Week 9 Waivers
Injuries, a backfield coup in Vegas, and a looming trade deadline have reshuffled the wire. Here are six players to target this week, counting down to the top priority.
Yo! Real quick, before we get to the picks →
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Now, on to the picks…
#6: Seth McGowan (RB - IND)
21.3% rostered on ESPN
McGowan is the best trade-deadline stash on the wire, and the clock is ticking toward November 10th.
The Colts are listening on Jonathan Taylor. Talks are reportedly active, and Indy already turned down an offer that included a 2027 second-round pick.
His role is already growing. McGowan won the backup job over DJ Giddens in camp, then drew 20 snaps and a couple of red-zone looks against the Vikings in Week 7.
The schedule sets up nicely. The Colts have a top-10 easy RB schedule over the second half of the season.
He has no standalone value yet, but if Taylor is moved, McGowan becomes the lead back overnight, so stash him before your league-mates do.
#5: Mike Gesicki (TE - CIN)
15.1% rostered on ESPN
If you’re streaming tight ends, Gesicki has been the most reliable touchdown source on the wire.
He keeps scoring. Gesicki has a touchdown in five straight games and in six of his seven games this season.
Week 8 showed more than a goal-line role. He caught four passes for 76 yards, including a 25-yard score from outside the red zone.
He plays like a big slot receiver. He’s averaging 3.4 targets per game, ran 81% of his Week 1 routes from the slot, and now faces an Atlanta secondary that has been generous to slot targets.
The target volume is modest, but few tight ends you can pick up have this kind of scoring streak in a Joe Burrow offense.
#4: DeMario Douglas (WR - NE)
51% rostered on ESPN
With New England’s receiver room thinned out, Douglas has become Drake Maye’s go-to target.
The competition is sidelined. A.J. Brown is battling knee and ankle issues, and Romeo Doubs is on IR.
He’s finding the end zone. Douglas caught all three of his targets in Week 8, including a 48-yard touchdown, and has four scores over his last four games.
The slot role draws targets. Earlier this season, he drew 7 targets on just 14 dropbacks in three-receiver sets.
The weekly results can swing, but as New England’s top receiver right now, he’s a solid PPR WR3/flex if he’s still on your wire.
The top three are all about opportunity, and our No. 1 add just took over a backfield with his coach saying it’s no one-week fluke.
#3: Antonio Williams (WR - WAS)
16.3% rostered on ESPN
With Terry McLaurin out for the season, the rookie third-rounder has stepped into a featured role.
He led the receivers in usage. Williams topped all Commanders wideouts in Week 8 snaps (50) and routes (29), catching 5 of 7 targets for 54 yards.
The target share is steady. He has commanded a share of 26% or better in each of his last two games.
His skills fit PPR leagues. Pre-draft, he projected as a slot weapon who creates separation against man coverage and turns short catches into first downs.
He won’t win you a week with long touchdowns, but a steady target share in this offense makes him a reliable PPR flex.
#2: Tyler Allgeier (RB - ARI)
45.9% rostered on ESPN
Allgeier finished Week 8 as the overall RB1 after injuries cleared out the rest of the Arizona backfield.
His Week 8 line was huge. He totaled 147 rushing yards, 44 receiving yards and two touchdowns on just 16 touches after Jeremiyah Love (ankle) and Bam Knight (concussion) left the game.
He has a goal-line résumé. The 224-pounder ranked 9th in success rate on short-yardage runs and scored 8 touchdowns in a backup role last season.
The team is invested in him. Arizona gave him a two-year, roughly $12 million deal, which means he’s more than a depth piece.
Week 9 at Seattle, one of the toughest run defenses in the league, will be a grind, but he’s a must-add as long as Love and Knight are sidelined.
#1: Mike Washington Jr. (RB - LV)
17.5% rostered on ESPN
The biggest backfield change of Week 8 happened in Las Vegas, and Washington is the top priority this week.
The workload shifted to him. Washington out-snapped Ashton Jeanty 60% to 40% and out-carried him 25 to 2, finishing with 83 rushing yards.
The coach says the split is intentional. Klint Kubiak said after the game that the new backfield split was deliberate, and so it could continue as the season goes on.
He’s built for the job. At 223 pounds with 4.33 speed (a 100th-percentile speed score), he has been more efficient than Jeanty for most of the season.
He was stopped short on several goal-line carries and Jeanty still handles the passing work, but 25 carries is RB2/RB3 volume you won’t find anywhere else on the wire, and he gets a 49ers defense that has been friendlier than average to running backs.
That’s the list. Put your bids in on these guys before your league catches on!
-Joe
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