Week 9 fantasy football waiver wire must-adds

There were plenty of letdowns and injuries to go around in Week 8 of the NFL season. Every Tuesday, we will dive into a handful of the top fantasy football pickups available that week and why they could be of value for fantasy owners looking to give their teams an extra boost.

Here are the top waiver-wire adds for Week 9:

1. Royce Freeman, RB, Los Angeles Rams (rostered in 9% of fantasy leagues)

Despite Darrell Henderson getting more carries, Freeman has actually led the Rams in rushing the last two weeks, even scoring his first touchdown last week against the Dallas Cowboys.

Freeman will likely continue to split carries with Henderson until Kyren Williams is healthy, and despite him seeing five fewer carries per game than Henderson, he’s averaging 5.2 yards per carry to Henderson’s 3.1. Freeman shouldn’t be looked to as an RB1 by any means, but he could be a worthwhile RB2 or flex add for a team in a jam because of injuries or a bye week.

2. Will Levis, QB, Tennessee Titans (rostered in 1% of fantasy leagues)

It’s safe to say no one expected Levis to torch the Falcons and their No. 7-ranked pass defense the way he did last week in his NFL debut. The Pittsburgh Steelers are not nearly as formidable, ranking 24th in pass defense and 30th in total defense, and Levis could have another big game.

It took Levis one half to match the number of touchdown passes Ryan Tannehill had through six games, and the rookie seemed to execute Tim Kelly’s offensive concepts much better than Tannehill did. Though he’s making just his second start, Levis has a favorable matchup and should get consideration as a QB1 this week.

3. Quentin Johnston, WR, Los Angeles Chargers (rostered in 34% of fantasy leagues)

Johnston could be the beneficiary of Joshua Palmer battling a knee injury with Mike Williams out for the season. He saw a career-high six targets and had a career-best 50 yards in Sunday’s 31-13 win over the Chicago Bears, and his target share could increase if Palmer is still hobbled.

With as much as the Chargers like to pass the ball, Johnston could see a healthy number of targets this week against the New York Jets, especially if Keenan Allen is double-teamed. The rookie wideout could be worth a flier as a desperation flex play.

4. Rashid Shaheed, WR, New Orleans Saints (rostered in 27% of fantasy leagues)

Shaheed easily gets lost in the shuffle with Chris Olave, Michael Thomas and Alvin Kamara in the picture, but he actually is New Orleans’ leader in touchdowns (three) and he has the second-most yards on the team (479).

Averaging 20.8 yards per catch, Shaheed is a big-play receiver in the Saints offense and he posted a career-best 153 yards last week against the Colts. He’s been targeted four or more times in five of eight games, and he could have another big game this week against the 30th-ranked Bears passing defense.

5. Devin Singletary, RB, Houston Texans (rostered in 7% of fantasy leagues)

Singletary has had double-digit carries in back-to-back weeks, and he could become a larger part of Houston’s offense the more Dameon Pierce struggles. Pierce has rushed for more than 50 yards just twice this season, and his three-yards-per-carry average is nearly a yard and a half less than last season. 

Singletary has experience as an RB1, starting 56 games over the last four seasons with the Buffalo Bills, so the Texans likely aren’t afraid to increase his workload as they search for any signs of hope on the ground. With 22 carries over the last two weeks, it wouldn’t be surprising to see Singletary get 15 or more carries this week if the Tampa Bay Bucs and their 10th-ranked run defense bottle up Pierce early on.

Honorable mention

Demario Douglas, WR, New England Patriots: With Kendrick Bourne suffering a season-ending ACL injury and DeVante Parker in concussion protocol, Douglas should see a high volume of targets this week.

Trey McBride, TE, Arizona Cardinals: Zach Ertz is on injured reserve and McBride had a breakout 10-catch, 95-yard performance against the Baltimore Ravens last week, even scoring a touchdown.