The fantasy football season has essentially passed that halfway mark, and managers will find themselves in another rough week of byes and injuries to work through in Week 9.
Teams on a bye in Week 9 include the Cleveland Browns, Denver Broncos, New York Giants, Pittsburgh Steelers, Dallas Cowboys, and San Francisco 49ers.
We’ll be taking a look at the top available players rostered in ESPN leagues, using the 75% rostered mark as the threshold. If you have any questions about prioritizing a certain player over another, don’t be afraid to hit me up on Twitter (@KevinHickey11). Your questions, comments, and roasts are always welcome!
We also will be taking a look at some deeper players to stash and the top streaming options for the upcoming week.
Fantasy football waiver wire recommendations refer to 12-team league formats, unless specifically stated.
Check back for any updates throughout Monday and Tuesday as more injury news becomes available.
Priority Free Agents
1. RB D’Onta Foreman, Carolina Panthers
This is the final week to grab Foreman if he’s still available. He should have been picked up last week, but he’ll be long gone after torching the Atlanta Falcons to the tune of 26 carries for 118 rushing yards and three touchdowns. Entering Monday night, his 31.8 PPR points are good for a top-five finish in Week 8. Even with Chuba Hubbard coming back at some point to share the workload, Foreman must be rostered after posting two dominant outings on the ground.
Availability: 34%
FAAB: 40%
2. RB Khalil Herbert, Chicago Bears
For the third week in a row, Herbert will finish as an RB2 despite not being the starter in the backfield. In Week 8, Herbert posted 16 carries and a 48% running back rush share, which are his highest marks of the season when David Montgomery also was on the field. He turned that into 99 rushing yards and a touchdown while seeing the same number of red-zone rushing attempts as Montgomery, who also saw a season-low 45% rush share. We may be seeing a change in the backfield, and with three fantastic matchups coming up, Herbert is flex worthy.
Availability: 52%
FAAB: 15%
3. RB Isiah Pacheco, Kansas City Chiefs
Fantasy managers may feel a bit bamboozled after the news broke in Week 7 that Pacheco was taking over the starting role only to still be in a heavy rotation with Clyde Edwards-Helaire and Jerick McKinnon. That still may be the case moving forward, but Pacheco should still be rostered considering the upside if he does wind up seeing a bigger role. He has the size/speed profile and is on an elite offense. A committee is likely to remain, but Pacheco shouldn’t be on the waivers in the majority of leagues.
Availability: 75%
FAAB: 15%
4. WR Allen Robinson, Los Angeles Rams
The Rams offense is far from trustworthy, but Robinson may be taking over as the top target in the passing game at the moment. Cooper Kupp suffered an ankle injury in Week 8, and while he seems to have avoided a major injury, there’s a chance he misses time. Robinson has been better as of late, posting 19% and 22% target shares in each of his last two games, respectively. He also has five receptions in each of those games. Should Kupp miss a week or two—or more—Robinson stands to benefit.
Availability: 40%
FAAB: 15%
5. QB Justin Fields, Chicago Bears
Over the last three games, Fields has been one of the best assets in fantasy football. During that span he’s posted three QB1 finishes and is the QB3 on the week entering Monday night. The Bears aren’t throwing the ball a whole lot more, but Fields has been more efficient. He’s also running a lot with 34 rushing attempts in that span while averaging 76.6 rushing yards per game. He gets three juicy matchups coming up against the Miami Dolphins, Detroit Lions and Atlanta Falcons over his next three weeks, which means he can be rostered and started on a level higher than just a streamer.
Availability: 78%
FAAB: 10%
6. WR Joshua Palmer, Los Angeles Chargers
Coming off the bye week, Palmer should be cleared from the concussion protocol soon. He will have a role moving forward as Mike Williams continues to heal from an ankle injury that should keep him out for a while. We’ve seen Palmer work the quick-passing game as he’s posted four separate outings with at least a 17% target share. He’s a flex option against the Atlanta Falcons in Week 9 and a potential bye-week fill-in following that game.
Availability: 75%
FAAB: 5%
Grab-n-Stash
TE Greg Dulcich, Denver Broncos
The reason Dulcich isn’t in the section above is simply because the Broncos are on a bye week, and it’s typically unwise to hold tight ends through their bye weeks. If you have the room, though, that can be done. In the three games since making his debut in Week 6, Dulcich has posted three TE1 finishes. He hasn’t seen lower than a 12% target share in any of his games. He can be added after the bye week, but he’ll be a hot commodity then.
