Fantasy Football Week 9 Waiver Wire: Cedric Tillman Leads Must-Add Free Agent Pickups

Week 9 of the 2024 NFL season is rapidly approaching, which means there are only six weeks left before most fantasy football playoffs begin. That means it's well past time to start looking ahead and making sure your roster is ready for a postseason run.

While there aren't many slam-dunk waiver-wire options available this week, there are plenty of serviceable players who could be used as spot starters or possess upside that could come in handy later in the year.

Even with the Pittsburgh Steelers and San Francisco 49ers being the only clubs out on bye this week, managers should be thinking about the upcoming slate of byes—especially in Weeks 12 and 14, a stretch in which 12 teams will be resting—when making their pickups. Identifying and claiming potential replacements for those starters can pay dividends down the line, as you will be able to avoid competing with rival managers for the small handful of productive players still left in the free-agent pool at that time.

With that in mind, here are five players to consider with your waiver claims in Week 9. Each suggestion is rostered in 50 percent or fewer of Yahoo leagues.

Fantasy points and rankings courtesy of FantasyPros' PPR data taken prior to the weeks' Monday Night Football matchup. Suggested free-agent acquisition budget (FAAB) bids are based on a $100 dollar starting budget.

Suggested FAAB Bid: $3-5

Matthew Stafford is coming off his best game of the 2024 season by far. He scored 25.8 fantasy points after going 25-of-34 for 279 yards and four touchdowns against the Minnesota Vikings on Thursday Night Football. Stafford more than doubled his touchdown output on the year in that performance, as the slumping signal-caller accounted for only three scores in the previous six games combined.

It shouldn't come as a shock that this vintage Stafford performance coincided with the return of both Puka Nacua and Cooper Kupp. Nacua had been sidelined since the season opener with a knee injury, while Kupp missed four games with an ankle issue. Each wideout played more than 50 percent of the offensive snaps and should see their workloads further increase after making it through Week 8 unscathed.

Stafford was firmly off the fantasy radar without his top weapons, but he's once again looking like a viable starting option in most leagues. His QB5 finish this week should be a sign of things to come, especially with a beatable Seattle Seahawks defense on tap in Week 9.

Seattle has been struggling against opposing quarterbacks since its current 1-4 skid began in Week 4. During that span, the Seahawks allowed Jared Goff to throw a perfect game and gave up a 22.1 fantasy points to Daniel Jones, which was a season high for him.

If you've been relying on Brock Purdy—who also torched the Seahawks for 24.1 fantasy points and a QB6 finish in Week 6—or need a replacement for the injured Jordan Love, put a claim in on Stafford with confidence.

Suggested FAAB Bid: $1-2

This could be a tough week for managers who need running back help. The free-agent scrap heap is largely bereft of players with decent floors, but you can at least gamble on upside if Dalvin Cook is still available in your league.

Cook finally made his much-anticipated debut for the Dallas Cowboys in Week 8. While he wasn't the slumping backfield's savior whom Cowboys fans were hoping for, Cook did see a decent amount of action for a player who was just elevated from the practice squad.

The 29-year-old was on the field for 27 percent of Dallas' offensive snaps (17 in total) and finished just slightly behind starter Ezekiel Elliott (28 snaps) in playing time. However, Cook struggled to make the most of his initial opportunities with the Cowboys, generating 12 yards on six totes and catching one pass for 10 yards.

Fortunately for Cook, Elliott didn't inspire much confidence either. The starter did manage to score a touchdown, but he garnered only 38 total yards on 11 touches. With neither back faring too well in that 30-24 loss to the San Francisco 49ers, Dallas' coaching staff may opt to continue splitting carries and ride the hot hand going forward.

There's a chance that Cook's production picks up now that he's logged some reps in a meaningful game and gets to square off with a beatable Atlanta Falcons defense. The odds of him putting up strong fantasy marks aren't too great, but RB-needy managers might have to take the risk if they don't have a better option available in Week 9.

