Pigskin Papers Waiver Wire 2022 Week 9 - Trick or Treat?
Fields has Become a Viable Fantasy Option
(Published October 31, 2022, UPDATED AT 4 p.m. EDT on November 1, 2022 for TRADE DEADLINE DEALS)
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Happy Halloween, fantasy footballers! You know what was scary this past weekend? Going up against any of Hurts, Tua, Henry, Kamara, McCaffrey, Pollard, Foreman, A.J. Brown, Waddle, or Hopkins. Going up against 2 or more of them was downright terrifying - like watching a slasher film alone in the basement. Or maybe you had one or more of these guys in your lineup - good times! For one week at least, fantasy football was fun again. Sunday’s 1 p.m. window of games was the biggest bonanza of fantasy goodness so far this year. Hitting refresh on league scoring pages was exciting for once.
Week 8 is wrapping up tonight, so let’s go Trick or Treating on the Week 9 Waiver Wire. This week’s free agent pool is pretty weak - which is good news as it means we had fewer injuries in Week 9. The challenge this week: 6 NFL teams are on a bye in Week 9. If you’ve been reading this column, hopefully you planned ahead for your QB, PK, TE and D/ST streaming needs this week. Anyway…6 byes? Hey NFL schedulers - what’s the deal? How hard is this? 2 teams have a bye in Week 8 and then 6 have byes in Week 9? A five year old can do the math here…
***LINK TO WEEK 8 TAKEAWAYS AND FUN FACTS COLUMN***: https://www.thepigskinpapers.com/posts-1/pigskin-papers-take-2-2022-week-8
The Week 9 BYES: BROWNS, COWBOYS, BRONCOS, GIANTS, STEELERS, 49ERS
The Process: Each week, I try to identify the top Waiver Wire targets and evaluate the short and long term prospects of those players. I also do my best to identify which players who are coming off a big week are fool’s gold. And finally, as we move through the bye weeks (and this one has the most teams on bye this season) I’ll spend a little time on streamers at each position who might help you in a pinch. Note that this advice is primarily intended for Season-Long leagues, and NOT Dynasty leagues.
Some of the players I’ll talk about won’t be available in your league. As a general rule, I list players who are available in more than 50% of leagues. But what does that even mean? A 10 team league with 6 bench spots will have a much larger free agent pool than a 14 team league with 8 bench spots. Most leagues fall somewhere in between. This isn’t “one size fits all.”
LOOKING AHEAD: Week 10 BYES: Ravens, Bengals, Patriots, Jets
***NOTE: This article has been updated to reflect these TRADE DEADLINE moves:
N. Hines to Buffalo, Z. Moss to Indianapolis
C. Claypool to Chicago
Hockenson to Minnesota
J. Wilson to Miami***
Edmonds to Denver
WEEK 9 WAIVER WIRE
I’m not listing Geno Smith, Daniel Jones, Khalil Herbert, Devin Duvernay, Rondale Moore, or Evan Engram this week, all of whom have been listed multiple times in this column - at this point all should be rostered in the vast majority of leagues. If any of these players ARE available in your league, they would be priority pickups for me.
QB:
Justin Fields is still available in some leagues, but he shouldn't be and especially in Superflex leagues. I was fading him every week early this season, when he wasn't running much, the play calling was terrible, and the lack of receiving weapons was a real detriment given the offensive scheme. A lot has changed in the last month. Fields is a gifted runner and is finally using his legs and doing real damage on the ground, and that’s opening up better opportunities for play action and throws off of scrambles. He’s averaging 23 Fantasy Points Per Game (FPPG) over his last 3 games. That’s third best in the NFL over that short span. It won’t always be pretty, but he projects as a high-end QB2 the rest of the way, with upside.
Deshaun Watson returns in a few weeks, if you’re interested. He’s available in some leagues.
