In Week 8 I dropped the ball, opting to talk up Alfonso Smith and Niles Paul instead of Curtis Brinkley and Jon Baldwin, both of whom had big Monday night games while Smith and Paul did nothing. Paul did not even register a target and Smith had only one carry for one yard. Donnie Avery was also completely uninvolved in his offense and Phillip Tanner did very little in the Cowboys' blowout loss. Javon Ringer though stepped up and matched Chris Johnson's carry total of 14 while actually doubling him in total yards with 102. He should be owned, especially if you have CJ.

My Week 9 grabs include an older receiver trying to make one last run, a 2010 rookie sleeper relatively fresh from the PUP list and a whole bunch of inexperience. Choose them wisely, but don't be afraid to stash one if your bench has any worthless dead weight wasting away and taking up precious space. You just never know when a new face will break into the fantasy spotlight, so snatch one of these names before kickoff so you don't lose him in the waiver claims.

1. T.J. Houshmandzadeh, WR, OAK – What is the one thing missing in the Raiders offense? If you answered a possession receiver you are absolutely correct. Well, that is, it used to be a hole in Oakland. Now the Black Hole not only has a chain-moving, third-down type, but it has the exact possession receiver that Carson Palmer played his first four seasons with. Yes, it's easy to dismiss a 34-year-old receiver who has missed the first half of the season and did not have a particularly productive 2010, but that would be a mistake. Houshmandzadeh's career year came only four years ago in 2007, at the age of 30, with none other than Palmer at the helm. That year, their last full one together, Housh piled up an awesome 112 catches for 1,143 yards and 12 scores. Now, realistically, at his age, coming off the street midseason into a receiver corps loaded with speed, how much is the old slow guy going to do? Well, a lot, I think. He'll draw less attention than Darrius Heyward-Bey no doubt and will draw coverage from safeties and nickel corners a lot in three or four receiver sets. On top of that, the Raiders have a strong run game with or without Darren McFadden that sets up the pass. I strongly believe that he could snag 40+ balls and four or five scores over the second half of the season if he quickly assumes that possession receiver role. And those numbers could certainly warrant a flex most weeks. So don't sleep on the Housh.

2. Taiwan Jones, RB, OAK – All you need to know is 4.3 seconds. Jones' blazing 40 time makes him the fastest running back in the league not named Johnson, Jamaal Charles or McFadden. And seeing as how one of those three has elected not to use that speed this year, the other can't and the last guy, Mr. Run DMC, is out this week with a foot injury, that leaves Jones as the fastest back playing this weekend. Though Michael Bush will easily be the feature back in Oakland, Jones, who used his lightning speed to rack up 48 yards on only four touches in Week 7, should get more of an opportunity to showcase that explosiveness. If he shines in limited action this week and McFadden does end up missing any extended time, Jones could earn himself a bigger slice of the Raiders backfield, which with his big-play ability, would make him a solid upside flex.

3. Chris Ivory, RB, NO – Any Mark Ingram owner should take a shot on stashing Ivory this week. For Ingram to have not practiced since bruising his heel two weeks ago versus the Colts, one has to begin wondering if there is more to the injury that has not yet been divulged. So at least temporarily, Ivory could carve out a significant role in New Orleans and become a worthwhile play for a few weeks. Ivory may not have looked good last week, rushing for only 18 yards on six carries, but he proved his ability last year as a rookie, running for more than 700 yards at 5.2 yards a clip. With Ingram out, Pierre Thomas doing little to steal the feature role last week (seven carries for 23 and a score) and Darren Sproles primarily in a change of pace role, the job of lead back is there for the taking. This week could go a long way towards determining how carries will be distributed going forward, particularly if Thomas struggles significantly or incurs an injury of his own, which would not be the least bit surprising since he's missed 12 games over the past two seasons. And even if Thomas plays a solid game but is outplayed by Ivory (who coincidentally broke out versus Tampa Bay last year with a 158-yard game) that could lead to Ivory leapfrogging both Thomas and Ingram in the rotation.

4. Devin Thomas, WR, NYG – Thomas has not caught a regular season pass in the NFL since 12/13/09 when he snagged two for 38. And the week prior he registered his first and only career 100-yard game, coming out of nowhere for a 7-catch, 100-yard, 2-touchdown game against New Orleans. What does all that mean? To me, it means he's very, very hungry. It would only take watching any of his 18 kickoff returns this season (on which he's averaging 25.3 yards a shot) to see that hunger. The speedy 6-2, 220 lbs. athlete runs with aggression and decisiveness when he takes the ball out of the end zone. Translation: he means business and is trying desperately to contribute, to show something, to make it at this level. So with Hakeem Nicks officially out and the Giants facing the league's most generous pass defense, Thomas could steal a bite or two of the New York passing pie. The size, athleticism and desire all appear to be there. And now in his fourth year in the league, perhaps the mental aspect of the game has caught up. In a game that will likely force a lot of Eli Manning throws, who's to say Thomas does not stand out and play the role that David Tyree did the last time these two teams met. And with Nicks' injury history, Thomas could be a persistent injury or two away from breaking out the way Victor Cruz did in Week 3 when Mario Manningham sat with a concussion. Just saying.

5. Thomas Clayton, RB, CLE – This former 2007 6th-round draft pick has bounced around between four teams, mostly as a practice squader, and has a whopping seven career carries for 17 yards. Not exactly what you would look for in a fantasy back. But it's not like it would be the first time someone has come completely out of nowhere. In 2007 both Earnest Graham and Ryan Grant blew up for 18 combined touchdowns, most of which came in the season's second half. Prior to 2007, they'd had 52 career carries between them, all by Graham over the three years prior. And you can also look to this season for a prime example. Jackie Battle has rumbled for 265 yards and a score over the past three games, but before this year he had 41 career attempts. Sometimes, opportunity is just as important as talent. This could be one of those times. Clayton was just added this week for depth behind Peyton Hillis and Chris Ogbonnaya. The Browns lost Montario Hardesty for at least a few weeks with a calf strain, and now will not have Hillis for at least two weeks and possibly longer with a re-injured hamstring. And if you believe in the Madden Curse, Hillis is all but done for the season. Enter Clayton, who despite having little regular season work to brag about, rushed for 131 yards and two touchdowns this preseason playing for Seattle. The 5-11, 222 lbs. bruiser will back up Ogbonnaya this week and is almost certain to get some work to give Ogbonnaya—he of 28 career carries—some breathers. So following the philosophy of opportunity over talent, Clayton's worth a pick-up in case he's better than anticipated.