How crazy is it that the fantasy football landscape is STILL constantly changing? Injuries are always going to be part of the equation. And teams can change play-callers too, like with Sean Payton and the Broncos. We are also at the point where players are getting benched, like Cardinals quarterback Jacoby Brissett. Or players are getting traded, like Jacoby Brissett (who will reportedly be traded to the Baltimore Ravens). I guess what we are trying to say is, if you are rooting for Jacoby Brissett, it’s never over.
And, with all that wacky stuff happening, there is still room for breakout sleepers. So, as we do every week, we are going to dig through the deeper players (rostered in less than 40% of leagues on Yahoo) and highlight some guys who could break out THIS week. So let’s dive in!
Week 9 Quarterback Sleepers
Drew Lock, Seattle Seahawks
We’ve actually already seen Drew Lock this year. And it honestly didn’t look all that bad. He helped finish a win vs. the Patriots after Sam Darnold got hurt. Then he came out and threw for three touchdowns against the Arizona Cardinals. Well, with Sam Darnold set to miss this week in concussion protocol, he gets to face that same Arizona Cardinals team this weekend. Lock is dealing with a little bit of an elbow issue himself, but he’s set to start. If he doesn’t start for whatever reason, the mobile upside of Jalen Milroe is kind of interesting as well, so keep an eye on this one with this great matchup.
Joe Fagnano, Baltimore Ravens
Look, I know it’s looking pretty grim in Baltimore. And the Jacoby Brissett trade pours a lot of cold water on this one. But one thing we do know is this - the Ravens like this kid. Otherwise, they would not have made the unprecedented move to keep him. Baltimore has never had an undrafted quarterback make the 53-man roster in franchise history. Not only that, but they kept him despite also having Lamar Jackson and Tyler Huntley on the team. They did not want to risk another team coming along and scooping him up off the practice squad.
At UConn, Fagnano threw for a respectable 3,448 yards, 28 TDs, and only 1 interception in his senior year. I know it’s preseason, but he looked rock solid then too, throwing for over 500 yards and no picks. There is a reason that GM Eric DeCosta was calling him “Cinderella Man” back in September before he had any shot of playing. I mean, even last week his odds of getting in with both Lamar Jackson and Tyler Huntley were low, so it’s hard to gauge that performance. In your Superflex leagues, it’s not crazy to take a peek at this guy after his first full week of prep. There are so many QBs that we know aren’t going to offer any sort of ceiling, so we have to ask - what if this guy can actually play? For one week, we will find out.
Week 9 Running Back Sleepers
Chris Rodriguez, Jacksonville Jaguars
Perhaps this one is low-hanging fruit. But we did just write about a third-string, undrafted quarterback making his first start, so we deserve one or two of these. With Bhayshul Tuten potentially looking like a “true game-time decision” for Thursday’s game, Chris Rodriguez could be in line for a decent workload against Baltimore. Liam Coen brought his former college running back Rodriguez along to Jacksonville because he knows that he can get tough yards.
Rodriguez may not have the best hands, but if the Jags are in a position to run, he could rack up decent yardage and a couple TDs in this one. Vegas doesn’t have as much faith in “Cinderella Man” Joe Fagnano as we do, so the Jaguars are currently 9.5-point favorites despite the game being in Baltimore. So there could be plenty of opportunity to run.
Justice Hill, Baltimore Ravens
The Ravens have made it pretty clear, now with multiple coaching staffs, that they like Justice Hill. Derrick Henry is their bruiser back, and Justice Hill operates in a pass-down capacity. Because the Ravens have generally been a pretty good team, that has lent itself to more Derrick Henry. Lamar Jackson, as a mobile QB, would not only help Henry with the RPO, but he also was more hesitant to dump the ball down vs. scrambling to create bigger plays.
That all changes now with both Lamar Jackson and Tyler Huntley out. And, as “glass half full” as we are on Joe Fagnano, they are still huge underdogs this week. The game script last week saw Justice Hill play more than Derrick Henry, and it also saw him get eight dump-downs. At this stage, it’s not crazy for the Ravens to consider trading Derrick Henry either. So Justice Hill becomes more interesting.
