Is it too late to ask the NFL for a refund for Week 9? We were promised a sandwich of awesome games between the Chiefs and Dolphins and the Bills and Bengals, but in between we got a slew of low-scoring games that came with their share of injuries. Jaylen Waddle is banged up again, Cam Akers suffered a ruptured Achilles, Daniel Jones tore his ACL, and Ja'Marr Chase is dealing with a back injury after a hard fall. At this point, we know what all these injuries mean; it’s once again time to scour the waiver wire in search of replacements, and at this point, pickings are slim.

There are also four teams on bye in Week 10, including the Philadelphia Eagles, Miami Dolphins, Kansas City Chiefs, and Los Angeles Rams, so even if you haven’t been bitten by the injury bug, there are some heavy hitters who are taking a break from the action this week. But, real contenders never quit! That’s why we’re here to help you make those important decisions to keep you in the running as we head towards the fantasy football playoffs. Let’s check out some names who may still be available in your leagues.

 

Waiver Wire Quarterbacks

Joshua Dobbs, Minnesota Vikings 

(Available in 84% of ESPN leagues, 83% of Yahoo leagues, and 81% of Sleeper leagues)

FAAB Bid: 3-5% of total budget

What a Cinderella story this has been! Less than a week after getting traded to the Vikings from the Arizona Cardinals, Dobbs was forced into action after rookie Jaren Hall suffered a concussion in the first quarter. Not only did Dobbs put up decent numbers with 158 yards, two touchdowns, and no interceptions (although he did fumble twice). He also put up 66 yards with his legs, and we all love a rushing quarterback on our fantasy teams. The bigger story than his statline is that he led the Vikings to a win without knowing the playbook or even his own teammates’ names! With all the quarterback injuries around the league, you’re probably streaming at this point, but Dobbs could be even more than that, as he currently sits as the QB9 in fantasy. As he gets more familiar with the playbook and his teammates, he should be an every week starter going forward. Don’t be afraid to drop a decent chunk of FAAB if you need a quarterback.

Taylor Heinicke, Atlanta Falcons 

(Available in 95% of ESPN leagues, 89% of Yahoo leagues, and 77% of Sleeper leagues)

FAAB Bid: 1-2% of total budget

I’m not going to sugar coat it; it’s ugly out here in these quarterback streets, especially when we’re looking at Taylor Heinicke as an option, especially when he’s playing for Arthur Smith. However, against the Vikings, he put up a decent statline, finishing with 268 yards, one touchdown and one interception, along with 20 rushing yards. Next week, the Falcons have a matchup against the Arizona Cardinals, whose defense has allowed the seventh-most fantasy points to the quarterback position going into Week 9, and although they do have a bye in Week 11, Heinicke should be considered a streaming option this week against a very pliable defense. 

Gardner Minshew, Indianapolis Colts 

(Available in 88% of ESPN leagues, 74% of Yahoo leagues, and 71% of Sleeper leagues)

FAAB Bid: 1-2% of total budget

He didn’t have a good game statistically against the Carolina Panthers, only 127 yards and one touchdown, but he didn’t have to. The two pick-sixes the Colts defense put up completely altered the game script and made throwing unnecessary. However, in the previous three weeks, Minshew has thrown for 329 yards, 305 yards, and 213 yards with five touchdowns over that span, so he does have some value against a New England Patriots defense that just gave up 325 yards to Sam Howell in Week 9. Like the Falcons, the Colts have a bye in Week 11, so he wouldn’t be more than a streaming option this week, but after the bye, the Colts face the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and the Tennessee Titans, and in the quarterback landscape, beggars can’t be choosers.

Waiver Wire Running Backs

Keaton Mitchell, Baltimore Ravens 

(Available in 99% of ESPN leagues, 95% of Yahoo leagues, and 97% of Sleeper leagues)

FAAB Bid: 5-8% of total budget

The score was way out of hand when Mitchell entered the game, but nonetheless, he performed very well against the Seahawks, finishing with 138 yards and a touchdown on just nine rushing attempts. I’m a little hesitant as to what his workload will be going forward, as he only played 14 of the team’s 76 offensive snaps with Justice Hill getting the bulk of the work. This could be a game script situation, but we still can’t ignore the efficiency. I wouldn’t start him right away against the Cleveland Browns next week, but if you have some bye weeks you need to get ahead of, he’s worth a little bid.

Zach Charbonnet, Seattle Seahawks

(Available in 70% of ESPN leagues, 56% of Yahoo leagues, and 48% of Sleeper leagues)

FAAB Bid: 5-8% of total budget

While we haven’t seen the carries out of Charbonnet that we’ve been waiting for, his snap share is trending in the right direction. This week, he outsnapped Kenneth Walker and ran four more routes, although he only saw four carries to Walker’s nine and only one target. Let’s cut him some slack though, as the Seahawks were hardly able to get anything going against the Ravens defense, only scoring three points and putting up 28 total rushing yards. Things should get better next week against the Washington Commanders, especially if he continues to see a larger snap share.

Leonard Fournette, Buffalo Bills 

(Available in 86% of ESPN leagues, 69% of Yahoo leagues, and 66% of Sleeper leagues)

FAAB Bid: 5-8% of total budget

Have y’all seen that picture of Lombardi Lenny working out for the Bills? Holy cow…he looks big in all the right places and also looks like he’s slimmed down from where he was last season, and with the Bills run game woes, he could have an immediate role next week against the Denver Broncos. He’s still technically on the practice squad, but with just 68 yards of rushing (44 of which came from Josh Allen), the Bills HAVE to find a spark in their backfield, and that’s what Fournette brings. He may initially only be used in short yardage situations, but at least we know what we have with him, and let’s face it…the waiver wire is pretty bleak at this point in the season.

