Fantasy football waiver wire Week 9: Tyrone Tracy, Bam Knight, streamers

If you didn’t believe sports are unpredictable and sometimes mindblowing, let the Falcons — specifically, Bijan Robinson — be your shining example. As I discussed with a commenter in the Week 8 rankings column, we do our best to predict the most likely outcome. The next seven out of nine times, Robinson probably lights up the Dolphins, as we had hoped. I’m not here to bemoan what went wrong — the pain is still fresh from losing Cam Skattebo — but I am here to give you waiver wire options who can help this week and beyond. Be it waivers, streamers, and even some sell-highs, I’ll get you ready for fantasy football Week 9.

Waiver Wire Running Backs

1. Tyrone Tracy, NYG — It’s more than disappointing for Cam Skattebo, but Tracy is back into the RB2 tier and a must-add in any league. I don’t care how deep you are at RB, find a way to get Tracy — blow your FAB, first waiver spot, whatever.
2. Bam Knight, ARI — The backfield lead, as the Cardinals return from their bye. Trey Benson’s return could come in Week 10, but that’s no guarantee, and they released Michael Carter, furthering Knight’s hold on the job … for now.
3. Bhayshul Tuten, JAX — The Jaguars could exit the bye with more touches for Tuten, as Travis Etienne was declining ahead of the bye. That’s why Tuten is here. If he gets the lead, Tuten would have more value than anyone on this list. If the Jaguars keep things as is, then Tuten is behind Tyler Allgeier on this list.
4. Tyjae Spears, TEN 😏
5. Kyle Monangai, CHI 🫡
6. Tyler Allgeier, ATL 🫡
7. Isaiah Davis, NYJ 🫡
8. Samaje Perine, CIN — Is the “Next Man Up” to Chase Brown with additional RB3 potential in high-scoring games.
9. Devin Neal, NO — Saw more work in the second half, which could turn into Kendre Miller-like value or more if Alvin Kamara misses time (hurt in the second half).
10. Ollie Gordon, MIA — Don’t expect as much value as Perine, as you also shouldn’t expect many more blowouts for the Dolphins to utilize Gordon more.
11. Emanuel Wilson, GB — Noted in the list given he’s become the clear No. 2 to Josh Jacobs, who has been playing through minor injuries.
12. Ameer Abdullah, IND — The Colts’ usage points to Abdullah as next up, per questions about what happened to DJ Giddens.

Stashes

• Sean Tucker, TB — Bucs on a bye, but if Bucky Irving doesn’t return in Week 10, Tucker had a near 50/50 split with Rachaad White, including goal line touches (three each).
• Tank Bigsby, PHI — It sounds as though Saquon Barkley avoided serious injury, but Week 8 made it clear that Bigsby would step in if Barkley missed time.
• Dylan Sampson, CLE — The report suggests Quinshon Judkins should be fine after the Browns’ bye, but just like Barkley, it’s worth stashing the backup plan just in case. And in this case, Sampson has a higher ceiling than Jerome Ford.
• Trey Benson, ARI — As mentioned, still a few more weeks away from a return, but managers who have room should stash Benson for his RB2 value once back.

Purely Next Man Up Ranks
(If an injury ahead of them)

1. Tyler Allgeier, ATL
2. Brian Robinson, SF
3. Rachaad White, TB
4. Blake Corum, LAR
5. Tank Bigsby, PHI
6. Kenneth Gainwell, PIT
7. TreVeyon Henderson, NE
8. Tyjae Spears, TEN
9. Ray Davis, BUF
10. RJ Harvey, DEN
11. Kyle Monangai, CHI
12. Kareem Hunt, KC
13. Ollie Gordon, MIA
14. Isaiah Davis, NYJ
15. Bhayshul Tuten, JAX
16. Samaje Perine, CIN
17. Emanuel Wilson, GB
18. Devin Neal, NO
19. Jaydon Blue, DAL
20. Ameer Abdullah, IND
21. Chris Rodriguez, WAS
22. Devin Singletary, NYG

