Best Fantasy Football Waiver Wire Pickups For Week 9

Fantasy football season is in full swing, y'all. Here are your best bets to give your team that extra boost it needs to get over the hump this week. (All stats via ESPN standard PPR leagues)

1. Jaylen Samuels, RB, Pittsburgh Steelers (Available in 89% of ESPN Leagues)

For those paying attention, I did recommend picking up Samuels a few weeks back, but he ended up getting hurt. Now, word is that Samuels is healthy and ready to go after James Conner went down with a shoulder injury near the end of last night's Monday Night Football showdown. He should be getting the lion's share of touches in both the run and pass game against the Colts, and is a solid flex option for this week.

2. Darren Fells, TE, Houston Texans (Available in 89% of ESPN Leagues)

Fells caught the best touchdown pass of Sunday's slate when Deshaun Watson squeezed a pass his way after getting kicked in the eye. But Fells had himself a good game otherwise, catching six balls for 58 yards and two touchdowns to add up to 23.6 fantasy points. Fells has established himself as a go-to red zone target for Watson. He's hit-or-miss on a week-to-week basis, but with the Texans' receiving core depleted due to injury, he could be in line for a similar workload next week against the Jags.

3. Chris Conley, WR, Jacksonville Jaguars

Conley's numbers this week (four catches, 103 yards, one TD, 20.3 fantasy points) were definitely bolstered by his one long catch-and-run. But he's seen seven targets in each of the last two games and Jacksonville is playing a poor secondary in Houston. This offense as a whole is inconsistent, but Conley is a good bet this week.

4. Jonnu Smith, TE, Tennessee Titans (Available in 97% of ESPN Leagues)

Betting on any Titan to produce offensively is a risky game, but Smith has the kind of upside you're looking for from the waiver wire. After Ryan Tannehill took over, Smith has caught nine passes in two games and notched his first TD catch yesterday to give himself 19.8 fantasy points on the day. He faces a tough matchup against Carolina, but is well on his way to becoming one of Tannehill's go-to guys.

5. Darius Slayton, WR, New York Giants (Available in 89% of ESPN Leagues)

If there's anything you can say about Slayton this year, it's that he's earned Daniel Jones' trust. He'll now get two or three targets per game where Jones just tosses it up for Slayton to come down with it. It doesn't always work, but against a banged-up Lions secondary, he came down with two touchdowns. They're going up against a better overall unit in Dallas this week, but for better or for worse, Jones will look Slayton's way, which means his potential for a big week could be high.