Fantasy Football Week 9 RB and WR FAAB Bids: Tyrone Tracy Jr., Christian Watson, and More

We are heading into Week 9. At the end of this week, we will be halfway through the NFL regular season. It has just flown by, as things tend to do, and we're now looking at a landscape where the best teams are separating themselves, the worst have fallen to the basement, and everyone in the middle is trying to make their push to the postseason.

In fantasy football, it means your chance to put up wins is waning. Roster additions matter all season, but the foundation of your team is probably set right now, and most owners are working around the edges to build their most complete team.

Let's look at some of the hottest RB and WR names on the waiver wire and what reasonable FAAB bid ranges look like. Your remaining budget and roster needs might shift your numbers a bit, but this is a good baseline to start from. All bids are based on a $100 budget.

Check out FantasySP's waiver wire tool to find the players who are being added most to fantasy rosters each week!

Running Back

Samaje Perine, Cincinnati Bengals

Perine had by far his best game of the season on Sunday, carrying the ball nine times for 94 yards and a touchdown. He even added a reception for six yards to reach an even 100 total yards. Perine finished inside the top 15 backs in both standard and PPR scoring, the first time this year he has been anywhere close to a fantasy starter.

So, can he do it again? Perine was surely in very, very few lineups before his explosion, so the points that have already come and gone are lost. Fantasy owners need to worry more about deciding whether he can find any success moving forward.

I'm skeptical. He just hasn't been involved, and Chase Brown has had his best games of the season the past two weeks, so he's unlikely to start giving up big usage now. The matchup against the Jets in Week 8 was fantastic, and there isn't going to be as much room to run moving forward.

I can't recommend spending any budget on Perine. If you want to grab him for the bottom of your bench in case he finds more success, that's not the worst use of a fantasy spot, but wait and grab him after waivers, when you don't have to pay. He's unlikely to be a major fantasy player, leaving this as an outlier rather than the start of a trend.

Conservative Bid: $0

Need Bid: $1

Desperation Bid: $2

Tyjae Spears, Tennessee Titans

Spears started the year on IR, leaving Tony Pollard to handle the load by himself at the top of the depth chart. Pollard has still handled most of the touches in the four games since Spears returned, but the latter actually played more snaps in Week 6 and Week 8.

Spears carried the ball nine times for 59 yards and a touchdown, and he caught three passes for 23 yards on Sunday. Each of those numbers was a season high aside from the receptions, as he caught four passes in Week 6. Could he start finally chipping away a bigger touch share from the veteran?

Tennessee has one of the worst offenses in football, so it's going to be hard to find sustained success for either back. I don't like the idea of having to count on anyone on the Titans, but running backs who get on the field are a hot fantasy commodity.

While the most likely outcome is Spears not having a major fantasy impact, he's worthy of a bench spot in case he gets more work moving forward. Don't spend a lot of money, but it's OK to add Spears to the bottom of your roster.

Conservative Bid: $0-1

Need Bid: $2

Desperation Bid: $3-5

Tyrone Tracy Jr., New York Giants

Injuries usually create chances more than anything else, and that's the case in the Giants' backfield. Tracy started the year as the lead back in New York, but ineffectiveness and an early injury pushed Cam Skattebo into that role, and the rookie took advantage, looking like one of the most exciting young running backs in the game.

Nothing gold can stay. Skattebo suffered a gnarly dislocated ankle in Week 8 and will miss the rest of the season, a major blow to both fantasy owners and the Giants, who had looked like an actual football team for a while.

The performance of Jaxson Dart is the biggest thing for New York moving forward, but we're worried about the fantasy fallout for Tracy. He will likely take a clear lead back role over Devin Singletary, who isn't of fantasy note until we see something from him.

Tracy has been middling at best, even when he was playing a little better last year. His value comes from volume more than efficiency; Tracy probably tops out as a flex player most weeks. He should be on a roster in every league, but don't expect Tracy to come in and be the new Skattebo, as he's just not that type of player.

Conservative Bid: $3-5

Need Bid: $6

Desperation Bid: $11

Wide Receiver

Chimere Dike, Tennessee Titans

Dike was listed here last week after catching four passes for 70 yards and a touchdown, but I cautioned that he was a lower-level fantasy player who probably didn't need a spot on your roster. Well, he followed it up by hauling in seven receptions for 93 yards on Sunday, forcing us to reevaluate his place in fantasy football.

I still don't like the idea of trusting Dike or his teammate, Elic Ayomanor. I mentioned above in the Spears section that I don't want to count on any Tennessee player, and that is most true in the passing game.

Rookie quarterback Cameron Ward has struggled mightily, averaging at least 7.0 yards per attempt (a number generally right around average) in just one of eight games . He has now reached 250 yards in three games, but that is coming more from volume than a great jump in his performance.

While it's important to take notice of Dike's second straight good game, I still don't see him making a consistent impact in this passing game. He's a deep-league player or maybe worth a spot on your bench in case he finds more success, but I'm not trusting Dike.

Conservative Bid: $1

Need Bid: $2

Desperation Bid: $3

Troy Franklin, Denver Broncos

It's time to take notice of Franklin if you haven't yet. After an anonymous rookie season, Franklin has already topped pretty much every number from 2024 in half as many games. On Sunday against Dallas, he had six catches for 89 yards and two touchdowns.

While Courtland Sutton is the top receiver on the team, Franklin has filled the WR2 spot nicely, and he's just two targets and four receptions behind Sutton for the team lead. Franklin even has four touchdowns to Sutton's three, though the latter has 178 more receiving yards.

Sutton has more explosiveness and a higher ceiling, but Franklin has found his place in the offense and has real fantasy value as a WR3/4/flex type that you can consider with the matchup.

Conservative Bid: $2-3

Need Bid: $4-5

Desperation Bid: $6

Christian Watson, Green Bay Packers

Watson made his season debut on Sunday night after recovering from a major knee injury suffered last season. Their depth has been tested, as multiple other guys have missed time, including top receiver Jayden Reed, and Watson offers another body along with big-play ability down the field.

He started off on a positive note, catching all four of his targets for 85 yards in a soft matchup against the Steelers. At his best, Watson will stretch the field and hit explosive plays.

He also has plenty of slower games, though, showing inconsistency when those big plays don't hit. I generally steer toward players who touch the ball more and shy away from guys like Watson, but there is a point at which his chances of a long gain outweigh low-ceiling possession receivers.

Watson is another guy in that big WR3/4/flex range who is worthy of consideration on the right days. I'm not spending too much on him because of the inconsistency, but he's worth adding to your bench if you need receiving depth.

Conservative Bid: $1-2

Need Bid: $3-4

Desperation Bid: $5-6