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Week 8 is in the books and now it’s time to go mining for fantasy football wide receivers for Week 9 and beyond. Receivers are the easiest to find on the waiver wire but also desperately hard to get right week in and week out. This week is no different, so let’s take a close look at who is out there waiting to make you team into a champion.
We are in the heart of the bye weeks, as the Atlanta Falcons, Cincinnati Bengals, Los Angeles Rams, and New Orleans Saints will all get a week off, which means a bevy of strong receivers will be on your bench. Julio Jones, Cooper Kupp and Michael Thomas have likely given your team a competitive edge and now we need to find some replacements.
Diontae Johnson, Pittsburgh Steelers (11.7 percent)
Before Mason Rudolph went down with a concussion in Week 5, he and Johnson had started putting together good stats, as Johnson caught 9-of-12 targets for 129 yards and two touchdowns in Week’s 3 and 4. With Rudolph back for Week 8 against Miami, the two picked up where they left off, as Johnson had yet another strong fantasy outing.
Danny Amendola, Detroit Lions (8.9 percent)
Amendola has seen a big increase in work over the last two games due to game script and the loss of running back Kerryon Johnson. In those two games he’s seen 19 targets and caught 16 for 200 yards. Detroit should continue to need to throw the ball, as they’ve allowed the seventh-most real life points per game this season and they currently don’t have a running back they can count on. Amendola also faces the Raiders this week, who have given up the third most fantasy points per touch to wide receivers. He’d more useful in PPR than standard leagues, but in this matchup, he should be a useful bye week filler.
Chris Conley, Jacksonville Jaguars (9.7 percent)
Conley has always had upside but getting playing time and a good quarterback at the same time has been a problem. He now may have both, as Dede Westbrook has a shoulder injury and Gardner Minshew continues to play well in Nick Foles’ place. With Westbrook leaving the game early last week, Conley put up 103 yards and a touchdown on four receptions, ranking second only to D.J. Chark in targets. If Westbrook can’t go, Conley also will face the Houston Texans, who allow the second-most fantasy points to wide receivers.
Josh Reynolds, Los Angeles Rams (.2 percent)
The Rams have a bye this week, but Brandin Cooks has suffered four concussions over the past season and a half and could see a prolonged absence, which would push Josh Reynolds into the picture. With Cooks out much of last week, Reynolds caught 3-of-8 targets for 73 yards and a touchdown. This recommendation is predicated on Cooks missing a large chunk of time, as the Rams have a bye this week, but he has plenty of upside in the Rams offense.
Alex Erickson, Cincinnati Bengals (1.9 percent)
Erickson isn’t someone I would usually push, but he’s forced his way onto the fantasy radar with 21 targets over the last two games, the sixth most in the league. He’s also produced with those targets, catching 14 for 234 yards. Andy Dalton and the Bengals aren’t going to be efficient but they are going to throw the ball often, as Dalton averages 42.2 attempts per game. The Bengals have a bye this week unfortunately, but they face the Ravens and Raiders when they return and there are six teams on bye in Week 10.