Welcome to the Week 9 waiver wire watch! Consider making a waiver claim in your fantasy football leagues for the following players (available in at least 50% of ESPN leagues).
Matthew Stafford, QB, Los Angeles Rams
Sean McVay’s offense has been outlandishly productive with Stafford, Cooper Kupp, Puca Nacua and Kyren Williams all on the field. That lineup unraveled in the first half of the season opener when Nacua limped off with a knee injury, but the Avengers reassembled last week, and the Rams posted a season-high 30 points against the NFL’s best-performing defense. Los Angeles will continue to pour on points so long as its stars are healthy. Stafford should return to fantasy relevancy with a boost in passing production, especially in scoring situations, as his 13 red zone completions rank 20th this year.
Isaac Guerendo, RB, San Francisco 49ers
The 129th overall pick took the lead in San Francisco’s backfield on Sunday Night Football, and he might never look back. Jordan Mason left the game with a shoulder injury and Christian McCaffrey has yet to return to practice as he nurses his foot. Meanwhile, Guerendo — a repeat name in this column — made the most of his opportunity. He finished with 14 rushes for 85 yards and 1 score, plus 3 catches for 17 yards. Though the Niners have a bye next week, Guerendo (who has a 100th-percentile speed score) is worth adding to rosters now given the mouthwatering talent/scheme setup.
Khalil Herbert, RB, Chicago Bears
Galaxy brain time. NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport and ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler each said Herbert could draw trade interest before the November 5th deadline. The fourth-year pro led all backs with yards per carry in 2022, and his 4.8 career average ranks eighth among 70 active backs (min. 300 carries). Herbert is now buried behind D’Andre Swift and Roschon Johnson in Chicago’s backfield, but if he gets a shot elsewhere — say, Dallas — he’d deserve a spot on fantasy rosters.
Tyjae Spears, RB, Tennessee Titans
Spears has been out of action since he sustained a hamstring injury in Week 6. Before then, he averaged 10 touches per game, far more than what most available backs are in line to see. Though Tony Pollard is Tennessee’s undisputed RB1, and the Titans’ quarterback situation is ugly, Spears can still score enough fantasy points to warrant spot-start consideration.
Jalen Coker, WR, Carolina Panthers
Carolina has unsuccessfully added young talent to its receiver room in recent years; Terrace Marshall Jr., Jonathan Mingo and Xavier Legette’s 1,517 combined career receiving yards isn’t much more than the 1,364 yards that D.J. Moore posted by himself in his first season in Chicago last year. Legette isn’t going anywhere as a 2024 first-round pick, but the Panthers found a true gem during undrafted free agency. Coker was an analytics darling coming out of Holy Cross and scored his first career touchdown in an impressive showing last week. Scoop up Coker now, especially in dynasty/deeper fantasy leagues, before the secret is spoiled.
Josh Downs, WR, Indianapolis Colts
Another favorite of the column, Downs ranks 21st in PPR points per game among all wideouts this season — yet he remains available in the majority of ESPN and Yahoo! Sports leagues. Whether Anthony Richardson or Joe Flacco is behind center for Indianapolis, Downs is a bonafide playmaker and rock-solid fantasy asset. He’s scored 15-plus PPR points in four of his last five games after starting the season with an ankle injury.
Cedric Tillman, WR, Cleveland Browns
The hottest waiver claim of the week should be Tillman, who caught 2 Jameis Winston touchdown passes during Cleveland’s upset win on Sunday. Tillman has 15 receptions for 180 yards across the past two weeks since Amari Cooper was traded and Deshaun Watson was injured — he had 24 catches for 233 yards and no scores in 20 prior NFL games. The 2023 third-round pick is one of the very few players who will be listed in this column all season with true league-winning potential, especially so long as Winston continues to start.
Parker Washington, WR, Jacksonville Jaguars
Veteran slot man Christian Kirk broke his collarbone on Sunday, a brutal blow following a 2023 season-ending core injury. Though Kirk’s rapport with Trevor Lawrence will be hard to replicate, second-year wideout Parker Washington can be expected to replace nearly all of Kirk’s snaps. Washington showed his explosiveness on a 96-yard punt return touchdown in Week 7 and caught 4 balls for 46 yards in Week 8. “P Dub” plays bigger than his size and should carve out a sizable role in Jacksonville’s offense with Brian Thomas Jr. (chest/ribs) also likely to miss time. Float a trade offer to whoever has Evan Engram in your league, too.
