Week 9 Waiver-Wire Pickups: Best Fantasy Sleepers to Target on Yahoo

It's Week 9 of the 2019 fantasy football season. Do you know where your sleepers are?

Probably not, since that label changes hands week-to-week based on matchups, injuries, bye weeks and, with the trade deadline just behind us, transactions. But have no fear, we're here to point you in the right direction to players likely on your waiver wire (i.e., available in 50-plus percent of Yahoo leagues, per FantasyPros).

Or, at least give you our most educated guess on where to look. Keep reading, and you'll see what we mean.

Top Week 9 Waiver-Wire Pickups

Derek Carr, QB, Oakland Raiders (26 Percent Owned)

You made it, Derek Carr.

Sure, you're a former second-round pick with 85 big-league starts under your belt and three Pro Bowl selections on your resume. But getting a waiver-wire recommendation in 2019? After the fantasy football community had seemingly long forgotten about you? That's big time, my friend.

Oh, and it's well-deserved, too.

Slowly but surely, he has played his way into the streamer conversation. Dating back to Week 4, he's thrown seven touchdowns against just one interception. That's even more encouraging than it sounds, since five of those scores have come in his last two outings, which featured 578 passing yards and a 69.0 completion percentage.

Up next on Carr's redemption tour is a date with the Detroit Lions. Yes, the same defense that allowed both Kirk Cousins and Daniel Jones to throw for 300-plus yards and four scores in the last two weeks. Sign us up.

Jaylen Samuels, RB, Pittsburgh Steelers (20 Percent Owned)

This recommendation is not for the faint of heart—or for the less-energetic portion of the reading population. There's a path to potential fantasy production here, but it could require a week's worth of injury monitoring.

The good news is Jaylen Samuels has been cleared to return three weeks removed from minor knee surgery. The potentially great news—for Samuels owners, not for the real world—is that both Steelers starting running James Conner (shoulder) and his backup on Monday night, Benny Snell (knee), were banged up during their 27-14 win over the Miami Dolphins.

"The Steelers won't know until later in the week if Conner or Snell will be available against the Colts," Ray Fittipaldo wrote for the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.

This is where your homework comes in. If Conner can't go or seems like he'll be limited, Samuels could be a goldmine. The Colts allow 4.8 yards per carry, tied for the fifth-worst mark in the league. Considering their offense averages roughly as many points as the Steelers' (22.6 to 21.4), it's hard to see this getting out of hand, meaning the 23-year-old could get the rock early and often.

But if Conner sprints through his recovery, then Samuels' outlook gets a lot murkier. Conner has handled 97 of the Steelers' 160 carries so far (60.6 percent). There isn't much evidence suggesting this offense can support two fantasy-relevant rushers, so Samuels' appeal might be directly tied to his teammate's availability.

Chris Conley, WR, Jacksonville Jaguars (Three Percent Owned)

Don't let Chris Conley's low ownership percentage fool you. It won't stay that way for long if the fifth-year wideout keeps this up.

He's quickly emerging as one of Gardner Minshew II's favorites, and that role might deliver more fantasy meaning than you'd think. Conley has been targeted seven times each of the past two weeks, and while he's only snared seven of them, they became 186 receiving yards and a score.

Now, it's worth noting Conley could turn back into a pumpkin at any time. He started strong in Weeks 1 and 2 (10 catches for 170 yards and a score) before basically going into hibernation the next four games (four catches for 73 yards and no touchdowns).

But the recent hot streak helps. So, too, do the facts Dede Westbrook exited the Week 8 win early, and Jacksonville's Week 9 opponent, the Houston Texans, have surrendered the third-most fantasy points to wide receivers, per Yahoo. There are too many arrows pointing up to ignore them all.