Fantasy Football 2024 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 rostered in fewer than 50 percent of leagues, with the roster percentages coming from Yahoo.com.

Immediately Useful

Isaac Guerendo, RB, 49ers (8% Rostered): Guerendo entered the season with a bit of buzz because in theory, he would be a beast. He’s huge, runs super fast and is in Kyle Shanahan’s offense. The only thing not to like was a very crowded path to playing time, but that path has temporarily cleared. Elijah Mitchell was lost for the season before Week 1, Christian McCaffery is still on the mend, and Jordan Mason aggravated a shoulder injury on Sunday night, opening the door for a 14-carry, 85-yard, one score showing from the rookie. The 49ers are on bye next week, so there’s a chance Mason can heal up by Week 10. There are also rumblings of CMC being back on the field in Week 10, which would render this Guerendo performance a shooting star that was here and gone before most could even see it. But if he’s the man in Week 10, he’s an auto-start.

Cedric Tillman, WR, Browns (19% Rostered): Cleveland’s offense has undergone a sea change with the trade of Amari Cooper to Buffalo, and the subsequent season-ending injury to QB Deshaun Watson. With Watson gone, and Jameis Winston installed as the starter, the pass-catching options are suddenly viable, none moreso than Tillman. He has gone from an afterthought to a player who has seen 21 targets in the last two games; in those two matchups, he has caught 15 passes for 180 yards and two touchdowns. Tillman is the natural replacement for Cooper as the X receiver for this team, and with Watson out of the picture, this passing game has looked functional. Tillman shouldn’t be viewed as a savior just yet, but he’s absolutely a player who seems to have transformed from a nobody to a very rosterable WR, and perhaps a weekly start. If you’re hurting at WR, feel free to spend up.

Keon Coleman, WR, Bills (41% Rostered): Speaking of Cooper, his arrival in Buffalo seems to have been critical to sorting out the other pass catching roles on the team. Since Cooper got there, Coleman has seen seven targets in back-to-back games, going for 125 yards vs. the Titans and then for 70 and a TD on Sunday. Coleman is a contested-catch guy, so if you were hoping he’d develop into a legit WR1, that was never happening in his rookie season. But if Cooper is drawing attention, and Coleman is battling dudes one on one on the regular, he’s going to make week-winning plays. He’s also a serious threat in the red zone. Coleman’s got a low weekly floor, but if you can stomach the risk, his consistency is likely to have improved for good with Cooper’s presence.

Josh Downs, WR, Colts (47% Rostered): Downs may be Indianapolis’ best receiver, and that isn’t a slight to Michael Pittman. It just means this team has really good receivers that are kind of being wasted by Anthony Richardson. Downs’ floor is very low for two reasons; his QB stinks right now, and his targets are typically very short, so the chunk plays aren’t the easiest to come by. However, he has gone for 60+ yards in four of his six games in 2024, and notched three touchdowns. Even with Richardson missing guys long, short and to the sides, Downs is undeniable as a route runner, and makes lemonade out of Richardson’s lemons. If the Colts ever pivoted to Joe Flacco, Downs is a WR2. As of now, he’s a FLEX play in any matchup.

Jaylen Warren, RB, Steelers (46% Rostered): Warren was once again involved in the Steelers offense and efficient, averaging 5.1 yards per carry and chipping in two receptions for 13 yards. As long as Najee Harris is in front of him, his ceiling is low-end FLEX, most weeks but he’s definitely playable, has big play potential, and could become a high-end RB2 if Harris gets hurt. He’s got no business being on waivers in more than half of fantasy leagues.

Jalen Tolbert, WR, Cowboys (23% Rostered): Tolbert’s stats were underwhelming Sunday night, and this offense just isn’t what it was a year ago because there’s no threat on the ground. However, the WR2 role with Dak Prescott is still high upside every week, and he’s been on the field for 89% of snaps or more in each of the last three games. Ideally, Tolbert is bench depth for your roster during bye week/injury crunches, but if pressed, he can be a serviceable FLEX option.

Joshua Palmer, WR, Chargers (14% Rostered): Palmer, like Tolbert, is on the field a lot in an underwhelming offense. He’s paired up with an elite QB, and over the past two weeks his yardage has been in a useful range. He’s a little scary because as a downfield threat, there’s a lot of goose risk. He’s also failed to catch more than four passes this season. Still, the long TD threat is there, and you’d only be trusting him as a fill-in play. Justin Herbert looked as healthy on Sunday as he has all season, and a healthy Herbert means more cracks at big plays for Palmer.

Justin Herbert, QB, Chargers (43% Rostered): Herbert had his best game of the season vs. the Saints on Sunday, throwing for 279 yards, second-most all season, and two touchdowns while adding a season-high 49 yards on the ground. While you’ll never confuse him for Josh Allen, Herbert has always had rushing as part of his arsenal, and injuries this year clearly hindered that. If he’s healthy – and he looks it, with this game following up a 349-yard game vs. the Cardinals – he could be a stealthy roster stabilizer for teams searching for a long-term answer at QB.

Aaron Rodgers, QB, Jets (47% Rostered): Okay, are you done laughing? Yes, the Jets are a joke. But we’re not awarding stats for wins or losses. Rodgers has thrown for two touchdowns five times this year, and for three of his last four games, failing only vs. Pittsburgh in that span. His connection with Garrett Wilson is improving, and Davante Adams is in the fold, making for an elite WR duo. He gets the Texans, Cardinals and Colts for his next three games, with the Texans and Colts at home. That’s three juicy matchups for a team that damn near needs to win out to have any hopes of a playoff berth. He’s well past his prime, but I don’t see why he can’t put up some numbers on his way out.

