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

The absence of these teams will not only remove established fantasy studs like Kenneth Walker and Josh Jacobs, but also some of the year’s most notable pickups like Cleveland. Cedric Tillman (which we covered in this space last week). Which of the Week 9 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 there’s a time every season where Fantasy managers stare at the waiver wire trying to justify picking Taysom Hill to help their team. This moment came after Hill had a strong performance in New Orleans. Defeat 23-22 at Carolina, rushing five times for 19 yards and a touchdown while catching four passes for 41 yards on five targets.

The reason the buzz on Hill is growing is due to the amount of attrition the Saints front office has gone through. Rashid Shaheed is already out for the year and Chris Olave suffered a scary concussion on Sunday that forced him to leave the stadium by ambulance, forcing Hill to take more offensive reps than he’s seen in a while .

While there is breakout potential from Hill, it’s hard to see how the Saints will utilize him beyond the gadget ability they’ve had for several 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 besides Alvin Kamara for your fantasy rosters until we can see how the dust settles.

Verdict: Screw up

Quentin Johnston, WR, Los Angeles Chargers

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

The former first-round pick had his biggest game of the season Sunday, catching four passes for 118 yards and a score on five targets. The highlight of Johnston’s day was a 66-yard touchdown run 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’s a chance Los Angeles could add a pass catcher before the trade deadline, Johnston’s ability to play big should make him a prime target for Herbert on downfield shots. Ladd McConkey and Joshua Palmer also haven’t set the world on fire this season, so there’s plenty of room for Johnston to claim the top spot on the Los Angeles passing tree and establish himself as a weekly WR3 in the fantastic circles.

Verdict: 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 was expected to be 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 back seat to new acquisitions Tyreek Hill and Jaylen Waddle, leaving Miami for a wasted year in New England before landing with Joe Burrow in Cincinnati.

Tee Higgins’ intermittent injury issues allowed Gesicki to establish a good rapport with Burrow and the two had their most productive day of the season in Week 9 when Gesicki caught six passes for 100 yards and two touchdowns in Cincinnati. resounding victory against the Las Vegas Raiders. This marks 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 make his tight ends usable as fantasy commodities over the years. Gesicki is arguably the most skilled tight end Burrow has had to work with, so expect the Bengals to make him an important part of their game plans moving forward, providing him solid value at a Difficult position to fill on fantasy rosters.

Verdict: 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, like 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 against the Commanders and caught three of them for 51 yards and a score. The spike came on a 35-yard connection, which is the highlight of Johnson’s day, although he has been a consistent secondary option in New York’s passing attack.

While a good game awaits him against Carolina’s shaky defense in Germany in Week 10, Johnson simply doesn’t get enough looks to merit starting status, even at a position where fantasy players desperately need production as a tight end. Malik Nabers, WanDale Robinson and Darius Slayton are all above Johnson in the Giants’ passing attack, which isn’t dynamic to begin with, so chasing this Week 9 line with him is the definition of fool’s gold.

Verdict: Screw up

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 he’s in perennial consideration in fantasy leagues. Westbrook-Ikhine has actually found the end zone in four straight weeks, no small feat considering Tennessee’s mediocre passing attack, including a career-best 5/50/1 line of the season on six targets in Week 9.

The positive for Westbrook-Ikhine supporters is that he took on an expanded role in the Titans’ offense after Tennessee traded DeAndre Hopkins to the Kansas City Chiefs before Week 8. While Calvin Ridley is the best Tennessee wide receiver and an explosive deep threat, Westbrook -Ikhine is more of a slot dealer who can collect checking targets to provide advantages in PPR-based leagues.

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) provide contests with shaky pass defenses where the Titans should chase points, offering a lot of waste. time for him to work with. While the quarterback situation isn’t ideal, Westbrook-Ikhine is the kind of safe flex option fantasy players can use to navigate the final round of byes before the playoffs begin.

Verdict: Trust