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Fantasy Football Waiver Wire: 8 Must-Adds for Week 9
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- Fantasy Football Waiver Wire: 8 Must-Adds for Week 9
| Source: Lastwordonsports.com - Sue Levine, Editor
Week 8 of the 2026 NFL schedule is nearly in the books, but fantasy football managers should be looking ahead to Week 9. It's only a two-team bye week, though, with the Pittsburgh Steelers and Tennessee Titans idle.
Here are eight must-adds from the fantasy football waiver wire for Week 9.
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Note: Unless otherwise noted, all references to fantasy scoring are based on Yahoo! scoring.
Fantasy Football Waiver Wire Must-Adds for Week 9
Seth McGowan, RB, Indianapolis Colts
Amid reports, they are now open to trading Jonathan Taylor leading into the game, a 42-7 loss to the Jacksonville Jaguars, followed by the Colts in Week 8. Taylor was also captured on the sideline late in the game, looking emotional, almost as if he knew the end of his time in Indianapolis was near.
As was the case with the entire Colts' offense against the Jaguars, McGowan didn't get much accomplished. But he did have a 16-yard run among his 29 yards via five carries, on the heels of a more promising showing in a more competitive Week 7 game. If Taylor is traded in the coming days, and a running back of note doesn't come back to the Colts in the deal, McGowan has a clear path to a lead-back role over the rest of the season.
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On the idea that Taylor will be traded, DJ Giddens could be on the radar as a waiver wire add in very deep leagues. But McGowan is the clear priority, even still a bit speculatively.
McGowan made last week's must-adds , and we speculated he might lead this week's must-adds if Taylor were to be traded in the meantime. Taylor isn't gone yet, but it feels inevitable enough to bump the rookie up the pecking order for this week.
ESPN Ownership: 21.3%
Yahoo! Ownership: 31%
Jacksonville Jaguars linebacker Jahlani Tavai (31) tackles Indianapolis Colts running back Seth McGowan (20) in the fourth quarter during an NFL football matchup at EverBank Stadium, Sunday, November 1, 2026, in Jacksonville, Fla. The Jaguars won 42-7. [Doug Engle/Florida Times-Union]
Jonah Coleman, RB, Denver Broncos
After a takeover of the Broncos' backfield was teased in Week 7, head coach Sean Payton said he wanted to get Coleman more touches. R.J. Harvey (knee) going on IR was a notable help, but the takeover is complete after the rookie had 104 total yards with a rushing touchdown over 15 touches in Week 8 against the Kansas City Chiefs.
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Beyond that, Coleman played 40 of Denver's 62 offensive snaps against the Chiefs. The Broncos used a non-entity, fullback Adam Prentice, for 12 snaps as their third running back. As explained by Nathan Jahnke of Pro Football Focus, eight of J.K. Dobbins' 14 snaps for the game came in the first quarter. From there, Coleman outsnapped him 35-6.
Coleman was an easy must-add heading into Week 8. Somehow, he remains available in nearly half of ESPN leagues and just enough Yahoo! leagues that his availability is worth checking on.
Be aware of a Week 10 bye. But otherwise, there is no excuse for Coleman not to be rostered in basically 100 percent of fantasy leagues by the time initial Week 9 waivers get processed.
ESPN Ownership: 52.2%
Yahoo! Ownership: 72%
Tyler Allgeier, RB, Arizona Cardinals
With Jeremiyah Love (ankle) and Bam Knight (concussion) both leaving the game early, Allgeier was the last man standing in the Cardinals' backfield in the second half of Week 8 against the Dallas Cowboys. A 63-yard touchdown run and another run that went for 52 yards skews things, but he delivered 191 yards from scrimmage and two total touchdowns on 16 touches.
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If Knight outdoing him in a backfield split over the previous two games wasn't enough, Love returning to action against Dallas was easy to see as a crushing blow to Allgeier's fantasy value until further notice. But opportunity knocked, and he answered in a fashion that says his role shouldn't go away regardless of who else is healthy.
The injury statuses of Love and Knight will be key to his outlook, but Allgeier should be rostered in the majority of 12-team leagues as bye weeks continue. Even in tough matchups, like Week 9 against the Seattle Seahawks, he can at least be a viable flex option with a strong share of the work in Arizona's backfield.
ESPN Ownership: 45.9%
Yahoo! Ownership: 52%
Nov 1, 2026; Arlington, Texas, USA; Dallas Cowboys linebacker Shemar James (50) makes a tackle on Arizona Cardinals running back Tyler Allgeier (22) during the fourth quarter at AT&T Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-Imagn Images
Malik Willis, QB, Miami Dolphins
Willis hardly ran in Week 8 against the New England Patriots (one carry for two yards), but he had two touchdown passes for the second game in a row as he went 21-for-32 for 211 yards with an interception.
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In Week 9, Willis will face the Detroit Lions, who entered Week 8 allowing the most fantasy points per game to quarterbacks. All seven quarterbacks they've faced have had multiple passing touchdowns against them, and six of them have had at least 20 fantasy points. After that, the Dolphins' signal caller gets favorable matchups against the Indianapolis Colts (Week 10), Buffalo Bills (Week 11), and New York Jets (Week 12). Week 13 against the Denver Broncos and Week 14 against the Chicago Bears could provide a very fantasy-friendly environment, too.
Willis has already had his bye week, and games with one or two rushing attempts should not be the norm.
Willis has shown improvement as a passer in the last few games, and the prospect of increased passing volume going forward is strong. Sprinkle on a nice dose of running ability, and you get a potential weekly QB1 who's a must-add in all leagues.
