Is your team struggling? Well, you better get your ass in gear, because we are entering Week 9 already and time is running out on the fantasy football regular season. If you want to make the playoffs, you better try win now, and that means looking to the waiver wire for help. Below are the top players at each position who are owned in less that 50% of leagues that may be able to help your team. Good luck!

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Quarterback

Josh McCown’s hair almost always looks this good. #Jealous

Josh McCown, Cleveland Browns. Josh McCown is an underrated quarterback. In two games this season, he has thrown for 601 total yards with two touchdowns in each game. In addition, last season in the seven games he played from beginning to end, he averaged almost 300 yards per game and had 12 touchdowns. Terrelle Pryor has turned into a legitimate threat and Corey Coleman is set to return this week as well, after missing the previous six games with a fractured hand, so he has some weapons at his disposal. I love his grittiness and he could be a very nice QB2 going forward that you can plug in if your quarterback is struggling or if you’re dealing with injuries or byes.

Ryan Tannehill, Miami Dolphins. Look, I’m not a big fan of Ryan Tannehill’s. He’s an average NFL quarterback, who for fantasy purposes is a middle to lower end QB2. That being said, he has a great matchup against the Jets this week, who are at the bottom of the NFL in pass defense, and he’s coming off a bye where he has extra time to get his game together. With quarterbacks like Tom Brady, Kirk Cousins, Andy Dalton and Carson Palmer on a bye, you may be looking for a one week fill-in and Ryan Tannehill could be just that guy.

Other Quarterbacks to Consider: Sam Bradford, Minnesota Vikings. Colin Kaepernick, San Francisco 49ers. Ryan Fitzpatrick, New York Jets.

Running Back

Yup. You’re right, Timmy…two fumbles is what it took to get Mark Ingram potentially pulled from his lead back role.

Tim Hightower, New Orleans Saints. Head coaches in the NFL sometimes think they are so damn smart. Sean Payton probably thinks he’s teaching Mark Ingram a lesson by sitting his ass on the bench after he lost a fumble on his third carry of this week’s game against Seattle. Yes, he did lose a fumble last week as well, but I’m pretty damn sure that all running backs in the NFL know they are supposed to hang on to the football. I’m not sure that putting their most talented running back on the bench and playing an inferior player will teach him to hold on to the ball, but hey, different strokes for different folks. Payton as said that Hightower has earned playing time going forward and with Ingram struggling, it remains to be seen how large that role will be. We will find out with a gravy matchup this week against the 49ers who give up enough rushing yards to make both Ingram and Hightower a solid play in Week 9.

Robert Kelley, Washington Redskins. I know, I know. Technically Matt Jones hasn’t lost his starting job yet and he missed Week 8 with a knee injury. However, he was well on his way to losing it after he struggled with ball security last season and he already has a total of four fumbles (two lost) this year. With a bye this week, Jones should have an opportunity to get heathy, but it will be interesting to see if he still has his job after Robert Kelley had 87 yards on 21 carries and a touchdown this week against Cincinnati. Kelley is an undrafted free agent but had an impressive preseason and may supplant Jones as their lead back and is worth a roster spot in 12 teams leagues or deeper.

Other Running Backs to Consider: CJ Prosise, Seattle Seahawks. Chacandrick West, Kansas City Chiefs. Dion Lewis, New England Patriots. Antone Smith, Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Kapri Bibbs, Denver Broncos.

Wide Receiver

He is owned in over 60% of leagues in both Yahoo and ESPN, but make sure that Donte Moncrief is not floating around in any your leagues. If he’s available, he’s my number one wide receiver option this week.

Corey Coleman, Cleveland Browns. After missing the last six games with a fractured hand, Corey Coleman has been cleared to practice in full this week, and he should be back for a Week 9 matchup against the Cowboys. Coleman was the first wide receiver taken in the NFL draft this season and he has a boatload of talent. Coleman played in only two games this year and while he struggled in Week 1 with Robert Griffin III behind center, he excelled in Week 2 with Josh McCown as he caught five balls for 104 yards and two scores. That’s important, because McCown looks like he will be the quarterback for the foreseeable future and that could lead to good things for the rookie receiver. Fan of Fighting Chance Fantasy, Martha has been hanging on to Coleman this entire time, patiently waiting for his return. It looks like this week her perseverance will pay off as he should be safe to plug into lineups as a WR3/flex play going forward.

Jamison Crowder has been a very pleasant surprise this season and should be a solid play going forward.

Jamison Crowder, Washington Redskins. Many people thought the return of tight end, Jordan Reed this week would hurt the production of Jamison Crowder. Instead, he had his best game of the season as he caught nine balls for 107 yards and a score against the Bengals. Game script isn’t always going to go his way like it did this week, but he is teetering into WR2 territory on a weekly basis. He is on pace for 80 catches, almost 1,000 and eight scores and I will take that kind of production from a waiver wire addition any day of the week.

Other Wide Receivers to Consider: JJ Nelson, Arizona Cardinals. Mohamed Sanu, Atlanta Falcons. Russell Shepard, Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Tyreek Hill, Kansas City Chiefs.

Tight End

CJ Fiedorowicz, Houston Texans. With DeAndre Hopkins still struggling to develop a rapport with quarterback, Brock Osweiler, it’s left the door open for others to get some love in the Texans offense. One beneficiary of that affection is tight end, CJ Fiedorowicz. Fiedorowicz has averaged just a little under seven targets per game over their last five, and turned that into an average of five receptions per game with three scores over that stretch. He may not have the upside that the top tight ends possess, but he has become a very steady option and is a borderline TE1 until further notice. Be on notice that he does have a bye next week, so if you need someone to plug in for Week 9 you will have to look elsewhere, but if you’re looking for a backup tight end to roster, Fiedorowicz isn’t a bad guy to stash.

Eric Ebron, Detroit Lions.  After missing the previous three games with knee and ankle injuries, Eric Ebron returned in Week 8 against the Texans and was very impressive. He had seven receptions on ten targets and converted that into 79 yards. Unlike Fiedorowicz, Ebron has the physical abilities to be included with the top tight ends. However, as a Lions fan, I have also seen him look like he has hands made of cinder blocks, and drop some of the easiest of passes and be a complete non-factor in the offense. He is the more volatile of the two tight ends listed, but if you look for upside over consistency, move Ebron ahead of Fiedorowicz.

Other Tight Ends to Consider: Vernon Davis, Washington Redskins. Ladarius Green, Pittsburgh Steelers. Cameron Brate, Tampa Bay Buccaneers./

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