There were hits and misses on the Week 8 sleeper page. Cedric Tillman was a hit, Bo Nix kept coming through and Braelon Allen collected double digits and a touchdown. But there were no good answers from the wideouts in Tampa Bay, Rashod Bateman lost his way with Cleveland and Hunter Henry was a rare tight end who didn’t celebrate the Hallmark holiday.
Let’s see what we can find in week 9.
QB Bo Nix in Baltimore (32%)
He’s gotten lost in the shuffle given the buzz of some other young quarterbacks, but Nix is ​​putting together a very underrated season. He’s quietly posted the third-most fantasy points among QBs over the last four weeks, and now he’s targeting Baltimore’s funnel defense (strong against the run, leaky against the pass). Even if Nix doesn’t find throwing lanes on Sunday, he always offers an interesting rushing board — he’s had a rushing score or solid ground production in seven of his eight starts.
QB Joe Flacco at Vikings (12%)
Minnesota’s defense has done a lot of good things this year, ranking first in DVOA and third in percentage of drives that have produced points. But Minnesota’s early results have been better than recent games: Over the past four weeks, the men in Purple have racked up 1,192 passing yards and 12 touchdown passes. Flacco has plenty of help from the Indianapolis receiver room — Michael Pittman Jr., Josh Downs and viable sleeper Alec Pierce — and even if the Vikings force a few negative plays with the blitz-happy Brian Flores scheme, the Colts think they’ll get something reaches. also runs. Get your popcorn ready for Sunday evening.
RB Tyler Allgeier vs. Cowboys (37%)
It’s becoming increasingly difficult to find legitimate running back sleepers – players who are less than 50% drafted in Yahoo leagues – because modern fantasy football theory says your bench should be overcrowded with speculation plays. So many interesting upside choices have already been made. Allgeier is the rare non-starting back who offers some standalone value; he’s racked up 35 carries, a touchdown and a two-point conversion over the past three weeks — and Dallas’ defense has been a handy escort, ranking 30th in rush defense DVOA.
WR Elijah Moore vs. Chargers (12%)
Cedric Tillman has been Cleveland’s headliner the past two weeks, and rightfully so, but Moore is doing a fine job as well, posting a useful 8-85-0 line on 12 goals in the glorious comeback win in Baltimore. Jameis Winston filtered most of his targets to three wideouts and tight end David Njoku; he isn’t afraid to take a deep fall and let it rip across the field. The Chargers present a bigger defensive challenge this week, a slow team that defends the pass well, but Moore likely already has 7-9 targets in his back pocket. Opportunity drives many of our fantasy decisions.
WR Xavier Legette vs. Saints (23%)
There have been stops and starts in Legette’s rookie season, but he has found the end zone three times in five games and he has three games with seven or more goals. With Diontae Johnson out of town, Legette has the opportunity to become Carolina’s new target hog. Unfortunately, those targets will be Bryce Young’s passes for now, but at least the Saints have allowed the seventh-most points to opposing wide receivers.
WR Parker Washington at Eagles (4%)
I’m surprised the market has been so cool for Washington, who takes on the role vacated by the injured Christian Kirk. Washington posted a credible 3-46-0 line on four targets last week, forced into more snaps in the second half, and Philadelphia’s defense is the 10th-best draw for opponents. Trevor Lawrence has been quietly playing well over the last four weeks, posting a 9.1 YPA and 109.0 while completing 71.9% of his passes.
D/ST Washington Commanders at Giants (45%)
Washington’s defense was considered one of the worst units in the league at the start of the season, but the group has made good progress. The Commanders are seventh in the sack and their scoring percentage is around league average. Daniel Jones can’t get out of his way during home games for some reason; his last New Jersey touchdown came on New Year’s Day 2023. Look for the Washington Football Team to force some negative plays.
