Every week, I try to find players who could be sitting on the waiver wire and are worth picking up for this week based on their matchups. With bye weeks here, finding streaming options has become even more important! Here’s what I have for week nine:
Teams on a bye: CLE, GB, LV, SEA
Daniel Jones, Giants
Jones is coming off his best fantasy performance of the season. In week 9, he threw for 2 TD, rushed for 54 yards, and scored a rushing TD. Nabers is back and healthy, Theo Johnson is emerging as a weapon in the passing game, and rookie RB Tyrone Tracy has become a legitimate weapon in the offense, too. You put all of that together and consider that Jones is facing the Panthers this, and they rank 25th against the pass, last in points allowed, and 27th against the QB position in fantasy.
Trevor Lawrence, Jaguars
Several key teams have byes this week, and Lawrence is a good option to fill in for any of those teams’ QBs. He has a great matchup this weekend, facing the Vikings, who rank poorly against the pass. They rank 28th in the NFL in passing yards allowed per game, and Lawrence has performed better at home this season than on the road. The Vikings should score plenty of points against the Jags as well, so Lawrence should get a lot of garbage time.
Sam Darnold, Vikings
After being a top quarterback through the first four weeks of the season, Darnold struggled in week 5, went on his bye week, and was dropped in several leagues. He has gotten progressively better every week since then and had his second-best game of the season last week, throwing for 290 yards and 3 TD passes. This weekend, he has an excellent matchup against the Jaguars, who rank 31st against the pass and 30th in points allowed per game.
Tyler Allgeier, Falcons
He is rarely going to have a game like in week 6, where he had close to the same amount of touches as Bijan Robinson did. Still, Allgeier continues to see a steady dose of opportunity in the Falcons offense, especially when they are playing with a lead. You should expect that to be the case this weekend, as they face the 2-7 Saints, who have looked terrible for 7 weeks now. The Saints rank 25th against run in the NFL and 25th against RBs in fantasy football. Allgeier scored a TD last week against the Cowboys, and he could again in this matchup.
Roschon Johnson, Bears
This is more of a deep league-only move. If you have a RB on any of the teams with byes this week, you might be looking for a cheap replacement. Johnson is a good RB, but he is available in most leagues since Swift finally emerged as the lead guy in the offense a few weeks ago. Still, Johnson sees red zone, and specifically, goal line touches. He and the Bears face the Patriots this weekend, who rank 22nd in the NFL against the run and 28th in fantasy against RBs.
Xavier Legette, Panthers
With Diontae Johnson traded to the Ravens, Legette’s target share is only expected to grow. I like him as a waiver wire add this week and against a weak Giants secondary. This game is overseas this week, so be sure to use him in a WR slot if you plan to have him in your starting lineup.
Ricky Pearsall, 49ers
He faces the Bucs this weekend, who have been torched by opponents passing games this season. Coming off the bye week, he has had more time to gel with Brock Purdy and the offense, so expect the 49ers top pick in this years draft to be more heavily involved.
Darius Slayton, Giants
He is listed as questionable right now, so you will need to monitor the situation. However, Slayton has been the big play threat for the Giants this season, and that hasn’t changed based on Malik Nabers’ status. Considering the matchup against a terrible Panthers defense, Slayton is an interesting all-or-nothing type of streamer this week.
Taysom Hill, Saints
Other than Alvin Kamara, there is no other Saints player with a better chance to score a TD in a game than Taysom Hill. He can throw for it, run for it, or make a TD catch. His versatility always makes him an interesting play: I said it last week, and he scored, and I’ll say it again this week, I think he needs to be in your lineups. The Saints are facing the Falcons, who have a good secondary but have allowed a lot of points this season. Also, with Chris Olave injured, the offense is completely centered around Kamara and HIll.
New York Giants
They were actually dropped in some of my leagues because of their matchup with the Commanders last week. This week, they get the Panthers, though. The Panthers offense has been better lately, but I still love this Giants pass rush against Bryce Young.
