The bulk of Week 9 action is in the books and already we have some early waiver wire pickups for fantasy owners to check out to get a jump on the competition for Week 10. Injuries and big games have made some players far more valuable after this week. The options are once again lean this week but there are still some players to get onto your team.

This week, the WR position is scarce for quality adds – the first time that’s been the case in several weeks. The TE position continues to be an unpredictable nightmare and quality QBs are hard to come by on the waiver wire. Let’s take a look at some early suggestions for your waiver wire, including the player’s Yahoo! ownership and upcoming schedule. Players listed here typically have under 30% ownership.

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Running Backs

Note: Duke Johnson is the top RB pickup this week if available (47% owned)

Elijah McGuire (RB – NYJ): 14% owned
Fresh off the IR, McGuire stepped right into the Bilal Powell role and had a productive season debut. McGuire didn’t seem to be eased back into action and his involvement in the game was encouraging. He was barely out-touched by lead back Isaiah Crowell 14-10, but McGuire held the advantage in total scrimmage yards, besting the Crow 67-60. Next up is a bottom-of-the-barrel Bills run defense at home, a bye week and the Patriots’ average run defense. McGuire is one of the best adds of the week.
Next three weeks: BUF, BYE, NE

Devontae Booker (RB – DEN): 18% owned
He’s been largely forgotten but with Royce Freeman out again, Booker scored for the second consecutive week. He had 101 yards on 13 touches in Week 8 but that production dipped significantly to only 24 yards on five touches in Week 9. He’s still a vital part of the Broncos’ offense as the third-down and hurry-up back. He’s worth an add while Freeman remains sidelined.
Next three weeks: BYE, @LAC, PIT

Mike Davis (RB – SEA): 24% owned
Wherefore art thou Marshawn Lynch? Yeah, it’s another Seahawks RB dilemma. Chris Carson, who came into the game Questionable, suited up but left the game early in the second half after getting banged up in the Seahawks’ loss to the Chargers. Davis promptly took over lead back duties and racked up 107 total yards, including seven receptions, good for 17.7 PPR points. Because of frequent injuries and inconsistent play, it’s hard to trust any of Seattle’s backs but Davis has been solid given his limited opportunities. Playing in the most run-heavy offense in football (31.7 attempts per game), he’s certainly worth an add.
Next three games: @LAR, @GB, @CAR

Theo Riddick (RB – DET): 9% owned
He came back from a two-week injury absence in Week 9 to haul in seven receptions for 36 yards. Riddick’s value is in the passing game but he’s been one of the most targeted RBs in the league over the last three seasons, grabbing 186 balls from 2015 – 2017. His value is largely in PPR leagues, but he makes a decent bye-week filler in any format.
Next three weeks: @CHI, CAR, CHI

Other RBs to consider: Ty Montgomery (RB – BAL) 19% owned, Josh Adams (RB – PHI) 10% owned, Marcus Murphy (RB – BUF) 1% owned

Wide Receivers

Adam Humphries (WR – TB): 1% owned
He had an awesome game in yet another failed Buccaneers comeback. Humphries was highlighted in this article last Sunday night after leading the team in receiving and he continued his strong play with an 8-82-2 line. He’s showing himself to be a chain-mover and one of the most reliable options for Ryan Fitzpatrick, and he’s been targeted 27 times over the last three weeks. A stronger PPR play, he makes an excellent add in all formats.
Next three weeks: WAS, @NYG, SF

Anthony Miller (WR – CHI): 11% owned
He’s not an exciting add but he’s been targeted 20 times over the last three weeks, so he’s clearly caught the eye of Mitchell Trubisky. The Bears’ passing attack has taken a backseat because of big leads and burning the clock with the run game, but upcoming positive game-script in potential shootouts in the coming weeks with the Lions and Vikings should help Miller score more points.
Next three weeks: DET, MIN, @DET

Tre’Quan Smith (WR – NO): 29% owned
He’s still the number two in the Big Easy but the gap between he and Michael Thomas is cavernous. Still, you could do worse for a guy catching passes from Drew Brees. His 2-23-1 line this week wasn’t inspiring but much easier matchups lie ahead.
Next three weeks: @CIN, PHI, ATL

John Ross (WR – CIN): 3% owned
It’s a purely speculative add but if Ross can get healthy in time for Week 10, he could be in for a big day against a Saints’ defense allowing the most FPPG to WRs. Recent news is that A.J. Green is meeting with a specialist for his toe injury and he will miss more than one game. Green’s rest of season outlook is hazy at best and it’s unclear if he will return at all in 2018. Ross will step into a starting job opposite Tyler Boyd when he gets cleared to play.
Next three weeks: NO, @BAL, CLE

Other WRs to consider: Josh Doctson (WR – IND) 8% owned, Laquon Treadwell (WR – MIN) 3% owned, Curtis Samuel (WR – CAR) 1% owned

Tight Ends

Jeff Heuerman (TE – DEN): 1% owned
Who? He surprisingly led the Broncos in receiving going 10-83-1 in the Broncos’ loss to the Texans in Week 9. He’s now scored in back-to-back weeks making him a viable add for TE-needy teams. The departure of Demaryius Thomas should mean more work for #82 moving forward.
Next three weeks: BYE, @LAC, PIT

Chris Herndon (TE – NYJ): 14% owned
He was one of the top TE pickups last week but he’s still just 14% owned. He led the Jets in receiving (4-62) in a game where New York got crushed and couldn’t move the ball consistently. He’s been heavily involved in the offensive game plan for a fourth consecutive week. He’s a weekly TE starter.
Next three weeks: BUF, BYE, NE

Other TEs to consider: Vernon Davis (TE – WAS) 4% owned, Jordan Thomas (TE – HOU) 6% owned

Quarterbacks

Baker Mayfield (QB – CLE): 38% owned
He had another fine outing against the Chiefs this week going for 297 yards, two TDs and a pick. While he hasn’t had any matchup-winning games thus far, he is a reliable option with a good upcoming schedule. Rashard Higgins and Antonio Callaway should be fully healthy next week and Duke Johnson is being properly utilized now. Baker’s arrow is pointing up.
Next three weeks: ATL, BYE, @CIN

Other QBs to consider: Joe Flacco (QB – BAL) 36% owned, Case Keenum (QB – DEN) 21% owned

D/STs

Washington: 41% owned
The ownership will surely come down following Week 9, where Washington gave up 38 points to Matty Ice and company. They have been a surprisingly good fantasy D/ST and the schedule lightens up significantly from here. You can ride them all the way to the playoffs where the schedule from Weeks 14 – 16 is beautiful facing the Jags, Giants, and Titans. HTTR!

Next three weeks: @TB, HOU, @DAL

Indianapolis Colts: 7% owned
The Colts D/ST was ranked by our Expert Consensus Rankings (ECR) as the worst D/ST in the league coming into this season. Indianapolis has far exceeded expectations and they have put up some solid numbers for owners. The upcoming schedule is nice, and they are barely owned anywhere. They face the hapless Jags after a Week 9 bye.
Next three weeks: JAX, TEN, MIA

New York Jets: 36% owned
They face Nathan Peterman next week before a Week 11 bye. It’s a no-brainer spot start.

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Zachary Hanshew is a correspondent at FantasyPros. For more from Zachary, check out his archive and follow him @zakthemonster.