Fantasy Football Week 9 Waiver Wire: Jeff Wilson, Chase Claypool among traded players you need to target

NFL trade deadline day proved to be exciting, and we had several moves that mattered for Fantasy managers. TJ Hockenson, Chase Claypool, Nyheim Hines, Jeff Wilson and Chase Edmonds all changed teams, and these transactions should make for some interesting moves on the waiver wire.

I’m excited about Hines in Buffalo, and I like Wilson as the new No. 2 running backs in Miami. Claypool gets a fresh start in Chicago, which should help Justin Fields, and Edmonds could end up as the No. 1 running back in Denver. As for Hockenson, his Fantasy value likely stays the same in Minnesota, but the Vikings offense should give him the chance for more touchdowns, which is ideal. And it helps Kirk Cousins.

With the players on the move, you also have guys staying put who benefit, including Deon Jackson in Indianapolis and the Steelers receivers in Diontae Johnson and George Pickens. It will be fun to see how these trades end up for the NFL teams — and Fantasy rosters — over the next several weeks.

As far as injuries go for Week 8, we got relatively lucky. Cooper Kupp (ankle) seems to have avoided a serious injury, Mark Andrews (shoulder) could be available in Week 9 and hopefully Gus Edwards (hamstring) could play as well. The only guys who were hurt in Week 8 likely not available in Week 9, at least as of Monday, will be Rashod Bateman (foot), DeVante Parker (knee), Mark Ingram (knee) and Irv Smith (ankle).

There are six teams on a bye in Week 9 — Cleveland, Dallas, Denver, the Giants, Pittsburgh and San Francisco — so lots of Fantasy managers could be missing several stars. It should make for an active week on the waiver wire as many of you are looking for key replacements.

Editor’s note: For this waiver wire column, we are only looking at players rostered in less than 65 percent of CBS Sports leagues.

Week 9 Waivers

• On a bye: Dak Prescott, Russell Wilson, Daniel Jones, Jimmy Garoppolo, Kenny Pickett and Jacoby Brissett
• Injuries: Ryan Tannehill (ankle), Matt Ryan (shoulder), Carson Wentz (finger) and Sam Darnold (ankle)
• Check to see if available: Jared Goff (84 percent rostered). Goff was a little unlucky with just 19 Fantasy points in Week 8 against Miami since he passed for 321 yards and one touchdown. His best football this season has been at home (averaging 28.0 Fantasy points per game), and he gets the Packers in Detroit in Week 9. It’s not an easy matchup, but with six quarterbacks on a bye you might want to use Goff as a low-end starter in deeper leagues.
• Drop candidates: Daniel Jones (90 percent rostered), Matthew Stafford (83 percent), Russell Wilson (70 percent) and Jimmy Garoppolo (69 percent). Jones, Wilson and Garoppolo are not worth stashing while on a bye. Jones was a major letdown in Week 8 at Seattle with just nine Fantasy points and only has two games this season with 20-plus points. Wilson has one game this season with more than 19 Fantasy points. Garoppolo might be worth stashing in deeper leagues with four games in a row with at least 20 Fantasy points, but he’s yet to top 22 points on the year. Unless he’s been your starter all season long, you can drop him now and try to get him back in Week 10 if needed. … Stafford has one game this season with more than 19 Fantasy points, which was Week 2. It’s hard to trust him in Week 9 at Tampa Bay, especially if Cooper Kupp (ankle) is at less than 100 percent.

