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Living on the Waiver Wire

Andrew Hawkins, who has been piling up receptions and targets all season long in the Cleveland Browns’ offense, finally got to celebrate a touchdown last week against the Oakland Raiders.

Say goodbye to some of the best wide receivers in football this week.

Atlanta’s Julio Jones and Roddy White, Chicago’s Alshon Jeffery and Brandon Marshall, Detroit’s oft-injured Calvin Johnson and standout replacement Golden Tate, and Green Bay’s Randall Cobb and Jordy Nelson all are on byes in Week 9 of the NFL, making for a highly-active waiver wire this week of the fantasy football season.

Of course, those teams are loaded with more talent at other positions, and, with the first bye of more than two teams since Week 4, get ready for the free agent frenzy.

Here are some players to target this week:

Wide Receivers

Looks like Tom Brady finally has found an outside threat he trusts. Free-agent acquisition Brandon LaFell has stepped up nicely for the Patriots in recent weeks, and he widely is available in fantasy leagues. He has 11 catches for 124 yards and a touchdown the last two weeks, and he has had three games of 97 yards or more this season. He is up to four touchdowns and even surpassed Julian Edelman in the target distribution Sunday when Brady bombed the Bears for 51 points. LaFell has a tough matchup against the Denver Broncos’ cornerbacks this week, but expect Denver to keep its eyes glued on Rob Gronkowski and LaFell to still get his looks. He’s the safest start of the guys widely available on the waiver wire.

The potential everyone saw out of Markus Wheaton going into this season instead has been fulfilled the last two weeks by Martavis Bryant in Pittsburgh. Sure, Ben Roethlisberger isn’t likely to repeat his record-setting day Sunday, when he even found Wheaton for 56 yards and a touchdown, but Bryant has shown big-play ability the last two weeks while seeing significantly more snaps. Bryant had 83 yards and two touchdowns last week, giving him three touchdowns in two weeks. Roethlisberger trusts him opposite Antonio Brown, and consider him as a flex play this week against the Baltimore Ravens, who rank 27th in pass defense and are without cornerback Jimmy Smith.

Cleveland’s Andrew Hawkins continues to shine with a pair of nice games in a row. Still owned in less than 20 percent of leagues, Hawkins had 88 yards and one touchdown on seven receptions Sunday against Oakland. Expect him to have a similar showing against the hapless Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Sunday, as the Bucs rank 24th against the pass.

Allen Robinson is the most reliable receiver in Jacksonville, and he has two touchdowns and 142 yards on nine receptions the last two weeks.

Andre Holmes, who has been mentioned in previous weeks, remains an option in deeper formats, especially with the volume of passes he sees from Derek Carr.

A pair of speculative additions this week are St. Louis’ Kenny Britt and Arizona’s John Brown:

Britt is one of the last-men standing in St. Louis after Brian Quick suffered a dislocated shoulder that will keep him out the rest of the season. It looks like Tavon Austin and Kenny Britt’s show now. While I still don’t expect Jeff Fisher to turn Austin Davis and the Rams’ passing game loose in competitive games, watch how Britt does the next week or two.

Brown had a big day with 119 yards and a touchdown on five catches against Philadelphia on Sunday. Brown has three touchdowns now this season, and his workload should increase throughout the year, but Brown, a rookie out of Pittsburg State, is more likely to break out next year. Still, throw him on your watch list and scoop him up if he has another big week in Dallas.

Running Back

Shane Vereen one week, Jonas Gray the next for New England.

The rookie running back out of Notre Dame rushed for 86 yards on 17 carries, touching the ball nine more times than Vereen on Sunday. Is that a product of the Patriots being up big on the Bears and them wanting to run the ball between the tackles more? Maybe. But consider Gray a more viable running threat and goal-line back for the Patriots, while Vereen will keep value as a pass catcher and third-down back. I’ve seen comparisons between Gray and the injured Stevan Ridley, and it is safe to think Gray will assume Ridley’s old role. Still, consider Vereen the safer play this week against Denver, as the Broncos have allowed the fewest rushing yards to opponents in the NFL this year.

Denard Robinson, who made an appearance in this column last week, had another 100-yard game Sunday, giving him two in a row. He’s showing he can handle 15-plus touches a game, so give him a spot on your roster if you need a back, particularly if you need someone to fill in for Matt Forte or Eddie Lacy this week.

DeAngelo Williams is set to make his return from an ankle injury this week. Jonathan Stewart owners, cue the face palm. After Stewart had a big week, Williams is ready to blow up his momentum and restore the running back by committee in Carolina. Still, the Panthers will play Thursday night against the New Orleans Saints’ defense, so consider starting whichever one you trust more. Personally, I would roll with Williams for his big-run potential, especially since Cam Newton steals the goal-line carries.

Defense

Who might be this week’s Miami Dolphins? I like the Washington Redskins against the Minnesota Vikings, the Cincinnati Bengals against the Jacksonville Jaguars, the Kansas City Chiefs against the New York Jets, and the Cleveland Browns against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. No way those teams get negative points this week.

Survivor Pool

Another losing pick last week, as the Colt McCoy-led Washington Redskins beat the Dallas Cowboys in overtime. My record has fallen to a miserable 4-3 this season, so this week I will give you two picks to choose from: Either go with the Cincinnati Bengals against the Jacksonville Jaguars, or roll out the Seattle Seahawks against the Oakland Raiders. Both are at home, and both are as close to locks as you can find.

John Livingston is a sports writer at The Durango Herald and a member of the Fantasy Sports Writers Association. He can be reached at jlivingston@durangoherald.com or on Twitter @jlivi2.



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