Week 9 fantasy waiver wire goals: Identifying the best waiver wire pickups this week

We’re officially halfway through the 2024 NFL season, and while the fantasy football waiver wire hasn’t yielded as many gems as last season, there’s a lot of value to be had. Before we dive into our Week 9 fantasy waiver wire targets, we’ll highlight that running backs are few and far between this week.

For those watching San Francisco 49ers running back Isaac Guerendo, keep in mind that the 49ers are on a bye in Week 9 and Christian McCaffrey returns in Week 10. Now that that’s out of the way, let’s dive into our fantasy waiver wire pickups this week.

Matthew Stafford, QB, Los Angeles Rams

Week 9 fantasy waiver wire objectives — Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

In two games with Puka Nacua and Cooper Kupp, Los Angeles Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford has a 5-2 TD-INT line with 596 passing yards and a 71 percent completion percentage. Meanwhile, the upcoming Rams schedule includes matchups against the Seattle Seahawks, Miami Dolphins and New England Patriots. This all bodes well for Stafford to become a top-10 fantasy QB in November.

Related: Week 9 Fantasy Rankings

Jameis Winston, QB, Cleveland Browns

In his first game as starting quarterback, Jameis Winston led the Cleveland Browns to their first 20-point performance of the season. He also posted 334 passing yards and 3 touchdowns, attacking the Baltimore Ravens secondary with ease. There is new life in Cleveland and Winston is more than willing to play the football aggressively. While the upcoming Browns schedule (vs. Chargers, vs. Saints, vs. Steelers, vs. Broncos) is tough, Winston is a punter who could provide Superflex/QB2 value.

Braelon Allen, RB, New York Jets

We’ll be adding at least one running back to our Week 9 fantasy waiver wire targets. Braelon Allen found the end zone last Sunday, receiving a season-high 11 carries. While the New York Jets have largely stopped using him as a pass-catching threat (1 reception in the last three games), Allen is at least involved in the run game. Just know that if you add him, he is currently bank stock.

Cedric Tillman, WR, Cleveland Browns

What a difference a quarterback change and a trade can make. Cedric Tillman had just 9 receiving yards at the end of October. In the last two games, following the Amari Cooper trade, he has drawn 21 targets and turned them into 15 receptions, 180 receiving yards and 2 touchdowns. The chemistry with Jameis Winston is evident and even in some tough matchups, Tillman provides FLEX value in PPR.

Keon Coleman, WR, Buffalo Bills

The Amari Cooper trade not only benefited Cedric Tillman and Josh Allen, but also Keon Coleman. Since Cooper joined the Buffalo Bills offense, Coleman has 195 receiving yards on 14 targets in two games. He is a big play waiting to happen and with opponents now having to focus more attention on Cooper, the explosive plays for Coleman will become more common. Think of him as a risk-reward WR3 moving forward.

Jauan Jennings, WR, San Francisco 49ers

While we don’t normally prioritize fantasy waiver targets from teams entering the bye, we’ll make an exception here. Partly because other fantasy managers will overlook Jauan Jennings. The San Francisco 49ers missed their last two games, but the Week 9 bye gives him the extra rest he needs to return. Ricky Pearsall didn’t make the most of his opportunity last Sunday, which means Jennings will return to the No. 2 receiver role if he’s healthy. From weeks 1 through 4, he averaged 91 yards per game with 3 touchdowns and 17.3 yards per reception.

Mike Gesicki, TE, Cincinnati Bengals

Cincinnati Bengals tight end Mike Gesicki is being highlighted as one of the top fantasy waiver wire pickups for Week 9. We certainly get it after his 73-yard performance against the Philadelphia Eagles. However, we will also remind fantasy managers that Gesicki only had 24 receiving yards on 4 targets in weeks 4-7. He is a match-up play and we would like to emphasize him more as a starter in Week 10 against the Baltimore Ravens.

Tyler Conklin, TE, New York Jets

While the New York Jets have been laughably bad this season, Tyler Conklin is at least making a name for himself. Since the Davante Adams trade, the Jets tight end has scored a touchdown in consecutive games. He has also scored a respectable 5.6 goals per game over the past five weeks. While we don’t consider him a top-12 fantasy tight end, he is a solid bench option who could be a fill-in starter or a matchup-dependent play.

Washington commands D/ST

As always, we round out our fantasy waiver objectives with a streaming defense. We just never expected it to be the Washington Commanders. While this may seem bizarre, there are some NFL statistics to consider. Over the last four games, opponents have averaged just a 76.1 QB rating with a 2-3 TD-INT line, 13 sacks taken and 153 passing yards per game against this Commander’s defense. Meanwhile, the New York Giants’ offense is averaging just 3.71 yards per game (last in the NFL) with 0 passing touchdowns at home this season. Don’t sleep on Washington’s D/ST in Week 9.