As the injured and/or Covid list continues to grow our bar for replacement players has to get a little bit lower.
Looking to the waiver wire doesn't offer a lot of certainty, but it certainly offers some upside. The one exception to the lack of floor is Sterling Shepard.
Shepard has dominated targets for the Giants since returning and he was close to a 25% target share in games with Daniel Jones last year. He has a good matchup against Washington, and I really can't think of any reason he'd still be available in more than half of leagues.
If you don't want to risk the Tampa Bay situation and you can't find Shepard, a pair of Jaguars would be my next choice, Keelan Cole and Laviska Shenault. Jacksonville is doing all it can to leak out that they expect their passing game to be better with rookie Jake Luton starting. Cole and Shenault have both topped double-digit Fantasy points in four of seven games and have a great matchup against the Texans.
If you really want to shoot for the moon (and have no floor at all), Mecole Hardman is still available in nearly half of leagues. Hardman has six targets in two games this season and topped 18 Fantasy points in both of them. Sammy Watkins is out again, leaving Hardman with more opportunity to blast off.
After Shepard, the waiver-wire options at receiver are long on upside but short on reliability.
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Week 9 WR Preview
Who's Out
Numbers to Know
Matchups That Matter
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DFS Plays
Projections
The following players are not being projected to play Week 9:
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Numbers to Know
- 22.5 -- Marvin Hall's average depth of target. He could be an interesting boom-or-bust flex if Matthew Stafford is cleared to return.
- 8.1 -- Mecole Hardman is the only receiver besides Deebo Samuel averaging more than 8 yards per catch after the reception.
- 10.6 -- Only Jamison Crowder has more targets per game than Keenan Allen's 10.6.
- 45.4% -- Terry McLaurin's has accounted for nearly half of his team's air yards, which leads the NFL.
- 27 -- The Vikings have thrown more than 27 passes in a game just twice all season.
- 15 -- Emmanuel Sanders had three straight games with at least 15 Fantasy points before he went on the Covid list.
- 4 -- Four different players have led the Steelers in targets this season. JuJu Smith-Schuster is still not one of them.
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