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

The absence of those teams will remove not only established fantasy studs like Kenneth Walker and Josh Jacobs, but also some of the year’s most impactful pickups like Cleveland. Cedric Tillman (who 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

There seems to be a time every season where fantasy managers look at the waiver wire trying to justify picking up Taysom Hill to help their team. That moment came after Hill had a solid performance in New Orleans. 23-22 loss to Carolina, rushing five times for 19 yards and a touchdown while catching four passes for 41 yards on five targets.

The reason the Hill noise is forming is due to the large amount of wear and tear the Saints receiving room 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 in an ambulance, forcing Hill to take more offensive reps than he’s seen in a while.

While the potential is there for a breakout Hill, it’s hard to see the Saints using him in more than the gadgetry they’ve had over the past few 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 see how the dust settles.

Verdict: Bust

Quentin Johnston, WR, Los Angeles Chargers

Reports of Justin Herbert’s decline into a game-manager quarterback under the heavy game plans of Jim Harbaugh and Greg Roman appear to be greatly exaggerated. Since Los Angeles returned from its Week 5 bye, Herbert has played it up more often, averaging over 300 yards passing in his last three games and scoring multiple touchdowns in the last two, and one of the biggest beneficiaries was 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’ last three games with an ankle injury.

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

Verdict: Trust

Mike Gesicki, TE, Cincinnati Bengals

Mike Gesicki was one of the hottest fantasy tight ends after the 2021 season, when he caught 73 passes for 780 yards and was set to be an integral part of Miami’s explosive passing game under new head coach Mike McDaniel. That vision never materialized as Gesicki benched new acquisitions Tyreek Hill and Jaylen Waddle, leaving Miami for a wasted year in New England before landing with Joe Burrow in Cincinnati.

Intermittent injury concerns for Tee Higgins allowed Gesicki to establish a nice rapport with Burrow, and the pair had their most productive day of the season in Week 9, when Gesicki caught six passes for 100 yards and a pair of touchdowns in Cincinnati. explosive 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 National Tight Ends Day festivities.

Ja’Marr Chase is still Burrow’s top target, but Burrow has shown the ability to make his fantasy assets usable over the years. Gesicki is arguably 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, giving him solid value in a difficult position to occupy on fantasy lists.

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, such as the 27-22 Week 9 loss to the Washington Commanders. Jones scored his first touchdown at MetLife Stadium in nearly two years, and one of the beneficiaries was rookie Theo Johnson, who had his best day as a pro.

Johnson was targeted six times against the Chiefs and caught three of them for 51 yards and a score. The spike was on a 35-yard connection, which is the highlight of Johnson’s day, though he has been a consistent secondary option in New York’s passing attack.

While a good matchup awaits against Carolina’s shaky defense in Germany in Week 10, Johnson just isn’t getting enough looks to merit starting status, even at a position where fantasy players are desperate for production, such as 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 watching this Week 9 line with him is the definition of fool’s gold.

Verdict: Bust

Nick Westbrook-Ikhine, WR, Tennessee Titans

Let’s wrap up this week’s edition of the madman’s gold report with a look at Nick Westbrook-Ikhine, another guy who feels like a perennial in fantasy leagues. Westbrook-Ikhine has actually found the end zone in four straight weeks, which is 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 supporters is that he assumed an expanded role in the Titans’ offense after Tennessee traded DeAndre Hopkins to the Kansas City Chiefs before Week 8. While Calvin Ridley is Tennessee’s best receiver and an explosive deep threat, Westbrook -Ikhine is more of a slot merchant who can collect check-down targets to provide an edge in PPR-based leagues.

Next week’s trip to Los Angeles isn’t a fun one for Westbrook-Ikhine, but Tennessee’s next four matchups (Minnesota, at Houston, at Washington, Jacksonville) offer contests with shaky pass defenses where the Titans should chase points, providing a lot of garbage. time to work with him. While the quarterback situation isn’t ideal, Westbrook-Ikhine is the kind of safe flexibility option fantasy players can use to navigate the last guard set before the postseason begins.

Verdict: Trust