NFL Fantasy Football Week Nine Sleepers

NFL FANTASY FOOTBALL WEEK NINE SLEEPERS — A player gets injured, or someone breaks out and earns more opportunities. These players can make or break your fantasy season. No one can predict the future, so drafting a perfect team is out of the question.

Depth never hurts, so it is best to evaluate your roster weekly. This article is a great place to look and will feature the best waiver wire additions each week. (Rostered Percentages from ESPN)

Quarterback

Sam Howell – 30.4% Rostered

Sam Howell is playing at a high level despite being sacked 41 times this season. He can have his down weeks, but he makes up for it with explosive games. Howell is also getting better and improving with each passing week.

He is becoming more than a streaming option in most leagues and is worth a roster spot. He has weapons and has favorable matchups over the next few weeks. Howell could also serve as a spot start with lots of byes looming in the weeks ahead.

Will Levis – 1.1% Rostered

Levis was spectacular in his debut against the Falcons. He went 19 for 29 for 238 yards and four touchdowns. Levis benefited from a strong ground game, with Derrick Henry adding 101 yards on 22 attempts, but Levis made multiple big throws.

As he gains more trust from this coaching staff, they could start opening things up for Levis, who targeted DeAndre Hopkins six times, three of which went for scores. He is worth adding in leagues with two quarterbacks and deeper leagues.

Running Back

Emari Demercado – 39.2 Rostered

Demercado is getting a lot of opportunities in Arizona. Over the past two weeks, he has had 38 touches for 154 yards. Head coach Jonathan Gannon stated that Joshua Dobbs is no longer the starter, and Clayton Tune or Kyler Murray will start this week.

James Conner is on injured reserve and has no timetable for a return, although his earliest return could come in week 10. Demercado is averaging 67.5% of snaps played over the past two weeks and is seeing most of the opportunities.

He is the running back to own on this offense for the short term and could see improvements in the coming weeks with a quarterback change.

Leonard Fournette – 3.2% Rostered

The Buffalo Bills signed Leonard Fournette to the practice squad, and he passed a physical. They currently have Latavius Murray as James Cooks’ backup but added some depth.

Murray has received 14 red zone attempts this season and has scored twice. Cooks has received 15 attempts inside the 20 and only scored once.

Fournette could take over Murray’s role in a few weeks and could earn a more significant role. He also could become Cooks’ handcuff since Murray does not have the same versatility as a pass-catcher.

Wide Receiver

Rashid Shaheed – 18.4% Rostered

Shaheed is a boom-or-bust type of player.

That is not a bad thing, but you should know what you are getting if you add him. He only had three targets this past week, and he caught them all for 153 yards and a touchdown. He is excellent at beating zone coverage and plays two teams that deploy zone a ton in the coming weeks.

The Bears and Vikings play over two-thirds of their snaps in zone coverage. Shaheed is in play as a spot starts over the next two weeks.

Demario Douglas – 1.2% Rostered

Douglas is an explosive player that will get a lot of usage due to injury. The Patriots lost Kendrick Bourne for the rest of the season after he tore his ACL, and DeVante Parker had to leave Sunday’s game due to a concussion.

Douglas has played 62% and 77% of snaps over the past two weeks and will be a full-time player again this week. He received six and seven targets in those games and had one rushing attempt each. His usage is worth a spot start over the next couple of weeks.

Tight End

Trey McBride – 7.9% Rostered

McBride took over the tight end position for the Cardinals. Zach Ertz is on injured reserve, which opened an opportunity for McBride. He played 82% of snaps and received 14 targets.

He finished with 10 catches for 95 yards and a touchdown. All of those stats led the team. He should be a priority addition for most teams in most leagues, especially if the tight-end position is a necessity. He should only get better once Kyler Murray returns and could finish as a top-12 tight end by the end of the season.