Suggested FAAB Bid: $2-4

The Arizona Cardinals offense came back to life in Week 8, putting up nearly 400 yards and tallying 28 points in a narrow victory over the Miami Dolphins. The tandem of tight end Trey McBride and prized rookie wideout Marvin Harrison Jr. unsurprisingly handled the heavy lifting for the passing attack, but Michael Wilson also had a fruitful fantasy day with five receptions on six targets for 31 yards and a score.

While those aren't eye-popping numbers, they resulted in 14.1 fantasy points and a respectable WR27 finish heading into Monday—Wilson's best ranking of the season. That continued a promising stretch for the second-year receiver.

Since the start of Week 5, only 25 other receivers have generated more fantasy points than Wilson. He scored at least 10.1 points in three of those four contests and would have ranked far higher if not for a 2.5-point dud in Week 7 that was largely a result of quarterback Kyler Murray throwing only 14 passes.

While Wilson clearly has upside as Murray's third option and should be a decent play most weeks, it would be wise not to expect high-end numbers with the Chicago Bears on tap this coming Sunday. Chicago has clamped down on opposing wideouts this year, ranking in the top 10 by limiting the position to an average of just 18.1 points per game.

Wilson has shown a knack for finding the end zone—as evidenced by two touchdowns in the last three weeks-—which gives him some flex potential against Chicago. He's a decent option in deeper leagues or for teams downright desperate for WR help, but it would probably be best to stash Wilson on the bench until Arizona's schedule turns soft following a Week 11 bye.

Suggested FAAB Bid: $12-15

The Cleveland Browns' decision to deal top wideout Amari Cooper has opened the door for Cedric Tillman to break out. It's been an incredible change of fortune for a player who mustered less than four PPR points over the first six weeks of the campaign combined.

Tillman stepped in to fill the void left by Cooper's departure two weeks ago, finishing Week 7 with 18.1 PPR points and posting the first top-10 finish of his career by catching eight balls for 81 yards.

Although that outing against the Cincinnati Bengals initially seemed like it might be a flash in the pan, Tillman's performance proved to be no fluke. He went on to amass 28.9 fantasy PPR points and a WR3 finish in Week 8 by torching the Baltimore Ravens for 99 yards and a pair of touchdowns on seven receptions.

While Tillman is about to face his toughest test yet against a Los Angeles Chargers defense that allows the third-fewest points to opposing wideouts before the Browns' Week 10 bye, he's still the top waiver-wire add of week 9. Every roster could benefit from adding Tillman due to his ability to put up big numbers as the focal point of Cleveland's passing offense.

Tillman has been the highest-scoring fantasy receiver of the last two weeks—eclipsing even the great Justin Jefferson's output in that span—and is looking like one of the rare midseason waiver pickups who could greatly influence a team's title chances.

Suggested FAAB Bid: $0-2

Taysom Hill finally returned to action in Week 8 following a stretch in which he missed three consecutive games and four of the last five. Although he only posted 6.2 fantasy points finished as the TE29 in his return, the New Orleans Saints' utility man went right back to contributing in all facets of the offense during the 29 snaps he was on the field for.

Hill rushed four times for 20 yards, secured two of his four targets for 21 yards and even completed his lone passing attempt for three yards in a 26-8 defeat to the Los Angeles Chargers. That showing didn't result in many fantasy points, but it did display Hill's unique upside and potential to produce far more than the average waiver-wire pickup at his position.

Given his promising usage rate in a contest where he was still getting back up to speed following an extended injury layoff, Hill appears well-positioned to put up better numbers this coming week. He'll get a chance to do some real damage against a vulnerable Carolina Panther defense that could potentially turn in his best game of the year against.

Carolina has conceded a league-worst 33.9 points per game, and only the Saints give up more than the the 387.5 yards per game that the Panthers allow. This one could turn into an barnburner where Hill could thrive due to New Orleans' propensity to deploy him all over the field in search of big plays.

If you're streaming the tight end position, don't be afraid to scoop up Hill and start him this week. He hasn't had a great season and isn't an ideal play every week, but there won't be a better matchup than this to get the most out of the versatile veteran.