Jahnke: 5 to Waiver Wire Add, 5 to Cut, 5 to Sell High, 5 to Buy Low Week 9

The 2020 fantasy football season has now passed the midway point, and it’s time to make preparations for the playoffs. Players to add and drop are now largely tied to those who have been hurt, those returning from injury and the subsequent fallout from those decisions. NFL teams are also making decisions based on players who have or have not played well over the first half of the NFL season.

There are the usual players coming off an outlier game, but it’s also worth looking to trade or trade for players based on their matchups once the fantasy playoffs hit. After all, there is only so much time to make improvements to your roster before the playoffs come around, so with trade deadlines coming up within the next few weeks of most leagues, it’s important to make these moves sooner rather than later.

Five players to add

1. RB Jordan Wilkins, Indianapolis Colts

Wilkins was the leading rusher for the Colts this past week, gaining 89 yards on 20 carries and finding the end zone for a touchdown. Jonathan Taylor is typically the team's lead rusher, but he gained just 22 yards on 11 carries this week, and Wilkins was used more than Taylor as the game went on. The reason why that happened is a little less apparent.

In a post-game interview, Philip Rivers said that Taylor “was a little nicked up,” even though the rookie running back hasn’t appeared on an official injury report this year. At this point, it’s unclear whether he's been nicked up before this week or how long this could impact him.

Wilkins has outplayed Taylor in the running game this season. His 75.3 PFF grade is higher than Taylor’s 64.7; he’s also avoided more tackles at 16 to 7 despite half the carries, and his 3.4 yards after contact per carry towers over Taylor's 2.1.

There is a chance Taylor could be 100% next week and Wilkins will be back to No. 2 duties, but there is also a chance Taylor remains nicked up the rest of the season, thrusting Wilkins into the spotlight of one of the most run-heavy teams in the NFL. That is a risk worth taking with a roster spot.

2. RB JaMycal Hasty, San Francisco 49ers