Add available players in the following order:

• On a bye: Nick Chubb, Kareem Hunt, Ezekiel Elliott, Tony Pollard, Melvin Gordon, Latavius ​​Murray, Saquon Barkley, Najee Harris and Christian McCaffrey
• Injuries: Ezekiel Elliott (knee), Gus Edwards (hamstring), James Conner (ribs), Chuba Hubbard (ankle), JK Dobbins (knee), Cordarrelle Patterson (knee), Cam Akers (personal), Elijah Mitchell (knee), Joshua Kelley (knee), Kyren Williams (ankle), Mark Ingram (knee) and Damien Williams (ribs)
• Check to see if available: Chuba Hubbard (71 percent rostered) and Isiah Pacheco (68 percent). Hubbard should be the No. 2 running back behind D’Onta Foreman if Hubbard plays in Week 9 at the Bengals. But moving forward, Hubbard might prove to be more valuable than Foreman given his expected role in the passing game. In the first game without Christian McCaffrey in Week 7 against Tampa Bay, Hubbard had 11 total touches (two catches on three targets) for 73 total yards and a touchdown before hurting his ankle. He should be rostered in all leagues. … Pacheco started for the Chiefs in Week 7 at San Francisco, ahead of Clyde Edwards-Helaire, and we’ll see if that remains a permanent move in Week 9 against the Titans. Pacheco only had eight carries for 43 yards against the 49ers, and Edwards-Helaire and Jerick McKinnon still got plenty of work. But coming off the bye, hopefully Pacheco is headed for a bigger role. He should be stashed in all leagues to find out.
• Drop candidates: Damien Harris (91 percent rostered), Melvin Gordon (81 percent) and JK Dobbins (66 percent). In shallow PPR leagues, it might be time to move on from Harris, who is clearly behind Rhamondre Stevenson for the Patriots as of now. In two games back after missing Week 6 with an ankle sprain, Harris has combined for 14 carries for 45 yards and no touchdowns, along with three catches for 17 yards on four targets. You’re not starting Harris in Week 9 against the Colts, and the Patriots have a bye in Week 10. … Gordon is on a bye in Week 9, and he’s not worth holding, especially with Denver getting Chase Edmonds back in the Bradley Chubb deal. This is now a three-headed backfield with Gordon, Edmonds and Latavius ​​Murray, and it will be ugly for Fantasy managers. If anything, you might want to gamble on Edmonds (48 percent) to see if he emerges as the best running back for the Broncos for the rest of the season. … Dobbins is worth stashing if you have an IR spot, but don’t keep him on your bench. He’s not eligible to play until Week 12 at the earliest, and the Ravens might be cautious with him and hold him out longer than that to make sure he’s 100 percent for a potential playoff run.

Add available players in the following order:

• On a bye: Amari Cooper, Donovan Peoples-Jones, CeeDee Lamb, Michael Gallup, Courtland Sutton, Jerry Jeudy, Wan’Dale Robinson, Darius Slayton, Diontae Johnson, George Pickens, Chase Claypool, Deebo Samuel and Brandon Aiyuk
• Injuries: Cooper Kupp (ankle), Ja’Marr Chase (hip), Deebo Samuel (hamstring), Keenan Allen (hamstring), Adam Thielen (knee), Mike Williams (ankle), Allen Lazard (shoulder), Marquise Brown (foot), Michael Thomas (foot), Rashod Bateman (foot), DeVante Parker (knee), Corey Davis (knee), Jahan Dotson (hamstring), Nico Collins (groin), Russell Gage (hamstring), Jarvis Landry (ankle), Treylon Burks (toe), Christian Watson (concussion), Randall Cobb (ankle), DJ Chark (ankle), Kenny Golladay (knee), Josh Palmer (concussion) and Noah Brown (foot)
• Check to see if available: Allen Robinson (75 percent rostered) and Garrett Wilson (74 percent). If Cooper Kupp (ankle) can’t play in Week 9 then Robinson would be worth using as a No. 3 Fantasy receivers in all leagues. He’s been a disaster all season with just two touchdowns and no games with more than 63 receiving yards, but his targets would spike against the Buccaneers if Kupp is out. … In the first game without Breece Hall (ACL), the Jets were forced to throw in Week 8 against New England, and Wilson had his most targets (seven) since Zach Wilson replaced Joe Flacco in Week 4. Wilson finished with six catches for 115 yards, and Corey Davis (knee) was also out. The Jets might be throwing a lot more moving forward without Hall, and Wilson looks like he will benefit in a big way.
• Drop candidates: Rashod Bateman (85 percent rostered), Drake London (81 percent), Curtis Samuel (76 percent), Hunter Renfrow (68 percent) and Marquise Goodwin (62 percent). Bateman is going to miss “a few weeks” with his foot injury, according to coach John Harbaugh, and there’s no reason to stash him now, especially since Baltimore has a bye in Week 10. … London continues to be a non- factor for Fantasy managers given the Falcons run-first offense, and he has now scored seven PPR points or less in five games in a row. … Samuel might be worth holding in PPR leagues, but he hasn’t scored a touchdown since Week 2 and has 62 receiving yards or less in six games in a row. In non-PPR leagues, it’s easy to move on from Samuel as a stash candidate. … Even in a game where Davante Adams struggled and Darren Waller (hamstring) was out in Week 8 at New Orleans, Renfrow was still a non-factor with one catch for 6 yards on two targets. He’s now scored eight PPR points or less in four of five games this year, and his high for the season is 10 PPR points. … We said to add Goodwin last week with the chance DK Metcalf would miss time with a knee injury. But Metcalf was able to play in Week 8 against the Giants, and Goodwin managed just four catches for 33 yards on five targets. Goodwin will only be Fantasy relevant if Metcalf or Tyler Lockett were to miss any time.

