The Forgotten Men of Week 9: Waiver Heroes You Missed

Somewhere, a fantasy manager lost by four points this week while the best tight end of the week sat on their waiver wire.

Every Sunday, a handful of players nobody started win matchups for the few managers who took a chance. Here are Week 9's forgotten men, and more importantly, which of them deserve a spot on your roster before waivers run this week.

The Headliner
Darren Waller, TE, Panthers: rostered in about 8% of leagues

Week 9: 8 catches, 90 yards, 1 TD on 10 targets. 23.0 PPR points. The No. 1 PPR tight end of the week.

If you streamed a tight end this week, you probably missed the best one. Waller earned more than a quarter of Carolina's targets and scored his fourth touchdown of the season, his second in three weeks. He's topped 50 yards in two of his last three games, and Carolina leans on short passes because its line has trouble holding up against four-man rushes. That plays right into his hands.

Verdict: ADD. In a position this thin, a tight end with real target volume and red-zone usage is worth a roster spot.

The Running Backs Nobody Started
Audric Estime, Saints: about 9% rostered

Week 9: 15 carries, 72 yards, 1 TD, plus a 5-yard catch.

New Orleans released Kendre Miller and signed Estime, and with Travis Etienne on IR, Estime handled about two-thirds of the backfield's carries in his first game. He's the lead early-down back for now, and the Saints face Carolina next.

Verdict: ADD. This is the RB to spend on this week.

Seth McGowan, Colts: about 4% rostered

Week 9: 6 carries, 45 yards and his first NFL touchdown.

Small workload, big upside. McGowan is Jonathan Taylor's backup, and Taylor has been the subject of trade talks ahead of Tuesday's trade deadline. Taylor is also coming off back-to-back games under 10 points. If he's moved, McGowan becomes the Colts' starter overnight, with a soft Week 10 matchup against Miami.

Verdict: ADD AND STASH. If you have bench room, he's the best lottery ticket on the wire.

Justice Hill, Ravens: about 8% rostered

Week 9: 85 rushing yards, 1 TD and 3 catches.

Baltimore got creative with Hill, using him in the wildcat. He's a solid flex in deeper leagues and a strong add in PPR formats.

Verdict: Deep-league add.

Corey Kiner, Patriots: about 5% rostered

Week 9: 8 carries, 55 yards, 1 TD.

With Rhamondre Stevenson (knee) and TreVeyon Henderson both sidelined, Kiner stepped in. His value depends on how long those two are out, and the Patriots face a tough Detroit defense in Week 10.

Verdict: Watch the injury reports. Add him only if Stevenson and Henderson are ruled out again.

Kaleb Johnson, Packers: under 1% rostered

Week 9: 14 carries for 62 yards.

That made him the first Packers running back to clear 40 rushing yards in a game this season. MarShawn Lloyd missed with a knee issue and Josh Jacobs fractured a finger, so Johnson could see work again against Minnesota.

Verdict: Deep-league stash.

The Receivers
Kayshon Boutte, WR, Texans

Week 9: 4 catches, 125 yards, 2 TDs.

C.J. Stroud threw five touchdowns, and Boutte caught two of them. Four catches makes it a big-play spike, not a steady role, but every Texans pass-catcher has a ceiling while Stroud is playing like this.

Verdict: Bench stash in deeper leagues. Don't spend big.

Tank Dell, WR, Texans: about 23% rostered

Week 9: 4 catches, 105 yards, 1 TD on 9 targets.

Dell has been working back from a serious knee injury since Week 7, and his nine targets show Stroud trusts him. He's the safer Texans add of the two.

Verdict: ADD in 12-team leagues and deeper.

Jordan Watkins, WR, 49ers: widely available

Week 9: 4 catches, 86 yards, 1 TD.

A nice game, but the 49ers have plenty of targets to go around.

Verdict: Watch list. One big week isn't a role yet.

Pat Bryant, WR, Broncos: about 1% rostered

Week 9: 56 yards and a TD in his first game back from IR.

Bryant ran a route on most dropbacks, which is the number that matters. He's a dynasty and deep-league name to know.

Verdict: Deep-league add.

Own the Miss

In our Week 9 waiver article, we called Malik Willis the best quarterback streamer on the board. He scored 3.8 points. That one's on us.

Waivers are about probabilities, not guarantees. Willis had the matchup and the recent production, and he still came up empty. That's why we grade everything in public.

Who to grab before your waivers run
Darren Waller (TE)
Audric Estime (RB)
Seth McGowan (RB): especially if Taylor is traded Tuesday
Tank Dell (WR)
Justice Hill (RB)

Here's what our board says are the top adds right now:

Every league's wire is different, though. Top Waiver Wire shows only the players actually available in your league, with the points each one would add to your lineup this week. Then check Start 'Em / Sit 'Em to see if your new pickup belongs in your lineup.

Who's your forgotten man of the week? Tell us at r/GAPodds.

References
ESPN: Week 9 fantasy winners and losers
Roto Street Journal: Week 10 waiver wire
Bleacher Report: Week 10 breakout pickups from Sunday's box scores
CBS Sports: Week 9 standouts and early Week 10 adds
Yahoo Sports: Week 9 booms and busts