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Beating The Waiver Wire - Speculative Stashes for Week 9

It's Wednesday morning. You dropped a player last night expecting to make some moves on the waiver wire, only to wake up and find out you weren't able to get anyone you put a claim in for. What now?

If you've got an open roster spot, its always a good idea to plan ahead for the future. There are plenty of players in the NFL ripe for a breakout game that will fly up the waiver wire in the following week. This column is here to help you anticipate who that's going to be, and stay a week ahead of your competition.

I'll be giving you a couple players who may be worth grabbing before their stock rises. Here are some players that will help you beat the waiver wire ahead of Week 9, in case they emerge this week.

Be sure to check all of our fantasy football rankings for 2025:

 

Waiver Wire Stashes and Fliers for Week 9

Josh McCown (QB, NYJ) - 22% owned

I can't believe I'm saying this, but here it is: New York Jets quarterback Josh McCown isn't owned in enough leagues. It feels strange saying that out loud. McCown has thrown for five touchdowns over the last two weeks against actual football teams. The Jets face off against the Atlanta Falcons this week and McCown is actually a useable fantasy option! He's worth picking up for owners looking for a bye week fill-in. He might be more than that if he has another big performance this week.

Matt Moore (QB, MIA) - 6% owned

Veteran backup quarterback Matt Moore stepped in to help revive a Dolphins team that was falling apart and carried them to a comeback win. Moore went 11 for 19 with 188 yards, two touchdowns and an interception. Not bad for just a half of football! If Moore has a good game against the Ravens on Thursday Night, odds are he'll take over the starting job from Jay Cutler permanently. He's a serviceable quarterback surrounded by talented players. For owners desperate for a starter in deeper leagues or just looking for a decent insurance policy, Moore could fill the void if he plays like he did on Sunday.

Austin Ekeler (RB, LAC) - 2% owned

Ekeler may have created a nightmare scenario for Melvin Gordon owners: earned a spot in the Chargers backfield. Gordon has mostly been riding solo as the three down back for much of the past two seasons, but on Sunday Ekeler ran for as many yards as Gordon on 11 less carries, had more receptions, and was the only one of the two to find the end zone. Concerned Gordon owners can read this weeks disaster recovery article to know how to feel. The rest of us should know that if Ekeler proves he was no fluke this week, he's going to play a decent role in the Chargers offense, potentially becoming the primary receiving back in LA. He's one more solid game away from becoming a top waiver target. At just 2% owned, he's worth a look now.

D'Onta Foreman (RB, HOU) - 14% owned

D'Onta Foreman's time may be coming sooner rather than later. He finally surpassed the consistently sub-par Lamar Miller in rushing yards in Week 6. Miller is firmly entrenched in the starting spot, but a breakout game from Foreman would press Bill O'Brien into making a change. Miller hasn't been anything special for Houston and is only producing at a decent level strictly because of his high workload. If Foreman can look like another rookie who can elevate this team, he'll take over that starting spot. It may only be a matter of time.

Eddie Lacy / Thomas Rawls (RB, SEA) - 21% / 19% owned

I talked about these two last week, so I'm not going to go into any depth here. Just know that one of these two guys could potentially end up as the lead back with a decent amount of volume if they have a breakout game. At this rate, it seems like neither ever will, but they make for a decent lottery ticket option if you have an open roster spot.

Robert Woods (WR, LAR) - 32% owned

Robert Woods has emerged from a crowded Rams receiving crew to become a fairly high-floor PPR option. Over the last three weeks, Woods has averaged five receptions for 65 yards. His lowest yardage total was 59 and his highest was 70. Woods doesn't have a huge ceiling and has failed to find the end zone once this year, but he's proven his worth as a FLEX option for owners in PPR leagues just looking for some consistency. Now is the time to grab Woods with the Rams on bye.

Corey Coleman (WR, CLE) - 11% owned

Coleman has struggled to stay on the field during his two seasons in Cleveland. Luckily for him, literally nobody has stepped in to become the Browns go-to receiver, besides the departed Terrelle Pryor. Coleman will have a starting spot and plenty of targets waiting for him when he returns from injury. He's not expected back until Week 10, so you might be able to wait a week on Coleman.

Mike Williams (WR, LAC) - 12% owned

Williams failed to record a catch in Week 7, but he's a guy that will find himself in this article every week until he has the inevitable breakout game, and Week 8 is a great chance for that to happen. The Chargers face off with Tom Brady and the New England Patriots. The game has shootout written all over it. The Patriots defense has struggled all year, giving up the third most points to opposing wide receivers this year. The 2017 first round draft pick will find his moment at some point this year once he finds a real spot in the receiver rotation. He's worth a hold for anyone who has roster availability. The Chargers didn't draft him to ride the pine.

Dontrelle Inman (WR, CHI) - 1% owned

Speaking of Chargers receivers buried in the depth chart, they just shipped Dontrelle Inman to the Chicago Bears for a seventh round pick. Inman has proven he can produce in the NFL when he recorded over 800 yards and four touchdowns last season. The Bears were desperate for any receivers that could produce at an NFL level. Its unclear if any receiver will find success in Chicago's abysmal passing game, but Inman has as good a chance as anyone. The Bears wouldn't have traded for him if they didn't want to give him a shot to produce. He could provide the spark the Bears need.

Kenny Golladay (WR, DET) - 17% owned

Golladay's breakout performance opening week feels like years ago. He played two mediocre games following and hasn't appeared in a game since, but is finally on track to make his comeback on Sunday Night Football against Pittsburgh this week. With Golden Tate questionable to play this week, Golladay could be on track for a huge comeback performance. He's the most likely receiver in this weeks column to shoot up the Week 9 wire. He's worth grabbing before he has another breakout game.

Nick O'Leary (TE, BUF) - 2% owned

O'Leary continued his solid play in Charles Clay's absence, appearing in 79% of Buffalo's snaps and recording 58 yards on the day. He's going to continue to have value as a decent volume tight end in an offense that loves tight ends. It's surprising that he's still just owned in 2% of leagues. Expect O'Leary to get a bump when he finally finds the end zone in the coming weeks.

Detroit Defense - 42% owned

If Detroit's defense wasn't picked up off waivers this week, you need to grab them immediately. Detroit has been a top five fantasy defense this season with a juicy schedule for the rest of the season:

 
There isn't a matchup in there that should give you much pause, and there is a lot of matchup with huge turnover upside for the Lions. Detroit is a legit ROS start and could give streamers a chance to settle down and cozy up with an elite fantasy defense for the rest of the year. They need to be owned in all leagues.

Josh Gordon (CLE, WR) - 3% owned

See last week's article, and if you're feeling really down on your season, pick up Gordon and watch this video every morning.

 

More 2017 Fantasy Football & ADP Analysis




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