Week 9 Waiver Wire: Javon Ringer and Others You Must Add

The waiver wire never ceases to be an invaluable resource to fantasy football GMs, even as the season wears on. For any number of reasons, a player moves from an afterthought to a must-add in the blink of just one play or one quarter of a game.

Here are three you should consider if you're looking to make some waiver wire moves heading into Week 9.

RB Javon Ringer, Tennessee Titans (vs. Cincinnati Bengals)

Titans running back Chris Johnson is getting paid quite a hefty sum for each of his 462 total yards thus far this season, but all that money doesn't mitigate the fact that his production is suffering terribly.

Whether it's a crisis of motivation, the fact that defenses know how to prepare for him or there's just something not right with the 2009 leading rusher is unclear—but what is known is that he's quickly becoming a fantasy football pariah.

Luckily for Johnson's owners and other fantasy GMs with serious problems at the running back position, the Titans have a solid backup plan in rusher Javon Ringer. In the Titans' Week 8 win over the Indianapolis Colts, Johnson had 51 yards on 17 touches, the majority of which came in the first half. In contrast, Ringer had 14 rushes for 60 yards and five catches for 42 and played nearly the entire fourth quarter.

It's clear that Tennessee has to make a change at running back, and even if they switch to a committee approach rather than naming Ringer the sole starter, Ringer's going to get enough touches and enough receiving targets that warrants not only adding him to your fantasy roster but giving him a starting role if your running back corps is weak.

RB Chris Ogbonnaya, Cleveland Browns (at Houston Texans)

Alas, the waiver wire is a competitive place, and though you may have your heart set on grabbing Ringer, your waiver position might dictate that you'll need to have a backup plan in mind. May I suggest Cleveland Browns running back Chris Ogbonnaya?

Certainly, Ogbonnaya is much more of a gamble to add to your roster than Ringer, but he has considerable upside, as fellow Browns backs Peyton Hillis and Montario Hardesty are both suffering from injuries.

Hardesty's calf injury seems more likely to keep him off the field against the Texans this week than does Hillis' hamstring, but no matter who can or cannot play next week, Ogbonnaya will be replacing whoever is hurt.

Ogbonnaya had 11 carries for 37 yards and five catches for 24 after replacing Hardesty in the Browns' 20-10 Week 8 loss to the San Francisco 49ers. The Texans, while a tough team, are nowhere near as dominant on defense as the Niners, and there's a real shot for Ogbonnaya to put up useful numbers.

While I don't recommend giving him the add unless you're in a tough spot at running back or are in a deeper league, there are clearly worse options for Week 9. He's also useful in PPR leagues and can make a solid flex play, even if just for one week.

TE Scott Chandler, Buffalo Bills (vs. New York Jets)

If touchdowns and not yards are more your interest, then Buffalo Bills tight end Scott Chandler might be an ideal waiver-wire addition for you this week.

Chandler had just two receptions for 35 yards in his team's shutout win over the Washington Redskins in Week 8, but both of those catches were for touchdowns. It echoes his performance thus far this season: Only 15 catches for 133 yards, with six touchdowns.

It's clear that Bills quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick loves to target the the massive (6'7", 272-pound) Chandler in the red zone, where he appears to be practically unbeatable. He's not a fast, open-space tight end, to be sure (hence the low number of catches and especially yards), but it's practically a given that he will get his looks when—and where—it matters most.

Yes, Chandler is a feast-or-famine tight end, with no touchdowns in his last three games and three total over the previous three, but when the right matchup presents itself, he's got such a size advantage that touchdowns are inevitable.