The eighth week of the 2016 regular season is just about coming to a close with only the Monday Night Football game remaining. Most fantasy football leagues will run their waiver wires late Tuesday or early Wednesday, but we are here to help you get a jump on the best options to consider.
We will be ranking the players likely to be available in your league at each of the four major positions. Some weeks there might not be five good options available, but we’ll scour for the best we can find. Additionally, throughout the week, we will update each of these articles as ownership percentages change (via Yahoo!) and news arrives.
Waiver wire running back rankings, Week 9
Peyton Barber/Antone Smith Tampa Bay Buccaneers (Seven percent/Zero percent owned)
Editor’s update: Jacquizz Rodgers is dealing with a foot sprain, according to reports, and is likely to miss Thursday’s matchup with the Atlanta Falcons. Barber and Smith will likely split carries if Doug Martin cannot go. Smith got 22 snaps to Barber’s 3 last week. Barber had 12 carries for 84 yards the previous week, so it is a toss-up who will get what work.
Tim Hightower, New Orleans Saints (Four percent owned)
Mark Ingram was benched after a fumble, and Hightower took over to the tune of 26 carries for 102 yards. Hightower will likely be back in reserve duty in Week 9, but the Saints face an awful San Francisco 49ers’ run defense. I could see the Saints giving him plenty of work behind Ingram.
Rob Kelley, Washington (35 percent owned)
Matt Jones was inactive with an injury, and the initial thought was that Chris Thompson would be the lead back. Instead, Kelley rushed 21 times for 87 yards and a touchdown. Washington is on a bye this week, but Kelley is still worth a look. Jones will likely be healthy after the bye, but a fumble in Week 7 seemed to move him toward the dog house.
Bilal Powell, New York Jets (37 percent owned)
Matt Forte remains the leader of the Jets’ backfield, but Powell continues to get work. The Jets travel to face Miami, and while Powell is a bye or injury replacement at best, there is still some value there.
Derrick Henry, Tennessee Titans (48 percent owned)
Henry benefited from the Titans jumping up big on the Jacksonville Jaguars. It is unlikely they do the same thing to the San Diego Chargers in Week 9. Adding Henry is more of a speculative play for the rest of the season. And if you have DeMarco Murray on your roster, you want Henry there as a handcuff.