Fantasy football waiver wire Week 9: 7 underrated players to add to your lineup

Week 8 of the NFL season has come and...mostly gone. It doesn't matter what your fantasy record is. As long as you've still got a glimmer of hope for the fantasy playoffs, there's good reason to want to improve your roster. As you will soon see, there's a ton of value lurking on the waiver wire heading into Week 9.

So, if you've got space on your bench or a need to fill on your roster, here are a few players you should target on the waiver wire.

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Fantasy football waiver-wire pickups for Week 9:

New Orleans WR Rashid Shaheed (Rostered in 36% of Yahoo leagues)

The New Orleans passing attack has been inconsistent to say the least. Chris Olave was caught going 35 miles per hour over the speed limit on Monday, and that's one fewer mph than Olave has receptions since Week 1. Olave was supposed to be the guy, but neither he nor 2019 NFL Offensive Player of the Year Michael Thomas have become Derek Carr's favorite target.

That's where Rashid Shaheed steps in. Shaheed has 17 targets over the past three weeks, which isn't great, but his target quality is top-tier. Shaheed gets most, if not all, of the Saints deep looks and that came to fruition in Week 8 as Shaheed caught just three passes for 153 yards and one touchdown.

Shaheed has slowly earned more targets throughout the season, and quarterback Derek Carr loves to throw deep. This year alone, Carr has attempted 41 deep passes. That leads the NFL. His efficiency on deep balls isn't the best, but all it takes is for Shaheed to get over the top of the opposing defense once. Then, BAM! It's a solid fantasy day.

Tennessee Titans QB Will Levis (Rostered in 4% of Yahoo leagues)

Temper your expectations here. This is a long-term play, but one that could pay out come fantasy playoff time. Tennessee Titans second-round pick Will Levis made his first NFL start against the Atlanta Falcons today, and he balled out to the tune of 238 yards and four touchdowns. Obviously, if Levis keeps this pace up, he'll be a major help to any team with championship aspirations.

Spoiler alert: he won't, especially in the coming weeks. Levis' upcoming schedule includes the Steelers, Buccaneers, and Jaguars. Those are three very solid defenses who've made life difficult for opposing quarterbacks all year long. That said, Levis' schedule during the fantasy playoffs (Weeks 15-17) are as follows: at home against Houston, at home vs. Seattle, and at Houston.

That's three subpar defenses against quarterbacks. If Levis is anything close to what he showed today, he could be an absolute monster at the most important time of the season.

Arizona Cardinals TE Trey McBride (Rostered in 20% of Yahoo leagues)

The Arizona Cardinals' starting tight end Zach Ertz was put on the team's IR on Tuesday. Prior to his injury, Ertz had several weeks leading the Cardinals in targets. That may not be the case for McBride, but McBride's remarkable performance in Week 8 is definitely worth considering, specifically because star quarterback Kyler Murray is hopping off the injured reserve sooner rather than later.

In 17 games with Kyler Murray in his career, Zach Ertz recorded 87 catches for 807 yards and five touchdowns. That's a full season worth of games, and those are TE1 numbers. McBride may or may not be as talented as Ertz, but there's no doubting that Murray loved throwing to Ertz, and McBride could be the recipient of all of those newly-available targets.

Carolina Panthers RB Chuba Hubbard (Rostered in 59% of Yahoo leagues)

This one is a no-brainer. Miles Sanders had no injury designation ahead of Week 8's game against the Houston Texans. Despite Sanders being healthy, Hubbard saw 15 carries to Sanders two. He dominated the snap share and backfield touches. Sure, he wasn't very efficient, but he's the running back to own in Carolina for the foreseeable future.

There is a chance that Sanders wasn't playing at full strength, but that only makes picking up Hubbard more important for anyone who owns Sanders. Sanders has already dealt with a litany of injuries and Hubbard was already eating into his snaps before he missed Week 6. There is a better chance that Sanders becomes an afterthought in this offense than Sanders retakes lead back duties in the next few weeks.

Other names to consider:

New Orleans Saints QB/TE Taysom Hill (Rostered in 35% of Yahoo leagues)

Hill is definitely touchdown dependent, but has gotten several looks at the goal line over the last two weeks. The Saints package that includes putting an O-lineman in the backfield has been very effective for the team and we could see more and more of that as the season progresses.

Denver Broncos QB Russell Wilson (Rostered in 49% of Yahoo leagues)

Despite playing against a daunting Chiefs defense, Wilson was phenomenal, throwing for three touchdowns and no interceptions (he did fumble once though). The Broncos have started realizing who their best players are and letting them make plays. Halfback Javonte Williams is starting to get the carries he deserves and the offense as a whole is buzzing at a season-high. The yardage total is nothing to gawk at, but as long as Wilson can avoid turning the ball over, his upside is great.

Washington Commanders WR Curtis Samuel (Rostered in 48% of Yahoo leagues)

Curtis Samuel is one of the safest wide receivers in all of fantasy football. That may sound weird to hear, but for anybody thin at wide receiver and who just needs somebody to get 7-8 points a week, Samuel is a pretty good bet. Through eight weeks, Samuel has not scored fewer than 6.2 PPR points once. He may only be a matchup-based FLEX option, but he's definitely worth a spot on your bench as someone you can comfortably put in your starting lineup if byes and injuries don't favor you.

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This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Waiver wire Week 9: 7 players to add in fantasy football