Week 9 Waiver Wire Pickups Highlighted by Tyrone Tracy Jr., Sam Darnold, Troy Franklin

If you're still standing after the busiest bye week of the 2025 NFL season, congrats. That thing was a grind.

We do have some bad news to share, though. Things won't get a whole lot easier for fantasy football managers in Week 9, when another four teams—including the Philadelphia Eagles and Tampa Bay Buccaneers—are out of the mix.

So, the need for roster fill-ins might be just as great this week. Luckily, there are some interesting options available, and we'll scan the waiver wire to find three players who might fit the bill while being rostered in fewer than 50 percent of Yahoo leagues, per FantasyPros.

Tyrone Tracy Jr., RB, New York Giants (47% Rostered)

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It was around this time last season when Tracy, then a rookie, took over New York's backfield and became a surprise asset in fantasy. History seems likely to repeat itself, although it'll happen for unfortunate reasons.

Giants' dynamic rookie running back Cam Skattebo suffered a dislocated ankle on Sunday, which should put Tracy back atop the team's rushing hierarchy. And with star receiver Malik Nabers already shelved by an ACL tear, this could be a busy ground game.

Tracy wound up handling 12 touches Sunday (10 carries, two receptions) and converted them into 53 scrimmage yards. Both numbers should trend up moving forward.

He could lose some field time to Devin Singletary, and quarterback Jaxson Dart plays a not insignificant part in this rushing attack, but Tracy's fantasy stock should skyrocket nonetheless.

Sam Darnold, QB, Seattle Seahawks (37% Rostered)

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Darnold being caught up in the "Byepocalypse" might explain why his roster rate isn't any higher. He has played well enough to snag a reserve spot in all but the shallowest leagues and offers at least spot-starter potential for those who need it.

He hasn't quite picked up where he left off in Minnesota, but he's still posting numbers on the regular.

Since his scoreless, 150-yard debut, he has averaged 267.3 passing yards and two touchdowns. He also has just two interceptions over his last five contests combined. And while he was contained by Houston's stingy defense back in Week 7, things could be much smoother against a Washington defense allowing the eighth-most fantasy points to the position, per Yahoo.

If you need a plug-and-play quarterback this week, Darnold looks like an obvious choice. Even if you don't, though, he could still make sense to get if you're less than thrilled with your QB1.

Troy Franklin, WR, Denver Broncos (36% Rostered)

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While there's plenty of hit-or-miss in Franklin's season-long stat line, here are two numbers you need to know: 18 and three.

The first (18) is the amount of targets he's received over his past two outings. The second (three) is the number of touchdowns he's tallied in this stretch. When a receiver is seeing this kind of volume and scoring at this rate, you'd be foolish not to react to it.

That doesn't mean it's guaranteed to last, obviously, but you still must make the move and hope that it does. And you'd think Franklin upped his chances on that front Sunday when he turned his eight targets into six receptions for 89 yards and two scores.

He draws a tough matchup this week in the Texans, but he's also making too much noise at the moment to overthink this. Get him now, and if this sustains, you could be thanking yourself the rest of the season.