Many fantasy football managers are desperately searching for a player to give their team a spark. Whether it's due to an injury or a disappointing high draft pick, there always seems to be one spot in the starting lineup that's always troublesome.
Some teams have found that guy, as Broncos running back Jonah Coleman's roster rate has gone from 35% in Week 7 to 72% last week. After he rumbled for 104 total yards and a touchdown in a huge comeback win, it looks like Coleman will be the lead back in Denver going forward.
Could anyone still out there on the waiver wire do something similar? Let's see if we can find out.
ON BYE: Pittsburgh, Tennessee
Fantasy football players to add for Week 9
Due to the wide variance in types of leagues and individual team needs, the players listed here include
their availability in Yahoo leagues, which may or may not match roster rates on other platforms. Suggested bid values based on $100 free agent acquisition budget (FAAB) for the season.
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RB Tyler Allgeier, Arizona Cardinals (52% rostered)
We normally don't include players who are rostered in more than half of Yahoo leagues, but Allgeier is close enough and a big enough deal that we need to make sure he isn't overlooked. The return of Jeremiyah Love to the Cardinals lineup in Week 8 seemed to provide some stability to the running game. However, he got only nine carries before exiting with a new ankle injury. Backup Bam Knight suffered a concussion, leaving Allgeier as the last man standing. Or ... running. He torched Dallas for 191 total yards and two touchdowns, and now finds himself atop the depth chart. Yes, it was against the Cowboys − and Arizona has a tough upcoming schedule − but Allgeier has shown how high his ceiling can be with a full workload. (Recommended FAAB bid: $22, even higher if you need a starter this week)
WR Adonai Mitchell, New York Jets (11% rostered)
Mitchell missed four games with a finger injury and didn't catch a pass in Week 7, but he exploded for a career-best 142 yards on seven receptions against the Raiders. It's almost a reflex for fantasy managers to rush to pick him up. But remember Omar Cooper Jr. was coming off consecutive 100-yard games and didn't get a target in this game. And we've seen TEs Mason Taylor and Kenyon Sadiq go off in previous weeks. It's hard to trust a Jets receiver not named Garrett Wilson on a week-to-week basis. (FAAB bid: $9)
RB Kaelon Black, San Francisco 49ers (31% rostered)
Here's a talented back who may still be flying under the radar, especially with the Niners returning from their bye. Black took over for a quarter in Week 7 while Christian McCaffrey dealt with a thigh injury and scored on a nifty 30-yard run. He finished the game with 63 rushing yards on 12 carries (5.3 YPC). We all know about CMC's injury history, so if anything should happen to him, Black could be an every-week fantasy starter. (FAAB bid: $9, more if you don't need an immediate starter)
RB Emmett Johnson, Kansas City Chiefs (19% rostered)
Johnson showed his game-breaking upside in Denver, catching five passes for 128 yards with an electrifying 73-yard TD. Kenneth Walker has been one of the top fantasy performers this season, but Johnson might be just as effective if he gets the opportunity. If you can afford to stash Johnson on your bench, there could be a significant reward down the line if anything should happen to Walker. (FAAB bid: $8)
THE ROOKIE EMMETT JOHNSON WITH A 73-YARD TD
— NFL (@NFL) November 1, 2026
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RB Mike Washington Jr., Las Vegas Raiders (27% rostered)
Are we seeing a changing of the guard (or running back in this case) in Las Vegas? For the first time all season, Washington was on the field for more snaps than Ashton Jeanty. He got 25 carries to Jeanty's two. But Washington only gained 83 yards for an average of 3.3 per carry. And he was repeatedly stopped for little or no gain in the red zone (eight attempts inside the 10, six inside the 5, no TDs). Hate to be such a skeptic, but Jeanty needs to get more than two carries in a game. (FAAB bid: $7)
WR DeMario Douglas, New England Patriots (37% rostered)
It seems like Douglas is a potential waiver target every week, but he still hasn't been added enough to graduate off the list. Maybe another long touchdown catch will do the trick. Douglas only saw three targets in Miami on Sunday, but he took one of them to the house on a 48-yard catch-and-run for his fourth TD in his last four games. With no A.J. Brown and TE Hunter Henry leaving early with a foot injury, someone has to catch passes from Drake Maye. (FAAB bid: $6)
WR Malik Washington, Miami Dolphins (48% rostered)
In that same game, Washington led the Dolphins with five receptions for 40 yards, and he also got into the end zone. He's been pretty consistent all season, with at least three catches in every game. He'll also see some opportunities as a runner each week. In deep leagues, Washington could be worth adding, especially with Detroit's porous pass defense coming to town in Week 9. (FAAB bid: $4)
TE Mike Gesicki, Cincinnati Bengals (18% rostered)
The Bengals passing game is clicking on all cylinders right now, with Joe Burrow throwing for five TDs on Sunday. One of them went to Gesicki, who's making a habit of getting into the end zone. He's now scored in five consecutive games after catching four passes for 76 yards in the overtime win. The Bengals don't have a complicated receiving structure. It's Ja'Marr Chase, Tee Higgins and Gesicki. That's pretty much it. (FAAB bid: $4)
RB Kenny Gainwell, Tampa Bay Buccaneers (42% rostered)
It's hard to take away anything from the mud-fest in Tampa this past week. We already know Bucky Irving is a beast in the Bucs backfield. But after he left, Gainwell took over, rushing 25 times for a career-high 140 yards. And that's from someone whose most fantasy-friendly skill is his ability to catch passes out of the backfield. Of course, he didn't catch a pass; no one on the Bucs did. It's safe to write this game off as an anomaly. Even the good parts. (FAAB bid: $3)
RB Dylan Sampson, Cleveland Browns (17% rostered)
Speaking of pass-catchers out of the backfield, Sampson just returned to action in Week 7 after missing five games with a knee injury. He's not going to supplant Quinshon Judkins as the Browns' lead back, but he is seeing plenty of action as a receiver. Sampson caught six of eight targets at Pittsburgh for 62 yards. That's solid production in PPR formats. (FAAB bid: $3)
WR Xavier Hutchinson, Houston Texans (1% rostered)
The Texans are coming off their bye week, so Hutchinson hasn't done anything to attract attention. Other than lead the team in targets (6), receptions (3) and TD catches (1) in the Texans' last game. Nico Collins is still the alpha receiver in Houston, but Jaylin Noel is now on IR, Marvin Harrison Jr. is still learning the system and Tank Dell just played his first game in two years. (FAAB bid: $1)
QB Gardner Minshew, Arizona Cardinals (0% rostered)
Before we close, we need to address the mustache in the room. Minshew worked his magic in leading that second-half comeback over the Cowboys. He has a pair of excellent pass catchers in TE Trey McBride and WR Michael Wilson. And we've seen Jacoby Brissett have some success in the Arizona offense. But even if he were named the official Week 9 starter, Minshew isn't worth picking up for this week's game at Seattle. Let's wait to see if lightning can strike twice before we jump. (FAAB bid: $0)
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Best fantasy football waiver wire pickups: 11 players to add for NFL Week 9
