Fantasy Football Week 9 Wide Receiver Preview: Waiver adds, starts, sits, numbers to know, and more
Everything you need to know about wide receiver for Fantasy Football in Week 9
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2 min read
This is the week that wide receiver is supposed to start looking a lot better. Puka Nacua should be back from injury. Zay Flowers should get Lamar Jackson back. Marvin Harrison Jr. should get Kyler Murray back. And there is one rookie who could move into must-start territory if his most recent usage verifies.
You may have forgotten because he was on bye this week, but Travis Hunter looked very worthy of the number two overall pick in Week 7. He played a season-high 87% of the offensive snaps. He led Jacksonville in targets (14), receptions (eight), receiving yards (101), and scored the team's only touchdown. It was the best Fantasy performance by a wide receiver against the Rams this year. Now Hunter faces the Raiders in Week 9.
Full disclosure, I may be more inclined to believe Hunter's breakout than most. I had him ranked as my number one wide receiver in this class. I believe the defensive stuff has gotten in the way of a rookie breakout, but he hasn't played more than 40% of the defensive snaps since Week 3. You don't need much of an imagination to see a second-half breakout coming.
The other question is what that would mean for Brian Thomas. I believe there is room for Thomas to be must-start as well. He just has to stop dropping the ball. He had more drops in the first seven games of this season than he had all of last year. Drops are generally not predictive. I am hopeful he shows up refreshed after the bye and looks like his rookie self. I would still start him over Hunter this week, but it could be the last time I say that. But if Hunter breaks out and Thomas bounces back, Trevor Lawrence could have a great finish to the season.
Here is the rest of the Week 9 WR Preview:
Week 9 WR Preview
WR Preview
Numbers to Know
- 24.4 -- Rashee Rice leads all wide receivers with 24. PPR FPPG. He was worth the wait.
- 16.7% -- Xavier Worthy has just a 16.7% target share since Rice returned. He is in that Jameson Williams boom or bust flex range now.
- 30.7% -- Zay Flowers' 30.7% target share ranks fourth amongst wide receivers. He could explode with Lamar Jackson back.
- 3.54 -- Christian Watson averaged 3.54 yards per route run in his 2025 debut. This Packers receiver room is once again too crowded, but Watson is a good desperation flex play.
- 14.3% -- Jameson Williams' 14.3% TPRR ranks 104th out of 152 qualified wide receivers. He's tied with Luke McCaffrey and Jalen Coker.
- 45.8% -- Ja'Marr Chase has a 45.8% target share in three games with Joe Flacco. He may be the WR1 once again.
- 11 -- Davante Adams already has 11 targets inside the five-yard line. No other wide receiver has more than seven.
- 26.6% -- Khalil Shakir has a 26.6% target share over the last month. Buffalo's pass rate should be up in a Week 9 shootout with the Chiefs.
WR Preview
Waiver Wire Targets
Week 9 Adds (WR Preview)
Franklin has seen 18 targets and scored three touchdowns in his last two games. He's still just 22 years old and has a great rapport with former college teammate Bo Nix. This is a tough matchup against the Texans, so he's no more than a number three wide receiver, but a talented receiver this young needs to be rostered after a breakout like this.
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We have received no indication that Jakobi Meyers is close to returning from his injury, and he remains a constant subject of trade rumors. Even with Brock Bowers back, Tucker should be top two on the Raiders in targets. He is currently WR25 on the season and has been in double digits in four of his seven games this season. If Geno Smith gets on track in the second half, Tucker could be a high-end WR3.
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Dike has played 70% of the offensive snaps over the past two weeks and scored at least 16 PPR Fantasy points in both games. The Titans are desperate for playmakers, and Dike is making them. He could be a boom or bust WR3 at least until Calvin Ridley gets back.
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Stashes (WR Preview)
Watson only played 56% of the snaps in his 2025 debut, so it is hard to immediately move him into your lineup. But he looked fantastic when he was out there, catching all four of his targets for 85 yards. If Watson ramps up to a snap share north of 70% he could be the Packers' best wide receiver rest of the season. Of course, the way this room has worked all year, it may be too big of a mess to consistently count on one guy.
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WR Preview
DFS Plays
Top DFS Play
Projections powered by
Sportsline
Chase is averaging 28.1 PPR Fantasy points per game in three games with Joe Flacco. He has averaged an insane 18 targets per game in those three games. This week, he faces a Bears defense that has given up 2.1 PPR Fantasy points per target to opposing wide receivers. I have Chase projected for three more half PPR points than any other wide receiver on the main slate.
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Contrarian DFS Play
Projections powered by
Sportsline
Jennings didn't play well last week, which may have hidden the fact that he leads the team with a 25.5% target share over the past two weeks. The Giants secondary is in shambles, and Jennings has a great opportunity to take advantage of that. An added benefit is that the 49ers defense is also ravaged by injuries, so the Giants should be able to score enough to keep whoever is playing quarterback for the 49ers throwing.
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WR Preview
Heath's Projections
My full set of Week 9 Fantasy football projections for every position are now available on SportsLine. You'll find them here. Find out which of my favorite plays are projected to score higher than consensus rankings and which don't live up to their draft hype, at least in Week 9. Projected stats for all starting wide receivers are available, so be sure to check out the full set of projections at SportsLine.