ESPN Ownership: 10.6%
Yahoo! Ownership: 20%
Nov 1, 2026; Miami Gardens, Florida, USA; Miami Dolphins quarterback Malik Willis (2) drops back to throw a pass during the first quarter against the New England Patriots at Hard Rock Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Rich Storry-Imagn Images
Mike Washington Jr., RB, Las Vegas Raiders
Washington had seven carries before Ashton Jeanty had one against the New York Jets in Week 8, on his way to 25 carries (for 83 yards) to Jeanty's two (for nine yards) in the game. The reasoning for that could be multi-fold. It could've been an acknowledgement of Jeanty's lower body injuries, or just an effort to see what Washington can do with more work.
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Or maybe Jeanty was punished for his comments about the Jets' defense during the week. After the game, Klint Kubiak denied the latter as a factor in the lack of work for Jeanty, but we've already learned how much we can believe the Raiders' head coach when it comes to a lot of things (very little, if at all).
What we do know is that Washington was way more involved than he had been previously, and the rookie again showed more explosion in the run game than Jeanty. While that isn't saying much, moving forward, we may see far more of a backfield split than Jeanty's fantasy managers would like.
Fantasy managers who drafted Jeanty in a league with at least 12 teams probably should've also used a late pick on Washington, and now he's a must-add for any Jeanty managers who aren't already rostering him. For everyone else in leagues with 12 or more teams, the Raiders' rookie is at least an interesting bench stash.
ESPN Ownership: 17.5%
Yahoo! Ownership: 27%
Nov 1, 2026; East Rutherford, New Jersey, USA; Las Vegas Raiders running back Mike Washington Jr. (4) rushes the ball against the New York Jets in the first half at MetLife Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Robert Deutsch-Imagn Images
Ryan Flournoy, WR, Dallas Cowboys
Flournoy had just three catches for 38 yards against the Arizona Cardinals in Week 8, but he had a touchdown for the second time in three games, and he has at least 11 full PPR points in four straight games. He clearly has a good rapport with Dak Prescott, and if CeeDee Lamb or George Pickens were to miss time (see games Lamb missed last season), his fantasy upside would grow. Pickens is currently dealing with hamstring and shoulder issues, and Flournoy played more snaps than him against Arizona.
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As it is, with Dallas' Week 14 bye as an added layer of appeal, Flournoy is at least looking like a viable high-end flex/low-end WR3 option in deeper PPR leagues. If Pickens ends up missing games in the near future due to his ailments, especially Week 9 against the Indianapolis Colts or Week 11 against the Tennessee Titans, Flournoy would have broader appeal as a plug-and-play starter.
ESPN Ownership: 22.1%
Yahoo! Ownership: 34%
Mike Gesicki, TE, Cincinnati Bengals
Gesicki had four catches (on six targets) for 76 yards and a touchdown in Week 8 against the Tennessee Titans. He has now scored in five straight games, and in six of seven games overall this season. More yardage and targets might be nice, but he has topped 75 yards twice this season with at least five targets in a game three times.
Of particular note from the game against Tennessee, as highlighted by Nathan Jahnke of Pro Football Focus, is Gesicki's season-high snap share (67.6 percent). Injuries have thinned the Bengals' tight end rotation, so that snap share, spanning multiple personnel deployments, could be sticky moving forward.
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Three of Cincinnati's next four opponents, the Atlanta Falcons (Week 9), Washington Commanders (Week 11), and New Orleans Saints (Week 12), entered Week 8 among the 10 most generous teams when it comes to fantasy points allowed to tight ends this season. Gesicki's scoring streak will end at some point, but the toughness of the tight ends' streak makes him a must-add for any fantasy managers who are looking for a viable option.
ESPN Ownership: 15.1%
Yahoo! Ownership: 19%
Nov 1, 2026; Cincinnati, Ohio, USA; Cincinnati Bengals tight end Mike Gesicki (88) reacts after scoring a touchdown in the second half against the Tennessee Titans at Paycor Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Katie Stratman-Imagn Images
Adonai Mitchell, WR, New York Jets
With rookie Omar Cooper Jr.'s emergence, Mitchell was a non-factor when he returned from injury in Week 7. Week 8 against the Las Vegas Raiders brought a reversal in roles, as Cooper had zero targets and Mitchell finished with seven catches (on nine targets) for 142 yards and a touchdown.
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It seems Mitchell was, understandably, being eased back into action in Week 7 after missing the previous four games. He still played 11 fewer snaps than Cooper against the Raiders, but they ran the same number of routes (26, according to Nathan Jahnke of Pro Football Focus ). In three of his four games this season, Mitchell has had at least 60 yards.
A zero-target game for Cooper is unlikely to be repeated, so he is in line to somehow impact Mitchell's target volume going forward. It also wouldn't be surprising if there are weeks in which the roles we saw for the two in Week 8, in terms of sheer targets, are reversed.
Any Jets' pass catcher this side of Garrett Wilson has a good dose of uncomfortable boom-or-bust to him, but Mitchell is back to being roster-worthy in leagues with at least 12 teams.
ESPN Ownership: 11.4%
Yahoo! Ownership: 11%
New York Jets wide receiver Adonai Mitchell (15) catches a touchdown pass in the second quarter as the New York Jets play Las Vegas Raiders in a week 8 NFL football game at MetLife Stadium on Sunday, Nov. 1, 2026, in East Rutherford, NJ.
The Last Word
Fantasy managers, of course, have to account for their own situations, but let's broadly rank this week's waiver wire must-adds.
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1. Coleman
2. McGowan
3. Allgeier
4. Willis
5. Washington
6. Gesicki
7. Flournoy
8. Mitchell
