Week 9 Wide Receiver Waiver Wire Pickups Featuring Kayshon Boutte and Darnell Mooney

With six teams on bye and injuries piling up, fantasy managers should look to add wide receivers like Kayshon Boutte and Darnell Mooney from this week’s top Week 9 waiver wire pickups.

New England Patriots wide receiver Kayshon Boutte (9) races after scoring a touchdown against the Miami Dolphins in the first quarter at Hard Rock Stadium. | Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn Images

The week is over, and now it's time to look forward. Injuries and bye weeks have made the waiver wire very interesting this week. Players who usually wouldn't be available might be because teams simply didn't have the roster space to hold them with six teams on a bye last week. One of the more interesting positions is the wide receivers, because there have also been a ton of injuries. These are the wide receiver waiver wire pickups for Week 9. 

Kayshon Boutte, New England Patriots

Boutte continued his impressive play in Week 8. He caught three of five targets for 75 yards and another touchdown. That is now at least one TD in three straight games and four TDs in those three games. We are starting to see Stefon Diggs begin to slow down, which makes sense if you watched him in his last two seasons in Buffalo. Now, he's about to turn 32 years old next month and is coming off a torn ACL. It shouldn't shock anybody if he fades to the background as we get deeper into the season and Boutte steps into the forefront.   

Troy Franklin, Denver Broncos

Denver Broncos wide receiver Troy Franklin (11) celebrates after scoring a touchdown against the Dallas Cowboys in the fourth quarter at Empower Field at Mile High. | Ron Chenoy-Imagn Images

Franklin had a big game in Week 8 and, more importantly, led the Broncos with eight targets. He caught six of those targets for 89 yards and two TDs. His role continues to grow in Denver as he develops into a viable fantasy option. Over the past two weeks, he has now seen 18 targets and scored three TDs. There is no reason for him to be sitting on your waiver wire.   

Alec Pierce, Indianapolis Colts

Pierce had a solid game in Week 8. He was targeted five times and caught two of them for 69 yards. One of his two receptions went for 50 yards. That's the boom-or-bust dynamic that Pierce can bring to your fantasy lineup. If you need a player with upside, who can give you some explosive plays, Pierce could be a player that you want to target on your waiver wire this week. 

Darnell Mooney, Atlanta Falcons

Atlanta Falcons wide receiver Darnell Mooney (1) on the field before the game against the Miami Dolphins at Mercedes-Benz Stadium. | Dale Zanine-Imagn Images

Mooney played well in his first game back from injury in Week 7, catching three passes for 68 yards, but was slowed down by the Miami Dolphins' defense in Week 8, who held him to just one catch for 11 yards. However, that's a tough matchup against Miami, who are allowing the fewest fantasy points to wide receivers this season. Nevertheless, Drake London missed Week 8, and there is a possibility he misses additional time moving forward with a hip injury. If he does any more time, we'd expect Mooney to serve as the WR1. 

Christian Watson, Green Bay Packers

Watson made his season debut on Sunday Night Football and led all the Packers' wide receivers with 85 yards on four receptions. That's almost double the next closest wideout, Romeo Doubs, who posted 44 yards. He is worth picking up this week, but understand what you are getting. While he has upside, especially with Jayden Reed out, he's a boom-or-bust option with high injury potential.