The fantasy football playoffs are mere weeks away, and squaring away your rosters is becoming more critical. Here are the top Week 9 Waiver Wire QBs and how to approach them before locking in your claims ahead of Wednesday morning. 

Week 9 Waiver Wire QBs

*Rostership percentages courtesy of FantasyPros waiver wire rankings

Jameis Winston (CLE) | 6.3%

I know your eyes saw what my eyes saw this Sunday. The Cleveland Browns are not the same team with Jameis Winston behind center. 

He was all we had hoped for in his first start since Week 3 of the 2022 season. In a thrilling 29-24 defeat of the rival Ravens, Winston went ham, throwing for 334 yards and three touchdowns, finishing as the overall QB10. Furthermore, he unlocked the Cleveland receiving corps, with WRs Cedric Tillman, Elijah Moore and Jerry Jeudy logging double-digit fantasy points alongside TE David Njoku. 

If QB has been the bane of your existence this fantasy football season, run — don’t walk — to the waiver wire to roster Winston. Of the available QBs, Winston has the most potential upside.  You may have to open up the FAAB bag and drop a good chunk of what you have remaining. However, his ceiling is in overall QB1 territory every week. This isn’t an opportunity that comes along often this late in the fantasy football season, folks.  

Matthew Stafford (LAR) | 30.2%

Not far behind Winston, Rams QB Matthew Stafford is one of the must-roster Week 9 waiver wire QBs in fantasy football for the rest of the season. The “re-addition” of WRs Puka Nacua and Cooper Kupp had Staford looking like a much younger and less washed version of himself. 

Assuming Nacua, Kupp and RB Kyren Williams stay healthy, Stafford’s Week 8 QB5 fantasy finish will likely be the norm, rather than his QB29 ranking through the first six games.  If you don’t want to pay a premium for Winston, Stafford is a good pivot that will cost less of your FAAB.

Bo Nix (DEN) | 32.1%

No one – seriously, probably not even Bo Nix himself – could have seen this coming. The rookie QB, who was much maligned at the beginning of the season, has blossomed into a quality QB who wins games, and the league and fantasy managers are taking notice.

I was as big of a Nix critic as anyone, and it’s taken me a minute to come around on him, but here I am. After throwing four INTs and no TDs in his first two games, coupled with a horrific 60-yard passing performance in Week 4, the rookie out of Oregon has cleaned things up. Since Week 5, Nix has completed 66.3 percent of his passes, averaging 217 passing yards per game with seven passing touchdowns, two rushing TDs and one interception.

For fantasy purposes, Nix is the QB3 in total points and QB5 in points per game in that span.

While he was an unlikely candidate to be fantasy-relevant in any format this season, Nix is now startable in 1QB leagues. The Broncos have a tough schedule coming up (at BAL, at KC, ATL at home), and it’s noteworthy that Nix has had an easy time the last four weeks with matchups against Las Vegas, New Orleans and Carolina. However, despite the tougher upcoming matchups, Nix has shown enough grit to be worth the 20 to 30 percent of your remaining FAAB to get him rostered the rest of the season. 

~ Week 9 Waiver Wire Look-Ahead targets ~

Justin Herbert (LAC) | 46.6%

Most fantasy football managers and analysts were low on Justin Herbert heading into this season, and it appeared to be justified through the first six weeks with Herbert sitting at QB27 in fantasy football.

However, he’s improved much in the last two weeks, checking in at QB9. Herbert and rookie WR Ladd McConkey have found a groove, and the run-centric Greg Roman-designed offense is leaning into the pass more. Over the next few weeks, the Chargers schedule lends itself to Herbert continuing this run, but it gets sketchy in the fantasy playoffs. With matchups against Tampa Bay, Denver and New England in Weeks 15 through 17, roster Herbert knowing you may need to pivot later on.   

Derek Carr (NO) | 27.1%

Saints QB Derek Carr is returning to practice this week, and the team is hopeful he’ll suit up and start behind center in Week 9. That doesn’t mean he should return to your fantasy rosters. After a hot start to the season – Carr was QB2 through two weeks – it all fell apart. Carr was QB26 in Weeks 3 through 5 before being sidelined with an oblique injury. 

The Saints are worse off now than they were when Carr went down. Unfortunately, it’s more likely that he’s the QB26 version than the QB2 one the rest of this season. Leave Carr on the waiver wire where he belongs. If you’re desperate for a Week 9 fill-in QB, you can get him for free later in the week. 

Malik Willis (GB) | 2.6%

With Packers QB Jordan Love (groin) looking at missing at least Week 9, back-up Malik Willis is the handcuff you want. Willis has played well this season in Green Bay when called upon. 

In Week 3, Willis put up 25.4 fantasy points, tied with Bengals QB Joe Burrow for QB6.

Willis isn’t a long-term stash – unless Love lands on IR – but for Week 9, and possibly Week 10, he’s a solid fill-in with QB1-tier potential. He shouldn’t be pricey on the waiver wire, and there’s a chance he could clear waivers and be a free addition later in the week.  

Week 9 Waiver Wire QBs | The Rest

Trevor Lawrence (JAC) | 41.6%

Aaron Rodgers (NYJ) | 51.4%

Russell Wilson (PIT) | 25.5%

Nate Polvogt is a Co-Founder and the Lead Senior Analyst for Optimus Fantasy Football. Find more from Nate on X (formerly Twitter) @NatePolvogt and on Optimus Fantasy