Fantasy Football Week 9 QB Waiver Wire: Cam Ward, Geno Smith, and More

We are starting to get a picture of which teams will be factors at the end of the season. It's a bit of an elimination game before we even get to the actual single-elimination tournament (the playoffs), as some teams play themselves out of contention, while others are the victims of injuries.

With the Eagles already on a negative path without their QB (that Sunday Night game was ROUGH), the Ravens got their own bad news in Week 8 when the returning Lamar Jackson was injured at the beginning of the game and now needs thumb surgery. While they're not technically out of it yet, it seems like Baltimore's season as a contender is over, especially if their backup also misses time (more on that below).

Let's look at four of the top quarterback names on the waiver wire heading into Week 9 of the NFL season. Most stats are from NFL.com, and fantasy points and rankings are from FantasyPros.

Use FantasySP's waiver wire tool to find the players who are being added to fantasy rosters most often!

Tyler Huntley, Baltimore Ravens

Well, 2026 certainly isn't turning out the way that fans in the northeast had hoped. After Jalen Hurts went on IR a few weeks back, Baltimore's Jackson has now gone on IR himself and will miss an undetermined amount of time (which could be the whole season). Huntley also left the game after just four pass attempts because of a toe injury, and undrafted rookie Joe Fagnano played most of the game.

Huntley is undergoing more tests, and his status should be known early in the week. If he misses time, it won't be worth grabbing Fagnano, who struggled hard in his time on the field (as you would expect). If Huntley is ready to go next week, though, is he worth grabbing?

The Ravens play on Thursday night, so there's not a lot of time for Huntley to get ready. If he can go, there is a positive matchup against the Jaguars in Week 9, a team that has struggled to stop the pass. The matchups after that aren't great, leaving Huntley as a middling-or-worse fantasy player.

Huntley has a little value as a runner, but he's not going to put up big passing numbers. With his health also a question, it's probably best to let Huntley stay on the waiver wire. If he gets cleared for Thursday night and you need a streamer, it's not the worst idea to consider Huntley, but he won't be a long-term answer.

Gardner Minshew, Arizona Cardinals

Minshew took over in the second half when Jacoby Brissett was benched after starting 10-23 passing at just 5.2 yards per attempt. Brissett hasn't averaged most than 6.2 yards per attempt since Week 1, when he was at 7.5 against the Chargers (which doesn't look nearly as impressive considering what we've seen since from LA).

Minshew completed 17 of 23 passes at 8.2 per attempt with three touchdowns in leading the Cardinals back from a 17-3 deficit to beat the Cowboys 33-30 in overtime. Much like we saw from J.J. McCarthy on the Giants a few weeks back, Minshew may have earned himself the starting job from less than half of a game.

Since we don't know yet if he will be starting moving forward, it's not a great idea to grab Minshew right now. If you're in a super-deep league or just struggling hard at quarterback, you could make that move, but it's likely that Minshew will still be available after the waiver period and can be picked up as a free agent if he is named the starter.

Over his career, Minshew has been average at best. The mustache and a few good runs gained him a following, but there's a reason that Minshew has been a career backup; it's where he fits best. In the right matchups (like against the Cowboys on Sunday), Minshew is a fine option to consider, but he won't be a guy to put into your fantasy lineup every week.

The next three games against the Seahawks, Rams, and Chiefs are times to leave him on the bench, so Minshew (or Brissett) is best left on the waiver wire. There are better outlooks after that against the Commanders, Saints, and Raiders, but those games don't come until after Thanksgiving, making the Arizona QB situation one to skip for now.

Geno Smith, New York Jets

Smith had his third straight good game on Sunday, throwing for 290 yards on 9.1 yards per attempt. That performance came in a great matchup against the Raiders, and Smith was a guy who I was promoting during the week as a good streamer because of his opponent.

More good times could be coming as well. This week's matchup against the Chiefs is a tough one, but Smith will then face the Bills, Chargers, and Dolphins, followed by the bye. Smith is a good quarterback who generally has a fantasy ceiling, both because he doesn't run much and isn't an explosive thrower, but he is more than capable as a fantasy player in the right matchups.

The best move here is probably to leave Smith on the waiver wire for now but grab him next week for his string of good matchups. If you have a bench spot to spare and want to get a jump on him, there's nothing wrong with grabbing Smith now, but he should be left on the bench against the Chiefs unless you are without another option.

Cam Ward, Tennessee Titans

Ward had maybe the best game of his career on Sunday, setting career highs with 304 passing yards and 41 rushing yards, throwing for multiple touchdowns for the first time this season, and averaging an above-average 7.6 yards per pass attempt. Tennessee still lost the shootout with Cincinnati in overtime, but the quarterback had a successful day.

The problem is that this is one of only a few games in his career in which Ward finished with above-average stats. He has more often looked overmatched in his NFL career, and that has left him as a low-level fantasy player who is tough to trust in any matchup. So, can we expect more big performances moving forward?

The matchups are in his favor. Tennessee has their bye this week, but their schedule out of the bye is full of strong matchups: Jaguars, Cowboys, Jaguars, Commanders, Lions, Colts, Raiders. That takes them through Week 16 before finishing with the Steelers and Texans, so it's conceivable to think that Ward could find fantasy success the rest of the way.

The question is how risky you want to get. Ward has rarely been a fantasy asset, and even with the great string of matchups, I'm not ready to count on him as my starter. The floor is so low that outside of the deepest leagues, you will surely be able to find a better option. If he shows something, we can revisit this topic in a few weeks, but for now, leave Ward on the waiver wire.