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- Shhh, Keep These 2 WRs A Secret
It’s getting thin out there on the waiver wire, so we really have to roll up our sleeves and dig deep to find help for our squads. Luckily, I have two sneaky WRs who seem to be mostly flying under the radar this week …
WR Christian Watson: I was pretty surprised to see Watson return for his first game of the season and immediately run 65% of the routes and earn a 12% target share. Yes, it’s worth noting that Dontayvion Wicks was out, but Watson enjoyed more usage off the rip than disappointing rookie Matthew Golden (for more on what’s going on with Golden, check out this week’s Utilization Report).
Due to what we’ve seen from Watson in the past (that rookie year was special) and the wide-open nature of this WR room, Watson is a great piece to stash on your bench.
WR Jalen Coker: I haven’t seen Coker mentioned in too many waiver pieces this week, but he jumped from 47% of the routes to 76% in his second game back. He also logged a 17% target share in Week 8, which was second on the team behind only T-Mac. This passing game isn’t great, but Coker can deliver some usable weeks during the bye-week gauntlet.
Coincidentally, Coker and Watson square off in the same game this week.
Other news & notes:
As expected, the Saints named Tyler Shough their starting QB. I would think of this as a mostly lateral move for the offense with a dash of additional upside.
Isiah Pacheco is considered week-to-week with an MCL sprain. Both Kareem Hunt and Brashard Smith get a boost for Week 9 (the Chiefs have a bye in Week 10), but I wouldn’t be surprised to see them trade for another RB before the deadline. Can you imagine Breece Hall in this offense?
So much for the Cardinals releasing Michael Carter … they signed him back to the practice squad yesterday.
Who To Start and Sit For Week 9
True story: Last winter, we worked around the clock to improve the beloved start/sit tool, with designs of putting it into our premium Tier 2 package.
Then Xfinity asked if they could make it FREE for everyone.
So now you can enjoy our excellent start/sit column AND the accompanying tool all at the low price of $0.00, thanks to Xfinity.
Go now! Run some players through! Enjoy the tool! And get that win!!
Imagine all your football, all in one place. Easy. Xfinity. Imagine That.
Fantasy
Editors’ Picks
Did you survive the waiver wire? Hopefully you got what you needed! And even if you’re left wanting, we have some great Fantasy Life content that you might have missed. Our Rankings and Xfinity Best Projections will also help with the prep for your next W …
 | Yes, the waiver wire ran last night, but you might still need some players to add. The Week 9 Waiver Wire Express Guide is your go-to for quick information on players you could still target before setting your lineup. |
 | Is Chase Brown finally happening? What about RJ Harvey after a Week 8 hat trick? Dwain McFarland breaks it all down in his Utilization Report ahead of Week 9. |
 | While we wait for an update on Manning’s concussion, Thor Nystrom is looking back over the last two months to see how Arch Manning is looking through his first 382 collegiate dropbacks. |
Fantasy
Guess This Freedman’s Favorite RB for Week 9
This second-year player out of Troy was the No. 16 RB in our 2024 Rookie Super Model. Yet he got on the field in just 10 games in his rookie year, rushing the ball 43 times for 155 yards. This season, he seemed buried on the depth chart before injuries opened up opportunities that saw him put up UR scores of 88, 67 and 83 the past three weeks. He certainly has been a bolt of energy to his team. Who is he?
Freedman’s Favorites are here, and we’re dropping clues on one player highlighted in each of the four articles. Can you guess who they are?
Fantasy
Updated Rest-of-Season Rankings
Ahead of Week 9, Matt LaMarca outlined the biggest takeaways from the latest update to our rest-of-season fantasy football rankings ...
There’s a New Sheriff In Town
Jonathan Taylor, RB, Colts (ADP: 17.2, ROS: 1)
If there was any lingering doubt about who the best player in fantasy is this season, Taylor erased all doubts on Sunday. He needed just 12 carries to rack up 153 yards and 2 touchdowns vs. the Titans, and he added another 21 yards and a score through the air. It was his fourth three-touchdown game through the first eight weeks, which puts him in pretty rarefied air. Only three players have had more three-touchdown outings in a single season, and two of them are in the Hall of Fame (LaDanian Tomlinson and Marshall Faulk).
Taylor isn’t going to get to face the Titans every week, but there is no slowing down the Colts’ juggernaut offense at this point. Taylor has averaged a ridiculous 5.9 yards per attempt, and the Colts are first in the league in points, yards and EPA/play offensively.
The only real question is if Taylor can beat Tomlinson’s single-season record of 31 touchdowns. He’s currently on pace for 30, and he’s scored 10 times in his past four games. As long as he can stay healthy, he has the top spot in fantasy pretty much locked up.
What Have You Done For Me Lately?
Terry McLaurin, WR, Commanders (ADP: 43.7, ROS: 57)
McLaurin returned to the Commanders’ lineup in Week 8, and he managed to score the team’s only touchdown vs. the Chiefs. Unfortunately, that’s where the good news ends. He reaggravated his quad injury in that contest, which forced him to exit early. McLaurin missed the previous four weeks with the same injury, so he could be looking at another stint on the sidelines.
Even when McLaurin has been available this season, the production hasn’t exactly been stellar. He owns just a 19% target share, and he’s averaged just 9.8 PPR points per game. He has just one finish inside the top 35 at the position, and that came last week.
McLaurin is still getting a bit of love from our ROS rankers, but I wouldn’t touch him with a 10-foot pole. The Commanders are sitting at 2-6 and looking at a potential disaster season, so it wouldn’t be a shock if they exercised some caution with McLaurin and stud QB Jayden Daniels.
Fantasy
Around the Watercooler
The latest fantasy nuggets, silliness and NFL gossip from our merry band of football nerds.
⬆️⬇️ We’ve got players we’re upgrading and downgrading for Week 9.
🖼️ Current playoff picture. Lions vs. Seahawks would be a … movie.
💥 A new metric from Ian called “cool shit” … and No. 3 in it will surprise you.
📈 Situational target share … RedZone warriors and garbage-time kings.
✏️ Carlie Irsay-Gordon is awesome. Cool clip.
☝️ Who’s your 1.01 rest of season? Here’s our Top 10.
😎 Words to live by from Ian. If only it were that easy.
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