Week 9 is here and with it comes another addition of Waiver Flavor: Flavor of the Week.  This week there is little surprise who is topping the most added charts as last week we saw two top five running backs go down with knee injuries along with a top-10 receiver who saw their handcuffs climb up the fantasy ranks and into relevance.   Let’s take a look at the top added players as we head into Week 9.

Quarterbacks

Derek Carr, OAK – Carr has been popping up on this periodically throughout the season but as the Raiders head into Week 9 he might be playing his best football of the season as he has thrown for 422 yards with seven touchdowns and zero interceptions over the last two weeks.  The schedule for Carr is a pretty favorable one as he draws the Steelers and Vikings over the next two weeks before facing the likes of the Lions, Titans and Chiefs who will have a terrible time stopping the Raiders' passing attack.

Jameis Winston, TB – The No. 1 overall pick from this year’s draft finally cracks the most added list as he finds himself playing his best football of the season.  Over the past three games Winston has thrown for 683 yards with four touchdowns and zero interceptions.  The ability to protect the football is key for Winston to maintain his fantasy relevance as he certainly has the receiving weapons in Mike Evans, Vincent Jackson and Austin Seferian-Jenkins.  In Week 9 the Buccaneers face off against a Giants team that just allowed Drew Brees to tie the NFL record with seven touchdown passes in Week 8.

Running Backs

Jeremy Langford, CHI – It’s no surprise that Langford tops the charts as the most added running back this week as Matt Forte suffered an MCL injury in Week 8 that is going to keep him out for an undisclosed amount of time.  Langford has already been named the starter for Week 9 and draws an incredibly favorable matchup against the Chargers.  The Bears drafted Langford in the fourth round this season and there had been rumors leading up to the Forte injury that the Bears may have looked into trading Forte and handing Langford the starting job for the remainder of the season.  While It’s unclear how long Forte will be sidelined Langford is a must-start until he returns.

DeAngelo Williams, PIT – With Le'Veon Bell suffering a season-ending knee injury in Week 8 the Steelers turn back to Williams to carry the load at the running back position.  Williams excelled as a starter during the first two weeks of the season when Bell was suspended and looked really good in relief last week once Bell went out.  Williams is very capable of fulfilling Bell’s role in the passing game as well which should make him a top-10 running back for the remainder of the season as Pittsburgh will likely still feature Williams as they would have Bell if he was healthy.  The next two weeks are favorable ones for Williams as the Steelers face the Raiders and Browns who have struggled against the run this season.

Wide Receivers

Malcom Floyd, SD – In Week 8 Keenan Allen went down with a season ending injury after suffering a lacerated spleen.  Floyd finds himself the most-added player at the position heading into Week 9 as he and Philip Rivers have shown great chemistry during their time together in San Diego and in Week 8, Floyd caught four passes for 92 yards and four touchdowns.  With Allen gone look for Floyd to be featured more in the passing attack as he is Rivers' favorite deep-ball target.  Two straight favorable matchups await Floyd as the Chargers face off against the Bears in Week 9 and, following a bye, they face the Chiefs in Week 11. Both of those teams have struggled against the pass this season.

Stevie Johnson, SD – As the other member of the Chargers' receiving stable, Johnson finds himself climbing the ownage ranks with Keenan Allen out for the season.  Johnson offers a different skillset than Malcom Floyd and should see plenty of targets as Rivers' underneath and intermediate receiver.  Johnson was having solid success with Rivers to start the year but had been hampered with some nagging injuries which has slowed him since.  Now healthy, look for Johnson to take advantage of the two favorable matchups on the horizon against the Bears and Chiefs in Week 9 and 11, respectively.

Tight Ends

Benjamin Watson, NO – Just another week where Watson ranks among the top added tight ends at the position as he is coming off another MONSTER game where he caught nine passes for 147 yards and a touchdown against the Giants who seemingly had no answer on how to stop the Saints' offense in Week 8.  Watson has now found the end zone in three of the last four weeks and has totaled 369 yards on 26 catches during that span.  Matchups against the Titans and Redskins await Watson and the Saints which offer some favorable matchups for their passing attack.

Vernon Davis, DEN – Davis was traded to the Broncos earlier this week as the NFL approached its trade deadline on Tuesday. Davis has been a non-factor for the 49ers for nearly two seasons as injury and inconsistent play have many wondering if we are seeing a rapid decline in the once-great tight end.  A trade to the undefeated Broncos could instill some motivation in Davis and while Peyton Manning has not looked like the future Hall of Famer that he is this season, he is still an upgrade over Colin Kaepernick.   There are plenty of mouths to feed in the Broncos' passing attack but head coach Gary Kubiak likes to feature a tight end in his offense and Davis offers much more upside than Owen Daniels given their skillsets. Some favorable matchups await the Broncos passing attack as they face off against the Colts, Chiefs and Bears over the next three weeks.