3 players to believe, 2 players not to believe

We are approaching the stretch run in the fantasy football season and managers are trying to prepare for a postseason push. The fly in the ointment is a slew of bye weeks for major NFL stars, including four teams in Week 9 including the Green Bay Packers, Seattle Seahawks, Cleveland Browns and Las Vegas Raiders.

The absence of these teams will not only remove established fantasy studs like Kenneth Walker and Josh Jacobs, but also some of the most impactful picks of the year, like Cleveland’s. Carlo Tilman (which we covered in this space last week). Which of Week 9’s breakout fantasy stars can you trust to help fill out your fantasy lineup in Week 10 and beyond? Read on for this week’s Fool’s Gold report.

Taysom Hill, QB/TE, New Orleans Saints

It feels like every season there’s a point where fantasy managers stare at the waiver wire and try to justify picking up Taysom Hill to help their team. That moment has arrived after Hill had a solid performance in New Orleans’ 23-22 loss for Carolina, rushing five times for 19 yards and a touchdown while catching four passes for 41 yards on five targets.

The reason the Hill buzz is increasing is due to the sheer amount of exhaustion the Saints’ receiving room has gone through. Rashid Shaheed has been gone for a year and Chris Olave suffered a terrifying concussion on Sunday that forced him to leave the stadium in an ambulance, forcing Hill into more attacking reps than he has seen in a while.

While the potential exists for a Hill breakout, it’s hard to see how the Saints use him in more than just the gadget capacity they’ve had in recent years. New Orleans also fired head coach Dennis Allen on Monday, creating more chaos in New Orleans and making it best to avoid all Saints outside of Alvin Kamara for your fantasy lineups until we can see how the dust settles.

Pronunciation: Bust

Quentin Johnston, WR, Los Angeles Chargers

Reports of Justin Herbert’s decline into a game-managing quarterback under the heavy game plans of Jim Harbaugh and Greg Roman seem wildly exaggerated. Since Los Angeles returned from its Week 5 bye, Herbert has broadcast it more often, averaging over 300 yards in his past three games and multiple touchdowns in the past two, and one of the biggest beneficiaries has been Quentin Johnston.

The former first-round pick had his biggest game of the season on Sunday, catching four passes for 118 yards and scoring on five targets. The highlight of Johnston’s day was a 66-yard touchdown strike in the second quarter, which was an encouraging sign of explosiveness after Johnston missed the Chargers’ previous three games with an ankle injury.

While there is a chance Los Angeles could add a pass catcher before the trade deadline, Johnston’s big playmaking skills should make him a favorite target for Herbert on downfield shots. Ladd McConkey and Joshua Palmer haven’t exactly set the world on fire this season either, so there’s plenty of room for Johnston to claim the top spot on Los Angeles’ passing tree and establish himself as a weekly WR3 in fantasy circles.

Pronunciation: To trust

Mike Gesicki, TE, Cincinnati Bengals

Mike Gesicki was one of the hottest fantasy tight ends following the 2021 season, when he caught 73 passes for 780 yards and would become an integral part of Miami’s explosive passing game under new head coach Mike McDaniel. That vision never came to fruition as Gesicki took a backseat to new additions Tyreek Hill and Jaylen Waddle and left Miami for a wasted year in New England before landing in Cincinnati with Joe Burrow.

The on-and-off injury issues for Tee Higgins have allowed Gesicki to build a rapport with Burrow and the pair had their most productive day of the season in Week 9 as Gesicki caught six passes for 100 yards and a pair of touchdowns in Cincinnati’s huge win over the Las Vegas Raiders. This is the second consecutive blowout week for Gesicki, who caught seven passes for 73 yards in Week 8 as part of the National Tight Ends Day festivities.

Ja’Marr Chase is still Burrow’s top target, but Burrow has shown the ability to create serviceable fantasy plays for his tight ends over the years. Gesicki is perhaps the most skilled tight end Burrow has had to work with, so expect the Bengals to make him a prominent part of their game plans going forward, providing him with solid value at a position that is difficult to can be filled in on fantasy rosters.

Pronunciation: To trust

Theo Johnson, TE, New York Giants

The Giants’ offense is nothing to write home about, but Daniel Jones is capable of occasional moments of brilliance, such as Week 9’s 27-22 loss to the Washington Commanders. Jones scored his first touchdown at MetLife Stadium in nearly two years in the game and one of the beneficiaries was rookie tight end Theo Johnson, who had his best day as a pro.

Johnson was targeted six times by the Commanders, catching three for 51 yards and a score. The peak was on a 35-yard connection, which is the pinnacle of Johnson’s era, although he was consistently a secondary option in New York’s passing attack.

While a good matchup awaits in Week 10 against Carolina’s shaky defense in Germany, Johnson simply isn’t getting enough attention to earn starter status, even at a position where fantasy players are desperate for production as a tight end. Malik Nabers, WanDale Robinson and Darius Slayton all outscore Johnson in the Giants’ passing attack, which isn’t dynamic to begin with, so chasing this line with him from Week 9 is the definition of fool’s gold.

Pronunciation: Bust

Nick Westbrook-Ikhine, WR, Tennessee Titans

Let’s wrap up this week’s edition of the Fool’s Gold report with a look at Nick Westbrook-Ikhine, another guy who feels like a perennial waiver wire consideration in fantasy leagues. Westbrook-Ikhine has found the end zone in four straight weeks, no small feat considering Tennessee’s mediocre passing attack, including a season-best 5/50/1 line on six targets in Week 9.

The positive for Westbrook-Ikhine backers is that he has taken on a bigger role in the Titans’ offense after Tennessee traded DeAndre Hopkins to the Kansas City Chiefs before Week 8. While Calvin Ridley is Tennessee’s top receiver and an explosive deep threat, Westbrook-Ikhine is Tennessee’s top receiver and an explosive deep threat. -Ikhine is more of a slot dealer who can collect check-down targets to provide some advantage in PPR-based competitions.

Next week’s trip to Los Angeles isn’t fun for Westbrook-Ikhine, but Tennessee’s next four matchups (Minnesota, at Houston, at Washington, Jacksonville) feature games of shaky pass defense that should have the Titans chasing points, which is a lot produces waste. time for him to cooperate. While the quarterback situation isn’t ideal, Westbrook-Ikhine is the kind of safe flex option fantasy players can use to navigate the final stretch of byes before the postseason begins.

Pronunciation: To trust