Week 9 Waiver Wire: Charcandrick West, Robert Kelley Highlight Pickups to Know

The fantasy football waiver wire goes through phases like anything else.

Some weeks the wire offers heaps of wide receivers while little at running back. Week 8? It was all about the Green Bay Packers, which turned into productive days for owners who swooped in and bought into the hype.

This week? It's all about running backs.

Call it one of the rarest weeks around, as the running back position hasn't had an overly dominant week on the wire yet. There have been a few recent hits such as Jay Ajayi, but nothing like the handful of worthwhile names shown below.

Here's a look at the top waiver adds of Week 9.

Week 9 Waiver-Wire Targets

Name	Pos.	Team	Percent Owned
Josh McCown	QB	CLE	2.3
Nick Foles	QB	KC	0.0
Robert Kelley	RB	WAS	22.9
Tim Hightower	RB	NO	1.9
Charcandrick West	RB	KC	7.3
Derrick Henry	RB	TEN	44.1
J.J. Nelson	WR	ARI	1.2
Chris Hogan	WR	NE	31.6
Kendall Wright	WR	TEN	3.7
Tyreek Hill	WR	KC	1.5
Eric Ebron	TE	DET	28.3
C.J. Fiedorowicz	TE	HOU	13.0

Nick Foles, QB, KC (0.0percent owned)

A backup quarterback stepping in for a starter is a rather hit-or-miss affair on the wire.

Owners could safely presume a miss when thinking of Nick Foles of the Kansas City Chiefs. He's been unreliable over the years—hence his growing status as a journeyman backup at best.

Then Week 8 happened. Foles stepped in for the injured Alex Smith and looked solid, throwing two scores in limited playing time to tally 16 points.

Here's where it gets interesting: Smith suffered a concussion. He took a wicked shot that made his helmet bounce off the turf and forced him to leave the game. After making it through protocol in the locker room, he came back in and suffered the same fate before leaving for good.

It's hard to imagine Smith gets cleared in the span of a week, meaning Foles gets to take on the Jacksonville Jaguars. It's as attractive as it sounds, and if Smith misses more than one game, Foles gets easy Carolina and Tampa Bay encounters, too. 

Clearly capable and more than a one-week add, Foles looks like a good option for owners in need.

Robert Kelley, RB, WAS (22.9 percent owned)

Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports

Washington Redskins running back Rob Kelley looked like a good add last week because the coaching staff started to sour on starter Matt Jones.

Jones wound up getting scratched from the lineup completely thanks to an ankle issue in Week 8, which fully opened the door for Kelley.

He answered in a big way for his limited owners. Going against a soft Cincinnati Bengals defense, the Tulane product put on a show, turning 21 carries into 87 yards and a score—good for 14 points.

Washington hasn't been shy in praising Kelley, either, as captured by NFL Network's Mike Garafolo:

When one of football's top minds such as Washington GM Scot McLoughan says something along those lines, it's critical to pay attention.

Based on his performance and praise, Kelley isn't going anywhere as the majority holder in the Washington backfield. He'll always lose some targets to Chris Thompson—he did in Week 8—but the bottom line wasn't too worse for wear.

Charcandrick West, RB, KC (7.3 percent owned)

It's almost a fantasy miracle Kansas City's Charcandrick West isn't owned in more leagues.

West is the guy behind Spencer Ware and Jamaal Charles. Given the injury history of the latter and the fact one issue could derail the former, it's odd to think more owners didn't place a bigger emphasis on stashing West.

Now is the time. According to ESPN's Adam Schefter, Charles has to go see specialist Dr. James Andrews about his knee, which is a step backward in his progress. Ware, on the other hand, suffered a concussion in Week 8.

This leaves West as the starter. He's the guy who last year got 20 or more carries in three straight games—he rushed for a touchdown in each with 17, 18 and 27 points.

An explosive back who can put on a show in spot duty, West has the same benefits as Foles when it comes to beating up on bad teams such as Jacksonville. He rushed for 52 yards on 14 carries after Ware left—a sign that the staff trusts him to take pressure off a backup.

Owners who pick up West might have a steady contributor the rest of the year if he can convince the coaching staff it's worth going back to more of a committee approach in the backfield.

J.J. Nelson, WR, ARI (1.2 percent owned)

Fantasy owners knew someone had to step up at wideout for the Arizona Cardinals after an injury to Jaron Brown. The who part of the equation wasn't so easy to figure out.

Turns out the honors went to J.J. Nelson, who used the newfound attention to finish second in scoring at wide receiver before Monday's game. The former UAB star caught eight passes for 79 yards and a pair of scores, giving him 19 points.

Arizona head coach Bruce Arians shared high praise for Nelson's play, as captured by the team's official Twitter account:

The outburst was the first time Nelson had tallied more than seven targets in a game. It was also the first time he scored.

Granted, owners can't expect Nelson to score such gaudy numbers each week. But any worries about the return of John Brown eating into Nelson's chances have evaporated—Brown only received four targets in Week 8, while Larry Fitzgerald wound up at 11, one off Nelson's total.

Clearly viewed as a key cog within the offense moving forward, owners will want to treat Nelson in the same fashion.

All scoring info and statistics courtesy of ESPN.com standard leagues, as are points-against info and ownership stats.

Follow Chris Roling (@Chris_Roling) on Twitter.