Fantasy Football Sleepers, Week 9: Justin Herbert, Tyrone Tracy Jr., Courtland Sutton among the favorites

The Sporting News fantasy team returns with our fantasy football primers in Week 9. Bo Nix and Cedric Tillman highlighted this list in Week 8 and both had top three spots for the week at their positions. In Tillman’s case, he appears to be one of Jameis Winston’s preferred targets in Cleveland and could be a solid fantasy option in the future, as you’ll see below this week.

It’s fun to look back on past successes, but fantasy season flies by and we have to adjust as the weeks go by. Week 9 offers a whole new range of matchup games that we can use in fantasy football.

If you don’t have time to read the predictions for each game, don’t worry, we have a solution for you. First, we dug into each Week 9 matchup to determine which situations and matchups we should attack in fantasy football. Three of our fantasy analysts have identified a player at every position.

WEEK 9 FANTASY BALL RANKINGS
QB | RB | WR | THESE | D/ST | Kickers

Week 9 Fantasy QB Sleepers

Michael O’Hara: Geno Smith, Seattle Seahawks – The games in which Geno Smith has found success in fantasy have one common theme. He has thrown at least 40 passes in every top-10 appearance this season. Seahawks vs. Rams certainly has scoring potential, and Smith could find himself in a situation where he’s forced to throw 40-50 passes. Cooper Kupp and Puka Nacua are back, the Rams offense is on the rise, and Smith could benefit from the return of DK Metcalf. If these offenses trade blows for four quarters, Smith has a good chance to push into QB1 territory this week.

Ed Williams: Justin Herbert, Los Angeles Chargers — With Jim Harbaugh at the helm, it was no surprise that the Chargers started the season really leaning on the running game, the offensive side of the ball. During the first four weeks of the season, while Herbert was also dealing with an ankle injury, he averaged 22.75 passes per game. After the bye, that number increased to 35 attempts per game over the last three games. This week they get the Browns, who are middle of the road, passing the defense. If the offensive line can contain Myles Garrett and give Herbert some time, he could have another successful day.

Vinnie Iyer: Sam Darnold, Minnesota Vikings – He started hot and then cooled down against the Rams last Thursday night, but he should stay strong in prime time at home against a slumping Colts defense. Darnold will play the run well and run well to Justin Jefferson and other wide receivers for at least another 250 passing yards and 2 TDs.

WEEK 9 WIRE DISCLAIMER
Full list of waivers | How to issue FAAB | Top layoff goals

Fantasy RB Primers for Week 9

O’Hara: Rachaad White, Tampa Bay Buccaneers – Rachaad White has fallen out of favor with many fantasy managers, but he has quietly scored over 15 PPR points two weeks in a row. The attrition of Tampa Bay’s receiving corps has done wonders for White’s value in PPR leagues; he has already seen six targets in the following weeks. As long as Jalen McMillan is Tampa Bay’s WR1, White should see plenty of scrutiny to increase the quality of his fantasy production.

Williams: Tyler Allgeier, Atlanta Falcons — While Allgeier may be the bane of Bijan Robinson’s management, that doesn’t mean he can’t be an effective player for other managers. Allgeier is coming off one of his worst games of the season, averaging just 2.8 yards per carry against Tampa Bay, but he still had 12 carries in that game to Robinson’s 13. One game below par (in the win effort) is not will not result in a drastic limitation of its use. Additionally, they will face the Cowboys, who give up the second-most points per game to running backs.

Player: Tyrone Tracy Jr., New York Giants – Devin Singletary got off to a strong start at middle linebacker, racking up 95 rushing yards and a TD in the opener against Washington. Now Tracy has momentum on the field by running quickly outside and catching passes in the return game at home. Tracy should be busy relieving the pressure on Daniel Jones as the Giants try to limit the Commanders’ offense time.

