With another 6 team bye week (AZ, DET, DEN, JAX, NYG, SF) your team probably has a few holes in it’s starting lineup. Check out my list of top waiver targets for week 9 if you’re looking for a temporary replacement or long-term sleeper.
All players on this list are owned in less than 60% of Yahoo leagues.
QB:
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Terrelle Pryor PHI (37%): Pryor kicked off week 8 in style with a 93 yard TD run, but was pretty quiet after that with only 88 passing yards and 2 INTs. That is what you’re gonna get with Pryor, some exciting big plays and a handful of bonehead mistakes which is pretty standard for a 1st year starting QB. Pryor’s big play potential gives him a high ceiling and his rushing yards give him an acceptable floor (10ish points). That makes him an ideal back-up QB.
Max FAAB: $12
Jake Locker @STL (19%): Over his last three starts, Locker has thrown 6 TDs with only 1 INT and an average QB rating of 102. His rushing yards (38 YPG over last 3) are a nice bonus and he seems to be figuring things out. You could do worse if you are looking for a bye week replacement.
Max FAAB: $7
RB:
Andre Ellington BYE (54%): See ya, Mendenhall. In Ellington’s first start he rushed for 154 yards and TD. He also broke an 80-yard run which is about 75 more than Mendenhall is capable of right now. The fact that coach Arians considers Ellington too small for a feature back role is concerning, but after his week 8 performance Bruce Arians would be crazy not to give Ellington more touches.
Max FAAB: $32
Mike James @SEA (52%): Lackluster performance for James in his first start (64 total yards), but Carolina has a tough run defense. James could have had a much better day as he was actually wide open on multiple plays out of the backfield, but Glennon wasn’t even looking in his direction (bum). James is a good receiver and could be a poor man’s Danny Woodhead the next few weeks. This week’s match-up is brutal, but he should be the #1 RB in Tampa for a few more weeks while Doug Martin recovers.
Max FAAB: $12
Jonathon Stewart ATL (11%): Stewart was back at practice last week for the first time all season and will play this week vs ATL. It’s been awhile since Stewart was an asset in fantasy, but with Carolina’s offense improving there is a chance Stewart becomes a useful fantasy play. Worth a gamble with your last roster spot.
Max FAAB: $10
Peyton Hillis BYE (38%): With David Wilson out at least a few more weeks, Hillis has the Giants RB job for now. He had 85 total yards on Sunday with 3 catches out of the backfield. That’s actually a really good day compared to what the rest of the Giants backfield has done this year (except for miracle Jacobs game). Hillis should get at least a couple more starts this year.
Max FAAB: $10