Add available players in the following order:

• On a bye: David Njoku, Harrison Bryant, Dalton Schultz, Greg Dulcich, Pat Freiermuth and George Kittle
• Injuries of note: Mark Andrews (shoulder), Darren Waller (hamstring), Irv Smith (ankle), David Njoku (ankle), Daniel Bellinger (eye) and Cameron Brate (neck).
• Check to see if available: Dalton Schultz (78 percent rostered), Gerald Everett (74 percent) and Hayden Hurst (66 percent). I’m hopeful that Schultz turned the corner in Week 8 against Chicago with his best game since Week 1 when he had six catches for 74 yards on seven targets against the Bears. Dak Prescott seems back to his old self following a five-game absence with a thumb injury, and Schultz also looks healthy after battling a knee injury since Week 2. He should be 100 percent after the Cowboys bye in Week 9, and Schultz has top -five upside when he and Prescott are healthy. … Everett could be the No. 1 or 2 target for Justin Herbert with Mike Williams (ankle) hurt, and Keenan Allen (hamstring) also missed practice Monday after the Chargers’ bye in Week 8. Everett, along with Josh Palmer, should continue to be a favorite target for Herbert with these injuries at receiver. Everett has scored at least 11 PPR points in four of seven games this year and has at least six targets in all but one game over that span. … Hurst will hopefully start to play better with Ja’Marr Chase (hip) hurt. In the first game without Chase in Week 8 against the Browns, Hurst only had four catches for 42 yards on four targets. We’ll see what happens in Week 9 against Carolina, but Hurst can be considered a low-end starter in deeper leagues.

• Drop candidates: Irv Smith (74 percent rostered) and David Njoku (68 percent). Smith isn’t expected to play in Week 9 at Washington and is considered week-to-week after hurting his ankle against the Cardinals in Week 8. He hasn’t been productive enough to roster while he’s out with an injury. … Njoku has a bye in Week 9 and might not return to action in Week 10 from the ankle injury he suffered in Week 7. In deeper leagues you should hold onto him, but it might be hard to justify stashing him if you need to add another tight end or help at a different position. Hopefully, Njoku is back to 100 percent sooner rather than later because he was having a breakout season prior to his injury.

Add available players in the following order:

Add available players in the following order:

• Chiefs (22 percent rostered) vs. TEN
• Bengals (41 percent rostered) vs. CAR
• Jaguars (46 percent rostered) vs. LV
• Dolphins (57 percent rostered) at CHI

Add available players in the following order: