Fantasy Football Week 9 FAAB Report: Tyrone Tracy Jr., Troy Franklin, Tyjae Spears, and 9 More Waiver Wire Adds

Welcome to the Week 9 FAAB Report!

Now that we’re past Bye-Mageddon, we’ll have a few less holes to fill in our rosters. But that doesn’t mean we should start ignoring the waiver wire. With some bad injury news for Cam Skattebo on Sunday, we have a situation where we should be emptying out our FAAB wallets a bit this week. And with the trade deadline just a week away, we’ll also need to start thinking ahead to who might see a bump up the depth chart.

As always, let’s take a look at three players at each position who should be on your waiver wire priority list for Week 9 (and beyond).

(Note: just so we don’t waste anyone’s time recommending players who are rostered in your league, I’m going to use 40% rostered on ESPN as the cut-off point for this article)

Quarterback

QB Joe Flacco, Cincinnati Bengals

FAAB recommendation: 15 percent of budget

Look, I realize this is crazy. But it’s also crazy that Joe Flacco has been an elite fantasy quarterback since joining the Bengals. He’s put up at least 18 fantasy points in each of his three games and went 24+ in each of his last two games. The wheels have to fall off at some point, but Flacco is worth a modest FAAB investment simply due to the weapons around him.

QB Sam Darnold, Seattle Seahawks

FAAB recommendation: 10 percent of budget

Sam Darnold is still just QB18 on the season, but he’s put up 15 or more fantasy points in five of his seven games this season. He’s playing with one of the best fantasy receivers out there in Jaxson Smith-Njigba, and has some nice fantasy matchups coming up with the Commanders and Cardinals.

QB J.J. McCarthy, Minnesota Vikings

FAAB recommendation: 5-10 percent of budget

I’m still not sure J.J. McCarthy will be anything more than a game manager, but he’s playing in one of the best offenses in the league and needs to be on our radar. McCarthy is set to play in Week 9 against the Lions. With the host of weapons McCarthy has at his disposal, he’s worth a cheap add to see where things go.

Running Back

RB Tyrone Tracy Jr., New York Giants

FAAB recommendation: 50 percent of budget

While Tyrone Tracy Jr. isn’t quite Cam Skattebo, we’re in the business of stockpiling any running back who has a path to 15-plus touches so here we are. I’m not sure I’d go all-in on Tracy (although it’s something to consider if you’re short at running back), but he’s worth a solid investment of at least half your FAAB dollars.

RB Tyjae Spears, Tennessee Titans

FAAB recommendation: 20-25 percent of budget

This might be a little rich, but I still think there’s a good chance that Tony Pollard will get dealt within the next week so this is a small bet I’m willing to make. It’s a bet with a ton of upside as Spears would have a clear path to 15-plus carries if the 1-7 Titans decide to get what they can for Pollard. Spears is averaging 5.5 yards per carry on the year and is coming off his best game of the season on Sunday.

RB Bam Knight, Arizona Cardinals

FAAB recommendation: 15-20 percent of budget

I’m not sure we’ll get more than a game or two out of Bam Knight as the Arizona Cardinals starting running back, but Knight has a great matchup against the Cowboys this week. If he’s still available on your waiver wire, Knight is a great Week 9 streamer – though Trey Benson’s return from injured reserve looms.

Wide Receiver

WR Troy Franklin, Denver Broncos

FAAB recommendation: 35-40 percent of budget

Troy Franklin pushes the 40-percent rostered rule a bit, but I’m keeping him on here because he should be added immediately. Franklin has solidified himself alongside Courtland Sutton and now has 18 targets over his last two games – with three touchdowns in those two games. He’s seen eight or more targets in half of his games, and is worth a solid FAAB investment if he’s available.

WR Kayshon Boutte, New England Patriots

FAAB recommendation: 15-20 percent of budget

All Kayshon Boutte does is catch touchdowns! Long touchdowns too. Boutte still isn’t seeing massive usage in the Patriots offense, but he’s clearly Drake Maye’s favorite receiver on downfield throws and is catching them all. Though his upside is a bit limited with just four or five targets per game, Boutte has now scored four touchdowns in his last three games.

WR Tre Tucker, Las Vegas Raiders

FAAB recommendation: 15-20 percent of budget

Tucker is surprisingly WR27 on the year (albeit on the strength of one huge game), and stands to see a big boost in fantasy value if Jakobi Meyers is traded. While being the WR1 in the Raiders low-powered offense, there’s still a lot of fantasy value in being a WR1. Tucker is worth a small FAAB investment before the trade deadline.

Tight End

TE Mason Taylor, New York Jets

FAAB recommendation: 20 percent of budget

Mason Taylor remains the Jets best non-Garrett Wilson offense, and I’m going to keep writing about him while he’s under-rostered. Outside of an awful one-catch game in London where the Jets only had 84 yards of total offense, Taylor has been productive this season and just caught five balls for 34 yards and a touchdown on Sunday. He’s seeing somewhere around six targets per game and is a valuable TE fill-in.

TE Theo Johnson, New York Giants

FAAB recommendation: 10-15 percent of budget

Theo Johnson is similar to Mason Taylor in that he doesn’t have a huge upside, but he’s seeing solid usage. Johnson is averaging almost six targets per game over the last five games since Jaxson Dart took over and has scored four touchdowns during that span. You can do a lot worse than Theo Johnson at tight end.

TE Coleston Loveland, Chicago Bears

FAAB recommendation: 10 percent of budget

Coleston Loveland is the most talented tight end on this list, but is also the most unpredictable right now. But that also offers us an opportunity to get him on the cheap and hope for some upside. While he hasn’t topped 34 receiving yards or found the end zone just yet, Loveland has seen nine targets over his past two games so a breakout could be on the way.