With the Week 9 Waiver Wire Pickups up and running, it's time to dig deep into the waiver wire bin and see what players showed off their stuff in Week 8 that would make them a worthwhile pickup for your teams going into Week 9. Luckily for owners, there doesn't appear to be a shortage of guys who can patch up the holes if team has sprung a recent leak. This week's waiver wire list isn't AS full as previous weeks. Keep in mind that as the weeks go on, the list will get smaller.
As always, remember that this list will continue to expand throughout the day Monday and Tuesday. So check back often.
QUARTERBACKS
Jason Campbell - Browns (Owned Percentage - ESPN .8%/Yahoo 3%)
After such a tumultuous career, it's odd to think Campbell can be considered an upgrade over anyone. But going up against one of the top defenses in the Chiefs, Campbell was clearly a better option over Brandon Weeden. Playing the entire game without a turnover, Campbell's 293 yards and two touchdowns brought the Browns close to beating the undefeated Chiefs, who now stand as the only undefeated team in the league. Weeden will need an injury to get his starting job back, so pick Campbell up as a QB2.
Mike Glennon - Buccaneers (Owned Percentage - ESPN 1.9%/Yahoo 7%)
I'll continue to list Mike Glennon while he continues to remain low on the waiver list, but it's hard to recommend him in anything other than deeper leagues. He's lost Doug Martin for the time being, and could be without Mike Williams for the year after he tore his hamstring. Glennon did pass 51 times in the loss to the Panthers, for 275 yards and one touchdown, but he's a bottom-of-the-barrel QB2.
RUNNING BACKS
Andre Ellington - Cardinals (Owned Percentage - ESPN 21.1%/Yahoo 53%)
The Cardinals coaching staff had been adamant about giving Ellington more touches due to his frame (5'9/199). But once Rashard Mendenhall went down with a toe injury, it was the Ellington show against the Falcons. Ellington rushed for 154 yards on just 15 carries, while catching 2 passes for another 8 yards. The one thing that was impressive about Ellington the most was, despite his size, he was able to run up the middle and push the pile for extra yards. There's no word on if Mendy will be able to play once the Cardinals come out of their Week 9 bye, but Ellington has proven himself as a capable fantasy option going forward. Stepfan Taylor also carried the ball 14 times, but was used in clock-killing mode.
Montee Ball - Broncos (Owned Percentage - ESPN 77.3%/Yahoo 38%)
The Broncos had wanted to spell Knowshon Moreno going forward to keep him fresh. We saw some of that last night when Ball rushed for 37 yards off 11 carries and a score. The 11 carries was the most Ball had racked up going all the way back to Week 3. And his touchdown was the first of the year. With Ball's redzone role, he could start gathering more fantasy value going further. He's an RB4 at the moment, but worth a pickup if a team in your league dropped him earlier in the year.
Mike Tolbert - Panthers (Owned Percentage - ESPN 17.3%/Yahoo 21%)
Tolbert isn't going to be anything more than a flex option in PPR leagues, but he's worth a shot if you have been dealing with injuries galore. Used on passing downs last week against the Buccaneers, Tolbert accounted for 64 total yards and caught 4 passes Thursday night. There really isn't any news on what his role will be once Jonathan Stewart comes back, but he could still be the main passing-down back going forward. Tolbert is worth more of a look in deeper leagues.
WIDE RECEIVERS
Marvin Jones - Bengals (Owned Percentage - ESPN 1%/Yahoo 23%)
I doubt anyone even thought of starting Jones against the Jets, but he put on a clinic with 8 catches, 122 receiving yards and 4 touchdowns. No that's not a typo, 4 TOUCHDOWNS! Over the last 3 weeks, Jones has been on fire, accounting for 15 receptions and 6 touchdown receptions. Jones will be this week's must pickup as we head into Week 9's matchup against the Dolphins, who allowed rookie Aaron Dobson to accumulate 60 yards and a score in Week 8. Jones is a WR3/Flex option going forward.
Kenny Stills - Saints (Owned Percentage - ESPN 1.1%/Yahoo 9%)
It's hard recommending Stills as a pickup because he's one of those players who will come up big one game, disappear for a stretch, then come back to life again. However, he's been a factor the past 2 games. In Week 6 against the Patriots, Stills caught 3 passes for 64 yards and a touchdown. He followed that up with 3 catches for 129 yards and 2 scores against Buffalo Sunday. Stills isn't a desirable PPR option as he doesn't get very many chances to rack up a decent amount of catches. Stills' value hinges on his ability to get separation and catch the deep bombs, which makes him such an iffy fantasy option on a week-to-week basis. But since he has caught 3 touchdowns in 2 games, I'll list him as a mid-level flex going forward.
Aaron Dobson - Patriots (Owned Percentage - ESPN 4.2%/Yahoo 23%)
Dobson started ahead of Kenbrell Thompkins against the Dolphins and he rewarded the team with 4 catches for 60 yards and a touchdown reception. As a rookie, Dobson has made mistakes. But over the last 3 weeks, he's been taking on a bigger role. He had a dud against the Jets in Week 7, but caught 6 passes in Week 6 against the Saints. Dobson should continue to see a frequent amount of targets, but he's still a WR3 at best.
Ted Ginn - Panthers (Owned Percentage - ESPN 5.1%/Yahoo 12%)
The guys and myself talked about Ginn during our Fantasy Q & A show Sunday. While his play has been spotty on the Panthers offense, it's hard to ignore a guy who gets offensive work AND piles up points on returns. Ginn caught 5 passes for 80 yards last week against the Buccaneers and gave us another reason why Darrelle Revis is being grossly misused. If your league rewards return points, Ginn is definitely someone to look at. He's on pace for a career year.
TIGHT ENDS
Jordon Reed - Redskins (Owned Percentage - ESPN 62%/Yahoo 73%)
This should be the last week I list Reed as a fantasy option after he put up another big outing against the Broncos. Over the last 2 weeks, Reed has accounted for 17 receptions, 224 yards and a touchdown. He should be owned in all leagues by the end of the week. He's turned into a must-play TE1 fairly quickly.
Tim Wright - Buccaneers (Owned Percentage - ESPN .4%/Yahoo 5%)
Wright isn't a flashy name, but he's someone to keep an eye on with Mike Williams out for now or the year. Wright has flashed potential in certain games this year. Against the Panthers, Wright caught 5 passes for 48 yards and a score. He's only a TE2 for now, but his value could slowly rise if he becomes Mike Glennon's true safety net.