Fantasy Football Today: Best waiver wire options for Week 9, rankings by position, more

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"I don't know what to say at this moment. I truly don't."

That was Davante Adams' response to the Raiders performance on Monday night, and frankly, I agree. It was one of the worst offensive performances by any team in the league, and unlike, say, the Giants on Sunday, the Raiders didn't have a good excuse for it. They just stunk.

It was the kind of performance that shakes your faith in everyone associated with the Raiders. Jimmy Garoppolo went 10 for 21 for 126 yards, and honestly, he was even worse than that ghastly line would lead you to believe. He missed Adams on at least two long touchdowns, which is how Adams ended up with just 11 yards on one catch. Josh Jacobs actually led the team in receiving with two catches for 27 yards. It was genuinely hard to watch.

And I don't know what's going to change moving forward. Jacobs was asked what it will take to fix the offense, and he said, bluntly: "I don't know, it ain't my job." That's Josh McDaniels' job, for the record, though it probably isn't going to be his job for too much longer at this pace. Unfortunately for Adams, at least, he's going to have a job with the Raiders for at least the rest of this season, as the Raiders didn't look to move him at the deadline Tuesday.

There really wasn't much of note at the deadline, at least for Fantasy purposes, with the biggest names moved on the defensive side. The Vikings decision to add Joshua Dobbs, which you can read about here, did raise their floor in the wake of Kirk Cousins' season-ending injury, but it doesn't necessarily change the initial reaction to the injury -- it's an across-the-board downgrade for this offense. But in the rest of today's newsletter, we're turning our full attention to Week 9 of the Fantasy Football season, with Jamey Eisenberg's top waiver-wire options plus your first look at my rankings for this week's games at every position.

Let's get ready for Week 9:

My Week 9 Rankings: QB | RB | WR | TE

➕Top Week 9 Waiver Wire Targets

Sep 13, 2020; Jacksonville, Florida, USA; Indianapolis Colts running back Nyheim Hines (21) runs the ball in for a touchdown during the first quarter against the Jacksonville Jaguars at TIAA Bank Field. Douglas DeFelice / USA TODAY Sports

One thing to keep in mind for Week 9 is, this is not necessarily shaping up to be a particularly great week on the wire. If you've been saving up that top waiver-wire priority spot or a bunch of FAB, this might not be the week to cash in ... unless you really need help at tight end or quarterback. Because there are a few guys who could really, really help you out this week there. Here are Jamey Eisenberg's top waiver-wire targets for Week 9:

Jamey Eisenberg's top targets

Trey McBride, TE, Cardinals (33%) -- Spoiler alert: McBride is a top-six tight end for me in Week 9. Partially, that's because at least four guys who would otherwise be ahead of him are either on bye or hurt, but I don't want that to take away from McBride. He was a good prospect who produced at a high level in college, and then he went out and earned 14 targets in the first game after Zach Ertz was placed on IR. The Cardinals have leaned on their tight ends heavily this season, and while there's some risk of that changing with their QB change this week, I'm still pretty bullish on McBride. If I don't have a must-start tight end yet, I'm aggressively targeting him in all leagues.
Gardner Minshew, QB, Colts (38%) -- At least for Week 9, Minshew is my top replacement option for Kirk Cousins and Matthew Stafford. The Colts are playing at a fast pace and Minshew has attempted at least 40 passes in three of his four starts so far, so the situation is pretty good. And the matchup in Week 9 against the Panthers is great -- they haven't been awful against QBs for Fantasy, but they are bottom 10 in yards per attempt and touchdown rate allowed, so it's mostly just been a volume thing. I don't think that's likely to be too much of an issue for Minshew, who should be a top-12 QB this week.
Jahan Dotson, WR, Commanders (47%) -- If you don't specifically need a QB or TE, I like targeting Dotson. He's only had one good game all season, and it came with Sam Howell dropping back to pass 55 times in Week 8, so I don't want to overstate this performance -- it was a good one, but context should dampen our enthusiasm just a bit. Still, Dotson was a first-round pick last year who entered the season with a ton of hype, and the chance that Week 8 was the start of him figuring it out is worth chasing. Especially when it only costs you some FAB budget and it cost someone else a draft pick just a few months ago.