Fantasy WR picks for Week 9

O’Hara: Courtland Sutton, Denver Broncos – Last Sunday, Courtland Sutton had his second week of the year as WR2 against a terrible Panthers defense. Sutton has another opportunity this week to capitalize on another opportunity that is susceptible to big days from opposing receivers. Game script played a big role in this, but Baltimore ranks second in fantasy points allowed to receivers this season. If starting corner Marlon Humphrey remains on the bench, Sutton will further improve his prospects.

Williams: Cedric Tillman, Cleveland Browns — Tillman was undoubtedly the biggest beneficiary of the Amari Cooper trade. In addition to releasing all of these targets, the Browns also turned to Jameis Winston after Deshaun Watson’s season-ending Achilles injury. That’s a recipe for success, and Tillman took full advantage of the opportunity. Over the last two games, he has converted 15 of his 21 targets for 180 yards and two touchdowns. The Chargers actually give up the third-fewest points per game to wide receivers, but with the fearless Jameis throwing the rock, Tillman should still be able to produce another productive fantasy game.

Iyer: Josh Palmer, Los Angeles Chargers – Palmer has quietly played the role of Justin Herbert’s primary threat over the past two weeks, with the Browns often giving up big plays on the outside and Denzel Ward struggling. He has a chance to return about four catches for 80-plus yards with a good shot on a long TD.

Fantasy TE sleepers for week 9

O’Hara: Taysom Hill, New Orleans Saints – If you want to play in the touchdown lottery this week in tough conditions, look no further than Taysom Hill. The Saints will face the Panthers, who have the worst defense I’ve seen in the last decade. This is a unit that allows 3.9 tries per game, which is by far the worst result of any team this season. This is the perfect spot for the Saints to get back on track and take advantage of Taysom Hill’s patented goal-line package.

Williams: Noah Fant, Seattle Seahawks — The Seahawks are coming off a tough start against the Bills and should be motivated to make a run at it against the Rams in a division rivalry game. Los Angeles is giving up the third-most points per game on tight ends, which bodes well for Noah Fant. Moreover, the Seahawks will likely get DK Metcalf back, which should open things up on offense.

Player: Grant Calcaterra, Philadelphia Eagles — If you haven’t committed to keeping tight end behind George Kittle and are looking for a one-week plug-and-play, this would be the choice if Dallas Goedert misses one more game. Calcaterra only caught three passes for 58 yards against the Bengals, but he should be more active to help wideouts Jalen Hurts against the Jaguars’ terrible pass defense at home.

Fantasy Sleeper Defense Week 9

O’Hara: Cincinnati Bengals – Against high-value offenses, the Bengals’ defense often looks foolish. Watching them try to stop Jalen Hurts, Saquon Barkley, AJ Brown and DeVonta Smith last week was quite comical. Fortunately, they’ll get a four-headed “monster” this week in Gardner Minshew, Alexander Mattison, Brock Bowers, and Jakobi Meyers. Cincinnati proved it can eliminate offenses that lack talent, holding the Giants and Browns to just 21 points combined. It should be a one-sided affair this week in Cincinnati.

Williams: Philadelphia Eagles — The Eagles looked like a different team was leaving after the bye. They won 3-0, but the way they did it is encouraging for both offense and defense. Clicking on offense makes it much easier for the defense to attack the QB in passing situations, which in turn makes life easier for the secondary because the QB has less time in the pocket. Since the bye, the Eagles have ranked first in the league in defensive points allowed, points allowed per drive, total defense, yards per play, pass defense, yards per pass allowed, sacks and first downs per game. With the Jags potentially missing their top three players (Christian Kirk is out and Brian Thomas and Gabe Davis are questionable), the Eagles could feast at home against old friend Doug Pederson.

Iyer: New England Patriots –They get a sweet matchup with the Titans, who have been susceptible to both strong defensive plays and special teams explosives. Jerod Mayo’s defense performed better against the Jets and should continue that momentum against anyone playing the QB position.