Week 9 Waiver Wire: Early Doucet and Others You Must Add

The fantasy football waiver wire serves two clear purposes: it's a source from which you can grab players worth starting every week, but it also provides you with players facing choice matchups, making them valuable for just a single game.

The latter is what I would like to focus on when it comes to these two waiver wire adds for Week 9.

WR Early Doucet, Arizona Cardinals (vs. St. Louis Rams)

Doucet is a smart play for Week 9, simply because the St. Louis Rams have a poor pass defense. This is despite how their pass rush manhandled New Orleans Saints quarterback Drew Brees and despite issues that the Cardinals have in keeping their own quarterback, Kevin Kolb, upright.

He's found ways to get the ball to his two primary receivers, Larry Fitzgerald and Early Doucet, and the mismatch the two present to the Rams' secondary elevates Doucet to a great waiver wire add and start this week should you find yourself thin at receiver or dealing with starters on the bye.

Doucet had two catches for 20 yards and a touchdown in his team's Week 8 loss to the Baltimore Ravens, and he has 28 receptions for 359 yards and three scores on the year.

His low number of receptions last week belie the fact that he was the Cardinals' most-targeted receiver, with six passes thrown his way. Considering that whatever resources the Rams have in the secondary will be wrapped up with Fitzgerald, it's a safe bet that he should have a fairly good fantasy week with at least one touchdown to his name.

RB Lance Ball, Denver Broncos (at Oakland Raiders)

Lance Ball served as the change of pace back for starter Knowshon Moreno, with both running backs getting a bump up the depth chart while Willis McGahee nurses his hand injury. It's not looking terribly likely that McGahee will return for his team's Week 9 contest against the Oakland Raiders, meaning we'll be seeing more of Ball for the second week in a row.

Against the Detroit Lions in Week 8, Ball had six rushes for 63 yards and one four-yard reception. So far this season, he's rushed 21 times for 117 yards and has six receptions for 30 yards and a score. The fact that his team is facing the Raiders' rather weak run defense means that he's a worthwhile start if you're in the position to take a flier on a fairly unknown back.

No, Ball won't save your season; he'll likely see little action once McGahee returns. But for one week and one game, you will certainly get some benefit to your fantasy bottom line with Ball in a starting role.