Fantasy Football Sleepers for Week 9: Pickups to Win

Do you need to prepare for you season long fantasy football draft? Don’t miss out on our in-depth fantasy football rankings as well as our defense fantasy football rankings. If you are more of a daily fantasy guy we have you covered as well with our NFL DFS projections. We have everything you need for a winning 2020 season.

If you’re struggling to find a suitable replacement for any holes in your lineup, these sleepers may just solve your problems. These fantasy sleepers listed below are all under-appreciated assets of teams that have some more than favorable matchups. All sleepers except for one are rostered in less than 12% of leagues, the exception is still available in over 50% of leagues. Positions from QB to TE are listed below to help you sure up that roster for week 9. All statistcs can be found on our website at https://www.lineups.com/nfl.

WR Chris Conley (JAX) vs. HOU – 9.7% Rostered

Coming off of his second-best fantasy performance of the season, Conley caught 4 of 7 targets for 107 yards and a touchdown against the New York Jets, averaging 25.8 yards per reception. Conley has his second double-digit fantasy performance in a row, seeing 14 targets in the past 2 weeks. Seeing the Houston Texans during week 9, who rank 30th against opposing wide receivers. The Texans have allowed 10.8 yards per completion and have allowed the 4th most passing touchdowns to opposing fantasy receivers this season. Conley tied for the most snaps during Sunday’s game, playing 74% of snaps. Averaging 20.4 yards per reception this season, Conley is an explosive athlete with 4.3 speed who can get behind a defense at any time. Conley should be your top sleeper pick for week 9.

WR Taylor Gabriel (CHI) vs. PHI – 6.1% Rostered

During week 8 Gabriel was second in snap percentage and targets from Mitch Trubisky. A dynamic deep threat, Gabriel has averaged 12.1 yards per reception so far this year. Facing a Philadelphia secondary that has been struggling all season long, Gabriel’s ability to stretch the field gives the Bears the opportunity to expose this struggling Philadelphia secondary. The Eagles have allowed the 7th most yards so far this season, they have also allowed the 6th most passing touchdowns this season. The Eagles looked revitalized against the Buffalo Bills on Sunday. Nagy and the Bears’ offense will need to make splash plays if they want to compete with this Eagles’ team. No other player on the Bears has better ability and opportunity to do that than Taylor Gabriel.

RB Mark Walton (MIA) vs. NYJ – 11.6% Rostered

With the departure of Kenyan Drake to the Arizona Cardinals Mark Walton, who was previously seeing an increase in snaps and attempts, will be primed to step into the starting role. Against Buffalo’s stout run defense in week 7, Walton rushed 14 times for 66 yards, averaging 4.7 yards per attempt. Walton led the backfield in snaps during week 7, seeing 52% of offensive snaps. Walton finds himself with the starting role on an NFL team, the matchup is not great but if you need a running-back and are hoping for the touchdown upside Walton is your best bet. The Jets’ defense has allowed the 5th most rushing touchdowns this season. This Miami Dolphins team has been playing with some heat since Fitzpatrick entered the lineup not too long ago. With this newly motivated offense, Walton shows upside that is hard to come by at this point in the season.

WR Demaryius Thomas (NYJ) vs. MIA – 5.1% Rostered

Thomas ended week 8 in 3rd for snap percentage against Jacksonville. He also saw 17% of the targets from Sam Darnold, tied for second out of the receivers. Thomas caught all 5 of his targets for 63 yards, averaging 12.6 yards per reception. Struggling to find the end-zone so far this season. During week 9 the Jets will be facing the Miami Dolphins, who have allowed the 5th most touchdowns this season with 16. The Dolphins have also allowed the most yards per reception at 13.3 yards per reception and the most yards per attempt at 9.2 yards per attempt. Thomas has one of the best matchups available on the waiver wire this week and should be picked up if you need a good sleeper this week.

TE Noah Fant (DEN) vs. CLE – 8.0% Rostered

Seeing the most snaps so far this season during week 8 at 82% of snaps, he also saw the most targets this season at 8 targets. Against Indianapolis, Fant caught 5 of 8 targets for 26 yards. The opportunity was there for Fant to have a much bigger day than shows up on the stat line. Catching a red-zone target but being forced out of bounds for example. With the departure of Emmanuel Sanders via trade, the Broncos will need to start depending on their other receiving options. Evident in the past few weeks, Fant has seen 13 targets in the past 2 weeks. The injury to QB Joe Flacco is a hit to Fant but, the opportunity will still be there for Fant. Facing Cleveland in week 9 who rank 20th against opposing fantasy tight-end, Fant is seeing a favorable matchup with an increase in target share. Fant is worthy of picking up this week if the tight-end landscape is barren.

QB Gardner Minshew II (JAX) vs. HOU – 49.5% Rostered

Coming off of his first 3-touchdown performance against the New York Jets’ tough defense, Minshew continues to impress the NFL community. Minshew has led the Jaguars to a 4-4 record so far this season, an improbable outcome for the 6th round rookie out of Washington State. Week 9 brings the Houston Texans to Jacksonville Jaguars home turf, an exciting inter-divisional rivalry. The last time these two met the Texans squeaked out a win, winning 13-12 in Houston. The Texans have given up the 2nd most passing yards, 4th most passing touchdowns, and have the 6th fewest interceptions as a defense. Minshew will be looking to even the score against their division rival.