Like many weeks before it, Week 8 of the NFL season was partially defined by key fantasy football players going down with injuries.
Giants RB Cam Skattebo’s dislocated ankle tops the list, putting fantasy owners in a tough spot with him out for the year. On the bright side, the fantasy football waiver wire for NFL Week 9 has some intriguing names, including RB Tyrone Tracy Jr. and emerging Patriots WR Kayshon Boutte.
Whether you’re looking to stream a player or get a leg up on the competition in the long run, Week 9 waiver wire pickups have a flavor for just about everyone.
Week 9 Fantasy Football Waiver Wire Pickups by Position
Here are some Week 9 fantasy football waiver wire targets at QB, RB, WR, and TE.
We'll also include players' PrizePicks stat projections for Week 9. Pick More or Less on their stats and win real money if you're right.
(Fantasy rankings and 2025 point totals are courtesy of FantasyPros.)
Jaguars QB Trevor Lawrence (@ Raiders)
As is the story of his career, it’s been an up-and-down season for Trevor Lawrence. The Jaguars’ star QB led his team to a 4-1 start, only to drop consecutive games prior to the bye.
Lawrence ranks as QB16 in fantasy land this year, but his recent production is even better. From Weeks 5-7, he was QB7 thanks to 4 passing TDs and a pair of rushing TDs.
Las Vegas’ defense is right down the middle (16th) in fantasy production given up to QBs on a weekly basis. It’s also 26th in EPA/pass, per SumerSports, presenting a potentially solid matchup for Lawrence to exploit.
Lawrence is projected for 229.5 pass yards, 1.5 pass TDs, and 15.5 rush yards on PrizePicks in Week 9.
Other Week 9 QB Waiver Wire Pickups to Consider
- Seahawks QB Sam Darnold (@ Commanders): Halloween season is here, but you might have to keep waiting for Darnold to turn into a pumpkin. Seattle’s starter continues playing some of his best football ever, leading the league in yards per attempt (9.1). In three pre-bye games, he racked up 7 TDs and was QB12. Just two teams — Cowboys and Giants — have yielded more fantasy points than the Commanders.
- Dolphins QB Tua Tagovailoa (vs. Ravens): Was there a bigger case of whiplash than Tagovailoa’s showings in Weeks 7 and 8? After throwing 3 INTs and serving as QB34 in a 31-6 loss to the Browns, the former No. 5 overall pick tossed a season-high 4 TDs and was QB8 in a 34-10 crushing of the Falcons. This pick is all about the opponent — Baltimore’s defense has surrendered the fourth-most fantasy points per game granted to QBs.
Giants RB Tyrone Tracy Jr. (vs. 49ers)
With Skattebo done for the season after undergoing successful surgery for his ankle injury, it’s all systems go for Tyrone Tracy Jr. in the Giants’ backfield.
Signs of Tracy getting involved were there pre-Skattebo ailment, too. In Week 7’s 33-32 loss to the Broncos, he played 28 snaps and got 9 carries for 46 yards and a TD. On Sunday against the Eagles, Tracy logged 33 snaps — 63.5% of those available — and had 12 touches.
Devin Singletary remains a nice backup, but Tracy is clear RB1 in New York, similar to his role in 2024. From Weeks 5-18 of last season, he amassed 1,053 scrimmage yards with 6 TDs. That was good for fantasy RB16 output.
Now, Tracy faces San Francisco’s unspectacular defense that ranks 18th in fantasy points allowed to RBs and 20th in rush success rate allowed, per rbsdm.
Tracy is projected for 3.5 yards on his first rush, and his 0.5 rush + rec TD projection is a Demon pick on PrizePicks in Week 9.
Other Week 9 RB Waiver Wire Pickups to Consider
- Cardinals RB Zonovan “Bam” Knight (@ Cowboys): Trey Benson remains on injured reserve for now, and Michael Carter got released on Monday. If that doesn’t spell a (temporary) belief in Knight, nothing else will. Knight had 17 touches right before the Week 8 bye on just under 45% of snaps. The Cowboys give up the third-most fantasy points to the RB position.
- Titans RB Tyjae Spears (vs. Chargers): If Spears is still available in your league, he might be worth a shot. Week 8 saw him score his first TD of the year, in addition to setting 2025-highs for snaps (37), rushing yards (59) and receiving yards (23). Spears, RB13 for the weekend, may continue to eat into Tony Pollard’s workload.
Patriots WR Kayshon Boutte (vs. Falcons)
Is Kayshon Boutte more than just a cool story now? The progression of his 2025-26 season hints at it being possible.
In Weeks 6-8, the former sixth-round pick has 10 catches on 12 targets for 223 yards and 4 TDs. He’s fantasy WR2 in that stretch, emerging as a big-play target for QB Drake Maye.
Boutte’s snaps have increased dating back to Week 4, rising from 34 all the way to 50 in less than a month’s time. Facing the Falcons’ seventh-ranked WR fantasy defense figures to be a nice test of his true viability in lineups.
Boutte is projected for 35.5 receiving yards vs. the Falcons on PrizePicks in Week 9.
Other Week 9 WR Waiver Wire Pickups to Consider
- Broncos WR Troy Franklin (@ Texans): Franklin went quiet in Weeks 3-6, logging 21 targets but converting to just 117 yards. In the past two games alone, he’s got 18 targets, 108 yards and 3 TDs. The former Oregon standout is thriving with QB Bo Nix, but like Boutte, he’s got a tough matchup on the books. Houston allows the third-lowest fantasy output to WRs.
- Colts WR Alec Pierce (@ Steelers): Speaking of threats to break off chunks down the field, Pierce leads all WRs with 15+ catches in yards per reception at 21.4. Dating back to Week 2, his worst in-game output is 4 targets and 48 yards. This weekend, he plays a Steelers secondary that yields the eighth-most fantasy points to WRs. Perhaps the only red flag in Pierce’s profile is he has yet to find the end zone this season.
Bears TE Colston Loveland (@ Bengals)
Starter Cole Kmet missed Week 8’s 30-16 loss to the Ravens with a back injury. His availability for Week 9 makes Loveland a tentative fantasy prospect, as the rookie could provide value.
Playing a career-high 51 snaps on Sunday, Loveland also set personal bests for targets (5) and yards (38). Per Fantasy Points Data, he posted Week 8’s sixth-highest route share of any TE (75.6%).
If Loveland gets prime snaps against the Bengals on Sunday, his matchup is pristine. No team has given up more fantasy points to TEs than Cincinnati. In fact, the gap between them and second-place Pittsburgh is the difference between second and 12th place.
Other Week 9 TE Waiver Wire Pickups to Consider
- Jets TE Mason Taylor (BYE): Keeping it with the theme of talented first-year TEs, Taylor scored his first TD in a 39-38 win over the Bengals. Despite amassing just 34 receiving yards, he placed as TE8 for Week 8. After a Week 9 bye, he’ll face a pair of bottom-10 TE fantasy defenses in Cleveland and New England.
- Seahawks TE AJ Barner (@ Commanders): Barner is an interesting case. In Weeks 4 and 5, his 85 yards and 3 TDs made him TE3. In his next two games, he fell all the way to TE25. Can he level off coming out of the bye? Attacking a Commanders defense that ranks fifth in highest fantasy output to TEs might help in Week 9.
Make NFL Picks With PrizePicks
With Week 9 on the horizon, you can use PrizePicks to make your NFL picks every week of the season for a shot to win real money. Doing so is simple.
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