My Week 9 Rankings

Week 9 QB Rankings

"Who is the top replacement option for Kirk Cousins?

One name I'd be keeping an eye on after waivers run this week is Russell Wilson, who is rostered in 71% of CBS Fantasy leagues, a number that seems likely to drop with the Broncos on bye this week. Wilson isn't all the way back, and this offense is growing more conservative as the season goes on (Wilson is now down below 30 pass attempts per game), but he's also a top-10 QB this season.

If you're going to go that route, you still need a replacement for Week 9, of course, and the best option is probably Gardner Minshew (38%), who I have ranked as a top-10 QB for Week 9. Minshew's been a bit up and down, but the Colts offense plays fast and they've let him throw 40-plus passes in three of his four starts, so the volume is going to be there. The Panthers defense stepped up in Week 8, but they're still bottom 10 in yards per play allowed overall, while also ranking bottom 10 in touchdown rate and yards per attempt through the air. Minshew's no guarantee, but you have to love the situation he finds himself in for this week."

Jalen Hurts vs. DAL
Patrick Mahomes vs. MIA
Josh Allen @CIN
Lamar Jackson vs. SEA
Tua Tagovailoa @KC
Justin Herbert @NYJ
Joe Burrow vs. BUF
Gardner Minshew @CAR
C.J. Stroud vs. TB
Dak Prescott @PHI
Derek Carr vs. CHI
Joshua Dobbs @CLE

Week 9 RB Rankings

"What is the case for continuing to start Tony Pollard?

As I wrote Monday in the Fantasy Football Today Newsletter, Pollard is still top 12 in rush attempts and top 10 in targets, with the second most touches inside of the opponents' 10-yard line of any back. If you knew nothing else about Pollard - his historic production, how good the Cowboys offense has been for running backs, etc. - you'd view him as a must-start running back. That should be good enough.

But the thing is, those other factors matter too, and most of them should be working in Pollard's favor. He's down to 3.9 yards per carry, after topping 5.1 in each of the previous seasons. Some regression in terms of efficiency was to be expected as he assumed the mantle of the team's lead back, especially coming back from ankle surgery, but I don't think it's necessarily fair to just assume he'll be a 3.9-YPC guy moving forward. We're still dealing with very small sample sizes here, and it's too early to make definitive statements about Pollard just being a much less talented back than he was in the past.

And then there's the touchdown stuff. Pollard scored 12 touchdowns last season, from an average of 23.2 yards from the goal. Even if we grant that he isn't the same kind of explosive playmaker he was last season, that doesn't make his two-touchdowns-on-18-Green-Zone-plays pace sustainable. Pollard has lost a step? Well, he's still quicker than Ezekiel Elliott was a year ago, when Elliott scored 11 touchdowns on 27 Green Zone touches. Elliott's a bigger back, but do we really think the 6-foot, 209-pound Pollard is too small to run in short-yardage situations?

I don't buy it. Pollard is still in one of the best situations for running backs, even if there have been some situations, like Sundays, where it doesn't really feel like it. And I think he's still at least an above-average playmaker, if perhaps not a superstar. Admittedly, I don't have a ton of specific things I can point to to back up this point besides Pollard's track record, because he really just hasn't played very well this season. But the point is that history didn't start this season, and for all the talk of Pollard's small-samples in the past, we're talking about 510 carries and 161 targets coming into this season, vs. just 108 and 30, respectively.

And since my expectations for Pollard's true talent level haven't changed all that much and he's still clearly in a very good situation for a running back, I'm still buying him as an elite Fantasy option, someone I'm starting absolutely every week."

Alvin Kamara vs. CHI
Austin Ekeler @NYJ
Saquon Barkley @LV
Josh Jacobs vs. NYG
Tony Pollard @PHI
Breece Hall vs. LAC
Bijan Robinson vs. MIN
Derrick Henry @PIT
Jonathan Taylor @CAR
Kenneth Walker @BAL
Joe Mixon vs. BUF
Rachaad White @HOU
D'Andre Swift vs. DAL
Raheem Mostert @KC
Isiah Pacheco vs. MIA
James Cook @CIN
Emari Demercado @CLE
Darrell Henderson @GB
Alexander Mattison @ATL
Rhamondre Stevenson vs. WAS
Zack Moss @CAR
Aaron Jones vs. LAR
Chuba Hubbard vs. IND
Najee Harris vs. TEN

Week 9 WR Rankings

"What's wrong with Chris Olave?

