Noah Fant and Theo Johnson Top Week 9 Waiver Wire Tight End Pickups

Noah Fant and Theo Johnson are high risk waiver wire options for Week 9 among Tight Ends as we take a closer look for fantasy football owners.

Cincinnati Bengals tight end Noah Fant (86) celebrates a touchdown in the second quarter of the NFL Week 1 game between the Cleveland Browns and the Cincinnati Bengals at Huntington Bank Field in Cleveland on Sunday, Sept. 7, 2025. | Sam Greene/The Enquirer / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Week 9 of the NFL season is closer at hand. Only 14 games are on the schedule. That again means fewer choices are on the waiver wire. Fantasy football owners have different priorities when it comes to weeks like this.

Taking a few larger swings err risks here might be okay. It worked out for Juwan Johnson owners to a point last week. Tucker Kraft is not coming through anyone's waiver wire so expectations must be tempered greatly especially as the season rolls along.

Do remember these waiver wire picks with more choices taken off the board early than usual.

Roster percentages come from Yahoo and ESPN leagues reflecting a PPR format. Check your league formats.

Noah Fant - Cincinnati Bengals - 4.5 owned in ESPN Leagues

Fant has worked his way into a somewhat fortunate situation. With Mike Gesicki out, the tight end should get a few more opportunities. Is anyone looking for Jake Ferguson level targets? No. However, he is getting open and gaining yards (40+ in back-to-back weeks). If the Cincinnati offense and Joe Flacco has a little less Ja'Marr Chase tunnel vision, Fant could really benefit.

NOAH FANT, @Bengals TE - LEAGUE LEADER
In 2025, Fant, is posting a 90.91% Catch % - the HIGHEST by any receiver in the NFL this season (Per NGS) #RuleTheJungle #WhoDey #Bengals #Cincinnati #NFL #NFLWeek8 #NYJvsCIN #NationalTightEndsDay #NFLTwitter #NFLNews #NFLPicks #NFLRumors pic.twitter.com/RGKCQJTM5z

— Pro Football Hall of Fame Ambassador (@PFHOFAmbassador) October 25, 2025

While he seeing fewer targets than an average TE1/TE2, Fant is simply catching the ball. It all comes down to can he get more of a role in an offense predicated on the wide receivers and again Ja'Marr Chase.

Cincinnati enjoys a second half against quite a few weaker defenses nestled in the lower half and even third of rankings. This is when it comes to tight end points of course. While Fant is by no means a game breaker, he is seemingly working well with Joe Flacco.

Theo Johnson - New York Giants - 19.6% owned on ESPN

This is a dangerous choice for several reasons. However, San Francisco is battered and yet is resillient. It is the latter that scares many. Theo Johnson can get open against this defense. It all comes down to Jaxson Dart and how he distributes the ball. Sunday with a 49ers team coming across the country could mean good things for Johnson and even Daniel Bellinger.

Our focus here is on Johnson. Look at how quickly things can change. The Giants went from having two top rookies to one with the Cam Skattebo injury. Honestly, the San Francisco defense is further broken down with Houston piling up over 450 yards of offense.

Johnson has seen 4+ targets in five of the past six weeks. He must hold on to the ball though. His drop rate is down from 11.6 to 8.1%. That still needs improvement.

9. Wan’Dale Robinson and Ja’Marr Chase led ALL WR’s in Snap Percentage (98%)..

10. Theo Johnson led ALL TE’s in Snap Percentage (98%)..

11. Christian McCaffrey led ALL RB’s in Snap Percentage (96%).. the next closest was JT at 75%..

— Austin Abbott (@AustinAbbottFF) October 28, 2025

On the bright side, passer rating has jumped over 100 to 102.5. That is a good sign. The four touchdowns on the season are another. He is currently a Top 15 tight end under 20% owned.

AJ Barner - Seattle Seahawks - Under 10% owned in both Yahoo and ESPN

This is all about matchup. Washington could have easily given up 30 points again versus Kansas City. The Commanders defense has yielded 400+ yards four times and nearly a fifth (381 against Chicago). Barner had a rough game against Houston (1 catch, 7 yards). He is learning from some solid talent and how instant stardom works.

Barner should be gearing up as Travis Kelce nearly topped 100 yards (99) and hit the end zone on Monday night against Washington. The Commanders defense looks worse than last year mostly because they are not playing with the lead. Already, Washington has lost as many regular season games in 2025 compared to 2024.

Barner is definitely an option for Sunday Night Football and fantasy owners.