Well Rush Nation, we are officially at the 50% mark of the Fantasy Season. In addition to this, we only have 5-6 games left in the Fantasy Football regular season. And, with the byes coming thick and fast, it is time to stack up wins by getting ahead of the competition on the Waiver Wire.

We say it every week. If you aren’t managing the Waiver Wire, you are going to struggle to win your Championship. However, it is especially important to start thinking about Running Back handcuffs. Especially after the bye weeks and maybe a little but before. Whilst we are focusing on streaming options specifically for this article, players like Mattison, Pollard, Edmonds, Bonnafon and Penny should be owned. If they are available in your leagues, I would suggest picking them up as a matter of urgency from Week Ten/Week Eleven onwards. But we will address that then.

However, it is now it’s time to look at who we recommend for Week Nine’s Waiver Wire Pickups:

Quarterbacks

Sam Darnold – 15.2% Owned

Week 8: 21/30 218 Yds, 2TDs, 3 INTs, -1 Yd Rushing

Sam Darnold had a rough Week Eight, throwing 3 picks to a dominant Jaguars defense. However, he did show some signs of promise, with throwing a couple of Touchdowns and also moving the chains. Darnold also completed 21/30 and took an horrific 8 sacks. It’s been a rough couple of weeks for Darnold, who was caught saying he was “seeing ghosts” on Monday Night Football after a tough night vs the New England Patriots. However, he gets the pleasure of playing Miami this week. Feel confident in starting over the next three weeks as they are @MIA, then playing vs NYG before finishing this three game stretch @WAS. A must grab off of the Waiver Wire if you have Mahomes or a big QB on bye over the next few weeks.

Derek Carr – 18% Owned

Week 8: 18/30 285 Yds, 3TDs

Another great week for Derek Carr, throwing 3 more touchdowns in yet another loss. The Raiders offense has shocked everyone, especially in the last couple of weeks. Carr is 40/58 for 578 yards and 5 Touchdowns, with just 1 INT in his last two games. Carr and the Raiders finally get a home game next week, something they have not had since the middle of September. They are playing the Lions, who have been struggling on defense over the last few weeks. Expect Carr to continue to light it up with Tyrell Williams back and Darren Waller showing that he deserves his new contract.  Not to mention Hunter Renfrow is finally clicking and making plays. Expect Carr to have a decent week next week. As a streamer, there aren’t many better options that Derek Carr on the Waiver Wire right now.

Running Backs

Zach Zenner – 0.1% Owned

Week 8: 1 Carry, 0 Yds Rushing, 1 Reception, 13 Yds Receiving

Zenner isn’t the first name people will be thinking about when it comes to the Waiver Wire this week. However, if you have players on a bye and need someone to come in, then Zenner is your man. David Johnson is unlikely to make it for Thursday Night Football vs the 49ers and Chase Edmonds going down with a hamstring injury means he will probably not start either. Therefore, because Zenner was rostered this week and played, over Alfred Morris who wasn’t rostered and therefore didn’t play, Zenner should be the starter and get the volume this week. The Waiver Wire is thin at Running Back and there are not many other options. Therefore if you need a starter for Week Nine and you are relying on the Waiver Wire, this is your only option.

Mark Walton – 11.6% Owned

Week 8: @ Steelers on Monday Night Football

Mark Walton has been the starter for a couple of weeks in Miami. And he will be the starter on Monday Night Football when they take on the Pittsburgh Steelers. That is because Kenyon Drake has not traveled with the team to Pittsburgh due to trade talks progressing with a team. With Drake out of the picture, Walton will be the primary back. The only slight concern is that his goal-line opportunities are being vultured by Kalen Ballage currently. I wouldn’t expect this to last however. Walton has shown great ability so far and will continue to get a lot of volume going forward. He is easily the safest bet on the Waiver Wire right now in terms of predictive volume.

Wide Receivers

Cole Beasley – 26% Owned

Week 8: 3 Receptions, 41 Yds, TD

Cole Beasley has been in this Waiver Wire column for the last few weeks now. I cannot understand why there are not more people who own Cole Beasley. He is the second read on a team that faces Washington and Miami in 2 of his next three games. He is now getting the Touchdowns that we predicted a few weeks ago. His volume has gone down ever so slightly, but he is getting in the end zone. He is a solid flex starter in two of the next three weeks and makes great bye cover. Add him now.

Chris Conley – 9.7% Owned

Week 8: 4 Receptions, 103 Yds, TD

The last two weeks have been outstanding for Conley. After a 3-83 performance against the Bengals, he follows up with his biggest game of the season vs the Jets. The Jags had Westbrook banged up last week. However, he returned in this one vs the Jets, only to then leave the game due to injury early in the Second Quarter. With Westbrook out, Conley shined. Him and Chark have really stepped up this year. It’s no coincidence that these two performances have come with him having his season high in targets. In both games he managed 7 targets. If Westbrook is out this week for the London game, expect Conley to get 6-7 targets again and to also be efficient on those targets. He is a worth Waiver Wire streamer this week.

Tight Ends

Jonnu Smith – 0.5% Owned

Week 8: 6 Receptions, 78 Yds, TD

We talked about Smith on our show with Dwain McFarland. However, despite Dwain telling us to maybe not commit to Jonnu just yet, he has shown that perhaps I had it right all along. He had 64 Yards in Week Seven and followed this up with 78 yards and a Touchdown in Week Eight. Tannehill has always relied on Tight Ends to a certain degree. However, with Delanie Walker failing to recover from injury, Smith has taken his chance with both hands. And whilst he has the Panthers next on the road, he is still a good option for receptions and yards. Especially in the position of Tight End, which is pretty much garbage now.

Chris Herndon – 25.4% Owned

Week 8: Out Injured

Herndon hasn’t played this year due to suspension and injury. However, he is close to return. Last year, he had incredible chemistry with Darnold. We should expect the same again this year, as Darnold has missed having his safety blanket over the middle. When he comes back, he will be a very useful weapon for a team desperately short of weapons, and confidence. A worthy Waiver Wire add that should be owned in most leagues. Especially as they have Miami, the Giants and Washington in their next three games.

Kicker

Jason Myers- 10.6% Owned

Vs. Buccaneers Next

Myers was in this Waiver Wire column last week and he makes it again this week. There are not a lot of strong kickers under 30% owned. So if you need a bye week Kicker, Myers is your man this week. Expect the Buccaneers defense to make some stops, especially as the Seahawks like to run the ball a lot. This should get Myers the opportunity to get into double digits for the week.

D/ST

New York Jets – 10% Owned

@Miami Next

The Jets defense has not been the problem this season. They have scored three Touchdowns, had 5 INTs, 5 Fumble Recoveries and 9 Sacks. The Sack numbers are a little low but the other areas are rather impressive. Their biggest deficiency is conceding points. However this is mostly due to the inept offense, especially when Sam Darnold missed three games due to Mono. If this offense can stay on the field more, this would be a top 10 defense. However, in this match-up they do have the rather blunt Miami Dolphins. I would not expect Miami to score a ton of points. In addition to that, they are also very good at turning the football over. The Jets are a very safe play for the next few match-ups. As mentioned previously, they play Miami, the Giants and Washington in their next three games. Plug and play the Jets off of the Waiver Wire.

That’s it for this week. We hope you get a lot out of this article and are seeing some success. You can listen to the audio show on your favourite podcast app. We also answer questions on Twitter @5yardrush so do get in touch there. However, until next week, Keep Rushing.