The Waiver Wire Wizard Week 9 2021

Well, that Fantasy Football week was… something.

Week 8 had a little of everything - from disappointments, breakouts, major injuries to rookies that finally made an impact. Its conclusion brings us to the NFL trade deadline, which will occur on Tuesday afternoon at 4 PM EST. Several big-name players are on the trading block that might shift from a pretender to a contender, and it will be fun to see how things shake out. The NFL, perhaps more so than any other "major" sport, is often quiet at the trade deadline. It annually feels that big names like Odell Beckham or Deshaun Watson are bandied about by beat writers, but teams are hesitant to pull the trigger on anything major, instead favoring to make deals during the offseason.

Since there is so much information to cover, let's dive right on in.
 

Quarterback

Starting on a down note, Jameis Winston suffered a season-ending ACL tear (along with additional damage to his MCL) during Sunday's contest against Tampa Bay. Though Winston wasn't necessarily a top-tier starter that was carrying Fantasy players to a championship, he was relevant during these bye weeks, and in SUPERFLEX formats. It is assumed that Taysom Hill will get the start for New Orleans if he can finally clear the five-stop concussion protocol that he has been confined to for over a month, with Trevor Siemian operating as the short-term starter and eventual backup. Hill is an interesting pickup in most formats due to his propensity to run the ball, on a team that wants to ground and pound. Hill is worth a speculative add in 12-team formats or larger for a few FAAB dollars if available.

Dak Prescott ultimately sat in Week 8 against Minnesota while he recovered from a calf strain, though the decision (reportedly) came down to a game-time call. I'd expect Prescott to be available in Week 9 against Denver, and he will immediately slot into my weekly top 5 at the position.

It feels odd writing the words "Patrick Mahomes has played terribly", yet here we are. Outside of a massive performance in Week 4 against Philadelphia, Mahomes has been rather pedestrian -not news that his Fantasy players wish to hear. Mahomes has failed to eclipse the 300 yard passing mark in five of the past six games, and he truly struggled against an inept New York Giants team on Monday night. Do I feel that he can turn it around? Sure. However, defenses have a clear game script of how to limit the Chiefs offense - make them be patient with underneath throws and running the ball, which playing in "two deep" coverage with safeties. He's a buy-low recommendation for sure.

How wacky was Week 8? Mike White led the NFL in passing yards. Yes, you read that right. While operating as the fill-in for Zack Wilson, White completed 37-of-45 pass attempts for 405 yards and three touchdowns against the Cincinnati Bengals, and really opened some eyes. This is probably a flash in the pan performance against a defense that grossly underestimated White's desire to check the ball down to his running backs - let's get that out of the way. That said? Tom Brady and Jared Goff owners who are desperate for help during a bye week could do worse for a spot-start.

Kyler Murray is currently nursing an ankle sprain, and early reports are suggesting that he is in danger of missing Week 9. He has the advantage of a few days extra rest since Arizona participated in the Thursday Night game in Week 8, but Fantasy players should have a contingency plan and keep an eye on practice reports.

To answer the "elephant in the room" question - no, I don't believe that Deshaun Watson is traded today. Hopefully that will be the last time that we will need to cover his story in 2021.

Running Back

As alluded to earlier in the column, Michael Carter finally had his major breakout game against the Bengals, largely on account of his usage as a checkdown option for Mike White. Carter came away with 9 receptions for 95 yards as New York desperately tried to claw their way back into the game during the second half. His usage in the passing game was also aided by Corey Davis, the team's top receiving threat, sitting out with a strained hip. Should Davis return in Week 9, Carter would receive a reduction in overall touches. For Fantasy purposes, Carter can be viewed as a mid-range RB2 in PPR formats in the near future.

Nick Chubb officially has me worried, if Week 8's gamescript against Pittsburgh was any indication of how the team intends on using him moving forward. Fantasy players knew that Chubb's value was largely reliant upon finding the end zone, as Cleveland refuses to pass him the ball in the backfield. Now splitting touches with D'Ernest Johnson, Chubb was vulture at the goal line, and only saw 16 rushing attempts total. Fingers crossed Cleveland will go back to the drawing board and understand that their offense should be run-first, rather than putting their hopes in Baker Mayfield. They have one of the best offensive lines in all the NFL - they need to rely on it more often.

Though it has been obvious for weeks, Cordarrelle Patterson is the "running back" (if we actually want to refer to him as such) that Fantasy owners should look to start in Atlanta, over Mike Davis. Patterson scored his seventh touchdown in Week 8 against Carolina, and he has been arguably the best return on investment for Fantasy purposes in 2021. The Falcons will have an uphill task running against the New Orleans Saints defense in Week 9, so don't be surprised if the team uses Patterson as more of a receiving threat on the outside, instead of a pure runner. His explosiveness is needed more than ever with Calvin Ridley taking a leave of absence from the NFL to attend to his mental health issues.

I've received a number of questions regarding the health status of Saquon Barkley for Week 9, given my Giants-homerism. I'd be VERY surprised if New York opts to suit him up, given the reports of both swelling and soreness in his injured ankle. The team has a bye in Week 10 and is in the midst of yet another downhill spiral at the position, so it makes VERY little sense for him to see the field before he's fully healthy. I'd continue to pivot.

