Now that the NFL trade deadline has come and gone, it is time to shift our attention back to fantasy football and the Week 9 waiver wire.
Whether your favorite NFL team made a trade before the deadline or not, the moves that were made will certainly have an impact on the fantasy football landscape. With that in mind, be sure to adjust your rankings and rest-of-season analysis accordingly.
With the fantasy football playoffs on the horizon, be sure to check your league's waiver wire and add these players to bolster your chances, who are available in over 50 percent of Yahoo Fantasy football leagues.
QB Waiver Wire Pickups, Fantasy Football Week 9
Sam Howell, Washington Commanders (46 percent rostered)
With so many quarterbacks struggling and/or dealing with an injury, how could it be that the overall QB8 through the first eight weeks of the season is rostered in only 46 percent of Yahoo Fantasy football leagues?
This is now Howell's fourth appearance on this column yet he continues to be widely available in Yahoo Fantasy football leagues. Per Sleeper's NFL X (also known as Twitter) account, Howell has finished three of the past four weeks as a top-eight fantasy quarterback (he was the overall QB1 in Week 8).
Howell plays for an offensive coordinator in Eric Bieniemy who prefers to throw the football regardless of the game situation. Per NBC Sports' Denny Carter, the Commanders are nine percent over their expected dropback rate since Week 5. In that span, Howell has attempted 50-plus passes in two of four games and at least 42 pass attempts in three of his last four.
Not to mention, the Commanders sent away their two best pass-rushers (Montez Sweat and Chase Young) today via trade, signaling that the Commanders have an eye toward the future. In the current aftermath of the trades, the Commanders defense which already ranks in the bottom five in both opponent yards (374.1) and points (28.5) per game just got even worse.
The Commanders' new-look defense should only continue to put Howell in favorable positions to rack up plenty of fantasy points as the team will be forced to play catch-up more often than not.
Howell is a QB1 the rest of the way and this will be the last call for those in need of a quarterback.
Will Levis, Tennessee Titans (6 percent rostered)
Will Levis had one of the more impressive NFL debuts in recent memory last week when he completed 19 of his 29 pass attempts for 238 yards and four touchdowns to lead the Titans to a 28-23 win over the Falcons. Now, he gets to face a Steelers secondary that ranks 24th in opponent passing yards per game (245.4).
Before the Week 8 game against the Falcons, Titans head coach Mike Vrabel said the plan was for Levis to rotate with quarterback Malik Willis while Ryan Tannehill tends to an ankle injury. However, after Willis lost a fumble on the game's opening drive, the team decided to stick with Levis the rest of the way.
What was most impressive about Levis in his debut was that he was throwing the ball down the field with confidence, constantly finding DeAndre Hopkins for big gains. Levis averaged 8.2 yards per attempt and was not afraid to take deep shots down the field.
Not to mention, Levis showed a willingness to tuck the football and run if he couldn't locate an open pass-catcher. He finished the game with seven carries (three of which were kneels to run the clock out on the final drive). Even if you remove the three kneels, he was second on the team in rush attempts, trailing only Derrick Henry.
With Tannehill's timetable to return looking uncertain, Levis makes for a worthwhile addition to any fantasy manager in need of quarterback help.
RB Waiver Wire Pickups, Fantasy Football Week 9
Rams running back Darrell Henderson Jr. is available in 55 percent of Yahoo Fantasy football leagues. If he is available in your league, he should be the top priority until Kyren Williams returns from injury. He was mentioned in last week's column.
Emari Demercado, Arizona Cardinals (37 percent rostered)
With Keaontay Ingram being virtually phased out of the Cardinals backfield, Emari Demercado has stepped into a three-down role until James Conner is eligible to return from IR. Demercado has seen at least 17 touches in two straight games and has received double-digit opportunities in three of the Cardinals' last four games.
With Conner being required to miss at least one more game before the team can activate him, Demercado figures to have at least one more game with a voluminous workload. With so many high-profile running backs such as Christian McCaffrey, Jahmyr Gibbs/David Montgomery, Travis Etienne, and Javonte Williams having a Week 9 bye, Demercado makes for a great short-term fill-in option.
In Week 8, Demercado earned a season-high 20 rushing attempts which he converted into 78 rushing yards. Unfortunately, a matchup with the Browns' daunting defensive unit awaits Demercado and the Cardinals in Week 9, but he should be locked into 12-plus touches. Opportunity is the most important aspect of fantasy football and Demercado will have plenty of it until Conner returns to action. Only rostered in 37 percent of Yahoo Fantasy football leagues, Demercado needs to be rostered with Conner's timetable to return being unclear.
Zach Charbonnet, Seattle Seahawks (42 percent rostered)
Don't look now, but Zach Charbonnet led the Seahawks backfield in snaps (56 percent) in Week 8 while running back Kenneth Walker (44 percent) took a backseat to the second-round rookie. Not only did Charbonnet outsnap Walker, but he outperformed him as well. Charbonnet turned just five carries into 53 rushing yards and added two receptions for 11 yards while Walker had eight carries for 66 yards, adding one reception for four yards.