Streaming Options for Week 9: Jared Goff (vs. GB) - It’s not a great matchup, but Goff did fine against the Packers last season and he’s thrown for over 300 yards or multiple TDs in all 4 home games he’s played this year; Trevor Lawrence (vs. LV) - if you don’t mind a turnover or 2; and Andy Dalton vs. Ravens - ditto.
Drake Rises Again
RB:
Kenyan Drake is back in play, with Gus Edwards leaving last week’s game with a hamstring injury. This may be one of those backfields where 4 different guys are the RB1 at different points of the season. You know - like the 2021 Ravens. I wouldn't go crazy to get Drake, because there’s no way of knowing how big the workload will be this week, much less 3 weeks from now. But he’s done well when given the chance, and this is an offense where the lead RB doesn’t catch many passes but gets plenty of carries and goal line opportunities. And if you want to add Justice Hill for depth, I can’t blame you.
I’ve mentioned Lat Murray each of the last few weeks - he’s worth adding if he’s still out there. The split with Gordon is close to 50-50, and he runs hard and is good in short yardage situations. Plus, this offense finally showed some signs of life on Sunday. The Broncos are off this week so this is a longer term play.
Nyheim Hines has been traded to the Bills and is worth an add given (a) how good this offense is, and (b) his skillset in the passing game. It remains to be seen how the workload will be divided among the top 3 backs. James Cook was listed as an add in the original version of this column. He’s been seeing more work and playing well, and I still think he’s worth stashing if you have the space, but I’d rank Hines ahead of him. I think all 3 backs will be used in a rotation, with Singletary still getting the most work. This deal slightly dings Singletary’s value.
The Hines deal makes Deon Jackson a priority add, and especially with Jonathan Taylor again nursing an ankle injury. Jackson’s excellent play earlier this year (when Taylor and Hines were both out with injury) is probably part of why the Colts were willing to part with Hines - and Jackson is a second year player which makes him very economical. Phillip Lindsay is probably not worth a pickup at this point, and neither is Zach Moss.
I don’t know if Kareem Hunt is going to get traded, and we’ll know by Tuesday afternoon, but if he does move on then D’Ernest Johnson is worth adding and especially if you’re a Chubb manager. [NOTE - Hunt did not get moved, and I would NOT pick up Johnson]
Both Tyler Allgeier and Caleb Huntley are still worth rostering, unless and until their usage changes when other Falcon backs return from injury. Both are productive, on an offense that runs a ton.
Chuba Hubbard missed Week 8 with an injury, but he’s still worth adding for depth.
Jeff Wilson definitely has some value as a handcuff going forward. Miami is a good landing space for him as Mike McDaniel is familiar with him, and he should slot in as the backup behind Raheem Mostert, ahead of Miles Gaskin who’s been a healthy scratch for weeks. Given Mostert’s injury history, Wilson isn’t a bad stash.
Chase Edmonds was traded to Denver and it’s hard to know what his role will be in what’s now a crowded backfield. I wouldn’t run out to get him.
Two speculative adds to consider, if you’ve got the space: Kyren Williams and Damien Williams. Kyren figures to get significant work in the Rams’ backfield once he is healthy, and they’ve opened the 21 day window for his return - but note, the Rams are definitely in the trade market for an RB so keep an eye on that. I’m less confident about Damien, given how Huntley and Allgeier have performed with Patterson and Williams sidelined.
No, I wouldn’t add Ronnie Rivers. And I’m still pretty lukewarm (at best) on Isiah Pacheco. There are names listed above that I think can help you more.
Q: Wherefore Art Thou Romeo? A: The End Zone
WR:
Romeo Doubs may have been dropped in some leagues after his goose egg in Week 7. He’s definitely worth a roster spot, with the Packers really struggling to find viable, healthy options at wideout. Even if they trade for a receiver, I like Dobbs for the remainder of the season.
There was a Kadarius Toney waiver stampede last week, in leagues that allow open add/drops after regular waivers process. So he’s probably gone in most places. Toney is enticing because of the skillset and the high-scoring KC offense he is going to, but the variance is likely to be really high. He’s barely been on the field in his 1 1/2 years in the league, and I still don’t know what the real story has been this year. I do know that the Chiefs have a lot of mouths to feed. If you can get Toney, I think it’s worth the gamble.
