PlayerProfiler is home to the award winning redraft rankings and tools. Our Player Rankings are second to none, and the World Famous Draft Kit contains detailed player write ups and cheat sheets to help You dominate fantasy drafts! Check it out. Below, Theo Gremminger presents a comprehensive list of Sleepers for Week 9 fantasy football.
Fantasy Football Sleepers: lesser-rostered players that can make an impact this week or later in the season. Whether you’re looking for a player to beat your league to on the waiver wire or someone to insert into your lineup this week, I’ve got you covered.
Quarterbacks
Jameis Winston – Cleveland Browns (13%)
Jameis Winston is coming off about as good a debut as you can get. The Browns beat the Baltimore Ravens, and won their second game of the season. Winston finished with 300-plus yards in his first game – a feat Deshaun Watson never accomplished in his entire Browns career. Winston connected with Cedric Tillman on two TD passes, and David Njoku on another. Nick Chubb is healthy and should provide at least some level of offensive spark at RB. Winston has the Browns playing with optimism and excitement. He is a must start in Superflex and a consideration for QB streamers in single QB formats.
Drake Maye – New England Patriots (12%)
Drake Maye is still in concussion protocol and will probably miss this week’s game. His fantasy output has been outstanding so far since he took over as the starter. Maye has finished as a QB1 twice, and last week looked well on his way before being knocked out of the game. He found the end zone on a “squint and he looks like Josh Allen”-type 17-yard scramble.
Joe Flacco – Indianapolis Colts (14%)
Anthony Richardson has been benched and Joe Flacco is the new starter in Indianapolis. Much like last season, Flacco finds himself on a team with solid weapons and he could be in a position to put up solid passing numbers.
In games with 25-plus pass attempts this season, Flacco has finished as the QB15, QB4 and QB18 on the week. He can be a mid-QB2 the rest of the season.
Russell Wilson – Pittsburgh Steelers (16%)
Russell Wilson has passed for 250-plus yards in back-to-back games as the starting QB in Pittsburgh. He heads to his Bye week 2-0. Stash.
Running Backs
Ray Davis – Buffalo Bills (21%)
Ray Davis looks less like a “handcuff-plus” and more like a true handcuff—but a very valuable one. We saw Davis’ ceiling in Week 6, and he scored a touchdown in Week 7. If James Cook were to miss time, Davis would be an instant starter.
Zeke Elliott – Dallas Cowboys (24%)
Ezekiel Elliott would be a touchdown-or-bust desperation play if Rico Dowdle is out.
Isaac Guerendo – San Francisco 49ers (17%)
Isaac Guerendo is coming off his best game as a pro and should be rostered. If Christian McCaffrey returns, Guerendo becomes an upside stash. If McCaffrey is unable to play, Guerendo can be a flex option.
Blake Corum – LA Rams (15%)
The Rams are fully healthy, and the dynamic duo of Puka Nacua and Cooper Kupp makes this a challenging offense for opposing defenses week after week.
Blake Corum’s value as a contingent upside stash behind Kyren Williams has risen with them.
Kimani Vidal – LA Chargers (10%)
Kimani Vidal is a like-for-like replacement for JK Dobbins. If Dobbins were to miss time, Vidal would be a mid-level RB2. He has two-way ability.
Trey Benson – Arizona Cardinals (16%)
If James Conner were to miss time, Trey Benson would be a very valuable asset for your fantasy team.
Justice Hill – Baltimore Ravens (19%)
Justice Hill would be a starting lineup candidate any week that Derrick Henry is out. While his usage may be limited – capping his upside – he has been effective as a receiver.
Julius Chestnut – Tennessee Titans (0%)
Deep-leaguers should keep an eye on Tony Pollard’s health. Tyjae Spears is ruled out, and if Pollard were to miss time, Julius Chestnut could see significant action.
Keaton Mitchell – Baltimore Ravens (9%)
Keaton Mitchell is a great stash option. If Henry were to miss time, Mitchell would likely join Hill in a timeshare. Mitchell recorded a run of 20-plus yards in every game he played last year.
Ty Chandler – Minnesota Vikings (21%)
Ty Chandler is a contingent upside stash and handcuff for Aaron Jones, who has been dominating the usage in the Vikings’ offense.
Kenneth Gainwell – Philadelphia Eagles (1%)
Handcuff Kenneth Gainwell only if you have Saquon Barkley.
Jaylen Wright – Miami Dolphins (7%)
With Tua Tagovailoa back, there is renewed optimism for the Miami offense.
If De’Von Achane or Raheem Mostert were to miss time, Jaylen Wright would become a valuable piece for your fantasy roster as an upside stash.
Marshawn Lloyd – Green Bay (5%)
Emanuel Wilson has been passed by Chris Brooks – at least last week. MarShawn Lloyd could return after Green Bay’s Bye week as the No. 2 behind Josh Jacobs and weekly touches.
