Fantasy: Waiver Wire - Week 9
Each week, theScore's fantasy editors will run down the top waiver wire pickups with a focus on the coming week and the rest of the season.
Quarterback
Carson Palmer, Cardinals
at Cowboys, Sunday at 1 p.m. ET
With Palmer's arm back to full strength, Larry Fitzgerald suddenly looking like a younger version of himself, and Michael Floyd and John Brown providing size and speed on the outside, the Cardinals' passing attack is emerging as one of the NFL's best. Combine that with the fact that a dozen teams will have their bye in Week 9 or 10 and Palmer is a must-start player in all but the most shallow of leagues. Even if your quarterback is a week away from his bye, proactively adding Palmer is a smart move. The Cardinals face the Cowboys this weekend and the Rams in Week 10. Neither defense is anything to fear.
Running Back
Jonas Gray, Patriots
vs. Broncos, Sunday at 4:25 p.m. ET
Bill Belichick followed through on his promise of using Gray as the Patriots' big-bodied running back in a timeshare with Shane Vereen, deploying him for a team-high 17 carries Sunday. Gray tallied 86 yards on the ground and had a chance to score a goal-line touchdown that he was unable to convert. Belichick is notorious for altering his running backs' workloads without warning, so there's a risk that Gray will cede carries to Brandon Bolden or James White in any given week, but we can tentatively expect the rookie to remain an RB3 option on a team that should score a lot of points.
Lorenzo Taliaferro, Ravens
at Steelers, Sunday at 8:30 p.m. ET
The Ravens made Bernard Pierce a healthy scratch Sunday, giving Taliaferro the chance for increased carries as the backup to starter Justin Forsett. The rookie didn't disappoint, rushing seven times for 27 yards and catching two passes for 42 yards. More importantly, Taliaferro vultured two touchdowns. Forsett will remain the primary back, but Taliaferro should continue to get a big enough piece of the pie to make him a viable FLEX option with major upside should Forsett pick up an injury.
Bobby Rainey, Buccaneers
at Browns, Sunday at 1 p.m. ET
Doug Martin suffered an ankle injury Sunday, forcing him to the sideline for the foreseeable future. Even if Martin remained healthy, he's been so ineffective this season that it's clear a change is necessary in the Buccaneers' backfield. Rainey will get the first shot at picking up the slack. He had a similar opportunity last season when Martin went down with a season-ending shoulder injury and turned in two big games, but his production eventually declined. Perhaps he'll take better advantage of his second (and probably last) chance to prove he can be an NFL starter.
Charles Sims, Buccaneers
at Browns, Sunday at 1 p.m. ET
The stars are aligning for the rookie Sims as he is set up to make an instant impact for the Buccaneers upon his activation from the IR-recall list. Doug Martin may be sidelined for a while and Bobby Rainey has been largely unimpressive when given the opportunity to start. Sims was drafted as a receiving back, but he could soon find himself playing all three downs. Stash Sims on your bench and hope Rainey fails in his shot at being the Buccaneers' starter.
Jonathan Stewart, Panthers
vs. Saints, Thursday at 8:25 p.m. ET
Stewart ran as well as he has in a few years on Sunday. He failed to score a touchdown, but a stout Seattle Seahawks defense is to blame for that. Stewart's 16 carries into 79 yards were strong, and his three catches for 15 yards were a nice bonus. Stewart should remain the Panthers' lead tailback moving forward, but the imminent return of DeAngelo Williams will sap some of his potential value.
Wide Receiver
Brandon LaFell, Patriots
vs. Broncos, Sunday at 4:25 p.m. ET
LaFell led all Patriots wide receivers Sunday with 11 catches for 124 yards and a touchdown. As the season progresses, he's slowly gaining Tom Brady's trust and becoming a bigger part of his team's offense. There will be down weeks for LaFell – Brady likes to spread the ball around and it will make sense to attack some defenses on underneath routes to Julian Edelman rather than involving the much larger LaFell – but LaFell is a WR3 with some upside moving forward.
Donte Moncrief, Colts
at Giants, Monday at 8:30 p.m. ET
Moncrief got a chance to show the world what he can do Sunday with Reggie Wayne inactive due to injury. Though the rookie didn't start ahead of Hakeem Nicks, he far outplayed the veteran. While Nicks lumbered around the field like a grandpa, Moncrief proved he can be a dynamic playmaker. Moncrief finished the day with seven catches on 12 targets, converting them into 113 yards and a touchdown. He and T.Y. Hilton are the future of the Colts' receiving corps. The team surely sees that. Forward-thinking fantasy owners should, too.
Martavis Bryant, Steelers
vs. Ravens, Sunday at 8:30 p.m. ET
Bryant scored a touchdown in his NFL debut last week and managed to top that performance Sunday, catching two short touchdown passes on Ben Roethlisberger's 500-yard day. At 6-foot-4, Bryant is a unique player among a Steelers wide receiving corps comprised of small, speedy players. He's a red zone weapon who should continue seeing high-value targets in the end zone.
Tight End
Tim Wright, Patriots
vs. Broncos, Sunday at 4:25 p.m. ET
It says a lot about how the Patriots have overcome their early season woes that three of the team's players are in this week's waiver wire article. Suddenly, Tom Brady and company are firing on all cylinders. Wright saw a lot of action in two-tight end sets Sunday and made the most of it, catching all seven of his targets for 61 yards and a touchdown. He will remain well behind Rob Gronkowski on the pecking order, but Wright may see enough run-off to keep owners in deep leagues happy.