Fantasy: Waiver Wire - Week 9

Find positional rankings, additional analysis, and subscribe to push notifications in the NFL Fantasy News section.

Every Monday during the season, theScore's Justin Boone runs down the recommended waiver wire pickups.

Roster percentages are based on Yahoo leagues. Free Agent Budget (FAB) amounts are set off a $100 salary cap. Only players rostered in less than 50% of leagues are considered.

Quarterbacks

Taysom Hill, Saints

With Jameis Winston out for the year with a torn ACL, the Saints will almost certainly turn to Hill to take over under center.

The only hesitation lies in Hill's own health - he's been out with a concussion since Week 5. However, the 31-year-old dual-threat QB is trending towards returning to the lineup in Week 9, and he'll have QB1 upside for fantasy once he does.

Remember, Hill made four starts just last year while filling in for an injured Drew Brees. He was the QB8 in fantasy points per game during that time, and two of those contests came against the Falcons - the team New Orleans is facing this week.

Hill threw for 233 yards while rushing for 49 yards and two touchdowns in the first meeting. In the second contest, he threw for 232 yards and two TDs, adding 83 yards on the ground.

Needless to say, Hill was a top-eight fantasy QB both weeks, and he'll have a chance to do it again against an Atlanta defense that's playing at a similarly poor level this campaign.

Trevor Siemian performed well in relief duty, but Hill gives the Saints their best shot at long-term success.

Tua Tagovailoa, Dolphins

Tagovailoa finished as the QB11 and QB3 overall in his first two starts after returning from injured reserve, but he ran into the vaunted Bills defense on Sunday.

Thankfully the Dolphins' next opponent has been a favorable matchup for fantasy QBs all year long. Five of the seven passers to face the Texans have finished in the top-15 weekly fantasy scorers.

With DeVante Parker back and Will Fuller soon to follow, Tagovailoa could be an intriguing fantasy option this week and beyond.

Daniel Jones is just over the 50% cut-off line but should be rostered in most leagues.

Risky streaming options: Teddy Bridgewater at DAL (30% rostered), Baker Mayfield at CIN (35% rostered), Jimmy Garoppolo vs. ARI (11% rostered), Ben Roethlisberger vs. CHI (21% rostered), Tyrod Taylor at MIA (6% rostered), Justin Fields at PIT (22% rostered), Trevor Lawrence vs. BUF (45% rostered)

Bye week stashes: Taylor Heinicke (14% rostered)

Long-term stashes: Trey Lance (20% rostered)

2QB/Superflex streaming options: Mac Jones at CAR (28% rostered), Mike White at IND (2% rostered)

2QB/Superflex injury stashes: Zach Wilson (6% rostered)

2QB/Superflex long-term stashes: Cam Newton (1% rostered)

Running backs

Adrian Peterson/Jeremy McNichols, Titans

Derrick Henry will undergo foot surgery this week with a recovery timeline that likely keeps him out for the rest of the fantasy season - and perhaps the rest of the NFL campaign, depending on how far the Titans can make it without him.

Tennessee moved quickly to sign Peterson, who profiles as Henry's direct replacement and gives the offense a proven power back to lead the way.

The only problem? Peterson is 36 years old and only a few months away from turning 37. Most running backs' careers are long over by this point, but not this future Hall of Famer.

Although his skills are clearly declining, Peterson has been a serviceable option in his last few stops when given adequate volume. His arrival may represent a massive downgrade from Henry, but Peterson should still be capable of delivering low-end RB2 numbers if the Titans put enough on his plate.

McNichols will continue to operate primarily in a pass-catching role, giving him flex appeal - especially if Henry's absence forces Tennessee to throw the ball more.

Boston Scott/Jordan Howard, Eagles

Last week, we recommended Scott and Kenneth Gainwell as the top backs to target in Philly after the club put Miles Sanders on I.R.

However, reports surfaced a few days later saying Howard saw some snaps with the starters, suggesting a possible three-way committee. Gainwell and Scott could carry most of the work in this situation, while Howard may steal goal-line touches.

An RBBC was formed in the end, but it's hard to gauge the workloads with the Eagles dominating the Lions en route to a 44-6 win.

• Scott: 29 snaps, 12 carries, 60 yards, 2 TDs
• Gainwell: 20 snaps, 13 carries, 27 yards
• Howard: 16 snaps, 12 carries, 57 yards, 2 TDs

Gainwell is still likely to see more work in a game script where Philly is trailing but isn't reliable as anything other than a risky flex option, and we'll leave him out of the conversation since he's already rostered in 64% of leagues.

Scott is the clear pickup here and should see significant work regardless of how the matchup unfolds - he's an RB3 with RB2 upside.

Howard is merely a TD-dependent flex play and was lucky to put up the numbers he did on limited snaps.

Carlos Hyde, Jaguars

James Robinson left Sunday's game with a foot injury that head coach Urban Meyer later referred to as a heel issue.

Fortunately, Robinson avoided a serious ailment, and he remains day to day, according to ESPN's Adam Schefter.

But that puts his availability for Sunday's game against Buffalo in question, making Hyde a low-ceiling pickup for Week 9.

The veteran handled 66% of the Jaguars' snaps versus the Seahawks on Sunday, turning 15 touches for 72 yards. The Bills represent a much stiffer challenge, so keep expectations for the 31-year-old in check.

Hyde will be an RB3/flex option with some TD upside if Robinson can't go.