Availability: 34%
FAAB: 5%
RB Kenyan Drake, Baltimore Ravens
Drake’s status all depends on the injury updates we get surrounding Gus Edwards’ hamstring after the latter injured himself on Thursday Night Football. Drake was the lead back after Edwards’ injury, finishing with seven carries for 62 rushing yards and a touchdown while adding four receptions for five yards. If Edwards is out, Drake is a flex play with some upside assuming he’s the lead back.
Availability: 82%
FAAB: 5%
WR Kadarius Toney, Kansas City Chiefs
How much do you like roller coasters? That’s what this situation might wind up being like. Toney was traded to the Chiefs over the weekend for a pair of draft picks and now has enticing upside in one of the league’s best offenses. Although it might be best to see if you can sell high on the hype, Toney is still worth rostering for the upside. He’s an electric playmaker, but he’s often injured and still brings a raw game to the position. Still, the upside is tangible.
Availability: 46%
FAAB: 5%
RB Rachaad White, Tampa Bay Buccaneers
This may be the last week White is on this list because the talking points are the same. He’s seeing steady usage behind Leonard Fournette, a back who hasn’t ever played a full season in his career. At worst, he’s a high-valued handcuff.
Availability: 79%
FAAB: 3%
RB Kyren Williams, Los Angeles Rams
This really only applies if you have an IR spot available. The Rams designated Williams to return to practice last week, which means he must be activated over the next two weeks. The rookie could see a significant role in the offense if Cam Akers is traded before Tuesday’s deadline and even if he’s not, Williams still could see a larger share than we’re expecting. Don’t go crazy, but keep an eye on this one.
Availability: 86%
FAAB: 3%
WR Marquez Valdes-Scantling, Kansas City Chiefs
While the aforementioned Toney may be a deeper add for potential later in the season, MVS has a chance to contribute right away. His volatility has been well-documented, and that’s an inherent risk managers will have to take. But there is some upside. In two of his last three games, Valdes-Scantling has finished as a top-20 wide receiver. In those games, he posted six receptions for 90 yards and three receptions for 111 yards. Now, he gets a Titans defense that has been torched by wideouts.
Availability: 49%
FAAB: 3%
WR Terrace Marshall, Carolina Panthers
Somehow, without Christian McCaffrey, the Panthers offense has performed better. The departure of McCaffrey and Robbie Anderson has had a direct impact on Marshall, who is coming off a Week 8 game against the Falcons in which he registered a career-high 25% target share. He only hauled in four receptions, but he’s a starter in this offense and could see a growing role moving forward.
Availability: 99%
FAAB: 1%
Streamers of the Week
QB Trevor Lawrence, Jacksonville Jaguars vs. Las Vegas Raiders: Lawrence is coming off a terrible outing in Week 8, but the Raiders have allowed the most fantasy points per game to quarterbacks this season and a QB1 finish in all but one of their games.
Availability: 45%
FAAB: 1%
QB Taylor Heinicke, Washington Commanders vs. Minnesota Vikings: Heinicke provided another serviceable fantasy outing in Week 8 and now faces a Vikings defense that has allowed a top-15 finish in each of their last three games.
Availability: 91%
FAAB: 1%
TE Evan Engram, Jacksonville Jaguars vs. Las Vegas Raiders: We’ll stick with the stack in Duval. Engram has finished as a top-10 tight end in three of his last four games, and the Raiders are allowing the third-most PPR points per game to the position.
Availability: 68%
FAAB: 1%
TE Noah Fant, Seattle Seahawks at Arizona Cardinals: Fant finds himself in the streaming category against a Cardinals defense allowing the second-most PPR points per game to tight ends. Back in Week 6, Fant had his best game of the season with six receptions for 45 yards against the Cardinals.
Availability: 65%
FAAB: 1%
Green Bay Packers D/ST vs. Detroit Lions: The Packers are at home against a Lions offense that has allowed a top-15 finish in three of its last four games.
Availability: 38%
FAAB: 1%
Indianapolis Colts D/ST at New England Patriots: The Colts offense is brutal, but the defense is among the best units in the NFL. They’ve allowed more than 24 points in a game just once while the Patriots have allowed top-10 finishes in each of the last two weeks.
Availability: 52%
FAAB: 1%
PK Chase McLaughlin, Indianapolis Colts at New England Patriots: Though it may be low-scoring, McLaughlin has been money. He’s 13-of-14 on field goal attempts since joining the Colts and is perfect on his eight extra-point attempts.
Availability: 97%
FAAB: 0-1%
Los Angeles Chargers PKs at Atlanta Falcons: If Dustin Hopkins (hamstring) isn’t ready to go out of the bye week, Tyler Bertolet will fill in. Whichever one is the starter is the one we go with against the Falcons in a dome.
Roster Availability: 96%
FAAB: 0-1%
