Waiver Favors: 2018 Week 9 Fantasy Football Pickups

By Ha Kung Wong  Week 9 Fantasy Football Pickups

Twitter: @FBGarbageTime

As I do every week over the last 6 years, I’m back to help with some waiver wire adds via my weekly Waiver Favors article!

Here are a couple suggestions after Week 9 of the 2018 fantasy football season.  You’re welcome.

As usual, all pickups are available in at least 50% of Yahoo standard fantasy football leagues (with some minor exceptions) as of Sunday evening.

Nick Mullens

QB – San Francisco 49ers – 3% Owned

So, I thought no C.J. Beathard meant that the 49ers would be even less effective than we thought.  Turns out I was wrong, as UDFA Nick Mullens, who had never thrown a pass in the regular season of NFL before, stepped in and completed 16 of 22 passes for 262 yards with 3 TDs against the Raiders.  Is he the second coming of Brett Favre, both having come from Southern Miss?  I doubt it, but he sure looked good against the subpar Oakland defense.  He won’t remain this good, but if you’re hurting for a backup QB in a 2 QB leagues, he’s worth your consideration, particularly in Week 10 against the Giants.

Mike Davis

RB – Seattle Seahawks – 24% Owned

Mike Davis took over in the backfield after a thigh issue knocked out Chris Carson in the second quarter. From that point forward, he out-touched Rashaad Penny 22-7, rushing 15 times for 62 rush yards and adding 7 receptions for 45 receiving yards.  He’s had big weeks in the past, such as Weeks 4 and 5, so if Carson remains out, perhaps Davis has some value.  He’s worth a speculative pickup in 14-team leagues and deeper.

Alfred Morris

RB – San Francisco 49ers – 15% Owned

Unlike under center, the 49ers can’t seem to catch a break in the backfield.  First, Jerrick McKinnon goes out with an ACL tear, then Matt Brieda can’t seem to avoid adding to his injuries, and now Raheem Mostert is placed on IR with a fractured arm.  He’s nothing special, but by virtue of being healthy and on the roster, Alfred Morris is now relevant again.  He only rushed seven times for 13 yards last week, but he should get plenty of opportunity as essentially the last healthy man standing.  Breida will remain the focus as long as he’s healthy, but it’s not unheard of for Morris to repeat his big Week 5 into the future.  Worth your consideration in 12-team standard leagues if you’re looking for an RB4/5 or Flex.

Darren Sproles

RB – Philadelphia Eagles – 6% Owned

Darren Sproles hasn’t played since going down in the season opener to a hamstring injury, but he’s now back to a mess of a backfield. With the Eagles on a bye, it won’t be surprising if he gets some practice reps next week and gets into the mix, seeing as how no one has yet to take control of the backfield. Sproles will be part of a committee with Wendell Smallwood and Corey Clement, and perhaps Josh Adams as well, when he returns, but he’s produced in the passed and may be trusted more by Wentz and company.  Feel free to take a flyer in 14-team leagues or deeper, particularly PPR, as an RB4/5 or Flex.

Elijah McGuire

RB – New York Jets – 13% Owned

No Bilal Powell and Isaiah Crowell still can’t make it work.  Elijah McGuire flashed last year and returns from a foot injury on IR.  In his first game action, he carried 6 times for 23 rush yards and caught 3 of 5 targets for 37 pass yards, which sadly was tied for second on the team in receiving yards.  I like him as a speculative stash in 12-team PPR leagues or deeper.

Courtland Sutton

WR – Denver Broncos – 67% Owned

When Demaryius Thomas was traded to the Texans last week, Courtland Sutton was owned in just 10% of leagues.  Between then and now, his ownership went up a whopping 57%.  So I’ll make an exception for him, particularly for those of you who had to wait for waivers to make a claim.  In his first game as the No. 2 WR in Denver, Sutton caught 3 of 5 targets for 57 yards, very nearly adding a long TD as well. He should get plenty of shots deep going forward is a solid pick up in all 12-team leagues or deeper.

Willie Snead IV

WR – Baltimore Ravens – 34% Owned

Willie Snead is the PPR fantasy league special.  He very rarely exceeds 60 yards in a game and doesn’t score (with only one TD this season), but he just gets peppered with targets every week.  In fact, he’s seen 7 or more targets in each of his last 6 games.  There’s no reason to expect this to end, so if you need a WR4/Flex in 12-team PPR leagues, you could do worse.

Adam Humphries

WR – Tampa Bay Buccaneers – 1% Owned

Here’s a nice long shot for you.  Adam Humphries likes playing with Ryan Fitzpatrick, catching all 8 of his targets this week for 82 yards and 2 TDs, adding 7 rush yards. And for those who get return yards, he also returned 2 punts for 15 yards.  He’s now averaging 9 targets a game over his last 3, and with the Bucs allowing almost anyone to score on them, I see many more track meets for FitzMagic and friends.  He’s not going to be reliable, but he’s worth a flyer in 16-team leagues or deeper.

Jeff Heuerman

TE – Denver Broncos – 1% Owned

We all thought that Courtland Sutton would be the primary beneficiary from the Thomas trade, and he did get his opportunities, but it turned out that Jeff Heuerman got the biggest lift.  Heuerman caught 10 of his team-high 11 targets for his team-high 83 receiving yards plus a TD.  He’s only averaged 3.8 targets until this breakout performance, but he’s worth keeping on your radar due to the wasteland currently available at the TE position.  Feel free to stash him in 16-team leagues or deeper.

Check back for UPDATEs for Monday Night Football!

And here’s who I’ve recommended in previous weeks that I still think deserve a look:

10-Team Leagues

WRs – Tyler Boyd, Calvin Ridley

12-Team Leagues

QBs – Baker Mayfield, Ryan Fitzpatrick

WRs – Kenny Golladay

14-Team Leagues

QB – Josh Allen, Mitchell Trubisky

RBs – Mike Davis, Austin Ekeler, Wendell Smallwood

WRs – Antonio Callaway, Keke Coutee, Taylor Gabriel, Christian Kirk, Mohamed Sanu, Marquez Valdes-Scantling

16-Team Leagues

RB – Corey Clement

WRs – Cole Beasley, Chris Godwin, Chester Rogers

TEs – Dallas Goedert

Check back later this week for pickups from the Monday night game and every week for more Waiver Favors!