The fantasy football season has passed the halfway mark and it’s time to get serious about the playoff race. We’ve only got about a month of the regular season left, so playing the matchups and getting smart about waiver wire pickups will be more important than ever.
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The wide receiver position largely avoided serious injuries in Week 8, but there are a few names to monitor. Chris Hogan picked up a shoulder injury, but he has the bye week to rest up. Emmanuel Sanders is still out with his sprained knee. DeVante Parker and Sterling Shepard should both be back this week after missing several games.
Besides the injury news, fantasy owners once again have to deal with six bye teams — the Chicago Bears, Cleveland Browns, Los Angeles Chargers, Minnesota Vikings, New England Patriots, and Pittsburgh Steelers. That means Antonio Brown, Stefon Diggs, Adam Thielen, and Keenan Allen, among others, aren’t available in Week 9.
In other words, it’s slim pickings on the waiver wire this week, but let’s look at some of the top wide receivers available in less than 50 percent of Yahoo! leagues.
JuJu Smith-Schuster, Pittsburgh Steelers (48 percent)
Talk about a coming-out party. After a strange week that saw his bike get stolen and Martavis Bryant subtweeting him on Instagram, Smith-Schuster exploded on Sunday night with 193 yards on seven catches, including a 97-yard touchdown where he straight out-ran the Detroit Lions’ defense. Smith-Schuster is here to stay, and he’ll keep the No. 2 receiver job even if Bryant doesn’t get traded. The only drawback to claiming him this week is that the Steelers are on bye, but Smith-Schuster is worth holding on to through Week 10.
Cooper Kupp, Los Angeles Rams (42 percent)
Kupp is having an up-and-down rookie year, mostly settling in as a low-end PPR guy as one of Jared Goff’s safety valves. He did go into the bye week on a high note with four catches for 51 yards and a touchdown, his third score of the season. The Rams have a tough matchup with the New York Giants this week, but Kupp should see plenty of targets in the slot while Sammy Watkins is occupied by Janoris Jenkins. Fantasy owners could do worse as a boom-or-bust option.
Marqise Lee, Jacksonville Jaguars (35 percent)
All the attention is going to Dede Westbrook, who’s set to return from injury this week after an impressive preseason. Westbrook is talented, but let’s not get ahead of ourselves — he’ll be making his NFL debut after missing two months and did most of his preseason damage against second- and third-stringers. He’s a nifty bench stash in deeper leagues, but not someone you want to plug into your lineup yet. Meanwhile, Lee leads the Jaguars in receiving yards and figures to be Blake Bortles’ No. 1 target for the time being. He’s a decent WR3 play against the Cincinnati Bengals this week.
Paul Richardson, Seattle Seahawks (31 percent)
Russell Wilson exploded for 452 yards and four touchdowns, putting himself in the MVP conversation after an incredible comeback win over the Houston Texans. Richardson was one of the biggest beneficiaries, having his biggest game of the season with 105 yards and two touchdowns on six catches. It’s likely a one-week blip, and Tyler Lockett will also be a popular pickup this week, but Richardson does have five touchdowns on the year and is one of Wilson’s favored end zone targets. His big WR4 test will come against Washington this week, with Josh Norman back in the lineup.