Trevor Lawrence, QB, Jaguars (49% Rostered): Lawrence is also finding his groove a little, throwing two touchdowns in four of his last five games. Like Rodgers, the team is not good and not winning, but he has a bona fide WR1 in rookie Brian Thomas, a reliable volume TE in Evan Engram, and RBs who can catch the rock. Losing Christian Kirk is tough, but Lawrence is a player who can really light it up with enough volume. His attempts are part of why his production is lower than we want, but as the losses pile up, perhaps he’s unleashed.

Hunter Henry, TE, Patriots (39% Rostered): Henry’s long been a TD or bust guy who doesn’t score enough TDs. Lately, that’s changed. Since Drake Maye took over, Henry’s been targeted 5+ times in every game, scoring once and posting a 92-yard effort with eight receptions. Of course, Maye got hurt on Sunday, so Jacoby Brissett could be back under center, but some of the upcoming matchups (at Tennessee, at Chicago) aren’t the worst for opposing TEs. At a position where goose risk abounds, Henry’s become a fairly safe bet for some production.

Zach Ertz, TE, Commanders (28% Rostered): Ertz has been a model floor play at TE all season, catching at least three passes in all but one game this season, averaging four receptions and 43 yards per game. At TE that’s literally fine. Last week he caught seven passes for 77 yards, representing what is basically his ceiling. Ertz should never excite you, but you can trust him as long as Jayden Daniels is playing.

Jonnu Smith, TE, Dolphins (6% Rostered): I’ve tried to ignore Smith, because the second you notice he’s good he goes right ahead and gooses you. But he has seen six or more targets in three straight games, including a 96-yard game at the Colts that included a TD. With Tua Tagovailoa back, every pass catcher is more dangerous and that includes Jonnu Smith.

Speculative/Deep Cuts

Jalen McMillan, WR, Buccaneers (49% Rostered): McMillan tied for the second-most targets on the team Sunday with RB Bucky Irving, and had a modest day (four catches, 35 yards). With Godwin and Mike Evans out, McMillan continues to be the safest bet for targets among Bucs WRs, but it’s unclear how much he will be able to do with them on a weekly basis. I would treat McMillan as a wait and see option unless completely desperate.

Michael Wilson, WR, Cardinals (16% Rostered): Wilson found the end zone again, proving why he hangs around the playable pass catcher realm. This dude is very good, and he’s shown he’s a red zone threat, but he’s well behind rookie Marvin Harrison Jr. in the pecking order, and this offense is simply not the wagon we hoped it’d be. Because of that, Wilson remains a very risky option despite his clear talent.

Allen Lazard, WR, Jets (38% Rostered): Lazard is currently banged up, but now operating as the Jets’ clear WR3, he’ll have opportunities to score with defenses focused on Adams and Wilson. Lazard is mistake-prone, but Rodgers has fed him five touchdowns this season, most on the team.

Jerry Jeudy, WR, Browns (45% Rostered): Jeudy has been a bit of a cardio king this season, running a lot of routes, drawing a lot of targets and…not producing a lot. He went for five catches and 79 yards this week though, and Jameis Winston may just be prolific enough to support multiple WRs. TE David Njoku is the focal point, and I’ve highlighted Tillman as my WR of choice, but Jeudy can potentially playable as well.

Elijah Moore, WR, Browns (2% Rostered): Moore saw a season-high 12 targets with Winston on Sunday, racking up eight receptions and 85 yards. It was his first time above 50 yards this season, and, for the record, I am not a believer in Moore long term. But targets are up for grabs in Cleveland, so he’s worth monitoring.

Rashod Bateman, WR, Ravens (45% Rostered): Bateman’s 50+ yard streak ended Sunday, as he turned his five targets into one catch for 28 yards. So it goes for Bateman, who has become a pure deep threat for this team. Lamar Jackson has become one of the league’s best QBs, so Bateman’s role will often have value. Other times, he’ll be essentially useless for fantasy managers, which is why he’s here and not in the above category. In deeper leagues those big plays can be difference makers.

Taysom Hill, TE, Saints (30% Rostered): Hill’s unconventional usage has not yielded the highs of 2023 yet, partially because he has battled injury this season. Nothing has changed, however, about who Hill is which is a versatile red zone and goal line weapon whom the Saints will rely on with Derek Carr out. A larger issue is how often the Saints will be near the goal line with their abysmal QBs stalling drives quickly, but Hill can be thrown into the TE spot in a pinch.

Tyler Allgeier, RB, Falcons (37% Rostered): Allgeier’s role is shrinking of late, music to Bijan Robinson managers’ ears, so he’s trending toward pure handcuff territory. But it’s still worth mentioning that should Robinson go down, Allgeier is arguably the top handcuff in fantasy.

Pure Handcuffs

Braelon Allen, RB, Jets (37% Rostered

Ty Chandler, RB, Vikings (24% Rostered)

Ray Davis, RB, Bills (26% Rostered)

Roschon Johnson, RB, (14% Rostered)

Kimani Vidal, RB, Chargers (11% Rostered)

Justice Hill, RB, Ravens (21% Rostered)