Waiver Wire Watch: Week 9

Oct 27, 2014

Editor’s Note: We’re happy to announce that 4for4 Contributor Pat Fitzmaurice (formerly of Pro Football Weekly) is back on the Waiver Wire Watch this year. He will continue to work in conjunction with Senior Editor John Paulsen to compile this list of the top pickups each week.

Here is a look at the top waiver wire pickups for Week 9. To be eligible for discussion, the player must be owned in 50% or fewer Yahoo leagues, though we’ll stretch the rules a bit for the RB position, which is usually very thin. We’ll also include suggested bid prices (with a $100 budget) for those leagues that use Free Agent Acquisition Budgets. Of course, player value depends on league characteristics and team needs. Players are listed by position in order of importance. For extremely shallow or extremely deep leagues, be sure to review our Rest-of-Season Rankings (updated every Tuesday) to get an idea of how to value players not on this list.

* Players with an asterisk next to their name were mentioned in last week’s Waiver Wire Watch.

Cardinals QB Carson Palmer* ($13)

Owned in 50% of Yahoo leagues, Palmer has thrown two TD passes in each of his four starts this season, with at least 250 passing yards in every game. He completed fewer than half of his passing attempts against the Eagles on Sunday but still threw for 329 yards without an interception in a 24-20 win. In Week 9, Palmer faces a Dallas defense that’s been statistically stingy against the pass but isn’t a matchup to be feared. If you need a quarterback for this week and Palmer is available, he should be your top target.

Next up: Cowboys, Rams, Lions

Redskins QB Robert Griffin III* ($10)

As of Monday morning there was still no official word on whether RG3 would make his return from a dislocated left ankle tonight in Dallas, but comments last week from Redskins head coach Jay Gruden seemed to point toward a later return – possibly not until after Washington’s Week 10 bye. If indeed that is the case, RG3’s price would spike the week before his delicious Week 11 matchup against the ragged Tampa Bay pass defense, so fantasy owners interested in taking another ride on the RG3 roller coaster might want to queue up now, before the wait times become unbearable. Sure, this ride breaks down frequently, and you haven’t always been able to trust the carnies who operated it, but there’s still potential for some thrills. Washington has an outstanding group of pass catchers, and from Week 11 through Week 16, half of the Redskins’ games are against poor pass defenses (Bucs, Rams, Eagles).

Next up: Vikings, BYE, Buccaneers

Chiefs QB Alex Smith* ($6)

This week’s matchup against the Jets will make Smith an inviting target for streamers, and with good reason. The Bills’ Kyle Orton riddled the Jets for four TD passes last week, and in previous weeks the Jets have been scalded for multiple touchdowns by QBs ranging from Peyton Manning to Derek Carr. Smith has thrown only two TD passes over his last three games and isn’t the answer as a long-term fantasy starter, but he’s a hot play for this week.

Next up: Jets, Bills, Seahawks