Welcome to the Week 9 waiver wire. It's been a crazy Sunday, with Minshew Mania making a comeback, the Buccaneers winning without completing a single pass!, Joe Burrow, Tee Higgins and Ja'Marr Chase going fantasy ballistic, and Tony Pollard scoring five touchdowns in his last two games! Oh, and how is Kirk Cousins still putting up big numbers? There are some good pickups out there this week, so let's get right to it!
The Pittsburgh Steelers and Tennessee Titans will take next week off for some rest.
Things couldn't have gone worse for the Ravens this week. On their very first offensive play Lamar Jackson hurt his hand after hitting a defender's helmet on his follow through. He was quickly announced as out and that he would need surgery on his thumb. He's been placed on I.R., which means he has to miss at least four games. We'll need to learn more about his chance to return during the fantasy season before dropping him, but that may be on the horizon.
Huntley suffered a turf toe injury after subbing in for Jackson, pushing him out of the game. Undrafted free agent Joe Fagnano had to come in as the emergency quarterback, which went about as well as you'd expect. At this point, it sure looks like Fagnano will be forced to start against the Jaguars on Thursday night.
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Love was forced from this game with a re-injury of his ankle, while Knight suffered a concussion. Those injuries and the play of Gardner Minshew helped Tyler Allgeier take over and put up huge numbers.
Wilson had a huge game in Week 8 against the Cowboys, as he caught 8-of-15 targets for 111 yards and a touchdown. He also revealed after the game that he has two broken ribs. He apparently played through this injury, so I'm not too worried at the moment.
Bourne suffered a high ankle sprain, per Pam Oliver on the broadcast. No receiver is really poised to take on a big workload behind Bourne, but expect plenty of work for Michael Wilson and Trey McBride in his absence.
Palmer suffered a hamstring injury in Week 8 and couldn't return to the game. He's been dealing with injuries on and off. Keon Coleman Probably is helped the most if Palmer misses games.
Branch was forced from their Week 8 matchup with a hamstring injury and didn't return. This could push Olamide Zaccheaus into a bigger percentage of snaps out of the slot if Branch misses time.
Henry suffered a foot injury against the Dolphins in the second quarter. He was off to a good start with three receptions for 30 yards, but despite trying to return, he couldn't. If he misses any time, Eli Raridon would be next up and he has already shown he can play well in the NFL.
Ferguson hurt is ankle early in their loss to the Cardinals and couldn't return to the game. Brevyn Spann-Ford was already starting to eat away at Ferguson's snaps, so he should be set to be TE1 if Ferguson misses any time. Unfortunately he doesn't see many targets, but if you are in a 2TE league, he's worth a look.
Willis had a down game against the Patriots in Week 8, but it wasn't an awful one. He threw for two touchdowns and 211 yards, but also threw a pick and only ran once for two yards. It wasn't great, but next week he gets a matchup with the Lions. I'm all in on him as a streaming starter in Week 9.
Minshew Mania is real and spectacular. He came in for the struggling Jacoby Brissett and turned the game completely around. He completed 17-of-23 passes for 188 yards and three touchdowns and won the game in overtime. It would be malpractice if he doesn't get the start next week against the Seahawks. In his career we've seen Minshew play great one week and then look awful the next week. But, the Cardinals offense is interesting and in good matchups I'd like Minshew available for a spot start. Unfortunately, the Cardinals schedule is pretty tough over the next three weeks, but it gets much easier following their Week 11 matchup with Chiefs.
What a turn of events for Allgeier this week! We've watched him come up small while Jeremiyah Love was out with an ankle injury. In the two games the rookie missed, Allgeier ran the ball 26 times for 57 yards. But this week against the Cowboys, both Love and Bam Knight were forced from the game with injuries. Allgeier then went absolutely off, rushing for 147 yards and one touchdown on 11 carries and catching all five targets for 44 yards and another touchdown.
We'll see how much time Love and Knight are likely to miss before going all in on Allgeier. With their next three games coming against the Seahawks, Rams, and Chiefs, it will likely be tough for the Cardinals offense.
The Jaguars boat raced the Colts 42-7 in Week 8. Reports heading into the game were that All Pro RB Jonathon Taylor was firmly on the trade block. Taylor still played a ton of snaps, while McGowan continued to back him up. The Colts' running backs did very little offensively against a good Jaguars run defense. But, next week they get a matchup with the Cowboys, and if Taylor is traded or even just sits out as he is shopped around, McGowan would be set up for a strong matchup in his first start.
Washington got the start over Ashton Jeanty and rushed 25 times for 83 yards. Jeanty actually had more PPR fantasy points, as he caught three passes for 64 yards, while Washington didn't see a target. With the 49ers, Seahawks, and Broncos on the docket, it's tough to see him really breaking out. But, if he's seeing anywhere near 25 attempts per game and this move isn't a one-week deal, then he's very much worth picking up on volume alone.
Sampson is a reliable pass catching running back, giving you a decent fantasy floor in PPR leagues. He only rushed one time for seven yards against the Steelers in Week 8, but he caught 6-of-8 targets for 62 yards. And last week, his only other game this season, he rushed six times for 45 yards and caught all three of his targets for 32 more yards. With a game against the Saints next week, he could make for a decent spot start.
Johnson caught 5-of-5 targets for 128 yards and a touchdown, adding one rushing attempt for 10 more yards. Kenneth Walker was still the lead back and nothing is going to change there. But, Johnson showed enough for him to see more touches moving forward. He'll always be a boom or bust player behind Walker, but sometimes boom or bust players start booming more than busting.
The Jets receivers have been tough to predict so far this season, but there's no doubt that they are putting up fantasy relevant games. After rookie Omar Cooper Jr. went off the last two weeks, it was Mitchell's turn this week, as he caught 7-of-9 targets for 142 yards and a touchdown.
Washington caught 5-of-6 targets for 40 yards and his first touchdown of the season. The six targets tied for the lead on the team, while he led the team with five receptions. It's not a huge day, but he has shown an ability to earn targets in this offense. And with a matchup against the Lions coming up, I like his upside next week.
Flournoy has seen an uptick in work recently, catching 14 passes for 148 yards and two touchdowns over the last three weeks. That has a little to do with George Pickens playing through some injuries, but it's clear that Flournoy has played well enough to continue seeing work. And with Jake Ferguson hurting, it could help Flournoy see even more work.
Gesicki saw his snap rate move up this week, which helped him to his most targets, receptions, and yards since Week 1. Injuries in the tight end room have helped free him up a bit, and could help him with consistency moving forward. There's one thing he is very consistent with and that is scoring touchdowns. He has caught a TD in all seven games he's played this year. Of course, he does have three games with three or fewer targets, but he still found the end zone. If he can see his targets rise enough, he has a shot at being a consistent fantasy tight end.
We still don't know exactly when Ferguson will return from his ankle injury, but I want to try to get him on my team if possible. Ferguson would likely become more of a wide receiver than tight end due to the Rams losing Davonte Adams, which would give him great upside in a position without that much upside. Hopefully we'll learn more about when he might return before waivers run.
Mt. Washington has become a little more consistent of late, with three touchdowns in the Steelers last five games. And in Week 8 he showed off his explosive skills with three receptions for 94 yards. Unfortunately, he's still not seeing a large number of routes, as he is often used for blocking. The good news is we know he's one of Aaron Rodgers' favorite targets in the end zone, so more touchdowns are likely to come. With a bye next week, I'd probably hold off on adding him, but a matchup with the Bengals coming out of the bye could be a good place to spot start him if needed.
