Top fantasy football waiver wire pickups for Week 9

Yahoo: 30% owned | ESPN: 4% owned

While defenses may have figured out how to contain Lamar Jackson a little bit more effectively in 2020, stopping Baltimore's running game seems to be another mystery that has yet to be solved. Even the juggernaut defense of the Pittsburgh Steelers — actually, "especially" works better than "even" — couldn't stop the Ravens on the ground, as they ran for 265 yards in Week 8 despite a loss.

Considering Edwards, J.K. Dobbins and Mark Ingram all held some fantasy value when all three of them are playing, Edwards and Dobbins are viable options for as long as Ingram is sidelined with an ankle injury.

Yahoo: 54% owned | ESPN: 36% owned

Moss and Devin Singletary received the same amount of carries (14) against the Patriots in Week 8, but Moss converted two red zone touchdowns and was on the field for 53% of the snaps compared to Singletary's 48%. It's a pretty even split right now, but the pattern shows that it's slowly becoming Moss's backfield. Even if the split remains around 50-50, Moss got six red zone touches while Singletary only got one, giving him more value going forward at this point in the season.

Hines | Yahoo: 29% owned | ESPN: 35% owned
Wilkins | Yahoo: 1% owned | ESPN: 1% owned

Jordan Wilkins had 20 carries for 89 yards and a touchdown in Week 8, far outperforming rookie Jonathan Taylor (11 carries, 22 yards). However, as significant a disparity as there is between these two performances, I'm not willing to believe the Colts will lose confidence in their highly-touted 2020 draft selection so quickly.

Someone's role that isn't really affected by the Taylor/Wilkins dilemma is Nyheim Hines, our old friend who was the top waiver wire addition for Week 1 after his explosive two-score outing against the Jaguars. He had two touchdowns again in Week 8, and no touchdowns in between those two games, so it's tough to predict when he'll pop off. Still, his role is fairly consistent and he's an unexciting but usable running back for those dealing with injuries or a lack of depth during bye weeks.

Yahoo: 49% owned | 54% owned

Kenny Golladay's injury brings the disappointing Jones back into fantasy relevance, though he's about as unreliable as It gets. His floor, even without Golladay, is the bare minimum, while his ceiling remains practically limitless given his history of explosive outings — he hooked up with Matt Stafford for four touchdowns, for example, against the Vikings in 2019.

He's definitely worth a start should Golladay miss time due to the inevitability that he'll get looks from Stafford. What he does with them is the risk factor here.

Yahoo: 34% owned | ESPN: 25% owned

When we last saw Lazard, he was fresh off of an eight-catch, 146-yard performance in Week 3. In fact, through three weeks, Allen Lazard was the No. 7 wide receiver in all of fantasy. Then, as is the case with so many budding fantasy stars, injury struck.

Week 9 could be when we see Lazard return to the field, but even if its not, it's still worth adding Lazard seeing as he was a legitimate threat early in the season and would fill a hole that Aaron Rodgers would like to see filled sooner than later.

Yahoo: 43% owned | ESPN: 56% owned

Sterling Shepard is an underrated target hog, earning eight looks as soon as he came back from an injury in Week 7 and picking up right where he left off with eight catches on 10 targets in Week 9 against the Buccaneers. With juicy matchups against the Washington Football Team, the Eagles, the Seahawks and more ahead, a healthy Shepard — which, no, is not a given — is good for solid, consistent fantasy production.

Yahoo: 45% owned | ESPN: 51% owned

Ebron is just hovering on the border of eligibility, but he's certainly someone that Kittle owners should hope is available heading into a great Week 9 contest with the Cowboys. The remainder of the schedule holds a lot of good matchups for Ebron, and Big Ben has looked his way over five times in four of their last five games, including two games with a touchdown connection. With a relatively high floor compared to others at the position, Ebron is someone you can hold on to for the rest of the year.

Yahoo: 2% owned | ESPN: 1% owned

Before Jordan Akins went down to injury in Week 4 against the Vikings, he averaged more fantasy points per game than Zach Ertz, Dallas Goedert, Evan Engram, Jonnu Smith and many other tight ends who were considered popular starting options. He never had a huge breakout in this span, either, instead relying on solid but unspectacular outings.

For a shallow position with injuries taking their toll, that's all you can ask for at this point. And with Deshaun Watson's penchant for throwing to his tight ends in the red zone, Akins is someone who is flying under the radar but could certainly find the end zone against the Jaguars in Week 9. If he can't return from injury before this one, Darren Fells is a fine alternate option.

Yahoo: 22% owned | ESPN: 9% owned

It's hard for Trey Burton to get his looks in an offense that not only features other receivers and running backs as good options for Rivers, but two other solid tight ends in Jack Doyle and Mo Alie-Cox. And yet, he finds a way. Burton now has 20 targets in four games as a Colt, as well as two rushing touchdowns (for real???), and his versatility and early signs of chemistry with Philip Rivers make him an acceptable replacement for Kittle in a dire situation.