RADIO
Week 9 is upon us, and the player pool resembles some sort of memorial to those who fell in last week's injury plague. Make sure you're aware of who is playing hurt and who isn't playing at all, and who stands to gain as a result. We have plenty of great pieces here at RotoBaller that can help you navigate those waters, and I'll touch on some of them here.
In a week where six teams are on a bye and the Browns/Bengals already played on Thursday, it might feel a little crowded on some picks, but rest assured there is value to be had.
Week 9 Quarterback Sleepers
Jameis Winston (QB, TB): $5,200 - vs. NYG
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Kirk Cousins (QB, WAS): $5,100 - @NE
The Patriots defense isn't all that special, and you know Washington's defense definitely isn't special in any way. The Patriots are at home and in all likelihood, going to put up a ton of points on the Redskins. All valid gameflow factors aside, the Redskins have struggled with running the ball all season long, let alone how they will be behind all game by all accounts. Kirk Cousins is going to be responsible for whatever the Redskins can muster on offense. This may very well include an interception or two with more desperate efforts being necessary, but he should have a great chance at cracking 300 yards passing for the bonus, and his ceiling is definitely beyond the 20 point 4x value marker in a game that could see him relentlessly airing it out.
Other deep plays that might have higher ownership: Ryan Fitzpatrick, $5,200 vs. JAX, Jay Cutler, $5,200 @SD, Derek Carr, $5,500 @PIT.
Week 9 Running Back Sleepers
Antonio Andrews (RB, TEN): $3,600 – @NO
The recently anointed workhorse of the Tennessee Titans gets the soft Saints defense in his first game as "the guy". Marcus Mariota should be back under center for the Titans, and while their offensive line has be below average, that will help the Titans offense run more smoothly rather than Zach Mettenberger. With Kendall Wright out, the Titans passing attack is pretty limited and so they're going to need the running game to be effective. Also consider Dexter McCluster at $3,400 since it is a full PPR scoring system and the Titans may very well face some garbage time opportunities.
C.J. Spiller (RB, NO): $3,100 – vs. TEN.
If the Titans' running backs don't tickle your fancy, look at the other side of the game for another option. C.J Spiller is the beneficiary of Khiry Robinson's broken leg, and even though Mark Ingram has stepped his game up in terms of his pass catching abilities, Spiller is going to see more snaps. The Titans are actually ranked 30th against the run and 5th against the pass according to FootballOutsiders DVOA metric. While the Saints have figured out how to pass the ball again recently, those numbers point to a great situation for Ingram and Spiller. Be aware that the Titans actually rank as best in defending running backs in the passing game, but Spiller has shown his home run ability before and all it'll take is one big play for this tournament ticket to pay off. He caught a touchdown in last week's trouncing of the Giants, and the week before that he had six receptions against the Colts. He's had back-to-back weeks of 10+ DraftKings points, and with Robinson out his ceiling and floor both go up.
Other deep plays that might have higher ownership: Melvin Gordon, $4,000 vs. CHI, Jonathan Stewart, $4,300 vs. GB, Darren McFadden, $4,300 vs. PHI.
Week 9 Wide Receiver Sleepers
Brandon LaFell (WR, NE): $3,200 - vs. WAS
LaFell had seven targets last week against the Dolphins, hauling in four of them for 47 yards. This isn't all that impressive, and LaFell is behind Rob Gronkowski, Julian Edelman, and Dion Lewis in the receiving pecking order. Regardless, the Patriots generate so much offense that he could be the fourth look and still have a great chance at posting that six or seven reception game with 100 yards and two touchdowns. The Redskins are very vulnerable on the back end and it's strictly a question of which Patriots' receivers are going to rack up the yards and touchdowns. At $3,200, LaFell is a great flier to take to save some money while still giving yourself that high tournament ceiling.
Stevie Johnson (WR, SD): $3,200 – vs. CHI
Keenan Allen is out, Ladarius Green didn't practice on Wednesday, and the Chargers still can't run the ball. Antonio Gates is back and practicing, so he should take over as the primary target for Philip Rivers, but without Allen the only receiver the Chargers have that can run a full route tree is Stevie Johnson. Malcom Floyd is a solid play as well, but Stevie is $700 cheaper and could eat in a PPR format like the one DraftKings offers.