Roschon Johnson – Chicago (13%)
Roschon Johnson is the direct handcuff to D’Andre Swift. Swift is one of the most valuable backs in football right now, used as both a runner and a pass-catcher. Johnson would see similar usage if Swift were to miss time.
Tight Ends
Jonnu Smith – Miami (8%)
Jonnu Smith maintained his recent uptick in targets even with Tua Tagovailoa’s return from injury. Over the past three games, Smith has been targeted 21 times, catching 16 of them. He is highly involved in the Dolphins’ offense and could be a threat this week in what may be a high-scoring game against Buffalo.
Mike Gesicki – Cincinnati (9%)
Mike Gesicki’s two best games of the season have come when Tee Higgins was out. In Week 2, Gesicki posted a 7-91 line on nine targets. Last week, he finished with 7-73 on eight targets. With Higgins likely to miss another week, Gesicki can enter your lineup as a top-10 to 12 TE. He can also be used as a flex if you’re in a pinch.
Brenton Strange – Jacksonville (2%)
Jacksonville may run more 12-personnel due to their limited WR room. Brenton Strange caught all five of his targets last week, marking his third game of the season with five-plus targets. The 2023 second round pick is a sneaky add in TE premium formats.
Adam Trautman – Denver (0%)
Adam Trautman had his best game of the season last week, finishing with four catches for 85 yards and a TD. Greg Dulcich is on the bench and Lucas Krull is banged up.
Trautman will look to make the most of his new opportunity this week against a Baltimore defense that is bottom-8 against the TE position.
Wide Receivers
Ricky Pearsall – San Francisco 49ers (30%)
Ricky Pearsall is a must-stash player wherever available heading into San Francisco’s Bye week. He has seven catches in his first two games as a pro and added a 39-yard rush. His role could expand as the 49ers self-scout and assess what’s working. He could emerge from the Bye week with an increased role.
Xavier Legette – Carolina Panthers (24%)
Jalen Coker – Carolina Panthers (6%)
A pair of rookies will have immediate opportunities in the Carolina offense this week. With Diontae Johnson now a Baltimore Raven, Carolina has fully committed to a youth movement. Xavier Legette, Carolina’s first-round pick, steps into a significant “prove it” role for the rest of the season, having already scored three touchdowns. Joining him is UDFA Jalen Coker, who has been showing promise over the last month, with two games of 68-plus receiving yards in his last four. Both players are in a favorable matchup this week against a banged-up Saints secondary.
Adam Thielen – Carolina Panthers (24%)
Adam Thielen is expected to return from injury soon, which could disrupt the younger WRs’ roles and see the veteran take on an expanded role.
Jalen Tolbert – Dallas Cowboys (21%)
Jalen Tolbert has a solid floor, with six straight games of three catches or more. However, he’s lacked high-ceiling games recently, aside from his big performance against Pittsburgh. Brandin Cooks is also set to return soon.
Alec Pierce – Indianapolis (16%)
Alec Pierce is a desperation, big-play threat with boom week potential in what could be a shootout against Minnesota. He posted a 3-134-1 performance with Flacco earlier this season.
Dontayvion Wicks – Green Bay Packers (29%)
Dontayvion Wicks’ usage has been too inconsistent to trust. Suitable for deep leaguers only who want access to Jordan Love’s production during Bye weeks.
Parker Washington – Jacksonville Jaguars (4%)
Parker Washington steps into the vacated role left by Christian Kirk. The second-year player should play in the slot and may see increased usage this week, with Brian Thomas Jr. and Gabe Davis also managing injuries.
Gabe Davis – Jacksonville Jaguars (16%)
Gabriel Davis is dealing with an injury but is expected to see increased targets with Christian Kirk out for the remainder of the season.
Michael Wilson – Arizona Cardinals (15%)
Michael Wilson faces a tough matchup this week against Chicago, but remains a solid stash. He has touchdown catches in two of his last three games.
Elijah Moore – Cleveland Browns (13%)
Elijah Moore is a viable flex option this week. He has 14 catches for 126 yards over his past two games, including 12 targets last week. Browns WRs are exciting to start again, thanks to the “Jameis factor.” Moore is one of the best additions this week.
Jermaine Burton – Cincinnati (1%)
Jermaine Burton saw his highest usage of the season last week, playing 41-percent of the snaps—a promising sign for the third round pick. With Andrei Iosivas underperforming and Tee Higgins banged up, Burton could see his role expand in the second half of the season, making him a fun stash on your bench.
Brandin Cooks – Dallas Cowboys (11%)
Brandin Cooks is expected to return from IR soon.
See Theo’s Waiver Wire article for Week 9: Week 9 Waiver Wire: Must-Add Players, Deep Sleepers & Top 10 Overall Additions | Fantasy Football 2024
