As we prepare for Week 9 of the 2023 NFL Season, we enter our first critical period of the fantasy football season. Many fantasy managers will face their first serious roster decisions of the season. For managers who lost players to injury in Week 8, this may be their only chance to stay afloat. So let’s look at my Fantasy Football 2023: Week 9 Waiver Wire Targets.
* I will be using Yahoo Fantasy Rostership & for this Week 9 Waiver Wire article. I will also attempt to give several options at each position, for varying league sizes. The dollar value next to the player’s name is the desired amount of FAAB to bid on them with a $100 budget.
Quarterbacks
Will Levis, Tennessee Titans ($10)
Week 9 Opponent: Pittsburgh Steelers, Rostership: 4%
Levis got his chance to make his NFL debut in Week 8 and all he did was throw for four touchdowns as he led the Titans to a win over the Atlanta Falcons. He isn’t going to play that well every week, but with all the injuries at quarterback this week he has shown that he should find his way into the QB2 conversation in superflex leagues. The ceiling was evident this week, now we have to see what the floor looks like to get an idea of what his potential is.
Shallow League Options (More than 70% Rostership): CJ Stroud, HOU (78% rostered), Geno Smith, SEA (73% rostered), Matthew Stafford, LAR (72% rostered)
Medium League Options (50 to 70% Rostership): Jordan Love, GB (68% rostered), Deshaun Watson, CLE (63% rostered), Kyler Murray, ARI (56% rostered)
Deeper League Options (25 to 50% Rostership): Russell Wilson, DEN (49% rostered), Sam Howell, WSH (45% rostered), Derek Carr, LV (36% rostered)
Dart Throw Options (Less than 25% Rostership): Gardner Minshew, IND (17% rostered), Will Levis, TEN (4% rostered), Taylor Heinicke, ATL (1% rostered)
Running Backs
Zach Charbonnet, Seattle Seahawks ($ 10)
Week 9 Opponent: Baltimore Ravens, Rostership: 42%
Charbonnet only rushed the ball five times in Week 8, but he racked up more than 50 yards against a stifling Browns defense. He is still a backup to Kenneth Walker and is currently a high-end handcuff, but this week he showed he may also have some standalone value if the Seahawks offense can turn things around. Even if his value is only as a handcuff, he could be a league-winning one.
Shallow League Options (More than 70% Rostership): Gus Edwards, BAL (78% rostered), AJ Dillon, GB (71% rostered), Jaylen Warren, PIT (71% rostered)
Medium League Options (50 to 70% Rostership): Chuba Hubbard, CAR (51% rostered), Cam Akers, MIN (57% rostered), Roschon Johnson, CHI (51% rostered)
Deeper League Options (25 to 50% Rostership): Ezekiel Elliott, NE (47% rostered), Zach Charbonnet, SEA (42% rostered), Jeff Wilson, MIA (41% rostered)
Dart Throw Options (Less than 25% Rostership): Chris Rodriguez, WSH (21% rostered), Joshua Kelley, LAC (21% rostered), Emari Demarcado, ARI (21% rostered)
Wide Receivers
Quentin Johnston, Los Angeles Chargers ($10)
Week 9 Opponent: New York Jets, Rostership: 19%
Johnston had his first game with more than five receptions and 50 receiving yards on Sunday Night Football and finally looked to be integrating into this offense. Many fantasy managers hoped he would step up when Mike Williams went down to injury, but so far he has been third on the depth chart behind Keenan Allen and Joshua Palmer. If Week 8 was any indication of things to come, he could soon find himself as the WR1 in Los Angeles and on his way to a second-half rookie breakout.
Shallow League Options (More than 70% Rostership): Courtland Sutton, DEN (78% rostered), Jerry Jeudy, DEN (75% rostered), Rashee Rice, KC (70% rostered)
Medium League Options (50 to 70% Rostership): Joshua Palmer, LAC (66% rostered), Josh Downs, IND (63% rostered), Jaxon Smith-Njigba, SEA (60%)
Deeper League Options (25 to 50% Rostership): Tank Dell, HOU (49% rostered), Tutu Atwell, LAR (46% rostered), Kendrick Bourne, NE (46% rostered)
Dart Throw Options (Less than 25% Rostership): Quentin Johnston, LAC (19% rostered), Jake Bobo, SEA (11% rostered), Demario Douglas, NE (10% rostered)
Tight Ends
Dalton Kincaid, Buffalo Bills ($10)
Week 9 Opponent: Cincinnati Bengals, Rostership: 71%
Kincaid played for the first time without Dawson Knox in the lineup and had the best fantasy output of his young career. Knox has gone on IR which gives Kincaid four games to launch into his rookie breakout. After his Week 8 performance against Tampa Bay, it’s safe to say he is well on his way and should begin to skyrocket in value very soon.
There is still plenty of room for improvement, but Kiincaid may be about to bloom after a lacklustre start to his rookie campaign.
Shallow League Options (More than 70% Rostership): Dalton Kincaid, BUF (71% rostered), Cole Kmet, CHI (75% rostered), Dalton Schultz, HOU (70% rostered)
Medium League Options (50 to 70% Rostership): Jake Ferguson, DAL (58% rostered), David Njoku, CLE (63% rostered), Tyler Higbee, LAR (54% rostered)
Deeper League Options (25 to 50% Rostership): Logan Thomas, WSH (45% rostered), Pat Freiermuth, PIT (41% rostered), Taysom Hill, NO (35% rostered)
Dart Throw Options (Less than 25% Rostership): Trey McBride, ARI (20% rostered), Michael Mayer, LV (19% rostered), Donald Parham, LAC (3% rostered)
If you like Fantasy Football 2023: Week 9 Waiver Wire Targets, head over to our rankings page for a full breakdown.