Justin Hunter (WR, TEN): $3,000 - @NO
This is how you hate yourself come Sunday night, but Hunter and the Titans have a new head coach in Mike Mularkey and with Marcus Mariota back, the offense should pick it up a little. What isn't up in the air is the opportunity he should have considering the fact that Kendall Wright is absent. This blurb could have been about Dorial Green-Beckham, but he is still a raw talent and the snap count from last week had Hunter in on 93% of the snaps, whereas DGB was in on 61% of them. Of course DGB got in on the party more once Wright left the game, and as such you might want to also look at Green-Beckham at $3,100, but those snaps counts show that Hunter should be the primary guy.
Other deep plays that might have higher ownership: Robert Woods, $3,500 vs. MIA, Malcom Floyd, $3,900 vs. CHI, Marquess Wilson, $4,000 @SD.
Week 9 Tight End Sleepers
Quick note with the tight ends this week. There really aren't many cheaper guys who I'm comfortable playing that aren't on the radar. Here are two guys who will have decent ownership, but their price points are absurdly low. We have these two players that I've written up, but if you want to fade them for another cheaper guy your options are Kyle Rudolph (nope), Richard Rodgers (may have to block a lot again to mitigate CAR pass rush, lacks volume upside), Jacob Tamme (not sure how long ATL will have to be throwing), and Zach Ertz (preferred option out of these, but Sam Bradford and the Eagles passing game has yet to turn it around). Jordan Cameron has been limited on both Thursday and Friday, so I'd avoid an already capped player. There's your context.
Austin Seferian-Jenkins (TE, TB): $2,800 - vs. NYG
As long as Seferian-Jenkins is healthy and active he is a great target for Jameis Winston over the middle and in the red zone. Vincent Jackson is going to be out again and ASJ should be the #2 option to Mike Evans. There is also the fact that the Giants are absolutely awful against tight ends. Their linebackers and safeties are good at helping stop the run, but they are horrible in coverage. Benjamin Watson had a great game last week against them to continue the trend of tight ends going off against the Giants. Keep an eye on ASJ's health going into Sunday, but this is a tasty matchup if he has the green light to play. He was a full participant in Friday's practice, but you'll still have to be ready with a contingency plan on Sunday.
Heath Miller (TE, PIT): $2,700 - vs. OAK
Well, it's difficult to put this in any sort of "sleeper" light, but the cheaper plays at tight end this week are really not worth digging to. Sure, you could roll the dice on Will Tye for the Giants, but for $200 more you get Heath Miller who just balled out with ten catches for 105 yards in Ben Roethlisberger's first game back. And now you're telling me that he gets to carry that momentum into a matchup with the tight end gift givers in the Oakland Raiders? It's impossible to overlook this, but of course that means that ownership might be quite high for Miller. For all of these stars to be aligning for a guy who is at $2,700, that's pretty darn tasty and sets up well for great shot at him putting up 5x-6x value relative to his price.
Other deep plays that might have higher ownership: Julius Thomas, $4,200 @NYJ, Delanie Walker, $4,200 @NO, Jordan Reed, $4,500 @NE.
Week 9 Defense Sleepers
Philadelphia Eagles, D/ST: $2,700 – @DAL
First of all, having Darren Sproles as your return man means that the special teams element is always in play. As for the defense, FootballOutsiders actually has the Eagles as the third best overall unit as per their DVOA metric, ranking third in pass defense and seventh against the run. Those are good numbers to bank on no matter who the opponent is. That being said, Dallas may have gotten Dez Bryant back but Matt Cassel is still their quarterback. So, that's good for players who want to take the Eagles defense.
New Orleans Saints, D/ST: $2,200 - vs. TEN
You can go one of two ways with this game. We all know that the Saints defense could easily resemble the doodoo emoji every week, but the Titans come in having fired their head coach and dealing with a porous offensive line that had gotten Marcus Mariota hurt before (and it'll be his first game back in action after missing a few weeks, so the rust factor is in play). Oh, and Kendall Wright is out too. The Saints are at home and favored to win by a touchdown, both of which bode well for the defense to have a good chance at putting up solid numbers. If you need a punt play with some upside, here it is.
