In this edition of Win the Waiver Wire, Curtis Patrick shares his top waiver targets for Week 9 in seasonal fantasy football leagues.
Whether through injury, snap count, or role, every fantasy owner can look at their squad and identify a player who disappointed relative to expectations in Week 8. We’ve also entered bye-week season, which means waiver activity will carry greater importance for most fantasy players moving forward.
*For the purposes of this week’s article, I’ll be using ESPN “percentage rostered” data. Players are listed in the order of priority, by position. To make the most of my time and yours, I only provide analysis for players who are available in around 50% of leagues.
Quarterback
These QB names are not going to be exciting, okay? It’s not my fault we don’t have access to Ryan Fitzpatrick anymore.
Nick Mullens (available in 99.4% of leagues)
FAAB: 5%
With Jimmy Garoppolo out for “multiple weeks“, there’s a chance for the third-year QB to step in for your squad for a string of starts in your SF spot.
Mullens entered the picture in a similar spot in 2018, starting Week 9 through the end of the year, averaging 18.3 fantasy points per game in the process. He also already owns two games with 19.9 or more fantasy points in 2020.
Inconveniently, George Kittle won’t be available for Mullens any time soon, and Deebo Samuel isn’t guaranteed to play this week either. Whatever degree of difficulty is added via missing talent at the skill positions may be alleviated by the 49ers strength of schedule. Whoever is starting at QB will have the fourth-easiest fantasy schedule in the NFL from Week 9 to Week 16.
Drew Lock (available in 94.9% of leagues)
FAAB: 1%
Lock guided an impressive Broncos’ comeback in Week 8, tossing three touchdowns in what was his best fantasy output of the season. The second-year signal caller draws Atlanta and Las Vegas over the next two weeks (the third-easiest fantasy QB schedule) and gets New Orleans in Week 12. If you’re desperate, you can stream him in three of the next four weeks and probably get a handful of top-20 level QB performances.
Daniel Jones (available in 81.4% of leagues)
FAAB: 1%
Jones has at least 20 rushing yards in seven of eight games in 2020, including four games with 45 or more. Couple that with a pair of upcoming matchups against Washington and Philadelphia and he looks like a QB2 for the next two weeks.
Looking Ahead to Week 10: Jared Goff (available in 61.3% of leagues)
I expect Goff to be dumped in many leagues as part of this week’s waivers process, so this roster percentage number is probably under-reported if you’re not reading on Tuesday morning. The Rams are on bye in Week 9, but this claim is all about Week 10, when Goff faces Seattle.
If the Seahawks are the most exciting fantasy offense, whoever is playing the Seahawks is the second-most exciting fantasy offense each week. After Jimmy Garoppolo flopped hard and left with an injury, Nick Mullens posted a 238/2/0 line in about half a game’s worth of work.
Goff averaged 344 passing yards against Seattle in 2019, which is about in line with what opponents have been putting up on them per game in 2020. If you need to cover a Week 10 bye for Patrick Mahomes, Matt Ryan, or Justin Herbert, then Goff is the best bet on the wire.