Ty Chandler, Minnesota Vikings 

(Available in 99% of ESPN leagues, 99% of Yahoo leagues, and 96% of Sleeper leagues)

FAAB Bid: 3-5% of total budget

Ty Chandler was relegated into the background of the backfield after the Vikings traded for Cam Akers, but now with news that he suffered an Achilles injury on Sunday, Chandler should have a much larger role. Alexander Mattison hasn’t been efficient so far this season, only averaging 3.56 yards per carry, so Chandler could provide some sort of a spark for the Vikings. We obviously don’t know what we have with him, since we haven’t seen him in action this season, but he could be someone to stash on your roster.

Waiver Wire Wide Receivers

Tank Dell, Houston Texans 

(Available in 45% of ESPN leagues, 52% of Yahoo leagues, and 40% of Sleeper leagues)

FAAB Bid: 8-12% of total budget

Okay, so this admittedly is on the borderline of where I usually cut off eligible targets because of the rostership percentage, but I would be remiss if I did not include him because of his huge performances this season and in Week 9. He’s an explosive playmaker, averaging 16.21 yards per reception this year, and in his limited games, he still has four touchdowns. C.J. Stroud is on fire, and the rookie-to-rookie connection shows. We’re not sure how long fellow wide receiver Robert Woods will be out of the lineup, but even if he returns, it’s going to be hard to remove Dell from the rotation. His ceiling is sky high. (If Dell isn’t available in your leagues, take a look at Noah Brown.)

Quentin Johnston, Los Angeles Chargers 

(Available in 66% of ESPN leagues, 67% of ESPN leagues, and 51% of Sleeper leagues)

FAAB Bid: 5-8% of total budget

If it’s going to happen for Quentin Johnston this year, now is the time. With Joshua Palmer being placed on injured reserve along with Mike Williams, Johnston now has a full-time role on the field, and a better opportunity will be hard to find anywhere else in the league. Sure, Monday night’s matchup against the Jets was difficult, and it admittedly doesn’t get much easier, but again, we’re late in the season, and we’re looking for guys who have a full snap share and will see targets. He will have to work on his hands and route-running, but hey, it’s trial by fire right now.

Demario Douglas, New England Patriots 

(Available in 78% of ESPN leagues, 65% of Yahoo leagues, and 56% of Sleeper leagues

FAAB Bid: 8-10% of total budget

Douglas had a modest day against the Washington Commanders in Week 9, but it seems like the entire passing game had its issues. Douglas still played 53 out of the team’s 64 offensive snaps, and he led the team in targets with seven, so the workload is what we were expecting, even if the production wasn’t. It should get better over the next few weeks, with matchups against the Indianapolis Colts, New York Giants, and Los Angeles Chargers. He does have a bye in Week 11, but that string of matchups makes it worth picking him up.

Michael Wilson, Arizona Cardinals

 (Available in 93% of ESPN leagues, 88% of Yahoo leagues, and 81% of Sleeper leagues)

FAAB Bid: 5-8% of total budget

Although he missed Week 9 with an injury, Michael Wilson is still someone worth looking into with the impending return of quarterback Kyler Murray. Wilson has been a fringe-worthy fantasy asset even with Joshua Dobbs, so getting Murray back should vault him into at least flex territory. He’s accumulated over 400 yards on just 25 catches so far this season, with an average of 16.04 yards per catch, so he could emerge as Murray’s deep threat target when he returns. Keep an eye on the injury, but right now, it’s not looking like a long-term issue.

Waiver Wire Tight Ends

Luke Musgrave, Green Bay Packers 

(Available in 83% of ESPN leagues, 78% of Yahoo leagues, and 71% of Sleeper leagues)

FAAB Bid: 3-5% of total budget

While the Packers passing game hasn’t been a juggernaut or anything, Luke Musgrave is seeing consistent work in the passing game. It was a little worrisome through the early part of the game, but he still finished with 51 yards on three receptions and a touchdown. Jordan Love’s play is obviously concerning, but the next matchups against the Pittsburgh Steelers, Los Angeles Chargers, and Detroit Lions should be very beneficial for his stat line. And, as always with tight end, you could do worse.

Cade Otton, Tampa Bay Buccaneers 

(Available in 92% of ESPN leagues, 95% of Yahoo leagues, 90% of Sleeper leagues)

FAAB Bid: 3-5% of total budget

If you want elite snap share, say no more; Otton played every single one of the Buccaneers 66 offensive snaps against the Texans this week, and while you could think that some of that was spent blocking, Otton still led the team in targets with nine and ran 30 routes. The Bucs have some great matchups coming up against the Tennessee Titans, Indianapolis Colts, Carolina Panthers, and Atlanta Falcons over the next five weeks, so Otton could be a long-term solution at tight end as we head into the fantasy football playoffs.

Jonnu Smith, Atlanta Falcons 

(Available in 73% of ESPN leagues, 72% of ESPN leagues, and 68% of Sleeper leagues)

FAAB Bid: 1-3% of total budget

We keep circling back to this as the season rolls on, but it looks like Jonnu Smith is going to continue to play a part in this offense. He’s splitting snaps basically equally with Kyle Pitts, seeing equal targets, running almost equal routes…you name it. As long as Arthur Smith refuses to treat Pitts like he is the unicorn he is, you can continue to count on Jonnu being a big part of this offense, as gross as it is.