• Taysom Hill finally has a big game: The New Orleans Saints tight end was a top-three player this past week and should have a large role in the team's offense going forward.
• Daniel Jones becomes a viable fantasy option: The New York Giants quarterback showed off his rushing ability this past week, and the team's upcoming schedule is very favorable.
• Unlock your edge with a PFF+ subscription: Get full access to all of our in-season fantasy tools, including weekly rankings, WR/CB matchup charts, weekly projections, the Start-Sit Optimizer and more. Sign up now!
Estimated Reading Time: 24 minutes
With Week 9 of the 2024 NFL season nearly complete, here are the key players to target on the fantasy football waiver wire. Here, we'll cover options for smaller and deeper leagues and also highlight the players to avoid.
Jump to a position group:
QB | RB | WR | TE
Quarterback
Justin Herbert, Los Angeles Chargers (Rostered in 43.3% of leagues on ESPN)
Herbert has been on fire over the past month. He completed 18 of 27 passes for 282 yards and two touchdowns in Week 9 and didn’t need to do much more in a 17-point victory. Wide receiver Quentin Johnston returned from injury, and D.J. Chark could also be part of the rotation as early as next week. Herbert has averaged 19.5 fantasy points per game over the past three weeks, racking up the most passing yards over that span (910).
Over the next six weeks, the Chargers have matchups against the Cincinnati Bengals, Baltimore Ravens and Kansas City Chiefs. Those teams pass the ball a lot, so they all rank in the top four at allowing fantasy points to quarterbacks. Herbert's matchups in the fantasy semifinals and finals aren’t great, but he can be in fantasy starting lineups leading up to the fantasy playoffs.
Tua Tagovailoa, Miami Dolphins (43.0%)
Tagovailoa took steps forward in his second game back from injury, although it didn’t lead to a victory for the Dolphins. He completed 25 of 28 passes for 231 yards and two touchdowns. While he was nearly perfect as a passer, it wasn’t quite good enough to finish among the top 12 quarterbacks of the week, largely because he doesn’t have the same rushing volume as some other quarterbacks.
The Dolphins could build momentum over the next few weeks in games against the Los Angeles Rams, Las Vegas Raiders and New England Patriots. They have two favorable matchups in the fantasy playoffs against the Houston Texans and Cleveland Browns. There are several games in which Tagovailoa could be a fantasy starter, especially if the offense keeps playing this well.
Daniel Jones, New York Giants (12.5%)
Jones had a top-five performance for quarterbacks this week, completing 20 of 26 passes for 174 yards and two touchdowns while running seven times for 54 yards and a touchdown. While the three touchdowns heavily influenced his fantasy performance, this game was a reminder that Jones can run the ball, which is a big boon to his fantasy value.
The Giants have the best schedule for quarterbacks over the rest of the season. Each of their next three opponents is in the top six at allowing fantasy points to quarterbacks. During the fantasy playoffs, all three teams they face are in the top 11 at allowing fantasy points to quarterbacks. If Malik Nabers can start playing as well as he did early in the season, Jones could be putting up a lot of fantasy points, assuming he can keep the starting job.
Russell Wilson, Pittsburgh Steelers (21.9%)
Wilson has started two games for the Steelers this season. He scored 24.9 fantasy points against a great New York Jets secondary, thanks to three touchdown passes. His fantasy output wasn’t as strong against the New York Giants because he scored only one touchdown, but his performance remained strong. He averaged more than nine passing yards per attempt in both victories.
The Steelers were on a bye in Week 9, leading to Wilson remaining readily available in most fantasy leagues. Over the next seven weeks, the Steelers have two matchups against the Baltimore Ravens and one against the Cincinnati Bengals. That should be three high-scoring games against teams that have allowed more than 20 fantasy points per game to quarterbacks this season. Wilson should be a borderline fantasy starter in those games.
Bryce Young, Carolina Panthers (2.6%)
Young has started the past two weeks as Andy Dalton recovers from his injuries sustained in a car accident. Young wasn’t perfect in Week 9, but it was good enough to give the Panthers a victory. Ideally, we will find out in the next day or two if Young is named the starter going forward. If Carolina moves back to Dalton, he would be the waiver-wire target.
The reason the Panthers' starting quarterback is here — whomever it may be — is because of their schedule. Carolina faces the Dallas Cowboys, Arizona Cardinals and Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the fantasy playoffs — three of the top seven teams at allowing fantasy points to quarterbacks. Over the next four weeks, they also have matchups against the New York Giants and the Buccaneers, which are also matchups that can provide fantasy starter value for the Panthers' quarterback.
Running Back
Khalil Herbert, Cincinnati Bengals (4.0%)
The Bengals traded for Herbert on Tuesday. Zack Moss appears out for the rest of the regular season, which means there was a clear opening on the Bengals depth chart. Trayveon Williams served as the team’s third-round back this past week and was the only other notable running back on the roster outside of Chase Brown.
The reason Herbert is at the top of the list after the trade is there is a chance he will become the primary running back for Cincinnati. Over the last two years, both running backs have played between 335-385 offensive snaps, and Herbert has graded notably better as a runner and a pass blocker. A lot of their rushing metrics are very similar. Herbert is the better player at avoiding tackles while Brown has more explosive runs. Both running backs will probably play a lot, making it harder to trust either for fantasy. Still, unlike every other running back on this list, there is at least a chance Herbert becomes a starter without needing an injury to the current starter.
It is worth noting that Herbert is unlikely to have any fantasy value in the short term. The Bengals play on Thursday night, so he could very well be inactive this week with less than three days to learn the Bengals' offense. The Bengals face the Los Angeles Chargers next week, and the Chargers have been very good against the run. Then, the Bengals have their bye week.
Blake Corum, Los Angeles Rams (17.1%)
For the second straight week, the waiver-wire situation at running back feels like it’s at an all-time low.
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