High-upside backups like Sony Michel (35% rostered) should be rostered in most leagues.

Flex options: Latavius Murray vs. MIN (40% rostered), Mark Ingram vs. ATL (37% rostered), Ty Johnson at IND (5% rostered), Derrick Gore vs. GB (2% rostered)

Dart-throw flex options: Salvon Ahmed vs. HOU (2% rostered), Nyheim Hines vs. NYJ (49% rostered), Samaje Perine vs. CLE (23% rostered), David Johnson at MIA (47% rostered), Phillip Lindsay at MIA (16% rostered), Devonta Freeman vs. MIN (22% rostered), Rhamondre Stevenson at CAR (8% rostered), Brandon Bolden at CAR (14% rostered), Jerick McKinnon vs GB (5% rostered), Ameer Abdullah vs. NE (0% rostered)

Bye-week stashes: Giovani Bernard (12% rostered), Ronald Jones (25% rostered), Rashaad Penny (20% rostered), Jaret Patterson (2% rostered), Jermar Jefferson (0% rostered), Travis Homer (0% rostered)

Other backups to roster: Marlon Mack vs. NYJ (17% rostered), JaMycal Hasty vs. ARI (2% rostered), Justin Jackson at PHI (3% rostered), Peyton Barber at NYG (1% rostered), Anthony McFarland Jr. vs. CHI (1% rostered), Wayne Gallman at NO (0% rostered), Scottie Phillips at MIA (0% rostered), Rex Burkhead at MIA (0% rostered)

Injured reserve stashes: Jeff Wilson (17% rostered)

Wide receivers

DeVante Parker, Dolphins

After missing three games with a variety of injuries, Parker returned to a full-time role in Week 8 and put up an impressive eight-catch, 85-yard line against Buffalo.

Parker's now topped 75 yards in three of his five appearances on the season and could be a WR3/flex option just sitting on the waiver wire in your league.

Don't be fooled by Houston's solid overall numbers against fantasy receivers, either. The Texans have allowed seven different receivers to top 50 yards against them over their last three games, with five touchdowns given up to the position during that time.

Rashod Bateman, Ravens

Bateman is coming off his bye, so we'll mostly reiterate what we wrote about him in this space last week.

We recommended picking him up after his four-catch, 29-yard debut where he saw the field on 65% of the Ravens' offensive snaps - and yet he remains available in the vast majority of leagues.

In his second game, he continued to operate as Baltimore's No. 2 wideout in terms of snaps and routes run, only this time he tied Marquise Brown for the team lead in receiving yards with 80.

Based on what we've seen in his first two outings, it'd be surprising for the Ravens to infringe on their first-round wideout's playing time once Sammy Watkins returns to the lineup.

Bateman has an excellent chance to break out as a fantasy WR3 over the final two months of the campaign.

Kadarius Toney, Sterling Shepard, Mecole Hardman, and Hunter Renfrow are close to the 50% cutoff line but should be rostered in most leagues.

Long-term upside stashes: Curtis Samuel (13% rostered), Will Fuller (29% rostered)

Flex options: Jamison Crowder at IND (19% rostered), Darnell Mooney at PIT (42% rostered), Michael Gallup vs. DEN (44% rostered), Marquez Callaway vs. ATL, Jamal Agnew vs. BUF (2% rostered), Van Jefferson vs. TEN (12% rostered), Bryan Edwards at NYG (10% rostered)

Risky flex options: Tajae Sharpe at NO (0% rostered), Elijah Moore at IND (16% rostered), Rondale Moore at SF (32% rostered), Tim Patrick at DAL (28% rostered), Zach Pascal vs. NYJ (5% rostered), Nelson Agholor at CAR (24% rostered), Darius Slayton vs. LV (13% rostered), Quez Watkins vs. LAC (2% rostered), Allen Lazard at KC 97% rostered)

Dart-throw flex options: Randall Cobb at KC (36% rostered), Nico Collins at MIA (1% rostered), Byron Pringle vs. GB (2% rostered), Gabriel Davis at JAX (2% rostered), Tre'Quan Smith vs. ATL (3% rostered), Mohamed Sanu vs. ARI (0% rostered), Cedrick Wilson vs. DEN (1% rostered)

Bye-week stashes: Amon-Ra St. Brown (11% rostered, DeAndre Carter (1% rostered), Tyler Johnson (1% rostered)

Tight ends

Dan Arnold, Jaguars

Arnold may have found a home in Jacksonville.

Over his last three games, he's seen at least five targets in each contest, including 10 targets in Sunday's loss to Seattle.

Arnold's also posted two top-10 fantasy finishes during that stretch with stat lines of 6-64-0 and 8-68-0.

That's enough to warrant low-end fantasy TE1 consideration moving forward.

Risky streamer options: Pat Freiermuth vs. CHI (10% rostered), Cole Kmet at PIT (21% rostered), Evan Engram vs. LV (32% rostered), Tyler Conklin at BAL (25% rostered), C.J. Uzomah vs. CLE (47% rostered)

Dart-throw streamer options: Mo Alie-Cox vs. NYJ (16% rostered), Jordan Akins at MIA (0% rostered), Tommy Sweeney at JAX (3% rostered), Foster Moreau at NYG (1% rostered)

Bye week stashes: Ricky Seals-Jones (43% rostered)

Defenses

Week 9 streamers

Favorable upcoming schedules: Ravens DEF (50% rostered), Saints DEF (46% rostered)