It is important to note that Charbonnet's increased snap count coincides with Walker battling a calf injury he suffered in Week 7 that forced him to sit out a majority of practice leading up to Week 8. However, Seahawks head coach Pete Carroll's recent comments may suggest this was more about wanting to get Charbonnet involved in the offense than it was about Walker's injury:
Charbonnet has been productive when given the opportunity, averaging 5.8 yards per carry. If he can carve out a more consistent role for himself, he will become a viable running back for fantasy football managers.
Walker isn't going to completely go away (barring injury), but Charbonnet is going to continue eating into his workload as the season progresses. He is someone that needs to be added and stashed on fantasy benches while Week 9 should provide us with some additional clarity on the backfield split between these two talented running backs.
WR Waiver Wire Pickups, Fantasy Football Week 9
Demario Douglas, New England Patriots (3 percent rostered)
With Kendrick Bourne now out for the season due to a torn ACL, Demario Douglas will have an opportunity to establish himself as the Patriots' primary pass-catcher. While being the primary pass-catcher on one of the least productive offenses in the NFL may not sound very appealing, Douglas has seen at least seven touches in each of his past two games.
In addition to earning 13 targets over the past two weeks, Douglas has also received a rushing attempt in each of the two past two games, which he's converted into 24 yards. If the Patriots continue to manufacture touches for Douglas via the short-passing and rushing game, Douglas could become a sneaky fantasy option.
Douglas has not only seen his usage increase in recent weeks but also his snap count. After playing a career-high 62 percent of the Patriots' offensive snaps in Week 7, Douglas followed it up by playing 77 percent of the team's snaps.
Given the lack of competition in the Patriots receiving room following Bourne's injury, Douglas figures to be a near-every-down player for a 2-6 team desperately in need of some offensive juice.
Douglas' speed and ability to make defenders miss give him the potential to carve out a sizeable role within the Patriots offense.
Jonathan Mingo, Carolina Panthers (6 percent rostered)
Jonathan Mingo is the second rookie wide receiver to find himself in this week's column after he recorded a career-high 62 receiving yards in the Panthers' Week 8 win over the Texans. Mingo has quietly seen at least five targets in five of the six games he's played this season and now has two fantasy-friendly matchups against the Colts and Bears in the next two weeks.
Additionally, Panthers rookie quarterback Bryce Young continues to look more comfortable with each passing game, which bodes well for Mingo's rest-of-season outlook. It usually takes rookie receivers some time to adjust to the speed and physicality of the NFL, but once they do, it's wheels up.
George Pickens, Christian Watson, and Garrett Wilson and their late-season development in 2022 are prime examples of patience paying dividends for fantasy managers when it comes to rookie wide receivers.
Mingo is an explosive wide receiver who excels after the catch and should see plenty of opportunity down the stretch of the season on a rebuilding Panthers team that ranks second in the NFL in pass attempts per game (38.9).
Mingo is worthy of a speculative add for those looking to stash a high-upside wide receiver on their bench.
TE Waiver Wire Pickups, Fantasy Football Week 9
Trey McBride, Arizona Cardinals (22 percent rostered)
With Cardinals starting tight end Zach Ertz expected to miss at least three more weeks on IR while he tends to a quad injury, McBride is an instant plug-and-play fantasy option. Tight end is the most dire position in fantasy football, so anytime you can find a player who is more than a touchdown-dependent option it is important to act fast.
According to Late-Round Fantasy Football's JJ Zachariason, McBride had a 38.9 percent target share in the Cardinals' Week 8 loss to the Ravens, which is the highest target share any tight end has seen in a single game all season.
McBride converted 14 targets into 10 receptions, 95 yards, and a touchdown with Joshua Dobbs under center for the Cardinals. Dobbs has been traded to the Vikings following the aftermath of quarterback Kirk Cousins tearing his Achilles, but Pro Bowl signal-caller Kyler Murray is back to practicing in full and set to make his season debut as soon as Week 9 after suffering a torn ACL last season that forced him to miss the first eight weeks of the 2023 campaign.
The 1-7 Cardinals are going nowhere quickly and figure to face plenty of negative game scripts throughout the rest of the season, which bodes well for McBride's fantasy football outlook. McBride has a chance to be a top-10 tight end the rest of the way, making him a priority add for any manager in need of a tight end.
Taysom Hill, New Orleans (35 percent rostered)
As long as Taysom Hill has tight end eligibility and remains rostered in under 50 percent of Yahoo Fantasy football leagues, he will remain a prominent fixture in this column. He is a cheat code for fantasy football managers due to his role within the Saints offense as a goal-line bruiser and his jack-of-all-trades usage.
Hill's stat line in Week 8 against the Colts is a prime example of his impressive usage and versatility. Hill attempted two passes (one which resulted in a 44-yard completion), one catch (which went for 14 yards), and nine carries (which he turned into 63 rushing yards and two touchdowns).
He's finished as a top-six tight end in each of the past three weeks and will continue to remain a big part of the Saints offensive game plan. In that span, he's accumulated 14 targets, 15 rush attempts, and three pass attempts.
The tight end position is a fantasy wasteland and two of the NFL's best tight ends (George Kittle and Evan Engram) both have Week 9 byes. For those who missed out on Trey McBride, Hill is a great alternative option and bye week fill-in option.
Instead of questioning whether or not Hill is a tight end, embrace it and add him to your roster.
