Mike Hubbard Jr here, welcome back to my weekly Waiver HUB. Follow me on Twitter (@FantasyHubbard) and Instagram (@fantasyhubbard) for all things fantasy football throughout the season. Feel free to tweet me or message me on either social media with any comments or questions you might have regarding fantasy football.
Week 8 has ended and week 9 starts Thursday with a matchup between the Jets and the Colts. The Jets are coming off an epic upset against the Bengals while the Colts just lost a heartbreaker to the Titans in OT. The line is currently 10.5 in favor of the Colts who are the home team. There are some fantasy relevant players in this game on both teams but mostly on the Colts. For the Jets you will want to start Michael Carter who has become heavily involved in the pass game. The question is whether Mike White can come anywhere close to his great week 8 performance and how his WRs will be affected. For the Colts you can easily start Michael Pittman and Jonathan Taylor, and Wentz is an interesting option at QB. Keep an eye on TY Hiltons health. My bold prediction in this game is a Colts win by a score of 30-26. Jonathon Taylor should hit 100 total yards and find the end zone at least once.
It’s Tuesday which means it’s that time to hit the waiver wire. Another week gone, another opportunity to make your team stronger. Below are my top waiver wire priorities this week. Go get those available players to help your chances moving forward. Good luck this week and remember to check back every week to stay informed on who you could target off of waivers.
Quarterbacks
Taysom Hill – New Orleans Saints
The New Orleans Saints pulled off quite the upset against Tom Brady and the Buccaneers on Sunday. Unfortunately, Jameis Winston tore his ACL and is done for the season. That leaves the door wide open for Hill to run through when he returns from injury as soon as this Sunday against the Falcons. We have seen Hill play well when given a starting role in the past. He can pass, catch, and run. His ground game gives him great potential and he should get WR Michael Thomas back in a couple weeks or so. Taysom is in a great position to succeed immediately and is a top priority this week.
Justin Fields – Chicago Bears
The Justin Fields we all expected has finally made an appearance. In a loss to the 49ers, he had 175 passing yards, 1 passing TD, 103 rushing yards, and 1 rushing TD. He set season highs in completion percentage and rushing yards. If this is any indication of the future, Fields is worth an add. His fantasy relevance is mainly determined by his rushing ability which makes him a decent QB to have on your bench or a fill in role for an injured QB or a QB on a BYE.
Running Backs
Adrian Peterson/Jeremy McNichols – Tennessee Titans
This week’s major news is Derrick Henrys injury. He is set to have foot surgery and is estimated to be out 6-10 weeks. That does leave a small window of opportunity for him to return for a fantasy playoff run. Yesterday the Titans signed Adrian Peterson and he is expected to be elevated to the active roster. Jeremy McNichols was initially the next man up in the Titans backfield prior to the Peterson news. No one can replace Henrys dominance, but someone has to try and why not give the great AP a shot at it. It hasn’t been confirmed that AP will be RB1 in week 9 but you can only assume that’s the case. Both AP and McNichols are great players to have on your roster for the coming weeks. Keep an eye on the situation this week but I would add AP and McNichols in that order.
Boston Scott – Philadelphia Eagles
If you had Kenneth Gainwell in your fantasy lineup this past weekend you’re not alone. The expected backup RB to Miles Sanders ended up not getting the workload we all assumed. Instead, Boston Scott got the majority of snaps and opportunities. This was the first Eagles game this year that the offense stuck with the run game and it payed off. Both Boston Scott and Jordan Howard ran the ball 12 times and each of them found the end zone twice. Gainwell had 13 carries but most of them came with the game out of hand in favor of the Eagles. Scott had 60 rushing yards, Howard had 57 rushing yards, and Gainwell had 29 rushing yards. This game could indicate a RB by committee but it seems Boston Scott is the top RB to target.
Wide Receivers
DeVonte Parker – Miami Dolphins
DeVonte Parker returned from injury after missing 3 consecutive games. He finished the day with 8 receptions for 85 receiving yards on 11 targets. In the 4 games Parker has played in, he has had a minimum of 7 targets, 4 receptions, and 42 receiving yards. Waddle was the only other pass catcher that was relevant in this game. Waddle had 12 targets, but Parker still managed to double Waddles receptions and nearly triple Waddles receiving yards. Parker and Waddle are the top WRs for Tua and should both be on fantasy rosters even if they’re on the bench.
Van Jefferson – Los Angeles Rams
Van Jefferson has emerged as the clear cut WR3 for the Rams. Cooper Kupp and Robert Woods are obviously favored, but Jefferson is next man up. Tyler Higbee has been struggling at TE and DeSean Jackson has requested a trade which is benefiting Jefferson. Jefferson had 3 receptions for 88 receiving yards on 6 targets in week 8. Matthew Stafford has been playing well with his new team and has the talent around him, including Jefferson, to succeed and make a Superbowl run. The Rams get the Titans in week 9 where Stafford should continue to light up the opposing defense.
Michael Gallup – Dallas Cowboys
Michael Gallup is scheduled to come off IR and play in week 9 at home against the Broncos. Gallup should resume his WR3 role replacing Cedrick Wilson. Gallup should get plenty of looks along with Cooper, Lamb, and Schultz. Gallup will have Dak throwing to him again and any part of the Cowboys’ offense is worth owning in fantasy moving forward. Get Gallup while you can.
Jamal Agnew – Jacksonville Jaguars
Jamal Agnew had 1 reception for 27 yards prior to week 5. Since week 5 began, Agnew has racked up 17 receptions for 157 receiving yards and 1 TD on 25 targets. Trevor Lawrence has been airing it out since they are often trailing, and Agnew has been getting the most looks. In week 8 Agnew saw 12 targets resulting in 6 receptions for 38 receiving yards and a TD. Agnew is trending in the right direction and now that he has a feel for the endzone I’m sure he’ll be eager to get back in there.
Tight Ends
Pat Freiermuth – Pittsburgh Steelers
Freiermuth has had a great last 2 games. He’s accounted for 11 receptions for 102 receiving yards and a TD on 17 targets in those 2 games since the Steelers lost JuJu Smith-Schuster to injury. Freiermuth is behind only Diontae Johnson in targets and receptions since week 6. He has some chemistry building with Ben Roethlisberger lately which should continue moving forward.
Logan Thomas – Washington Football Team
Logan Thomas has been on IR for the past 5 weeks. The WFT has a BYE in week 9 which should give Thomas the extra rest he needs in order to return to TE1 in Washington come week 9 against Brady and the Bucs. In Logans 3 starts this season he had 12 receptions for 117 receiving yards and 2 TDs on 14 targets. I expect him to pick up right where he left off and produce TE1 stats for his fantasy owners. I would try to get Thomas on your team if you can fit him on the bench or an IR spot until week 10.