Fantasy Football Week 9 Cheat Sheet: Deep Sleepers Who Could Emerge

Week 9 of the 2023 NFL season brings with it the return of byes and a seemingly perpetually climbing injury count.

In other words, there's a decent chance most fantasy football managers will have to hit the waiver wire in search of roster reinforcements.

Luckily, there are some sleeper streamers up for grabs—i.e., available in 50-plus percent of Yahoo leagues, per FantasyPros—who can provide that relief.

Zach Charbonnet, RB, Seattle Seahawks (44 Percent Rostered)

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SEATTLE, WASHINGTON - OCTOBER 29: Zach Charbonnet #26 of the Seattle Seahawks runs with the ball during the second half of a game against the Cleveland Browns at Lumen Field on October 29, 2023 in Seattle, Washington. (Photo by Steph Chambers/Getty Images)

The Seahawks have slow-played Charbonnet since spending a second-round pick on him back in April, as they don't have an obvious need at running back with Kenneth Walker III impressing for the second consecutive season.

Walker, though, missed a pair of practices with a calf injury last week, and Seattle was careful not to over-extend him Sunday. He wound up barely seeing more touches (nine) than Charbonnet (seven), and the rookie actually saw more snaps (34 to 24, per Football-Reference) for the first time this season.

Charbonnet also used that opportunity to give Seattle something to think about with its running back rotation. His five carries spanned 53 yards. His two targets were both caught, adding another 11 yards to his total.

He made things happen, and it's worth a speculative add to see if the Seahawks could give him a chance to keep making things happen. If he seems a similar workload, he would at least be a serviceable streamer, and if Walker encounters more injury trouble, Charbonnet would immediately become a no-questions-asked fantasy starter.

Baker Mayfield, QB, Tampa Bay Buccaneers (40 Percent Rostered)

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ORCHARD PARK, NEW YORK - OCTOBER 26: Baker Mayfield #6 of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers drops back to pass against the Buffalo Bills during the first half at Highmark Stadium on October 26, 2023 in Orchard Park, New York. (Photo by Rich Barnes/Getty Images)

If you're scrambling to find a quarterback streamer, you could do worse than Baker Mayfield.

He is quietly piecing together a resurgent season in Tampa, and he's capable of authoring some strong performances.

Last week, he was rock-solid against a typically stingy Buffalo Bills defense. He went 25-of-42 for 237 yards, two touchdowns and zero interceptions. He also delivered at least 19 rushing yards for the third time in four games, which isn't much but also isn't nothing.

This week, he could be closer to special against a Houston Texans defense allowing the 12th-most fantasy points to the position, per Yahoo. In two of their last three outings, they allowed both Desmond Ridder and Derek Carr to throw for more than 320 yards.

Tyjae Spears, RB, Tennessee Titans (45 Percent Rostered)

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NASHVILLE, TENNESSEE - OCTOBER 29: Tyjae Spears #32 of the Tennessee Titans runs the ball during the game against the Atlanta Falcons at Nissan Stadium on October 29, 2023 in Nashville, Tennessee. The Titans defeated the Falcons 28-23. (Photo by Wesley Hitt/Getty Images)

Tyjae Spears' fantasy value—and rostership—would have erupted had the Titans traded away Derrick Henry, but the rookie can be useful even without a trade.

He is a big play waiting to happen, and you can argue an offense that has had trouble generating such chunk gains should be looking to get him more involved.

Expectations must be tempered a bit, as he is limited by being the No. 2 back in this offense. Spears has only found the end zone once and only received double-digit touches twice. There's only so much he can do with this level of involvement.

Saying that, though, his average carry has spanned 5.8 yards, and 18 of his 24 targets have turned into receptions for another 6.7 yards per clip. The stars could align for him to reel off a monster performance yet, and you'll want to make sure he's on your roster before that happens.