Perhaps the biggest news of the week, the NFL's leader rusher and current odds-on MVP favorite Derrick Henry suffered a broken bone in his foot in Week 8, and he is expected to miss the remainder of the Fantasy season. It goes without saying that this is a tremendous loss to teams that rostered him, and his absence is irreplaceable. Tennessee scrambled to find help with Henry going under the knife, and opted to sign ageless-wonder Adrian Peterson to their practice squad, with the intention of him being on the active roster soon. Am I interested in Peterson from a Fantasy standpoint? No, not unless I'm in a 12-team league or larger. Peterson may very well be a future Hall of Fame player, but he is no spring chicken. Will he receive the early down work for this offense? Sure. However, he will lose touches to Jeremy McNichols, (who is a much more adept receiver) and who knows what sort of game shape Peterson is in. In large leagues I'm willing to drop 25-30 percent of my total FAAB on Peterson (unless Tennessee signs another player shortly) in the hope that he can fall into the end zone and be serviceable through bye weeks. I would caution players to not spend their last dollar acquiring him though.

Wide Receiver

As I mentioned earlier, Calvin Ridley was deemed a surprise inactive on Sunday for personal reasons, and later it was revealed that he is stepping away from football to concentrate on his mental health. This is obviously a massive blow to anyone who was relying on him as their de-facto WR1, and Atlanta will need to feed targets to both Russell Gage and Tajae Sharpe instead. Gage is currently rostered in about 15 percent of leagues, whereas Sharpe is virtually unowned. Gage would be my preference of the two since he has a longer rapport with Matt Ryan, and I'd be comfortable dropping 10 to 15 percent of my remaining FAAB on him. Sharpe will come cheaper, and is worth of a 5 to 10 percent bid instead.

Davante Adams remains in the league's COVID-19 protocol list, and he will need multiple negative tests in order to travel with the team in a major matchup with Kansas City in Week 9. I'd expect him to return by Thursday and suit up, but his situation is worth monitoring. Randall Cobb or Allen Lazard would be alternative options, should Adams be held back again.

Michael Pittman Jr. really caught my eye during the Indianapolis vs. Tennessee game, drawing 15 targets from Carson Wentz. He's clearly the team's top receiving threat, and he will flirt with WR1 relevance for the remainder of 2021. Pittman may not catch 10 receptions every week, but his volume will be consistent on an offense that will need to pass.

Cooper Kupp has caught more than 7 receptions for 90 yards in all but ONE game this year. He's clicking on all cylinders with Matthew Stafford. Enjoy the ride. Van Jefferson continues to fight with Robert Woods for the teams "1B" role, and he has surpassed 10 PPR points in each of the past two weeks. Something to keep an eye on, considering Jefferson is rostered in less than 9 percent of standard leagues.

I feel really sick writing about Jamal Agnew, yet here we are. Agnew came away with a 6/38/1 slash against the Seattle Seahawks defense, and this marks the third consecutive week that he has reached double-digit points in a PPR league. With James Robinson nursing a foot injury and Jacksonville playing perpetually from behind, Agnew is worth spending a dollar or two in FAAB as a garbage time hopeful stash or desperation play.

In shallower leagues where Michael Gallup may have been dropped, take a peek at the waiver wire to see if he is there. Gallup's roster percentage fell below 50, and he is worth an immediate pickup as he expects to return shortly from the calf strain that has kept him out since Week 1.

Just to touch upon it briefly, it was great to see Jerry Jeudy back in action for Denver. The Broncos are currently mired in mediocrity, but Jeudy brings a much-needed compliment to Courtland Sutton and Tim Patrick that they were missing. He only caught four passes for 39 yards in his return on Sunday, but better days are ahead.

Tight End

The position as a whole was tough to watch in Week 8, with Travis Kelce having his worst game of the year, Darren Waller on bye and Robert Tonyan suffering a torn ACL. The top ranked spot each week is likely to remain Kelce's, but Kyle Pitts, Mark Andrews and Mike Gesicki are making this an interesting decision for the 2-6 slots.

Waller is expected to return in Week 9 from the ankle injury that force him out earlier, but Fantasy players should continue to utilize Foster Moreau as a contingency plan if needed. Moreau is more than capable of putting up 60-80 percent of Waller's normal production, if given the opportunity.

Players who drafted Robert Tonyan would do well to view Pat Freiermuth as a capable (and widely available) alternative. Freiermuth is fast becoming a trusted option for Ben Roethlisberger to throw to, and he has drawn consecutive games of at least 7 targets. He's worth a 10-15 percent FAAB bid for those looking for help at the position.

Going back to the trade deadline rumor mill, pay close attention to what Green Bay and Buffalo do at the deadline. If Green Bay were to hold-tight and not trade for someone like Evan Engram, Josiah Deguara is a sneaky player to consider. Buffalo appears to be in a holding pattern while waiting for Dawson Knox to return, and Tommy Sweeney is currently starting. Sweeney was on the field for over 80 percent of Week 8, and he is a fine desperation start if need be.