Six NFL teams are on a break in Week 9, making the rush to find waiver-wire gems even more intense than usual in your fantasy leagues. The injuries are piling up as well, with stud players like Le'Veon Bell and Steve Smith picking up season-ending knocks, while the likes of Keenan Allen and Matt Forte could see spells on the sideline.
Fringe players will get an extra glance and matchup ratings given extra consideration. This is the kind of week where fantasy owners talk themselves into starting guys like Orleans Darkwa and Stevie Johnson with only trace resignation. Hey, it could work, right?
Here are the top players added and dropped heading into Week 9. Numbers are based on ESPN.com and Yahoo Sports fantasy football leagues. Players owned in more than roughly 50 percent of leagues will not be included in the list except in particularly notable cases, so as to account for the larger 12- and 14-player leagues. Players with season-ending injuries are not tallied on the added/drop list since there really isn't a decision to make with them anymore.
Stat Projections For Top Pickups
Vernon Davis, TE, Denver Broncos
What a difference a trade makes. On Monday, ESPN's Adam Schefter reported that San Francisco would send longtime tight end Vernon Davis to the Denver Broncos in exchange for picks:
This quickly made Vernon Davis the hottest fantasy football commodity. He's moving from the inept Colin Kaepernick to the legendary Peyton Manning, and the Broncos can't wait to get him up to speed.
"The key here is how quick can we get him involved, and I think we can do that very fast," Broncos coach Gary Kubiak said on SiriusXM NFL Radio, via ESPN.com's news services. "That's why we made the move, because we want to get him in here, get him as involved as we possibly can and help this offense continue to move forward."
Vernon Davis has just 18 receptions for 184 yards on the year, and he hasn't scored since Week 1 of last season. Although his role in San Francisco has diminished over time, it seems his athleticism hasn't, per Around the NFL's Chris Wesseling:
The NFL reminded fans of his still-formidable strength as well:
Adding a player of his caliber to an offense featuring the likes of Demaryius Thomas and Emmanuel Sanders spells doom for undefeated Denver's upcoming opposition. Manning worked miracles when tight end Julius Thomas was in the fold; Davis has the chance to make a similar impact. The timing is also fortuitous in that Manning is coming off his top performance of the season from a yardage standpoint (340).
Whether or not Davis plays in Week 9 against Indianapolis remains to be seen. If he does get in, his play will likely be limited, but he's a must-add anyways, as he could see plenty of targets as he settles into Denver's scheme.
Week 9 stat projection: four receptions, 45 yards
Jeremy Langford, RB, Chicago
Bears running back Matt Forte picked up a knee injury in Sunday's loss to the Minnesota Vikings. It doesn't appear to be as serious as initially feared, and NFL Network's Ian Rapoport reported some optimistic news on Forte's status, via NFL.com's Marc Sessler:
Coach John Fox told reporters that Forte is not expected to need surgery on the right knee he injured during Chicago's 23-20 loss on Sunday to the Minnesota Vikings.
The veteran back is still being evaluated, but NFL Media Insider Ian Rapoport reported Monday that Forte's injury is a knee sprain and is not expected to be a long-term deal. Forte might not even miss any time, Rapoport added. The Bears are set to play next Monday night on the road against the Chargers.
One way or the other, Jeremy Langford is all but guaranteed to see more snaps in the coming weeks, potentially a lot more. Langford carried the ball 12 times for 48 yards on Sunday. Prior to that display, the rookie had managed just 15 carries for 34 yards on the season, as Forte shouldered the burden of being a workhorse, all-purpose back in an offense with a struggling passing game.
SB Nation's Daniel Kelly made the case for picking up Langford in Week 9:
The Bears also have Ka'Deem Carey and Antone Smith in the fold, and both would be involved in the offense along with Langford for however long Forte is out. That said, Langford appears primed to have first crack at the role, and if he does well to start, he could have it all to himself during Forte's absence. The rookie is averaging just under three yards a carry so far, so he'll need to improve, but for now, he needs to be added in just about all leagues.
Obviously, he should be nowhere near your fantasy starting lineup if Forte is somehow able to play in Week 9, which doesn't seem likely at all. Assuming Forte is out, Langford does appear to be the next man up. San Diego has one of, if not the worst run defense in the NFL. The Bolts have allowed 24.81 fantasy points per game to running backs this season, per Yahoo Sports. The only team worse is Cleveland, at 24.86 points per contest.
Even Langford should be able to scrape out a decent game for fantasy owners if given enough touches.
Week 9 stat projection (assuming Forte is out): 18 carries, 65 yards, 1 TD
Malcom Floyd, WR, San Diego
Chargers fans and fantasy owners will be looking for Malcom Floyd to step up in Week 9 as San Diego's season of misfortune continued with another spate of injuries in yet another one-possession loss in Week 8.
