Hopefully most of you sticking with this weekly piece are still alive in your fantasy standings. Even if you aren't you should be maintaining a competitive roster. Phoning it in only upsets competitive balance and besides, fantasy is supposed to be fun to play. No one likes losing, but we only get 13 guaranteed weeks out of it in the year. Make the most of it while you can.

So if you're still giving it your all, consider the following deep PPR sleepers heading into Week 9. With six teams on a bye this week, options are somewhat limited based on who is worth scooping up. It's a shorter list for sure. That doesn't mean these guys can't help you, though.

Lastly, I am going to exclude touching on the obvious running back pickups of the week. Darren McFadden, Alfred Morris, Damien Williams, and Kenyan Drake will be hot commodities that might not be attainable in deeper leagues. Best we focus on lesser valued names. Here are some deeper PPR-league sleepers for Week 9. All ownership percentages are from Yahoo leagues.

Deeper PPR Sleepers For Week 9

Vernon Davis - TE, Washington Redskins (13% Owned)

The roller coaster that is Jordan Reed continues to toy with our emotions in 2017. Reed had a breakout game back in week seven but suffered another injury in week eight. It's yet another blow to his fantasy value, and Vernon Davis has reaped the benefits. The expectation is that Reed will miss Sunday's game against Seattle, putting Davis back on the radar. In fact, I would argue that Davis should be picked up in deep leagues regardless of Reed's status. The Redskins have been rotating which press-catchers they lean on and Davis has earned himself some more looks. The team even went as far as to come out and say they're going to keep riding a hot hand approach at receiver. Davis, a tight end, should be able to stay involved in the offense. He's more than a one-week rental at the position with deep PPR flex value.

Matt Breida - RB, San Francisco 49ers (9% Owned)

I was actually kind of surprised to see Matt Breida's ownership remain so low. This is a back who has already appeared on this list and he warrants revisiting. As evidence by trading for quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo, the 49ers are desperate for an offensive spark. Breida doesn't have super flashy numbers just yet, but the team is willing to give him additional looks to compliment Carlos Hyde. After scoring his first career touchdown this past Sunday, he's pretty much secured a role in the game plan. There's also the possibility that the team will start considering their future and see how much more they can get out of him. Breida needs to be owned in deep leagues going forward.

Benjamin Watson - TE, Baltimore Ravens (11% Owned)

Benjamin Watson was the top add at tight end for me last week, a call that squeaked by in paying off thanks to a touchdown. Watson may not get a ton of looks in a below average Baltimore offense, but he's as good of an asset as anyone else on the team. The entire offense remains banged up so Watson is firmly locked into a role. Plus, tight end has been kind of a mess this year. I maintain that Watson is a legit add who is second only to Vernon Davis this week in terms of TE streamers.

More Waiver Wire Pickups and Analysis