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Fantasy Football Waiver Wire Week 9: Tyrone Tracy and Troy Franklin take over

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Week 8 is nearly in the books, bringing another round of waivers to the fantasy forefront. With the fantasy playoffs quickly approaching, these are the best adds heading into Week 9 of the season.

▶ Quarterback

Tua Tagovailoa, Dolphins

Fantasy managers entered Week 8 with the belief that the plug could be pulled on Tua at any moment. Zach Wilson wound up playing, but not because Tagovailoa was benched. He tossed four touchdowns, his highest scoring total in nearly a year, in a dominant win over the Falcons. It was his fifth multi-score game of the season. He has thrown for 3+ touchdowns twice. Next up is a Ravens defense that has given up the fourth-most fantasy points to opposing passers.

Aaron Rodgers, Steelers

By total points, Rodgers is the highest scoring quarterback available in over half of all Yahoo leagues. He is the only passer with two four-touchdown games through the air this season. Rodgers currently ranks 13th EPA per play and eighth in CPOE. He isn’t the most fun fantasy add of the week, but there are worse streaming options given the mounting list of quarterback injuries.

Trevor Lawrence, Jaguars

Like Rodgers, Lawrence cracks the streamers list by virtue of being a QB2 available in at least half of all Yahoo leagues. He ranks behind Rodgers in most key metrics. The good news is that Lawrence and the Jags face off against the Raiders this week. Vegas ranks 26th in EPA per dropback allowed. The Jags’ 23.25 implied team total is also among the best you will find for a streaming quarterback this week.

Tyler Shough, Saints

The rookie finally supplanted Spencer Rattler last week, relieving him in the second half of a loss to the Bucs. Shough completed 57 percent of his passes at 4.3 yards per attempt, both of which are basement-dweller marks. He was also intercepted once and did not score. Shough is not on the menu as a streaming QB option in most formats. In Superflex or 2QB, however, he is a must-add. Shough is the only quarterback who should be available in a majority of Superflex leagues and can start the remainder of the season.

▶ Running Back

Tyrone Tracy, Giants

Cam Skattebo suffered a season-ending ankle injury in Week 8. Tyrone Tracy reclaimed the backfield sans Skattebo. He out-carried Devin Singletary 10-2 and out-caught him 2-1. Tracy struggled early in the year and ultimately lost the starting gig to the rookie, but he was playing with Russell Wilson under center and without star left tackle Andrew Thomas in the trenches. Tracy will return to an offense with improved quarterback and offensive line play, meaning he might look better this time around. Even if he doesn’t, Tracy is locked in for a heavy workload as the fantasy playoff push commences. He is the add of the week at any position.

Bam Knight, Cardinals

The Cardinals were on bye in Week 8. Before their break, Knight accounted for 58 percent of the team’s carries on a snap rate just under 50 percent. He also ran roughly a third of the routes. Knight saw 14 carries and four targets, three of which were caught. He and the Cardinals face the Cowboys this week. Only the Titans and Bengals have given up more fantasy points to opposing running backs than Dallas.

Ollie Gordon, Dolphins

Mike McDaniel talked about getting Gordon more work heading into Sunday’s game. A man of his word, McDaniel gave Gordon a season-high 10 carrie. Gordon ran for 46 yards and caught his only target for a 20-yard score. The 2-6 Dolphins haven’t had many opportunities to establish their ground game, but a 34-10 destruction of the Falcons allowed them to rack up 37 carries. I don’t expect that to happen often for Miami, but they will be favored in Week 9 against the Ravens if Lamar Jackson isn’t healthy. Gordon will be a solid FLEX option if the Dolphins are projected to win this week.

Tyler Allgeier, Falcons

Allgeier got away with it in Week 8, scoring a garbage-time touchdown to salvage an awful fantasy day for nearly every member of the Falcons. He is averaging 14.7 touches per game in Atlanta wins this year compared to 5.5 in losses. The Falcons are underdogs in their next two games but then face the Panthers, Saints, and Jets for the fantasy playoff push. Allgeier isn’t awfully viable in losses but becomes an RB3 in wins. He is also the best contingent bet in the league.

Dylan Sampson, Browns

Quinshon Judkins left Week 8 with a shoulder injury and did not return. It was late in a blowout loss, so it’s unclear whether he was held out because the game was already decided or if this is a serious issue. Sampson saw three carries and caught 5-of-6 targets. Jerome Ford did not log a carry and was targeted twice. The Browns are on bye this week, so we won’t have concrete info on Judkins’ status for a while. Sampson could be one of the best adds of the week, or he could be an RB6 by the time the Browns return to take on the Jets in Week 10.

Tank Bigsby, Eagles

Saquon Barkley left Week 8’s game with a groin injury. It doesn’t look like it will be an issue for him when the Eagles return from their Week 9 bye.

However, if this is a problem in Week 10, Bigsby looks ready to step up. He gashed the Giants for 104 yards on nine carries. Will Shipley saw just three attempts. At worst, Bigsby has cemented himself as the clear handcuff to one of the best fantasy backs.

Samaje Perine, Bengals

Perine is quietly becoming more involved in the Bengals’ offense with every passing week. He had nine carries through the first five games of the season. The Bengals gave him nine carries in Week 8 alone. He ran for 94 yards and a score while catching one pass for six yards. Perine also logged 13 attempts in his two previous appearances. Chase Brown is still the top back in Cincy, but Perine has fully forced a committee, giving him some minor standalone value.

