTONIO WILLIAMS
as the prophecy foretold 😭 https://t.co/GweZtv14Kp
— SleeperNFL (@SleeperNFL) November 2, 2026
Ryan Flournoy, WR, Dallas Cowboys
Although the Dallas Cowboys offense is leaving much to be desired as of late, Ryan Flournoy remains a consistent high-floor play. This is not someone who is going to win your week, sharing targets with the likes of CeeDee Lamb and George Pickens, but he is not going to lose your week either. He has remained a top-24 fantasy WR for the past four weeks, and the Cowboys will face the down-and-out Indianapolis Colts in Week 9. This is a good matchup because the Cowboys should not struggle to score. However, there is a chance they will not need to rely much on the passing game. That being said, though, Flournoy looks like a reliable WR pickup for teams who are flex-needy.
Adonai Mitchell, WR, New York Jets
Adonai Mitchell gained some waiver attention at the beginning of the year as he was performing well and his snap percentage and targets picked up from Week 1 to Week 2. Then, unfortunately, he suffered a finger injury and sat out for four games before returning with an underwhelming performance in Week 7. In Week 8 against the Las Vegas Raiders, it looked like he returned to form, catching seven of nine targets for 142 yards and one TD. He finished the week as the WR3 while he was most likely riding benches or sitting there, available on the waiver wire. It looks like the New York Jets will be spreading targets around between Garrett Wilson, Omar Cooper Jr., and Mitchell, so expect some inconsistency. However, he is rostered in only 12% of leagues and should be picked up everywhere.
Tight End Waiver Rankings
Eli Raridon, TE, New England Patriots
For years and years, the New England Patriots have been notorious for relying heavily on their TEs. That has not changed with Mike Vrabel leading the squad, and Hunter Henry was on fire as of late. Unfortunately, Henry went out with a foot injury in the Week 8 game against the Miami Dolphins, leaving rookie Eli Raridon as their lead TE. He had only one reception on four targets for five yards in that contest, but he will have to step up until we hear more about Henry’s availability to play. He has shown flashes of talent, giving me optimism that the ability is there. However, he will have a tough matchup ahead against the Green Bay Packers in Week 9. Eli might be a pick-up-and-watch until the Week 10 matchup against the Detroit Lions.
Team DST Waiver Rankings
New Orleans Saints, DST
I would be remiss if I did not mention the New Orleans Saints as a DST streaming option. The Saints are coming off their bye week to play the Cleveland Browns. And in the wise words of Jason, you should always play defenses against the Browns because Deshaun Watson will take a million sacks. To punctuate this point, Watson was sacked eight times in Week 7 against the Pittsburgh Steelers. Granted, the Steelers’ defense is one of the best against QBs, but the New Orleans defense holds their own in the middle of the pack. They are basically available everywhere if you need a plug-and-play option.