Which under-the-radar players might be able to give your fantasy team a lift? Which chalky players might not be as safe as they seem?
Our featured analysts name some potential sleepers and underachievers for Week 9.
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Q. Which player outside of the top 100 in the FantasyPros flex rankings is a good sleeper start and why do you think he has upside this week?
DeAndre Carter (WR – LAC)
“DeAndre Carter could be a nice tonic for those afflicted by injuries and byes. Mike Williams is out with a high-ankle sprain, Keenan Allen‘s hamstring injury has his status up in the air coming out of the Chargers’ bye week, and Josh Palmer sustained a concussion last week. Even if Allen and Palmer play, Carter will get ample snaps as a No. 3 receiver against an injury-riddled Falcons secondary that has given up the most receiving yards to wide receivers this season and the second-most TD catches. If Allen and/or Palmer miss Week 9, Carter could see eight or more targets from high-quality QB Justin Herbert in this plum matchup.”
– Pat Fitzmaurice (FantasyPros)
Dontrell Hilliard (RB – TEN)
“Need a sneaky start in deeper formats with bye weeks? Look no further than Titans RB Dontrell Hilliard. 29% target rate per route run and 17% target share in his last four games played. The Chiefs rank dead last in targets, receptions and receiving yards allowed to RBs this season.”
– Andrew Erickson (FantasyPros)
“If you’re traveling down the flex appeal rabbit hole, consider Dontrell Hilliard in Week 9. The Chiefs are 25th in DVOA with the most receptions and receiving yards allowed to running backs. Hilliard has at least four targets in three games this season and could be utilized more in catchup mode in this game. Hilliard has a 13.2% target share (11th) and is second in yards per route among running backs. If he gets in the endzone, he could be a low-end RB2 or high-end RB3 this week.”
– Derek Brown (FantasyPros)
Deon Jackson (RB – IND)
“Deon Jackson is currently ranked No. 151, and this is after Jonathan Taylor did not practice on Wednesday. With Nyheim Hines now in Buffalo, Jackson is the clear No. 2, and we all know the potential he has after he finished as the No. 1 RB in Week 6 when he rushed 12 times and caught 10 passes for 121 all-purpose yards and a TD. The Colts face the Patriots in Week 9, and even with another week of practice, QB Sam Ehlinger will probably lean on short passes and rushing attempts in his second start. Jackson quickly moves into RB2/RB3 territory if Taylor cannot play. Even if Taylor goes, while bye weeks and injuries continue to rack up on fantasy squads, Jackson is a viable flex now that he has the backup spot all to himself. He should outplay his ranking easily.”
– Kelly Kirby (FantasyPros)
Isaiah Likely (TE – BAL)
“Do I dare start a TE in my flex spot this week? There is a clear “likely” joke here for the taking, but the answer is…maybe. Isaiah Likely broke out last week, playing 67% of the Ravens’ offensive snaps and catching six of his seven targets for 77 yards and a touchdown. If you need an emergency flex or TE option this week with six teams on their bye week, Likely has clear upside with WR Rashod Bateman out and fellow TE Mark Andrews dealing with injuries of his own. Even if Andrews plays, Baltimore doesn’t have a clear WR they can lean on in their passing game. Devin Duvernay is good for the occasional explosive play, but he isn’t someone the team can rely on consistently. We may have seen the beginning of Likely being a weapon in this offense last week, especially given their lack of depth at WR.”
– Mike Maher (FantasyPros)
Q. Which player inside the top 40 in the FantasyPros flex rankings is likely to disappoint fantasy managers this week?
Leonard Fournette (RB – TB)
“Leonard Fournette‘s season is on a troublesome trajectory. He’s still getting a ton of snaps and plenty of touches, but touchdown deodorant is masking a foul aroma. Since Week 2, Fournette has averaged 2.8 yards per carry. He’s scored five touchdowns in his last five games, but he’s averaged 31.8 rushing yards over that span. His usage in the passing game cushions the disappointing rushing numbers to some degree, but Fournette has seen only three targets in each of the last two weeks, even though the Buccaneers have been in negative, pass-friendly game scripts. Rookie Rachaad White is starting to get more snaps, and it looks like he has more juice than Fournette at this point — more burst, more explosion, and White is proficient in the passing game, too.”
– Pat Fitzmaurice (FantasyPros)
“Leonard Fournette is a screaming bust for Week 9. The Los Angeles Rams defense ranks 6th in run defense EPA this season because they have faced the third-fewest rushes inside the 5-yard line and allowed the third-lowest TD conversion rate on goal-line carries (25%). Considering the Buccaneers’ extremely low implied team total (23 points, 16th) in the second-lowest totaled game of the week, this is hardly a spot for Lenny to salvage his fantasy day with a late TD score like last week. Tampa Bay ranks 30th in red-zone scoring, and the Rams rank 3rd in red-zone scoring defense. Not ideal.”
– Andrew Erickson (FantasyPros)
Joe Mixon (RB – CIN)
“Joe Mixon at No. 17 has great potential to disappoint fantasy managers in Week 9. Not to pile on the mess that was the Cincinnati offense on MNF, but now Carolina and their seventh-ranked rush defense (by DVOA) roll into town. Mixon has been a 2022 disappointment in general, averaging 12.45 half-PPR points per week but failing to crack 20 in any game and has found the end zone only three times. Those numbers are fine for a Flex RB, but they are a letdown for a guy drafted as an RB1 and currently ranked as RB9 for Week 9. He is in line for plenty of opportunities, but those have been there all season, and I think he is set up to be a disappointment to fantasy managers expecting much more from the position this week.”
– Kelly Kirby (FantasyPros)
Gabe Davis (WR – BUF)
“Davis could be in store for another quiet week. He’ll run about 90% of his routes against Sauce Gardner (44.2% catch rate, 51.2 passer rating) and D.J. Reed (52.5% catch rate, 56.8 passer rating, per PFF). Davis has been the field-stretching threat for Buffalo, with only two red zone looks. With difficult corners in his back pocket all day and minimal red zone usage to help pad his value, he could disappoint in Week 9.”
– Derek Brown (FantasyPros)
D’Andre Swift (RB – DET)
“It’s really hard for me to trust D’Andre Swift in Week 9. If you drafted Swift, you felt really good heading into Week 3 after two straight Top 4 finishes, and you’ve felt awful ever since. Swift returned in Week 8 after missing three straight games and rushed five times for six yards but salvaging his day by catching five passes for 27 yards and a touchdown. Fellow RB Jamaal Williams has EIGHT rushing touchdowns this season, and six of them have come in games where Swift started. While I expect Swift to play again this week, he sat out practice on Wednesday and is likely to once again share the workload with Williams, especially in the red zone. The Lions inexplicably traded TE T.J. Hockenson at the trade deadline, and at 1-6, they clearly won’t be contending in 2022. They have no reason to overwork their oft-injured young RB for the rest of the season, and the guess here is that they won’t.”
– Mike Maher (FantasyPros)
Thanks to the experts for sharing their advice! For more of their insight, be sure to follow each pundit on Twitter (click their names above) and visit their respective sites.
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If you want to dive deeper into fantasy football, check out our award-winning slate of Fantasy Football Tools as you navigate your season. From our Start/Sit Assistant – which provides your optimal lineup based on accurate consensus projections – to our Waiver Wire Assistant, which allows you to quickly see which available players will improve your team and how much – we’ve got you covered this fantasy football season.
