Fantasy Football Week 9: Biggest Sleepers at Every Position
Now that the NFL trade deadline is over, fantasy managers know what rosters should look like for the remainder of the 2020 season.
Injuries will continue to wreak havoc on the fantasy landscape, though.
San Francisco 49ers tight end George Kittle underwent tests that found a small fracture in his foot, and head coach Kyle Shanahan expects him to miss up to eight weeks.
Meanwhile, Indianapolis Colts running back Jonathan Taylor may have "a little bit of an ankle injury," per head coach Frank Reich. That's potentially a big issue for fantasy managers who relied on the rookie running back to convert 16.9 touches per game into RB2 production every week.
Bye weeks aren't helping matters, either. With the Cincinnati Bengals, Cleveland Browns, Los Angeles Rams and Philadelphia Eagles all off this week, managers may be scrambling to find replacement starters across their lineups.
Fortunately, the 12 players listed below can help you through a rough Week 9. Each sleeper selection is available in at least 50 percent of Yahoo leagues.
Quarterbacks
1 of 4
Derek Carr vs. Los Angeles Chargers (41 percent rostered)
Fantasy managers continue to sleep on Derek Carr, who's averaging two touchdowns and 262.4 passing yards per contest. He isn't the same bottom-tier fantasy quarterback with fewer than 23 touchdown passes that he was in each of the last three campaigns.
Carr has pushed the ball downfield vertically with wide receivers Henry Ruggs III and Nelson Agholor, who are averaging 22 and 19.5 yards per reception, respectively, this season. Tight end Darren Waller continues to provide a consistent presence in the passing attack, leading the team in receptions (45) and yards (372).
With those perimeter weapons, Carr should post QB1 numbers against the Los Angeles Chargers' 21st-ranked pass defense. L.A. is allowing 23.2 fantasy points per game to quarterbacks, per FantasyPros, tied for the third-most leaguewide.
Kirk Cousins vs. Detroit Lions (29 percent rostered)
The Minnesota Vikings scored four touchdowns against the Green Bay Packers last weekend, but three of those scores came on the ground. Kirk Cousins finished 11-of-14 for only 160 yards and one touchdown in a disappointing fantasy performance.
Cousins could have a bounce-back showing against a Detroit Lions defense that ranks 19th in pass defense. Indianapolis Colts quarterback Philip Rivers threw for three scores against the Lions last week even though he didn't have a pass-catcher top 55 receiving yards.
Between wideouts Adam Thielen and Justin Jefferson, the Vikings' aerial attack could feast on the Lions secondary. Cousins has thrown for multiple touchdowns in four games this season.
Drew Lock vs. Atlanta Falcons (14 percent rostered)
Coming off his best game of the year, Drew Lock could build on his three-touchdown Week 8 performance Sunday against the Atlanta Falcons. They're giving up the second-most fantasy points to quarterbacks.
Lock has a decent set of pass-catching weapons, including wideouts Jerry Jeudy, DaeSean Hamilton and KJ Hamler and tight end Noah Fant. If Tim Patrick returns from his hamstring injury, it would only further bolster Lock's receiving cast.
Although the Falcons haven't allowed more than 23 points in a game since Week 4, they've surrendered at least 300 passing yards in six out of eight contests. Lock can add more fire to the hot hand that he found in the fourth quarter against the Los Angeles Chargers last week.
Running Backs
2 of 4
La'Mical Perine vs. New England Patriots (38 percent rostered)
The New England Patriots run defense has rapidly deteriorated over the past two weeks, giving up 197 and 190 rushing yards to the San Francisco 49ers and Buffalo Bills, respectively.
Fantasy managers might not be thrilled to rely on any New York Jets player, but rookie running back La'Mical Perine could do damage against the Patriots' eroded front seven. New England gives up the ninth-most fantasy points to running backs.
Don't worry about Frank Gore here. Since Week 5, he's played fewer than 40 percent of the Jets' offensive snaps in each game, while Perine has played at least 49 percent in each of the last three games. Expect the rookie's role to grow while the 37-year-old's workload continues to fade away on an 0-8 squad.
Gus Edwards vs. Indianapolis Colts (31 percent rostered)
Baltimore Ravens running back Mark Ingram II sat out Week 8 with an ankle sprain, leaving rookie second-rounder J.K. Dobbins and Gus Edwards to split the backfield workload.
Ingram may miss this week's game as well, which extends the fantasy value of Dobbins and Edwards. The former is rostered in 68 percent of leagues, but the latter remains available on most waiver wires.
Against the Pittsburgh Steelers' fifth-ranked run defense, Edwards logged 16 carries for 87 yards and a touchdown compared to 15 rushing attempts for 113 yards for Dobbins.
Even with quarterback Lamar Jackson's involvement in the ground attack, fantasy managers can count on two productive tailbacks within the Ravens' run-heavy offense.
