Week 9 Fantasy Football Rankings: Jon Baldwin and Sleeper WRs Worth Starting

With just two weeks worth of byes left, we have nearly come to the point where our fantasy lineups can return to normalcy on a permanent basis. Until then, however, we must continue to piece together a winning lineup, even when some elite players have the week off.

Wide receivers can be hit and miss with their production. With so many middling options on the waiver wire, it can become a guessing games in terms of who to pick up.

Here are three sleeper receivers that are certainly worth a start this week, and could be valuable down the line. 

Jason Avant, Philadelphia Eagles

With Michael Vick, LeSean McCoy, DeSean Jackson and Jeremy Maclin all on the Philadelphia Eagles offense, it is very easy to forget about slot receiver Jason Avant. The fact of the matter is, though, that Avant is a very vital part of the Eagles offense and may be Vick's most trusted target.

Avant has yet to catch a touchdown this season, but he does have 31 catches for 412 yards. He has been quite consistent in terms of balls caught. His true value lies in PPR leagues and he should get plenty of targets against the Chicago Bears defense. With Chicago likely focusing on Jackson and Maclin, the middle of the field should be wide open for the sure-handed Avant. 

Greg Salas, St. Louis Rams

While St. Louis Rams rookie wide receiver Greg Salas' season got off to a slow start, he has come on as of late and is starting to become one of the Rams' most-targeted receivers. With quarterback Sam Bradford on the verge of returning from a high ankle sprain, Salas could very well begin to break out.

The Rams will be taking on the Arizona Cardinals on Sunday, and few teams have struggled against the pass more than Arizona. Rams running back Steven Jackson ran wild against New Orleans last week, which may force the Cards to commit more players to stopping the run. That should work in Salas' advantage as he should draw one-on-one coverage from Arizona's soft secondary. 

Jon Baldwin, Kansas City Chiefs

Kansas City Chiefs rookie wide receiver Jon Baldwin missed the first five games of the season with a thumb injury that stemmed from a preseason altercation with a teammate. However, he finally validated his first-round status last week when he beat the San Diego Chargers for five catches, 82 yards and a 39-yard touchdown grab.

Baldwin was second on the team in targets behind Dwayne Bowe and stands to see plenty of single coverage with defensive focus being mostly on Bowe. Baldwin was a big-play receiver in college at Pittsburgh and proved that he can be the same at the NFL level in the second game of his career. Baldwin will have big scoring potential in Week 9 as the Chiefs will have the opportunity to exploit the pedestrian Miami Dolphins secondary.