Where Week 8 saw plenty of explosive performances from wide receivers, but fantasy scoring seemed to be a bit down in Week 9. Whether you got the production or not, chances are you could use some help in the wide receiver category. So let’s get to it!
Below I will take a look at some Week 9 wide receiver waiver wire pickups and sleepers, based on their current ownership numbers and fantasy outlooks.
Each week of the fantasy football season, I’ll also give you a bonus player to avoid (usually someone who might be a popular pickup that I disagree with). Good luck in Week 10 RotoBallers.
Fantasy Football Wide Receivers (WR) - Week 10
Mike Evans (TB) - Owned in 52% of Fleaflicker leagues
I’m saying it—Mike Evans is the new number one in Tampa Bay. For those keeping score at home, that’s four touchdowns in Evans’ last four games, and he looked positively dominant in Week 9, putting up a 7/124/2 line. Vincent Jackson isn’t completely irrelevant, but he is no longer the clear-cut top option on that team. This is a guy who has the physical talent to be a top 10 wide receiver someday, and it could be as soon as next year in my opinion. I have Evans locked in as a top-20 WR for the rest of the season, and I fully expect him to continue to trend upwards in Week 10 against the hapless Falcons. He's a low-end WR2/high-end WR3 going forward, with excellent keeper potential.
Baller Move: Add in all PPR leagues/deeper standard leagues
Jarvis Landry (MIA) - Owned in 9% of Fleaflicker leagues
Landry has been a big part of Ryan Tannehill’s ascent to prominence in the last month. I have faith that Tannehill will maintain his high level of play, and I think that Landry will continue to benefit from it. He has 18 catches over his last four games, and also has two touchdowns in that span, including a 5/46/1 line in Week 9. I believe that Landry has adopted to a nice role as a possession receiver a la Emmanuel Sanders in Denver or Reggie Wayne in Indianapolis, and I think he’s going to continue to be useful on a weekly basis in a PPR setting. I don’t know that you’re adding him in standard leagues just yet since the yardage/touchdown numbers aren’t there, but I would keep an eye on him going forward at the very least.
Baller Move: Add in deep PPR leagues/monitor in standard leagues
Martavis Bryant (PIT) - Owned in 33% of Fleaflicker leagues
I’ve advised adding him for a couple weeks now, and I’m going to do it again. I don’t know how much more evidence you need to believe that Bryant is the real deal, as he’s got five – count’em, five—touchdowns in his first three NFL games. You’ll notice the stat line through those games reveals the role he’s got locked down, which is that of a red zone threat: 10 catches for 167 and five scores. Now granted, Big Ben isn’t going to continue throwing six touchdowns a game, but when he does get in the red zone he is looking at Bryant. I think he’s a must-own WR3 in PPR leagues, and is worthy of FLEX consideration in standard. Don’t miss the boat on Bryant—this is your last warning.
Baller Move: Add in all PPR leagues/deeper standard leagues
Allen Robinson (JAX) - Owned in 32% of Fleaflicker leagues
Week 9 wasn’t exactly mind-blowing for Allen Robinson, as Allen Hurns gathered the counting stats. However, Blake Bortles did still look Robinson’s way eight times, and didn’t play all that well, missing Robinson on some throws. I have faith in Robinson as the top target in Jacksonville, even if he’s not the top deep threat (that’s still Cecil Shorts). You certainly don’t want to count on Robinson to put up 20 points on any given week, but he’s a serviceable low-end WR2/high-end WR3. Hopefully his unspectacular Week 9 will free him up in your leagues if he isn’t already, and you can snatch him up.
Baller Move: Add in all PPR/deeper standard leagues
Davante Adams (GB) - Owned in 15% of Fleaflicker leagues
This is a friendly reminder about Davante Adams, and a recap of what we said last week, given that the Packers were on bye in Week 9 and Adams is still only 15% owned. He is now functioning as the WR3 for the Packers, which means he's a very solid WR3 in most leagues (especially PPR formats). As we all know, Aaron Rodgers is more than capable of supporting the fantasy value of at least 3 receivers on his team. Adams played 68-of-71 snaps in week 8 vs. the Saints, and racked up 7 catches for 75 yards. Although he only had 1 catch in Week 5 and Week 7, Adams also managed to score a touchdown in both those games. He is either getting into the end zone, or will be hauling in a healthy amount of targets from Rodgers on a week to week basis.
Baller Move: Add in all PPR/deeper standard leagues
Wide Receiver To Avoid (Bonus)
Allen Hurns (JAX) - Owned in 25% of Fleaflicker leagues
Please, PLEASE don’t make the mistake of thinking that Hurns is “back” (if he ever was even “here”). The 7/112/2 line he put up is, in my opinion, 100% fluke. He is at best the third option on what is still not at all a great football team, and if he doesn’t find the end zone he is going to be useless almost every week. If you want to roll the dice on whether or not Hurns is going to find space and the end zone, be my guest. This guy isn’t worth an add no matter what the projections might say. Avoid him entirely.
I’ll be your wide receiver authority for the 2014 season, so don’t hesitate to reach out to me @Roto_Dubs with any questions whenever.