Darnell Mooney was unplayable for the first month or so of the season - just like Fields. He’s showing signs of life the last 3 weeks as the Bears have come out of hibernation (sorry), and I’d grab him if he’s available. He came into this season with high expectations. For now, he’s good bench depth, with upside to flex or even WR3 status if things continue to improve in Chicago.
Chase Claypool is pretty widely owned, so I won’t say too much about his relocation. I think the trade to Chicago probably increases his value some, as he’ll have less competition for targets, and the Bears’ offense is functioning better than Pittsburgh’s right now.
Garrett Wilson had a good game this week, and it’s not the first time he flashed this year. This passing offense is struggling with Zach Wilson at the helm, but the talent is there. Wilson is a decent bench stash with flex upside, and if Flacco takes over at QB at any point, his value will jump.
Josh Palmer has been mentioned in this space multiple times, and with Mike Williams now banged up, I’ll mention him again as a decent pickup.
A few other receivers I’d consider, who fall into the same category as Wilson. You can flex them right now if you’re needy, they have potential to start for you down the road, but are mainly bench depth for now: Van Jefferson, Terrance Marshall, Jr., Isaiah McKenzie, Wan’Dale Robinson, Darius Slayton, Donovan Peoples Jones, Zay Jones, and Alec Pierce.
Likely: Likely To Have More Opportunities
TE
Rarely is it worth handcuffing a tight end, but preseason standout Isaiah Likely showed on Thursday night that it might be a good idea if you’ve got Mark Andrews. With Andrews and Rashod Bateman knocked out of action, Likely was a key component of the passing game and logged season-high totals in snaps, targets, catches, and yards and scored a pivotal TD. His final line (6-77-1 on 7 targets) looked like a decent day at the office for Andrews. It sounds like Andrews is going to be fine, but with the Ravens having a bye next week, don’t be surprised if Andrews doesn’t suit up in Week 9. That makes Likely a prime Week 9 streamer, at a minimum. If you’re an Andrews manager, I’d definitely try to grab him, and I think he’s a good depth add, period.
Greg Dulcich makes the column for the third straight week, after another good game. Almost all of his production came on one drive, but he still ended up with 4 catches for almost 90 yards. The Broncos’ offense is a work in progress, but Dulcich definitely has a prominent role in the passing game.
Mike Gesicki hasn’t seen much target volume all year - Hill and Waddle continue to dominate the looks from Tua, but he’s scored in 2 of the last 3 games (3 TDs total in those 3 games). He’s a viable weekly dart throw.
After disappearing for a few games, Tyler Conklin had a huge game Sunday, including 2 TDs. He’s hard to trust, but if you need a streamer, he has the occasional big game in him.
Brock Wright should step into the starting TE role in Detroit after Hockenson was traded. I can’t recommend him at this point, but keep an eye on him. But stranger things have happened, and this is a team that trails, and throws, a lot.
A few more TE streamers for Week 9: Cole Kmet (vs. MIA), Noah Fant (@ARI), and if he plays, Logan Thomas (vs. MIN).
PK Streamers: Matt Prater (vs. SEA), Mason Crosby (@DET), and Cairo Santos (vs. MIA).
D/ST Streamers: CIN (vs. CAR), TB (vs. LAR), and KC (vs. TEN).
Good luck with your waiver claims - get the treats, not the tricks.
DH
***This column (Waiver Wire) and the Weekly Fantasy Recap appear each Monday and Tuesday, and the Weekly Fantasy Preview each Thursday. Please bookmark the site and come back often. You can also follow on Social Media - on Instagram (thepigskinpapers) and Twitter (@PigskinPapers). I appreciate your patronage and welcome your feedback. You can post in the comment boxes or email pigskinpapers@gmail.com.***
