We’re nearing the midway point of the 2025 NFL season. For fantasy, that means it’s time to start investing in rookies and second-year prospects who could be set for a breakout in the coming weeks.

Unfortunately, it also means more injuries. Another notable star, Cam Skattebo, now set for significant time on the sidelines after dislocating his ankle in Week 8. But the world keeps turning, and as always, there are opportunities to reshape your fantasy roster for the better.

If you’re looking to his the trade market, my weekly buy-low, sell-high article for PFSN is available here. That article includes sixteen players, some of which I’ll also touch on below, who you should be buying or selling in fantasy this week.

In this article, I’ll focus on players on waivers in most leagues, with some immediate plug-and-play options, as well as some stashes. All players listed are rostered in fewer than 50% of Yahoo leagues.

Week 9 Priority Waiver Adds: Tyrone Tracy Jr., RB, New York Giants

This one is fairly obvious. Tracy is rostered in 49% of Yahoo leagues, so he won’t be available everywhere. Given his likely RB1 role in New York for the rest of the season, Tracy is now a legitimate fantasy starter with weekly RB1 upside.

The second-year back proved in his rookie season that he could handle a full-time workload. He produced eight top-24 finishes at the position, despite getting double-digit carries just nine times. A former receiver, Tracy’s pass-catching ability and all-round explosiveness make him the priority waiver add where available this week.

Troy Franklin, WR, Denver Broncos

Trying to navigate a Sean Payton offense often proves a regrettable endeavor for fantasy managers. However, the Broncos offense appears to be taking a more consistent shape in recent weeks.

In 2024, Courtland Sutton led the Broncos in targets with 135; behind him was Javonte Williams (70), and four receivers all ranging between 45 and 55. Different players would take on the WR2 role each week, with no warning as to who it would be.

This year, Troy Franklin appears to have emerged as the team’s full-time WR2, and is edging toward must-start territory in fantasy. Over the past two weeks, Franklin has caught nine of 18 targets for 108 yards and three touchdowns.

He likely won’t be available for long, and betting on a second-year receiver breakout is as good a bet as any in fantasy.

Joe Flacco, QB, Cincinnati Bengals

I’ll admit, I was a litle underwhelmed by the Bengals’ decision to trade for Joe Flacco over some of the other quarterbacks that would have been available. However, the veteran pocket passer has been a revelation since the move, and that has translated beautifully to fantasy.

In his three weeks on the Bengals, Flacco has averaged 23 fantasy points per game, which ties Daniel Jones for seventh overall. He won’t rack up many rushing yards, but he leads the NFL in pass attempts over the last three weeks (126 – 42 per game) and has the receivers to make up for it.

The Bengals defense is still bad, giving up 39 points to the Jets in Week 8, the most New York has scored since Week 5 of the 2022 season. That should keep Flacco busy, and keep his fantasy points somewhere in the top-12 on a weekly basis.

Darius Slayton, WR, New York Giants

I wouldn’t have envisaged including Joe Flacco on this list a few weeks ago, and the same can be said for Darius Slayton. However, with Malik Nabers out for the year, the New York Giants’ WR1 role is currently vacant.

After missing Weeks six and seven with a hamstring injury, Slayton led the Giants in targets (five) against the Eagles in Week 8. That alone might not be enough to turn heads, but Slayton was targeted once more, on a 68-yard touchdown which was controversially called back for OPI.

That play would have made Slayton the WR7 after Sunday’s games, but instead, he remains a cheap pick-up ahead of Week 9. Jaxson Dart has the Giants’ offense moving, and Slayton should be a weekly flex play moving forward if he can build on his Week 8 usage.

Christian Watson, WR, Green Bay Packers

Christian Watson comes in just behind Slayton, due to Matt LaFleur’s love of spreading the ball around as many targets as possible. In a more streamlined offense, Watson would likely top this list, and his weekly upside is still as high as anyone’s.

In his first game back from a devastating ACL tear at the end of last season, Watson caught all four of his targets for 85 yards against the Steelers on Sunday. Watson’s deep-ball prowess means he is only ever one play away from a big fantasy week, as does his penchant for scoring touchdowns.