Week 9 Wide Receiver Sleepers
Antonio Williams, Washington Commanders
This name has been in this article before. And we know he’s not really the “deepest” sleeper. But he needs to be rostered in more than 26% of leagues on Yahoo, so we want to write about him. I mean, we saw almost exactly what we wanted to see last week from a deployment standpoint, right?
Terry McLaurin got hurt. The Commanders told us that they weren’t going to change how Stefon Diggs was used. So that opened up an opportunity for someone to step up and LEAD this wide receiver group. In Week 8, Antonio Williams led the team in routes run, targets, and receptions. That kind of guy should be rostered in way more leagues than he currently is. The matchup isn’t ideal, but the usage is so we ride.
Malachi Fields, New York Giants
Malachi Fields has quietly had a big role for most of the season. He’s been operating as the WR2 across from Malik Nabers. Darius Slayton was released early on and, even when healthy, Darnell Mooney has been the WR3. But the offense really flowed through Malik Nabers and Isaiah Likely.
Well, we really only have a one-game sample size where JJ McCarthy started and played the whole game. But he did look more to Malachi Fields (and, unfortunately, a little less to Isaiah Likely). The quality of the targets in general was better, but the target distribution we did see was different. As we mentioned in the intro, trades, injuries, coaching changes, and quarterback changes are some of the catalysts that can meaningfully change things as the season moves along. What if the QB change in New York actually does unlock the rookie Malachi Fields?
Week 9 Tight End Sleepers
Greg Dulcich, Miami Dolphins
At only 6% rostered on Yahoo, I think people are sleeping on Greg Dulcich. And, when you examine his five most recent games, I can make a case that he should be rostered in AT LEAST 7% of leagues.
Let’s start with his worst game against the Minnesota Vikings. And, by worst, I mean he had zero targets. But that was what that entire game was for Miami. They got STEAMROLLED by a Brian Flores revenge game. As a team, they only played 39 offensive snaps, which is the second-lowest of any team behind only the Jets that same week. That was basically a non-game.
In the other four of five games, Dulcich actually looked pretty good. He ran over 70% of the routes in all four games. And he got at least five targets in all four games (catching at least four of them in each game). He also threw in a little two-point conversion against the Bengals. This week they get the Lions, who could be without Jack Campbell (neck), Brian Branch (concussion), and Kerby Joseph (knee). Branch and Joseph both missed the first six weeks of the season and, over that span, the Lions were the worst team in the league against the tight end.
Eli Raridon, New England Patriots
Since we play dynasty and DFS at Fantasy Alarm, Eli Raridon has already been on the radar for us. He even notched us a touchdown on the Thursday Night Showdown slate vs. the Bears, where options are thin. The Patriots clearly like this kid based on his usage so far, though that usage hasn’t been entirely based on just liking him. When they lost Julian Hill this offseason, Hunter Henry had to kick inline a little more with Eli Raridon getting some looks as the second “big slot” tight end.
Last week Hunter Henry left the game after 8 snaps with a foot injury. And Raridon proceeded to play 55 of 60 snaps with Henry out. Now, as we’ve seen with his five-catch game or his two touchdowns (and another near-miss TD vs. the Jets), Raridon doesn’t need Henry to be out in order to pop. But if Henry is out, Raridon is actually on the streaming radar despite being rostered in only 1% of leagues on Yahoo. The only problem here is that the Packers are one of the better teams against the tight end, with Evan Williams and Xavier McKinney creating a nasty combo. But we wanted to make sure to highlight a talented player here who could be getting his first start.
Where Do We Rank The Fantasy Football Breakout Sleepers This Week?
The toughest question, week in and week out, is whether you should just start the “safe” guys you have or whether you can just throw a dart at this week’s possible breakout. Lucky for you, we rank every one of these guys for PPR, half PPR, and standard rankings every single week. So check out the Fantasy Alarm Weekly Rankings to see exactly where these guys fall compared to the other options out there. If it’s anywhere close, it’s always more fun to throw in that sleeper!