Fantasy Football: 5 Major sleepers with tasty Week 9 matchups

Five fantasy football sleepers that deserve consideration for your Week 9 lineup.

We are now eight weeks into the NFL season and almost at the halfway point in the regular season. Week 8 was particularly brutal for fantasy football, with extremely low scoring across the board and very few unknown players having big weeks at every position. Looking at the sleepers highlighted in last week’s article, Brandon Aiyuk was able to step up as the 49ers WR1, going for 91 yards and a touchdown on eight receptions.

Unfortunately, outside of Aiyuk many of the sleepers were unable to come through. Derek Carr was heavily affected by the weather, as the Raiders opted to hand off the ball to Josh Jacobs 31 times en route to a 16-6 victory. Le’Veon Bell was also unable to put together a strong performance against his former team, as the Chiefs opted to run up the score via Patrick Mahomes instead of running out the clock.

Looking ahead to Week 9, the Cincinnati Bengals, Cleveland Browns, Los Angeles Rams and Philadelphia Eagles are all on bye. Whether you have a lot of players on these teams or have been hit hard with this recent onslaught of injuries, here are five players with strong matchups that deserve consideration for your Week 9 fantasy football lineup.

Note: All stats and info via Fantasy Pros. 

Fantasy football sleeper No. 5: QB Derek Carr, Las Vegas (vs. Los Angeles)

Despite having his worst performance of the year in a plus matchup last week, it is still hard to ignore Carr’s consistency in a week where the quarterback position appears extremely thin. With an over-under of 53 points and Justin Herbert’s tendency to sling it deep, the Raiders will not be able to take the same run-heavy approach they did in Week 8 and come out with a win.

If you are hurting at the quarterback position and the waiver wire looks thin, Carr should provide a safe floor with some upside as well.

Fantasy football sleeper No. 4: RB JaMycal Hasty, San Fransisco (vs. Green Bay)

With Tevin Coleman going down in Week 8, Hasty stepped right into the starting role. However, he was unable to do much with his volume, turning 13 touches into 31 yards and a touchdown. Though the 49ers backfield has been a mess this year, there still continues to be production week in and week out if you choose the right running back.

With it looking likely Hasty will have the starting role again against a Green Bay defense that is the worst in the league against opposing running backs, you can play Hasty this week with confidence that he has the starting role on lock.

Fantasy football sleeper No. 3: RB Damien Harris, New England (vs. NY Jets)

Harris had a great Week 8, putting up 102 yards and a touchdown on only 16 carries, marking the second time he’d gone over 100 yards in the four games he has played. However, his upside is certainly capped as over this same time span he has only had two receptions. Though he is the Patriots’ lead back, he is still losing snaps to Rex Burkhead and James White.

On the bright side, the game script should be in Harris’s favor against a Jets team scoring under 12 points a game. If you need a flex spot fill in, Harris is a good bet for 10+ points, though his upside is limited due to his lack of a pass-catching role.

Fantasy football sleeper No. 2: WR Tim Patrick, Denver (vs. Atlanta)

Tim Patrick had to sit Week 8 out with a hamstring injury, but the Broncos offense certainly looked strong in his absence. In general, the Broncos are certainly a dark horse in the playoff race, as their four losses have been against arguably the four best teams in the NFL.

Now they get a chance to prove their offensive potential against a weak Atlanta defense. Patrick was consistently involved before he was injured, being targeted at least four times in every game. If he can get healthy in time for Week 9, he is a very strong flex play. If not, Jerry Jeudy or KJ Hamler make for equally appealing plays.

Fantasy football sleeper No. 1: TE Logan Thomas, Washington (vs. NY Giants)

Thomas was a hot add in the first couple weeks of the season, seeing 24 targets in the first 3 weeks. Due to poor quarterback play, he was unable to turn those targets into fantasy points. However, with Kyle Allen under center in the past three weeks, he has managed two top-10 fantasy performances.

Now he gets a matchup against New York, a team he managed to go for three receptions for 42 yards and a touchdown against only three weeks ago. Whether you have been streaming tight ends all year or are looking for a George Kittle replacement, Logan Thomas may be your best bet this week.