According to head coach Mike McCoy, per the San Diego Union-Tribune's Michael Gehlken, Allen—Philip Rivers' top target—will miss time with a kidney injury:
Tight end Ladarius Green could be in doubt for Week 9's matchup with Chicago after exiting the Ravens game with an ankle injury. He was spotted in a walking boot, per ESPN.com's Eric D. Williams. Antonio Gates has been slowed by a knee injury.
If all three of those guys are out or at least limited in Week 9, Floyd and Stevie Johnson—who also picked up a knock against Baltimore—should expect to see quite a few footballs thrown their way. Rivers is playing out of his mind this season, with 2,753 yards passing in eight games. He's attempted at least 30 passes in all but one game.
San Diego's rushing attack has been mediocre at best this year, so there's little reason to think the Bolts can or will want to switch up strategies at this point.
Even if Rivers doesn't throw to Floyd a ton in Week 9, there's still a good chance the 34-year-old picks up a handful of points on one play. Of his 21 receptions this season, six have gone for at least 29 yards. Two of those were touchdowns, including this 70-yard beauty against Baltimore, via the NFL:
Floyd would've garnered plenty of attention from fantasy owners anyways for his 92-yard, two-score day against Baltimore, by far his best performance of the season. Considering the circumstances of a desperate team playing a beatable opponent and a rash of injuries for San Diego, Floyd appears to have a fairly high fantasy ceiling this week.
Week 9 stat projection: six receptions, 70 yards, 1 TD
Potential Sleepers
Tyrod Taylor, QB, Buffalo
Tyrod Taylor was one of the more pleasant surprises of the early 2015 season. He took the reins of the Bills offense with aplomb, showing refined passing skills and excellent speed when running the ball. Injuries and a bye week have made him something of a forgotten man in fantasy football. He's owned in just 40 percent of Yahoo leagues.
He's set to return to action in Week 9 against Miami. With quarterbacks like Carson Palmer, Joe Flacco and Russell Wilson on bye, Taylor could be worth a look for fantasy owners, especially those without the luxury of owning a top-flight QB.
Miami's made something of a min-resurgence when Dan Campbell took over as head coach from the fired Joe Philbin, crushing Tennessee and Houston in consecutive weeks. However, the Fins took a big step back in a 36-7 loss to New England in Week 8, leaving them even with the Bills at 3-4 and at the bottom of the AFC East.
Per Yahoo Sports, Miami is middle-of-the-pack when it comes to QB fantasy points against. Taylor's thrown nine touchdowns against four interceptions this year while completing 70.1 percent of his passes, numbers that stack up pretty well against the rest of the league considering he's played in just five games.
Taylor says this week is the first time he's felt completely healthy this season, per Syracuse.com's Matthew Fairburn:
Some of his cronies on offense could be joining him on the field against Miami. According to BuffaloBills.com's Chris Brown, wideout Sammy Watkins was limited in practice on Monday, and running back Karlos Williams was back out on the field after suffering a concussion in Week 4.
If the Bills offense is at or near full strength, Taylor should be able to muster up a solid performance against a Miami team that's been wildly inconsistent this season.
Week 9 stat projection: 250 passing yards, 2 TD, 1 INT; 40 rushing yards
Antonio Andrews, RB, Tennessee
There's little to love about Tennessee from a fantasy owner's perspective, especially coming off a 20-6 loss to the Houston Texans. But if you're top choices at running back are exhausted, Antonio Andrews could be worth a start in Week 9. He played the role of lead back against Houston, carrying the ball 16 times for 64 yards while reeling in three catches for another 22 yards.
Four yards per carry and getting a catch for every target is a pretty nice day for a team that didn't score and had Zach Mettenberger leading the charge at quarterback. It was also a solid follow-up to his 57 yards rushing against Atlanta in Week 6.
Andrews has a favorable matchup against New Orleans in Week 7. The Saints seemed to consider defense a superfluous aspect of the game of football in their 52-49 win over the New York Giants on Sunday. Per Yahoo Sports, New Orleans is giving up the 11th-most fantasy points per game to running backs.
According to Titans coach Ken Whisenhunt, Marcus Mariota is going to return to practice this week.
“I expect him to go Wednesday in practice,” he said Monday, via the Tennessean's Jason Wolf. “Obviously we’ll be able to see how much he can do in practice, but I don’t think there’s going to be an issue there. ... He’s better this week.”
The Titans would figure to have a much better chance of scoring with him in play, even though they have just 36 points from their last four games.
Mariota's mobility at least gives Tennessee an extra dimension on offense, one Andrews can benefit from on draw plays or as a checkdown option in the passing game. Look for Andrews to get another shot at lead-back duties in Week 9.
Week 9 stat projection: 70 rushing yards, 30 receiving yards