Watson can be a boom/bust option in fantasy, and you’ll have to take the rough with the smooth. If you’re willing to do that, he should give you plenty of WR2 weeks down the stretch, with WR1 upside when finding the end zone.

Tyjae Spears, RB, Tennessee Titans

Tyjae Spears has seemingly been on the cusp of a breakout since he entered the league as a third-round pick in 2023. After backing up Derrick Henry for a year, Spears then found himself behind Tony Pollard.

However, with the Titans floundering on both sides of the ball, game scripts have rendered Pollard unusable in fantasy. Spears has also failed to spark the team into life, but his efficiency remains solid, and his receiving ability keeps him involved regardless of the score.

Spears saw only two fewer carries than Pollard in Week 8, but also caught all three of his targets and scored a touchdown. Pollard is a potential trade candidate ahead of the deadline, and even if he stays in Nashville, Spears could take his starting role in the coming weeks.

Waiver Wire Stashes

Jaylin Noel, WR, Houston Texans

Jayden Higgins led the Texans in targets with Nico Collins and Christian Kirk sidelined, and he found the end zone to finish with 13.4 fantasy points. However, Jaylin Noel continues to look the brighter of the two Iowa State rookies, and is more likely, in my humble opinion, to keep his job when Collins returns.

I ranked Noel ahead of Higgins in my pre-draft rookie rankings, and I’ve seen nothing to change mind so far this season.

Roman Wilson, WR, Pittsburgh Steelers

Roman Wilson was one of the top-rated receivers in the 2024 NFL Draft class, after the top three names (Marvin Harrison Jr., Malik Nabers, Rome Odunze). Injuries saw him miss almost his entire rookie year, including the preseason, leaving him well behind as a second-year player.

However, the former Michigan man seems to have earned the trust of Aaron Rodgers, and made some big plays against the Packers in Week 8. Pittsburgh will continue to run heavy sets, with multiple tight ends, but Wilson is an underrated playmaker who could break out down the stretch.

Isaiah Davis, RB, New York Jets

Like Noel and Wilson, Isaiah Davis came close to making the main list, but his role will unlikely provide much value moving forward unless Breece Hall is traded. Davis totaled 109 yards against Cincinnati in Week 8, but still only rushed seven times, and will face much harder defenses in the weeks to come.

The Jets are on bye this weekend, and face Cleveland in Week 10. If you have space for a stash, he could be worth picking up for next to nothing this week, just in case Hall is moved on.

Shedeur Sanders, QB, Cleveland Browns

I like Dillon Gabriel, and ranked him far higher than most analysts heading into the draft. However, his start to life in the NFL has been far too cautious, leading to an all-round ineffective offense in Cleveland.

Gabriel throws the ball away in situations that most rookies would throw a pick, and I do believe that the rookie has a future in the league. However, football is a results business, and the results haven’t been good in recent weeks.

Gabriel has lost three of four starts, and a Week 9 bye gives the Browns a great opportunity to take a look at Shedeur Sanders. The Browns are loaded with draft capital in 2026, and will want to see what they have in Sanders before the end of the year.

The former Colorado star is an incredibly divisive figure, and both his believers and his doubters are in plentiful supply. I pushed Jaxson Dart as a stash weeks before Russell Wilson was benched, and it makes sense to do the same with Sanders.

Tank Bigsby, RB, Philadelphia Eagles

Saquon Barkley is expected to be fine for Philadelphia’s matchup with the Green Bay Packers in Week 10, with a bye week to get fully healthy before then. However, the future Hall of Famer has now left both of his last two games due to injury.

Although neither injury looks likely to sideline him for a week, two muscular injuries in two weeks is cause for concern. Bigsby will do absolutely nothing unless Barkley misses time, making him a true stash, but the upside is league-winning if he sees the field.

That’s it for this week’s waiver article, but remember to check out my Week 9 buy-low/sell-high piece for PFSN, available here.

I’ll be back with my weekly start/sit article on Thursday, and you can get all of my fantasy content on socials at @camsheath_ff on X, and @camsheathff.bsky.social on Bluesky.

Have a great rest of your week!

*Values based on PPR scoring.

Cover image photo credit: Chris Olave – Kevin Jairaj/Imagn Images, Darius Slayton – Troy Taormina/USA TODAY Sports.