The injury train continues to roll on and take all of our fantasy wide receivers far away us, like a warped version of the Polar Express. We only got one catch from Chris Olave (who was ruled out after a scary hit) and then Drake London gave us a touchdown before being ruled out with a hip injury. SIGH.

I'm also sorry to inform you that the bye weeks start to get tougher from here on out. Every week (except Week 13) will now have at least four teams on a bye, with this week being the Browns, Packers, Raiders and Seahawks. 

INJURY ROUNDUP

• Cowboys: Dak Prescott (hamstring/hand), CeeDee Lamb (shoulder)
• Falcons: Drake London (hip)
• Saints: Chris Olave (concussion)
• Eagles: AJ Brown (knee)
• Bengals: Erick All (season-ending torn ACL)
• Bears: Caleb Williams (ankle)

I also want to point you in the direction of our waiver wire tool, which is an awesome way to visualize what I have below AND take advantage of some “wisdom of the crowd”-ing, as you can drop your FAAB bids in and see what other people are thinking of spending. Well worth a visit!

FANTASY FOOTBALL WAIVER WIRE ADDS FOR WEEK 9

Quentin Johnston, WR, Chargers (20% rostered)

Quentin Johnston returned to the lineup for the Chargers after suffering an ankle injury in Week 6 that sidelined him for the last two games. In his return on Sunday, he had four receptions for 118 yards and one touchdown, which was good for 22 fantasy points. Obviously Ladd McConkey is the WR1 in this offense, but Johnston has really bounced back from an atrocious rookie season. He had a 71% route participation and 19% target share — which resulted in a 7.2 UR Score for Week 9 — and lived up to the expectations we had from the waiver wire shoutout last week. 

The Chargers are also allowing quarterback Justin Herbert to throw a bit more (he finished with 27 pass attempts against the Browns). If this trend continues then Johnston could have a solid floor the rest of the way. 

Ray Davis, RB, Bills (21% rostered)

The Bills really have a running back in Ray Davis who could have standalone value by the end of the fantasy season. Maybe we're already there? Okay, maybe not yet. Davis took 14% of the snaps in Week 9 and 21% of the rushing attempts AND we know that the Bills love James Cook (as they should). 

Against the Dolphins, Davis notched 70 yards on two targets, which included a 63-yard touchdown. He also had four carries for 20 yards. We say it every week — we never want injuries to happen, but if James Cook were to go down then Davis would be THE guy to go and get. But we think ahead here and Davis should already be rostered, so pick him up! He is one of the top handcuffs in the league right now.

Mike Gesicki, TE, Bengals (13% rostered)

HELLO, MIKE GESICKI! Five touchdowns for Joe Burrow? Does that mean Ja'Marr Chase had a huge game? Think again, it was Mike Gesicki. In four games without Tee Higgins, Gesicki is averaging 15.1 fantasy points per game without a full time role. Burrow loves targeting Gesicki and in those four games he has a 20% target share and 25% air yards share. He is going to be a must-play against the Ravens on Thursday Night Football.

Drake Maye, QB, Patriots (11% rostered)

Look, it isn't sexy, but with the bye weeks and an injury to Dak Prescott… you might need a quarterback — and Drake Maye is very available. He did not have the best showing against the Titans but he still walked away with 15.74 fantasy points because of the rushing upside he offers. He had eight carries for 95 yards and that's exactly the thing we want to chase from our waiver wire quarterbacks. The Patriots take on a Bears defense that could give him some trouble, but I think he's worth the risk if you're desperate. 

Daniel Jones, QB, Giants (10% rostered)

OKAY DO NOT LOOK AT ME LIKE THAT, I KNOW THIS IS GROSS. Again, if you need a streamer then the matchup in Week 10 for Daniel Jones might intrigue you. Jones finished Week 9 with a season-high 24.36 points versus the Commanders (even though he had zero passing yards in the first half). This week he gets to play against the Carolina Panthers who have given up 23-plus points to fantasy quarterbacks in three of their last five games. 

Who doesn't love the thrill of starting Jones?! Lol, just kidding the answer might be “no one” …but he is a potential streamer in Week 10. 

Xavier Legette, WR, Panthers (27% rostered)

Xavier Legette needs to be in more fantasy conversations, especially because Diontae Johnson is no longer in Carolina. Over the past two games, Legette has led the team in targets and has scored 13-plus fantasy points in both. If Adam Thielen returns (read more about that below) it could hurt Legette's fantasy stock, so don't spend too much — but get excited at the potential he could bring to your team. 

Ray-Ray McCloud, WR, Falcons (16% rostered)

Drake London went down with a hip injury on Sunday and if he is unable to come back for Week 10 then Ray-Ray McCloud would be a deep fantasy play you can target. According to Ian Rapoport, the belief is that London suffered a hip pointer and should not be a long-term issue. 

Still, there have been so many receiver injuries that if you have some bench spots available you could take a flier on McCloud, who our pal Gene Clemons suggested as a bold “start” last week. McCloud scored his first touchdown of the season against the Cowboys and caught all three of his targets for 28 yards. 

Noah Brown, WR, Commanders (2% rostered)

Dwain McFarland noted in the Instant Recap on Sunday night that Noah Brown is now the Commanders' WR2. He had a 76% route participation which was second behind Terry McLaurin and he has been the second-most used wide receiver in the last four games. Brown has been highlighted here off and on this season, but if you have the bench depth you should be stashing him.

Adam Thielen, WR, Panthers (25% rostered)

Adam Thielen was placed on IR with a hamstring injury and has been out since Week 3, but his eventual return is worth a waiver stash because Diontae Johnson is now out of the picture in Carolina. The Panthers opened the 21-day practice window for Thielen on October 23rd, so we could see him return in Week 10. Thielen is also a player who might get traded before the deadline, and if he does then it opens things up even more for Xavier Legette, but we will just have to wait and see. Stash Thielen.  

Jonnu Smith, TE, Dolphins (9% rostered)

Since Tua Tagovailoa's return last week, Jonnu Smith has 12 targets and 66 receiving yards with 6 fantasy points in Week 8 and 9.6 fantasy points in Week 9. Smith also has a great matchup (vs. the Rams) that warrants a bump up in the article this week. The Rams have allowed the second-most fantasy points per game to tight ends this season and with the Dolphins desperate for a win, I could see Smith make some noise in the fantasy box score this weekend. 

Theo Johnson, TE, Giants (1% rostered)

Giants tight end Theo Johnson has really made his presence known recently. He had a 23% target share on Sunday — which was second behind Malik Nabers. He's working the interior of the defense and if this continues then Wan'Dale Robinson will likely be the one losing target share and utilization. Plus, if we really look ahead for this passing game, here are their matchups going into the fantasy playoffs: 

• Week 10: Panthers
• Week 12: Buccaneers
• Week 13: Cowboys
• Week 14: Saints
• Week 15: Ravens 
• Week 16: Falcons
• Week 17: Colts

Trey Benson (16% rostered) / Emari Demercado (1% rostered), RBs, Cardinals

James Conner exited Sunday's matchup against the Bears briefly, but the injury scare warrants a highlight of both backup running backs for the Cardinals. Arizona decided to run all over the Bears in Week 9 which allowed all three running backs to score double-digit fantasy points. 

Conner is still the RB1 in this offense, but if he were to sustain an injury then Trey Benson and Emari Demercado would hold more value (target them in that order on waivers). 

Keep Stashing:

• Kimani Vidal
• Blake Corum
• Troy Franklin
• Keaton Mitchell