Kyle Monangai, Bears

The Bears are trying out a committee approach. Monangai has a 46 percent snap share, 34 percent of the team’s rush attempts, and a 37 percent route rate over the past two weeks. He failed to do much in Sunday’s loss to the Ravens, but his role was unchanged. The Bears will travel to Cincinnati this week for a date with one of the best matchups for running backs in all of football.

D’Andre Swift and Monangai could both get home if the Bears secure the win in Week 9.

▶ Wide Receiver

Troy Franklin, Broncos

Franklin has been an all-ceiling, no-floor bet this year. That can be frustrating for fantasy managers, but it also results in blowup spots like Franklin’s 8/89/2 line from Week 8. Franklin saw 30 percent of the Broncos’ targets and 38 percent of their air yards in Denver’s dismantling of the Cowboys. The performance currently has him as the WR22 on the year. Franklin gets a tough matchup with the Texans next week, but he has cemented himself as the clear No. 2 in the Denver offense and might be pushing for a 1B status next to Courtland Sutton. He should be rostered and started in almost every fantasy format.

Kayshon Boutte, Patriots

Boutte’s unpredictable spike games are becoming more frequent and more predictable with each week. He logged season-highs in route rate (91 percent) and target share (22 percent) in Week 8 and cashed in with a 3/75/1 line. Boutte’s touchdown production seems fluky. He has four touchdowns over the past three weeks and five in total this year. He will cool down at some point, but the Patriots are at least using him in a way that is conducive to finding the end zone. Boutte has seen 40 percent of the team’s end zone targets. If anyone is going to run hot on touchdowns, it’s going to be Drake Maye’s go-to wideout for big plays and end zone heaves.

Chimere Dike, Titans

The Titans were without Calvin Ridley again last week and Tyler Lockett was released ahead of Week 8. Dike, for the second week in a row, answered the call. He caught seven balls for 93 yards and carried the ball once for one yard. The usage split between Dike, Elic Ayomanor, and Van Jefferson was tight.

Route Rate Target Share Air Yards Share
Chimere Dike 91% 23% 21%
Elic Ayomanor 98% 23% 33%
Van Jefferson 86% 23% 25%

It’s hard to call Dike the clear priority add of this group when he isn’t running the most routes, doesn’t have a clear targets advantage, and is third on the team in air yards. However, his lower aDOT might be for the best given Cam Ward’s struggles so far. Dike is also the only wideout on this team producing right now. He is a good add for Week 9, but I doubt he pushes past the WR4 ranks versus the Chargers.

Xavier Hutchinson, Texans

The Texans were without Nico Collins because of a concussion and Christian Kirk due to a hamstring issue on Sunday. Braxton Berrios also left midgame with a chest injury. Per usual, Hutchinson was the next man up. He caught five passes for a team-high 69 yards and a touchdown. He and Jayden Higgins played full-time roles. Higgins also scored once while catching four passes for 34 yards. Slot specialist Jaylin Noel was arguably the most exciting player of the bunch, bringing in five passes for 63 yards despite running fewer than half of the routes. The bad news is that Noel appears to be at the bottom of the pecking order for routes. With Nico Collins likely back in Week 9 and Christian Kirk potentially returning, I wouldn’t prioritize any of the Texans’ wideouts on waivers. Hutchinson’s role is the most likely to hold even as the team’s wideouts get healthy.

Malik Washington, Dolphins

Washington has built a receptions-based floor in the absence of Tyreek Hill, catching at least four passes in four straight weeks. He found the end zone for the first time this year through the air in Week 8 with a 4/36/1 line. The bad news is that 36 yards is his season-high. This is largely due to his pitiful 4.3 aDOT. Washington has the lowest aDOT in the NFL for a wide receiver this year. He ranks 13th in YAC per catch, which is good, but not good enough to overcome his lack of intermediate and deep work. He will be a low-ceiling WR5 for Week 9.

▶ Tight End

Juwan Johnson, Saints

Johnson busted his slump two weeks ago with 12.9 PPR points after being held under six in three straight games. He stayed lukewarm in Week 8 with five catches for 53 yards. Among players who are playing in Week 9 and available in over half of Yahoo leagues, Johnson is the high-scoring tight end (9.6 points per game) and has the highest target share (19 percent). He could also benefit from the Saints trading one of their receivers. Both Chris Olave and Rashid Shaheed have been the subject of recent trade rumors.

Harold Fannin, Browns

Fannin was all floor to start the year, hitting at least five PPR points in four of his first five appearances. He never topped 13.3 PPR points during that stretch. He is now finding his ceiling with two games over 15 PPR points in the past three weeks. Fannin posted a 6/62/1 line in Week 8 despite David Njoku returning to the lineup. Fannin has finished as a TE1 in half of his games this year and leads the Browns in most receiving categories. Cleveland gets their bye this week, but Fannin is worth rostering through the break.

Mason Taylor, Jets

Taylor is in a similar spot to Fannin. He is coming off a 31 percent target share game and a TE1 weekly finish but gets Week 9 off. Unlike Fannin, Taylor will face increased target competition coming off the bye with Garrett Wilson likely to return. Taylor should still operate as the team’s de facto WR2 after the break, giving him some fringe TE1 potential when he returns.

Colston Loveland, Bears

Cole Kmet missed Sunday’s game with a back injury, paving the way for a full-time role for Loveland. The fantasy results were underwhelming. He caught just three passes for 38 yards. The role, on the other hand, was solid. Loveland ran 78 percent of the routes and earned a 15 percent target share. He was also on the receiving end of a third of Caleb Williams’ end zone targets. Loveland will stay in the TE2 mix if Kmet is out again this week.

https://www.nbcsports.com/fantasy/football/news/fantasy-football-waiver-wire-week-9-tyrone-tracy-and-troy-franklin-take-over

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