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Week 9 is a week I’m sure most fantasy owners have been dreading. This is the first of a three week span where half of the NFL teams are taking their byes. This week we have the Atlanta Falcons, Buffalo Bills, Chicago Bears, Detroit Lions, Green Bay Packers and Tennessee Titans off. That leaves us with a ton of big names to replace at every position. Of note, we have two guys from the New England Patriots who are off next week, thus showing the need of a short term fix. Also, there are 5 teams that have their defense on the top 25 added list, with 1 making the top 5. This should be an interesting week, definitely one where your bench and who you had on waivers is going to be a deciding factor. So let’s get into it, the biggest waiver wire movers on Fleaflicker, and who is here to stay.
Top Fleaflicker Players Added For Week 9
Brandon LaFell (WR, NE) - 4,571 Waiver Wire Adds It is safe to say that the doubts about the Patriots from Week 4 are long gone, and Brandon LaFell has been as big a factor as anyone. In the past 5 games, LaFell has 4 TDs, 26 receptions and 415 yards. He has had 3 big games, going for 17.9, 21.7 and 18.4 standard points during weeks 4, 6 & 8. My lone problem is while LaFell did have those 3 big games, during weeks 3, 5 & 7, he never topped 55 yards. In a Week 9 tough matchup against Denver, where we all know the Brady-Manning games are known to be shootouts, LaFell’s productivity is a question mark. Is he a start-worthy WR3? Yes, but he could end up being a nonfactor. Tom Brady has made LaFell another Wes Welker or Julian Edelman, a nothing WR who is now relevant. Even with his newfound skill, LaFell is still the third target of Brady behind said Edelman and some Rob Gronkowski guy. He is still available in 1/3 of Fleaflicker leagues, and is probably going to be a better waiver wire option than whoever you have as your FLEX/bench WR. Martavis Bryant (WR, PIT) - 4,128 Waiver Wire Adds I always hate guys like Martavis Bryant. The past two weeks, Bryant’s first two of the season, he combined for 7 catches and 123 yards with 3 TDs for 30.3 standard points. His two scores last week were goal line catches from 5 and 2 yards out. Bryant has made a case as Big Ben Roethlisberger’s best goal line option, and should see an increase in targets (5 & 7 through 2 games.) Why would I hate to add a guy like Bryant then? Antonio Brown, Markus Wheaton and Lance Moore, that’s why. In Pittsburgh’s 51 point shellacking of Indianapolis, Brown, Roethlisberger’s clear #1 target, scored two TDs of his own. Wheaton also got into the end zone, and Moore had a TD the two previous games against Houston and Cleveland. At 31% owned, Bryant is the exact definition of a boom-or-bust WR3. He is a possibly the best red zone target for Big Ben, but if he doesn’t hit score, he’s probably going to be worthless. Minnesota Vikings (MIN, DEF) - 3,190 Waiver Wire Adds The Vikings defense has really grown on me the past few years. I added them in anticipation of this week where Detroit was off. In the past two weeks, they have gone for 24 standard points with 11 sacks, 2 picks, 4 fumble recoveries and a defense TD. Take that for whatever it’s worth, as the two games were against Buffalo and Tampa Bay, not exactly high caliber offenses. With their next game against Washington, I would expect another nice game from their defense. Jeremy Hill (RB, CIN) - 3,083 Waiver Wire Adds Giovani Bernard is out, Jeremy Hill is in. This applies to both the Bengals and your fantasy team this week. Hill is among the best handcuffs in the game, and will have full control of Cincy’s backfield until Gio is back. On top of all that, Hill is also suiting up against the terrifying, death-defying Jaguars this week. Seriously, Hill is an amazing plug-and-play option this week, and could be your best bet for a solid week off the waiver wire. In all the leagues I drafted Doug Martin, I dropped him for Hill. I always say I wouldn’t recommend a move for you guys that I wouldn’t do myself. Gio may be back next week against Cleveland, so the RB1 status for Hill may not last. However, he is available in 36% of Fleaflicker leagues, and as I said, he is among the best backups in the league. If Hill does have a nice game against the Jags, I would expect him to receive a few more touches per game behind Bernard. Jonas Gray (RB, NE) - 2,639 Waiver Wire Adds Another Patriot I can’t figure out, Jonas Gray seems to have taken over the backup running back role behind Shane Vereen. Last week against Chicago, Gray had 17 touches for 86 yards while James White went 6-17 and Brandon Bolden didn’t touch the ball once. Debuting two weeks, ago, Gray seems to have made an impression on Bill Belichick since he lost Stevan Ridley for the year. What might make fantasy owners drool is Gray’s 7 touches inside the Bears 10 yard line last week. Even though he didn’t score, it might be a sign that Belichick will go to Gray more for the short yardage score chances. I don’t like any running back not named Vereen this week against Denver. Yet at only 20% owned, there are not many better deeper league options when looking at FLEX spots or bench handcuff running backs. New England as better matchups towards the end of the year, so Gray is definitely worth holding onto until then. I have developed a general rule from this column: a case can be made to add any and all of the players on this list. However, there is generally a reason these five were not drafted in most leagues. There is obviously a risk in starting every player, and these waiver wire adds might be risky for your teams until you know for sure what you are going to get out of them. Make sure to share your thoughts and comments below; leave any questions you have for me about these guys or anything related to fantasy football. Good luck in Week 9, RotoBallers.
