Week 9 Waiver Wire: Breakout Pickups, Targets and Tips for Fantasy Football

With the 2016 NFL season reaching the halfway point, fantasy football owners are running out of ways to upgrade their roster.

The waiver wire is the easiest way to find reinforcements, but most of this year’s breakout stars have already been snapped up, leaving owners scrambling to unearth the next hidden gem.

The eight players below are owned in fewer than 50 percent of fantasy leagues on ESPN.com. Each of the octet had encouraging Week 8 performances, making them attractive fantasy targets in the days and weeks ahead.

Week 9 Fantasy Targets

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Players to Watch Josh McCown, QB, Cleveland Browns

How did Robert Griffin III beat out Josh McCown for the Cleveland Browns’ starting quarterback job at the start of the season?

McCown threw for 2,109 yards and 12 touchdowns in eight games last year, and he went for 260 yards and two touchdowns when he replaced Griffin in Week 2 this year.

In his first game back from a broken collarbone, the 37-year-old looked strong once again, going 25-of-49 for 341 yards, two touchdowns and two interceptions in a 31-28 loss to the New York Jets. McCown’s final numbers are somewhat underwhelming after he went for 228 passing yards in the first half.

Cleveland’s next few games match up favorably for McCown and the passing game. Before their Week 13 bye, the Browns play the Dallas Cowboys, Baltimore Ravens, Pittsburgh Steelers and New York Giants. Those teams ranked 22nd, 15th, 23rd and 11th in Football Outsiders’ pass defense DVOA (defense-adjusted value over average) entering this week.

In addition, the fact Corey Coleman returned to practice earlier this week …

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