There have been a lot of receivers going down due to injury. Fantasy owners might be scrambling for a fill-in and a handful of guys have really come on. Obviously, the sample size isn’t going to be there for all of these guys listed below, but some of them offer a lot of upside if they can keep it going.
Fantasy football waiver wire: 5 wide receivers to target for Week 9
A couple injuries have given some receivers extra looks. Which ones will fantasy owners want to add?
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Brandon LaFell (owned in 36 percent of leagues): He has always been known as one of the most inconsistent receivers in the NFL, but he's suddenly become a staple in the New England Patriots offense. In his last three weeks, he's scored three times with an average of 92.0 receiving yards per game.
Of course, those numbers are inflated by his ridiculous 11-catch, 124-yard game against the Chicago Bears. This upcoming week, he'll likely be busy against the Denver Broncos. Yes, the Broncos have a good defense, but quarterback Tom Brady will need LaFell's big-play ability. He's a WR3 this week.
Justin Hunter (owned in 50 percent of leagues): The Tennessee Titans are going to miss receiver Nate Washington and his 33 targets on the season. He ran a lot of deep routes, so there should be no doubt that Hunter gets many of those looks.
Hunter was targeted a season-high 10 times Sunday on his way to four catches, 31 yards and one score. He and quarterback Zach Mettenberger hooked up a lot in the preseason, so the chemistry is there despite failing to hook up on six of their 10 tries.
The Titans are on a bye week, but they have a great schedule coming up. Plus, his playoff schedule is about as good as it gets against the New York Jets in Week 15 and the Jacksonville Jaguars in Week 16. He's a great stash.
Kenny Britt (owned in five percent of leagues): The St. Louis Rams lost receiver Brian Quick for the season, so Britt gets another chance. Quick leads the team in receiving yards, targets and receiving scores, so there is a big opportunity here.
Britt had a team-high 52 receiving yards and five targets on Sunday and there really aren’t many guys capable of running a full complement of routes. He’s been targeted 27 times in his five games and he should be closer to eight per game the rest of the way.
He's not an option this week against the San Francisco 49ers in Week 9, but things look up for him with plenty of favorable matchups. He's worth a look in 12-team leagues.
Martavis Bryant (owned in seven percent of leagues): How about quarterback Ben Roethlisberger? He lit it up and Bryant was the biggest beneficiary, turning in a massive five-catch, 83-yard, two-score game against the Indianapolis Colts. Yes, Antonio Brown also went off, but we knew that was coming.
Obviously coach Todd Haley loves to pass and he didn't even have Le'Veon Bell in at the goal line in the second half with a lead. What's more, Bryant caught a touchdown in his NFL debut last week, so his size at 6-4 has translated nicely.
He won't have a great matchup this week against the Baltimore Ravens, but he gets the New York Jets, the Tennessee Titans, a bye and the New Orleans Saints after that. He'll be a WR3 in that span.
Allen Robinson (owned in 23 percent of leagues): He's been a bit of an unheralded WR3 and now has scored in back-to-back games. Robinson was targeted 10 times against the Miami Dolphins, catching five of those for 82 yards and one score.
He’s locked in to his role and fantasy owners can use him as a WR3 in PPR leagues.
