Fantasy Football 2020 Week 9 Waiver Wire Pickup Advice

Is your fantasy team in need of new blood? Each week I’ll bring to you the best pickups to make ahead of the waiver deadline. All the players I list will be owned in fewer than 50 percent of leagues, with the ownership percentage coming from Yahoo.com.

Quarterbacks

Kirk Cousins, Vikings (28% Owned): Cousins is always a risk because of games like Sunday, where he plays fine, but only has to throw 14 times to get a victory. Cousins completed 11 of his 14 attempts and did throw for a touchdown, but it was not a useful fantasy day because Dalvin Cook eviscerated the Packers on the ground for 163 yards and three rushing touchdowns. That’s the game plan the Vikings would like to follow, but their defense also is pliable. The upcoming matchup with Detroit could be a fantasy bonanza; their offense can put up points, leading to positive game scripts, and their pass defense is okay (14th per Football Outsiders), but not stout. Cousins has the weapons to put up a big game, so if you are hurting at the position he’s a nice start this week, and also gets Dallas in Week 11.

Derek Carr, Raiders (43% Owned): After five straight games of Carr tossing two or more touchdown passes, heavy winds led to Vegas rushing Josh Jacobs 31 times in a boring 16-6 win. That probably will not be the case this week vs. the Chargers, who have a potent offense that should gash the Raiders through the air and force Carr to throw a bunch. While the Chargers pass defense has been solid this season, Carr has consistently put up points through the air, and is a good bet for at least two passing touchdowns as well as 260+ yards. Like Cousins, Carr also has a rough Week 10 matchup (Denver) before what should be a shootout in Week 11 with Kansas City.

Running Backs

JaMycal Hasty, 49ers (42% Owned): Hasty is probably the top RB add of the week after Tevin Coleman seemingly got hurt again. The 49ers backfield is a triage area these days, and they don’t trust Jerick McKinnon to be a bell cow, leaving that role to Hasty. He filled in admirably vs. the Patriots in Week 7, totaling 57 yards on nine carries, and on Sunday he found the end zone despite an inefficient 29 yards on 12 rushes. Green Bay is inviting this week, and while New Orleans in Week 10 is tough, the role keeps him playable.

Damien Harris, Patriots (46% Owned): These aren’t the Patriots of old, and Cam Newton’s passing is as bad as it’s ever been. New England can never be truly trusted to utilize a backfield stable in fantasy friendly fashion, but Harris is standing out as their best chance for consistent production on the ground. In the two games in which he’s seen more than 10 attempts, Harris has rewarded Bill Belichick with 100 yards or more, and on Sunday he scored a touchdown. His Week 9 matchup vs. the Jets is juicy, so those with rough records could look to him as a nice matchup play with a high ceiling.

Gus Edwards, Ravens (30% Owned): Edwards scored for the second straight week, and he’s done so against two brutal run defenses (Philadelphia, Pittsburgh). He also saw 14 and 16 carries in those games, so even though J.K. Dobbins looks like the better back, the split is pretty even. Edwards’ ceiling is capped by Dobbins’ presence, and he could fade back into mere desperation play territory once Mark Ingram is back, but he should be a solid start for the third straight week even against a tough Indianapolis run D.

Malcolm Brown, Rams (31% Owned): Brown, like Edwards, is seeing consistent work and high-value touches. Brown is clearly behind Darrell Henderson in the pecking order though, whereas at the moment Edwards is in closer to a 50/50 timeshare with Dobbins. A player who can bank on around 10 carries, as well as goal line opportunities should be owned, and can be started in a pinch. Don’t mistake this for excitement about Brown though; he should be treated as a desperation/emergency play only.

La’Mical Perine, Jets (42% Owned): Perine took a discouraging step back on Sunday vs. the Chiefs, falling to 49% snap share after seeing the field 70% of snaps in Week 7. He wasn’t particularly effective, but with Mekhi Becton back in at LT the Jets have been able to gain some traction on the ground at times. Perine would be playable at 70% snap share moving forward because he’s shown some ability to catch the ball, but the Jets seem to have a fetish for wasting everyone’s time with Frank Gore carries. You can roster Perine in the hopes that Adam Gase wakes up at some point, and if he does, Perine has an outside chance at being a low-end RB2.

Nyheim Hines, Colts (21% Owned): Hines scored twice on Sunday, but don’t be fooled, that’s not really who he is. Hines is rosterable because of his pass-catching role on this team, and their refusal to commit fully to rookie Jonathan Taylor as a workhorse. Hines is a desperation play in games when it is clear the Colts will have to throw, and nothing more. But, he at least has an RB2 ceiling in such matchups, as well as a pretty low floor.

