Waiver Wire Pickups for Week 9 – Deep Dive Fantasy Football

Welcome back to another edition of waiver wire pickups for your deeper fantasy football leagues. Week 9 is upon us and we have again seen more injuries to fantasy starters. If you play in deeper league formats or expanded rosters, often most of the main waiver wire picks are taken and claimed by the next morning. For the most part, this series is for your deeper 14+ team leagues. The following players are all low-rostered on Sleeper and could help you in the long run. Let’s get into the top waiver wire pickups for Week 9 and beyond.

This was a big week for injuries and we may see more backup quarterbacks coming in. Unfortunately, Kirk Cousins is expected to be done for the season, per Adam Schefter. Also, PJ Walker is playing like he should be the QB1 in Cleveland. Needless to say, there are a lot of options for Superflex here. As well as deep dive pieces for your fantasy football teams.

Waiver Wire Pickups for Week 9

Will Levis, QB, Tennesee Titans (Sleeper Rostered 7%)

Well, this was unexpected. With Ryan Tannehill injured, Will Levis, not Malik Willis got the starting opportunity. Levis completed 19 of 29 passes for 238 yards with four touchdown passes. Additionally, he threw 3 touchdowns to DeAndre Hopkins. 47, 16, and 61 yards all were the touchdown distances. The Titans have a short week coming as they travel to Pittsburgh, but it would make the most sense to roll with Levis after this performance. If you need a quarterback or lost Cousins, go grab Levis as one of the top waiver wire pickups.

P.J. Walker, QB, Cleveland Browns (Sleeper Rostered 3%)

I don’t know when Deshaun Watson will return next week, but P.J. Walker has been playing great football. He didn’t get the win in Seattle but came very close. Walker completed 15 passes on 31 attempts for 248 yards and a touchdown. He did throw two interceptions, but take that away and put up a decent fantasy performance. All in all, he makes for a fallback option for a QB2 in Superflex leagues.

Jaren Hall, QB, Minnesota Vikings (Sleeper Rostered 0%) OR Nick Mullins

Cousins has never missed a game due to an injury (only one COVID-19 game). Now he is done for the season with an Achilles injury. The Vikings season takes a big change. Right now it appears Jaren Hall is the next quarterback up. He did lose a fumble early, but he completed three of four passes for 23 yards in the game. Nick Mullins is set to come off IR after next week, so he is a must-add as well. I would imagine Mullins is the starter after next week, but right now it’s Jaren Hall.

Royce Freeman, RB, Los Angeles Rams (Sleeper Rostered 22%)

Darrell Henderson Jr. and Royce Freeman came in last week splitting duties while Kyren Williams is on IR. Against Dallas, Freeman rushed 9 times for 44 yards and a touchdown. He appears to be leading the backfield as of now but has not been targeted for the second straight week. Henderson should also be rostered in deeper formats if he is still on your waiver wire. Both should still be rostered, but this backfield will be a bit murky for the time being.

Chase Edmonds, RB, Tampa Bay Buccaneers (Sleeper Rostered 4%)

Chase Edmonds came off IR this week and seemingly has the RB2 job in Tampa Bay. While he only rushed three times for five yards and caught 2 of three targets for 16 yards, it’s noted he seems to be ahead of Ke’Shawn Vaughn on the depth chart. Meanwhile, rookie Sean Tucker was a healthy scratch, which speaks volumes considering how bad this backfield has been. Clearly, Rachaad White has a firm hold on the starting job. However, Edmonds is a depth addition to your roster off the waiver wire.

Pierre Strong, RB, Cleveland Browns (Sleeper Rostered 16%)

While Jerome Ford was active, it was Pierre Strong who had a good day out of the backfield. He rushed ten times for 41 yards and caught a 41-yard reception. He outrushed Ford but took a backseat to Kareem Hunt. While Strong is third on the depth chart, he makes for a good depth addition in the event Ford misses any time.

Khalil Shakir, WR, Buffalo Bills (Sleeper Rostered 4%)

You would have to think Buffalo will be in the trade deadline market, maybe for a wide receiver.  However, Khalil Shakir led the Bills in receiving week eight. The second-year player caught all six of his targets for 92 yards. While Stefon Diggs and Gabe Davis are the top two wide receivers in Buffalo, Shakir makes for a speedy slot option for the Bills, and anyone catching targets from Josh Allen needs to be looked at in fantasy football this year.

Noah Brown, WR, Houston Texans (Sleeper Rostered 2%)

With Tank Dell inactive, Noah Brown played outside Nico Collins against the Panthers. Robert Woods is expected to miss multiple weeks, so the volume should be there for Brown over the next few weeks. He caught two of five targets for 57 yards. Additionally, he has seen five targets in back-to-back games and makes for an intriguing addition in deeper formats.

Demario Douglas, WR, New England Patriots (Sleeper Rostered 6%)

A wide receiver who has seen an increase in volume is rookie Demario Douglas of the New England Patriots. Douglas caught five of seven targets for 25 yards on Sunday against Miami. He has seen 13 targets combined in two weeks and has made for a deeper league Flex option with the Patriots seeming to be throwing the ball more often. Kendrick Bourne tore his ACL and is done for the year which could lead to increased playing time for Demario Douglas.

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