Waiver Wire Wide Receivers

1. Christian Watson, GB — First game back and already pushing for the lead. Check the “Junk Drop” on Matthew Golden and the waiver wire to make sure Watson isn’t out there.
2. Troy Franklin, DEN 😏
3. Kayshon Boutte, NE — Hitting more frequently than he was to start the season.
4. Elic Ayomanor, TEN — I broke down the Ayomanor-Chimere Dike situation on the pod. Short version: if Calvin Ridley is playing (and in Tennessee), then Ayomanor is a WR4/5 and Dike a stash. If Ridley is out/dealt elsewhere, Ayomanor is a solid WR4 and so is Dike, though more volume-reliant with Ayomanor the deep threat.
5. Tre Tucker, LV 😏
6. Darius Slayton, NYG — Wan’Dale Robinson and Slayton are the Giants’ top two wideouts with Robinson a WR3 and Slayton a WR4.
7. Alec Pierce, IND — Death. Taxes. At least one bomb to Pierce each week.
8. Josh Downs, IND — Downs will continue to need more volume than Pierce to put up similar fantasy points.
9. Malik Washington, MIA — He’s the Dolphins’ No. 2. As we’ve seen, that doesn’t mean more than up-and-down WR4 value though.
10. Chimere Dike, TEN — See: Ayomanor
11. Darnell Mooney, ATL — I’m sure nobody wants him after the Week 8 letdown. It wasn’t all his fault though, as two of his failed deep shots were more about Kirk Cousins.
12. Chimere Dike, TEN — See: Ayomanor
13. Xavier Hutchinson, HOU — Another situation covered on the podcast. I’d love to say Jayden Higgins is finally happening, but Hutchinson continues to be the second option after Nico Collins. Higgins is a stash, hoping he can overtake Hutchinson at some point, but until then, Hutchison is a WR4/5.
14. Jalen Coker, CAR — That’s two good games and two stinkers for Xavier Legette since his return, and now, Coker saw four targets to Legette’s three in Week 8. Coker is officially breathing down Legette’s neck.
15. Jaylin Noel, HOU — Route% actually dipped from the previous week (48.1% to 45.2%), which is due to his three-wide/slot-only use. He’s the Christian Kirk replacement, but he’s not seeing enough routes to count on consistency.
16. Devaughn Vele, NO — Not only could one or both of Chris Olave and Rashid Shaheed get traded, but Shaheed also got hurt in Week 8. It wouldn’t be more than WR5 value, but Vele is worth a grab in deeper leagues.

Stashes

• Tory Horton, SEA
• Isaac TeSlaa, DET
• Luther Burden, CHI
• Andrei Iosivas, CIN
• Jayden Higgins, HOU
• Roman Wilson, PIT
• Pat Bryant, DEN
• Isaiah Bond, CLE

Bait Loot
(Leave them on waivers)

• Mack Hollins, NE — Random Hollins game. He’ll probably have one more the rest of the season.
• Jalen Tolbert, DAL — Garbage-time touchdown with the backups.

Junk Drop

• Matthew Golden, GB — Again, this is only for managers in a bind, shallower leagues, etc., and names like Keon Coleman, Jerry Jeudy and others have already been mentioned in previous weeks. As mentioned above, Watson is back, and Golden only had four more routes in Watson’s first game. Even worse, with Jordan Love near-perfect, Golden only had three targets, behind Watson, Romeo Doubs and Tucker Kraft, while tied with Malik Heath (of all people). You can argue dropping through Wilson at RB if you have WR depth, and then through Tucker at WR. After that, it’s similar upside stash potential.

Reserve Heroes: Deployed
(Streaming Section)

Streaming Quarterbacks

• Kyler Murray, ARI at DAL
• Joe Flacco, CIN vs CHI
• Brock Purdy, SF at NYG
• Sam Darnold, SEA at WAS
• Aaron Rodgers, PIT vs IND
• Tua Tagovailoa, MIA vs BAL

“Thou Shall Not… Pass!”
(No thanks, not worth the risk)

• J.J. McCarthy, MIN at DET
• Geno Smith, LV vs JAX
• C.J. Stroud, HOU vs DEN
• Trevor Lawrence, JAX at LV

Streaming Tight Ends

• Oronde Gadsden, LAC — Check out the pod (Friday one). Explained how he’s a Top 10 option, but you should still expect some inconsistency.
• Theo Johnson, NYG
• AJ Barner, SEA
• Colston Loveland, CHI — When Cole Kmet is out
• Dalton Schultz, HOU — If Nico Collins is out
• Evan Engram, DEN

Streaming DST
(First team listed is streamer)

Week 9

• LAR vs NO
• DET vs MIN
• JAX at LV
• CIN vs CHI
• BAL at MIA
• CHI at CIN
• SEA at WAS
• HOU vs DEN
• SF at NYG

Week 10

• SEA vs ARI
• CHI vs NYG
• BUF at MIA
• CLE at NYJ
• JAX at HOU
• BAL at MIN
• LAR at SF

All In Speed Run Podcast

It takes less time than to take your number two. Give it a listen!