Alexander Mattison, Vikings (44% Owned): The Vikings stating RB position is a valuable role, and Dalvin Cook owners need to continue to own Mattison. He has no standalone value at the moment, but anytime Cook goes down he immediately becomes the top add.

Wide Receivers

Jalen Reagor, Eagles (25% Owned): My enthusiasm for Reagor is a bit dulled since the emergence of Travis Fulgham, but Reagor is still an exciting deep threat for a team that loves to take risk. Sunday night was better than we could’ve hoped in his first game back, drawing six targets and scoring a touchdown. The short TDs aren’t going to be Reagor’s bread and butter, but it’s nice to see he isn’t completely boom or bust a la Henry Ruggs III in Las Vegas. With Philadelphia on bye this week Reagor will probably be a free pickup, but he’s my favorite WR add this week long term.

Marvin Jones Jr., Lions (49% Owned): It’s been a dud year for Jones, who did score twice this week but still only managed 39 yards. He’s the de facto WR1 for now as Kenny Golladay deals with an injured hip, but my faith in him is not high. Jones will be playable with friendly upcoming matchups vs. the Vikings in Week 9 and Panthers in Week 11, but if I have other options I’m playing them. The No. 1 role isn’t really a big positive here outside of a potential increase in targets; Jones is better off with Golladay soaking up the secondary’s attention.

Sterling Shepard, Giants (43% Owned): Shepard is not the “No. 1” receiver for the G-Men, but he will probably be the most targeted rest of season. Darius Slayton is the big play threat, and the most talented of the Giants’ WR group, but Shepard has shown he’s the steadiest hand, catching six passes in two of the three games he’s appeared in. Shepard doesn’t have the highest ceiling, but in a pinch he’s a serviceable WR3 with WR2 upside, and a safe bet not to goose you.

Mecole Hardman, Chiefs (30% Owned): Hardman continues to frustrate me, as he continues to do damage with limited touches. This time, the Chiefs actually targeted Hardman heavily, and sure enough, he caught seven of nine targets for 96 yards and a touchdown. The week before, Hardman compiled 57 yards on a measly two receptions. This dude is a walking chunk play, but Kansas City simply has too many mouths to feed for him to consistently dominate. He has Carolina and Las Vegas next on his slate sandwiching a bye, so if you have room on your bench he’s a high upside addition. If you really need players to plug in, I think he’s too big a risk.

Hunter Renfrow, Raiders (22% Owned): The Raiders have a more high-volume passing game than you think, and while Renfrow lacks the flash of Henry Ruggs or Nelson Agholor, he’s targeted much more than either of them. He found the end zone this week in a plus matchup against the Browns, and has caught four or more passes four times this year. If you are desperate in full-PPR formats, Renfrow can be a solid fill in.

Michael Pittman Jr., Colts (7% Owned): Pittman is a pure dart throw, since he’s proven nothing this season, but with T.Y. Hilton going down, and being shot in general, Pittman has an opportunity to seize the WR1 role for the Colts and become Philip Rivers’ go-to. He has tough matchups coming up, so you can’t play him right away, but pay attention to his target share as he might become an option as the season wears on.

Tight Ends

Eric Ebron, Steelers (45% Owned): It’s never going to be comfortable rolling Ebron out there, but his upcoming schedule of Dallas, Cincinnati and Jacksonville is appetizing. TE is a crapshoot, and this guy has seen four or more targets in every game since Week 2. He’s honestly pretty safe, and he’s only scored two touchdowns so far, which could make him a positive regression candidate.

Austin Hooper, Browns (39% Owned): Hooper was coming on before needing an emergency appendectomy, and he should be free since the Browns are off in Week 9. Hooper should benefit from the absence of Odell Beckham Jr. in terms of targets, even though the Browns remain a run-first offense. Houston, Philadelphia and Jacksonville are his next three opponents after the Week 9 bye, so he makes sense if  you have the roster space to stash him for a week.

Dalton Schultz, Cowboys (26% Owned): Schultz’s ceiling all but disappeared with the structural integrity of Dak Prescott’s ankle, but he is still viable because of all the attention devoted to Ezekiel Elliott and the Cowboys’ stable of receivers. Even with third-string rookie Ben Dinucci under center Sunday night, Schultz ended up with six receptions and 53 yards, which is basically fine for a TE. This week’s matchup (Pittsburgh) is a stay away, but his next two opponents, the Vikings and the Football Team, both give up more than seven points per game to opposing TEs.