Fantasy Football Week 9 Waiver Wire Watch: Matt Cassel's Rise Begins

(For one week, at least...)

Start/Sit columns attempt to help you pick between several options, highlighting guys that are on every team, or suggesting to sit guys that would normally be "studs". While those columns definitely have their place in fantasy football, sometimes you need to dig a little bit deeper.

When you don't have the Tom Brady's and Andre Johnson's of the fantasy world, sometimes you need a little extra help to locate the next "gem" that's lurking on your waiver wire in your league.

The following players are available in at at least 50 percent of Yahoo! leagues this week, and would make excellent additions to your depleted or bye week-starving roster:

Matt Cassel, QB, Kansas City Chiefs

He's probably in your free agency pool because he was on bye last week, so if you're looking for some serious help at your starting QB spot, Cassel could save you for a week.

With a nice match-up against a very beatable Jacksonville secondary, don't be surprised if Cassel has one of his better games of the year, en route to a KC victory.

Available in 52 percent of leagues.

Alex Smith , QB, San Francisco 49ers

Smith came out on fire against the Houston Texans two weeks ago, throwing for over 200 yards and three touchdowns. He ran into a bit of a road block against a stellar pass defense in Indianapolis last week, but kept optimism alive with 198 passing yards and a touchdown pass to Vernon Davis.

Going up against a spotty Tennessee Titans pass defense, Smith should shoulder much of the load, as Frank Gore and the rushing attack should struggle to find room against the Titans' solid rush defense.

Available in 80 percent of leagues.

Vince Young, QB, Tennessee Titans

Much like Alex Smith, Young is getting his last chance at proving himself, and so far, so good. Young passed for just 125 yards and a touchdown last week, but also found 35 yards on the ground in a convincing 30-13 win over Jacksonville, the Titan's first of the season.

The 49ers are a proud defense, and will look to shut down the ground game of Chris Johnson and Lendale White, which could make Young take the game into his own hands, both in the air, and on the ground.

Available in 90 percent of leagues.

Mike Bell, RB, New Orleans Saints

After a hot start to the season, Bell succumbed to injuries and the rise of Pierre Thomas. However, now healthy, Bell has been snagging his fair share of carries, recording at least 12 rushed in three straight games.

His yardage total hasn't been at the level we would like, but if the touches continue to be there, Bell could be very useful as a quality Flex play, and even can fill-in as a RB2 if you're in a bind.

Available in 58 percent of leagues.

Jamaal Charles, RB, Kansas City Chiefs

With the one-game suspension of starter Larry Johnson, Charles officially gets his chance to claim the starting job as his. Charles has a nice match-up with a Jacksonville run defense that gave up 200+ yards and two scores to Chris Johnson, so he has a good chance at solid numbers.

Charles could prove to be a solid player to hold onto after this week, as well, as LJ's future is very much in doubt.

Available in 61 percent of leagues.

For the rest of this week's Waiver Wire Pick-ups, head over to NFLSoup.com