Manual: Rules of Play

• Players must be under 60% rostered on Yahoo
• Listed in order of preference: I’ll regularly prioritize potential upside over immediate replacement production
• No FAB suggestions: Varies wildly by league tendencies and need
• Streaming QB, TE, DST order might change in the ranks with more news and projections
• Emojis for brevity
  • 😏 = mentioned multiple times, multiple weeks — either you want him, or don’t
  • 🫡 = Next Man Up but with deeper startability

BYES: Cleveland, New York Jets, Philadelphia, Tampa Bay

Worry Report
(Scale 1-5: more ducks = more worry)

• Jordan Mason 🦆🦆🦆 and Aaron Jones, RB, MIN: 🦆🦆 — Similar to the Falcons, everything went wrong, and sometimes we can “throw away” games. There wasn’t much to learn by watching this game, other than Carson Wentz is held together with duct tape and tooth picks. However, we did see Aaron Jones start the game and see 20 passing snaps to 12 for Mason. Again, I’m not putting much weight on this game, but Jones looks to be stepping right back into a timeshare, and with the passing game advantage, even a 50/50 split leans to Jones having the greater value. Of course, this is yet another Panthers-like situation where the weekly performances will fluctuate. As for concerns though, there is more for Mason than Jones, even though both can be in the RB2/3 fringe conversation and startable.
• Quentin Johnston, WR, LAC: 🦆🦆🦆 — After his blowup performance weeks ago, I covered Luther Burden as a cautionary tale with the struggles in being the third option in the passing game. I pointed to history and the Chargers, as Ladd McConkey was the one left out at the time. Then, Keenan Allen had his turn, and now it’s Johnston’s. Oronde Gadsden adds another variable to the equation, and again as previously covered, he’s a big threat to Johnston given the touchdown opportunities. Here’s what you need to know: McConkey will have a few bad games again, so will Allen and Gadsden, and Johnston will have some good ones. As constructed though, Johnston is now the most volatile. So, is Johnston a drop? No. But is he now a WR4 in the boom/bust conversation and not a WR2? Unfortunately, yes.
• Baker Mayfield, QB, TB: 🦆🦆 — Few teams need a bye more than the Buccaneers. Mayfield has dealt with a revolving door of receivers outside of Emeka Egbuka, who surprisingly missed little time with the hamstring injury. Nevertheless, Mayfield had a mediocre showing against the Lions, and then another against the Saints. Though, he could have put up two touchdowns — Cade Otton called down at the 1-yard line, and an end zone target, which Egbuka arguably should have caught. I’d buy low on Mayfield, especially if his managers are needy during the bye. The Patriots aren’t the best matchup in Week 10, but it’s a mostly-favorable schedule beyond, and Mayfield had never dipped below 17.7 points before Week 7.

Power Up Players
(Scale 1-5: more Mario mushrooms = more excitement)

• Bo Nix, QB, DEN: 🍄🍄 — Remember that touchdown success Nix was missing from late last year? It’s back! Nix has four touchdowns in each of the past two games, though, two of those were rushing, and three of those came with RJ Harvey’s insane day. I’m not discounting Nix turning the corner, but it was also only his second and third game over 20 points this year, they came against NYG and DAL, and he has three games of 13.4 or less. Nix has one of the toughest remaining schedules, and while I’m not going to overreact to that either, I am going to balance both the breakout and schedule reality. Nix is powered up, but only with a regular mushroom — no fire or ice one or something grander.
• Chase Brown, RB, CIN: 🍄🍄 — After negative yards before contact in the first three weeks (-0.06 per rush), Brown has 1.50 since then and 1.59 with Joe Flacco. Oh, he also has a ridiculous 5.38 yards after contact the past three games. The 2024 version of Brown is back, and while that insane 5.38 mark will regress, Brown is averaging 13 touches, 6.5 yards per touch, 84.7 yards and 14.3 fantasy points in those three games. I bring that up because you likely noticed the 13 touches per game. That’s the small concern, which is why Perine is a pickup option. Brown isn’t bellcowing the backfield, so similar to Nix, we’re definitely powering up Brown, but not with a star shroom.