I understand the frustration with Olave. He hasn't been the guy you hoped you were getting when you drafted him, especially of late – after opening the season with three games of at least six catches and 86 yards, he has just 215 yards over his past five games. And he has just one touchdown all season, while his catch rate and yards per target have both dropped since his rookie season.

And yet, I honestly have basically no concerns about Olave at this point. I'm actively trying to trade for him, and I'm still viewing him as one of the best wide receivers in Fantasy. Why's that? Well, it starts with the volume: Olave is 14th in the NFL in targets per game at 9.8. And those targets are predominantly downfield, as he ranks second in the NFL with 1,050 air yards, just behind A.J. Brown. We're talking about a downfield receiver who consistently earns a lot of targets, and that's a great start.

Olave also has seven targets inside the end zone, ranking ninth in the NFL, tied with guys like Brown, CeeDee Lamb, Ja'Marr Chase, and … well, you get the picture. Olave's role so far is incredibly valuable, even if he hasn't been yet. Because, while guys like Brown, Lamb, and Chase are turning their valuable targets into even more valuable points, Olave hasn't been so far. And, it's probably not just entirely a fluke; Michael Thomas also has seven end zone targets, and also only has one touchdown to show for them, like Olave. Derek Carr hasn't played well so far, and that's especially been true in the red zone. It's holding Olave back.

But I'll bet on the valuable role eventually turning into valuable points before long. We've already seen it from Olave, in that season-opening stretch, so it's not like he can't thrive in this offense, with this quarterback. Production tends to ebb and flow, especially from wide receivers, who are never as good as they look at their best nor as bad as they look at their worst. And the thing with Olave is, even at his "worst," we're still talking about a guy with 9.6, 12.7, and 16.6 PPR points over the past four games. You shouldn't even be thinking about sitting Olave. "

Tyreek Hill @KC
Ja'Marr Chase vs. BUF
Stefon Diggs @CIN
A.J. Brown vs. DAL
Keenan Allen @NYJ
Adam Thielen vs. IND
CeeDee Lamb @PHI
Chris Olave vs. CHI
Jaylen Waddle @KC
Garrett Wilson vs. LAC
Cooper Kupp @GB
Michael Pittman @CAR
Tee Higgins vs. BUF
Puka Nacua @GB
Zay Flowers vs. SEA
Mike Evans @HOU
Chris Godwin @HOU
Devonta Smith vs. DAL
Davante Adams vs. NYG
DeAndre Hopkins @PIT
Marquise Brown @CLE
Terry McLaurin @NE
Michael Thomas vs. CHI
Jakobi Meyers vs. NYG

Week 9 TE Rankings

"Can you still trust Taysom Hill?

Hill has been terrific of late, with three straight games of at least 12 PPR points, culminating in a massive 20.7 PPR points in Week 8. And yet, coming off that game, I've got him ranked lower than I have in the past couple of weeks. What's up with that?

Well, the problem is, his usage changed considerably in Week 8. With Juwan Johnson back from his calf injury, Hill ran routes on just 12 of 31 dropbacks and had just one catch as a result. That left Hill to depend on his usage as a short-yardage QB to put up points, and he did very well in that regard, scoring two touchdowns and rushing for 63 yards and a pair of touchdowns. It was an impressive performance, but it probably wasn't sustainable.

Last season, Hill had a similar breakout in Week 5, rushing for 112 yards and three touchdowns, while adding a passing touchdown. It was a massive performance, but it proved difficult to follow up – he followed that up with 4.5, 10.1, 8.3, 1.1, and 0.1 PPR points in his next six games. That's not to say Hill can't be useful in that role – he did have a four-game stretch of double-digit Fantasy points in December – but it makes him extremely touchdown dependent, and without any kind of receptions floor to help make up for those times when he doesn't score.

Unless Hill's role changes in Week 9 to one more like a traditional tight end, I'm going to rank him as a TE2. If he scores a touchdown, he'll probably be pretty useful, but good luck ever predicting when that's going to happen. "