Jordan Wilkins vs. Baltimore Ravens (13 percent rostered)
Head coach Frank Reich sort of downplayed Jonathan Taylor's ankle injury Monday. While that doesn't set off major alarms, fantasy managers should take note of Jordan Wilkins' Week 8 performance after he ran for a career-high 89 yards on 20 carries against the Detroit Lions.
The Indianapolis Colts may limit Taylor's touches to keep him healthy for the remainder of the campaign. If that's the case, Wilkins could carve out a consistent role going forward. In addition to his production on the ground, he caught a pass for 24 yards.
Wilkins faces a tough matchup against the Ravens' seventh-ranked run defense, but the Colts offense is ninth in total carries. He's a solid flex option as Taylor works through his ankle issue.
Wide Receivers
3 of 4
Sterling Shepard vs. Washington Football Team (45 percent rostered)
Since his return from turf toe in Week 7, Sterling Shepard has converted 18 targets into 14 receptions for 133 yards and a touchdown.
Although quarterback Daniel Jones has other viable pass-catching options such as Darius Slayton, Golden Tate and Evan Engram, he still has a solid rapport with Shepard despite the wideout's extended time on injured reserve. The 27-year-old also logged season highs in receptions (eight) and yards (74) in Week 8 against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
The New York Giants' passing attack has been inefficient because of Jones' turnovers and poor decisions, but Shepard's appealing target share puts him on the sleeper radar for Week 9 against a tough Washington Football Team defense.
Nelson Agholor vs. Los Angeles Chargers (35 percent rostered)
If you picked up quarterback Derek Carr, stack him with Nelson Agholor, who leads the Las Vegas Raiders with four receiving touchdowns.
Managers who took a flier on Agholor going into Week 8 had a major letdown as he finished without a catch against the Cleveland Browns in cold, blustery weather. Don't cut bait on him yet, though.
Before Agholor's dud performance, he scored in three consecutive games and had a season-high 107 receiving yards in Week 7. He's likely to regain some momentum against a Los Angeles Chargers defense that's allowed 14 touchdown receptions in seven games.
Averaging 19.5 yards per catch, Agholor has boom potential in the WR3 and flex spots.
Jakobi Meyers, New England Patriots (3 percent rostered)
The New England Patriots are 30th in passing yards and have the league's fewest passing touchdowns (three) to date. Most fantasy managers will stay away from the Pats' wide receivers, especially with Julian Edelman now on injured reserve recovering from knee surgery, but Jakobi Meyers deserves a look.
Over the last two weeks, Meyers has hauled in 10 out of 16 targets for 118 yards along with a two-point conversion. He checks the box as a low-end flex option.
Meyers has a little more appeal with Edelman out and Harry questionable (concussion) for the Patriots' Week 9 matchup with the New York Jets, who allow an average of 25.5 fantasy points to wide receivers.
As the lead wideout against Gang Green's 29th-ranked pass defense, Meyers could have his best game of the season.
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Tight Ends
4 of 4
Logan Thomas vs. New York Giants (27 percent rostered)
Don't overlook Logan Thomas coming out of a bye week. He recorded a touchdown reception in consecutive games before the Washington Football Team's break.
In an offense that lacks consistent playmakers on the perimeter aside from wideout Terry McLaurin, Thomas leads the team in touchdown catches (three) and ranks second in receiving yards (208).
Thomas will have an opportunity to shine against a New York Giants defense that allowed a combined six catches for 76 yards and a touchdown to Tampa Bay Buccaneer tight ends Rob Gronkowski and Cameron Brate on Monday.
As the clear-cut lead tight end on Washington's roster, Thomas has significant upside in Week 9.
Trey Burton vs. Baltimore Ravens (23 percent rostered)
Trey Burton had to share his targets with fellow tight ends Jack Doyle and Mo Alie-Cox against the Detroit Lions in Week 8, but he reached the end zone on a two-yard run. He also had a rushing score in Week 6 against the Cincinnati Bengals.
Fantasy managers shouldn't expect Burton to continue scoring rushing touchdowns each week, but he may have an increased role as a pass-catcher if wideout T.Y. Hilton sits out because of a groin injury.
With Hilton's status for Week 9 unclear, quarterback Philip Rivers may have to rely heavily on his tight ends, which bodes well for Burton. The Baltimore Ravens give up an average of 8.9 points (tied for 12th) per week to tight ends.
Jordan Akins vs. Jacksonville Jaguars (4 percent rostered)
Jordan Akins missed the previous three games because of a concussion and an ankle injury, but he logged a full practice Wednesday before the team had to shut down its facility because of a positive COVID-19 test.
Before his injuries, Akins played at least 68 percent of the offensive snaps as the Houston Texans' featured tight end in three of the team's first four games. He should reclaim that role in a favorable matchup against the Jacksonville Jaguars, who allow the second-most fantasy points to tight ends (12.3) on average.
When involved in the passing offense, Akins has made the most of his opportunities, converting 15 targets into 14 receptions for 168 yards and a touchdown.
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