Mac Jones, Demario Douglas Headline Fantasy Sleepers Week 9

by Theo Gremminger · Sleepers
Mac Jones Patriots

Week 8 was a solid one for Fantasy Sleepers. Trey McBride finished as TE1 overall, Pierre Strong finished with a season-high 82 yards, and Royce Freeman found the end zone. Demario Douglas did not have the fantasy numbers we anticipated, but the volume was substantial. This week is a fun one for Sleepers. If you are in a jam, consider using some of these players in your lineup. If your lineup is in good shape, stash these players so you do not have to spend the FAAB on them next week.

Quarterbacks

Gardner Minshew Indianapolis (24-percent)

Minshew Magic is still available in 76-percent of Yahoo leagues. In his last four starts, Gardner Minshew has finished as QB17, QB3 and QB18. He is a high-end QB2, and in many leagues, that comes in handy during bye weeks. In Superflex, he is a must-start and a great trade target.

Mac Jones – New England Patriots (12-percent)

Mac Jones has passed for two TDs in consecutive games and is trending up. Kendrick Bourne was lost to a season-ending injury, but Demario Douglas is emerging. Regardless of the pass catchers, Jones has a top matchup this week and one that streamers can look to exploit. Washington has conceded 300 or more passing yards to opposing QBs in six out of their last seven games.

Bryce Young – Carolina Panthers (16-percent)

Young won last week’s showdown against CJ Stroud, and was mistake-free with 235 yards and a TD. This is now back-to-back weeks with no interceptions. Young has a chance to gain some fantasy momentum over his next two games. Indianapolis and Chicago have bottom-five defenses against opposing QBs.

Taylor Heinicke – Atlanta Falcons (9-percent)

Taylor Heinicke gets his first start of the season this week against the Minnesota Vikings. The Falcons are searching for an offensive spark, and Heinicke is willing to take shots downfield. Last season, Heinicke had four starts where he finished as QB15 or better. There is no Drake London this week, so expect additional targets for Kyle Pitts and Jonnu Smith.

Running Backs

Devin Singletary – Houston Texans (29-percent)

Dameon Pierce is banged up, and Devin Singletary will continue his ascent in the Houston backfield. Singletary has seen his two highest snap shares of the season in the past two games, and should see even more work this week. The path to fantasy viability must include targets in the passing game, and Singletary can do that.

Royce Freeman – Los Angeles Rams (25-percent)

Royce Freeman played a season-high 57-percent of the Rams’ snaps in Week 8. He found the end zone and rushed for 44 yards. Over the past two games, Freeman has rushed for 110 yards. He now faces a Green Bay defense that has allowed seven RB2 or better finishes from opposing RBs. Matthew Stafford is banged up and will most likely miss this week, so expect a heavy dose of Darrell Henderson and Freeman.

Keaontay Ingram – Arizona Cardinals (7-percent)

Emari Demercado has dominated the backfield touches, but he is looking iffy for this week’s game with a toe injury. Keaontay Ingram is a volume chasing desperation dart throw, but if you are scrambling for RB touches, Ingram would have a shot at 12-15 if Demercado misses.

Pierre Strong – Cleveland Browns (6-percent)

Pierre Strong is coming off of a season-high 82-yard performance this past week against Seattle. He has 19 touches over his past two games and is earning a role in the offense. Jerome Ford and Kareem Hunt were banged up last week, and this could be an ugly split, but Strong is worth a roster spot – especially in deeper formats. If Hunt or Ford were to miss time, Strong could be an RB3/flex play.

Wide Receivers

Demario Douglas – New England Patriots (26-percent)

I am officially a Demario Douglas hype man. Douglas should see an increased role with Bourne lost for the season. Last week, Douglas had a promising seven targets and also a rush attempt. He will have advantageous weekly matchups in the slot and is the Patriots’ fastest and most exciting option at the WR position. I am starting Douglas in several leagues and expecting WR3 numbers.

Jayden Reed – Green Bay Packers (19-percent)

Jayden Reed had a season-high 83 receiving yards in Week 8. He has three TD receptions on the season. It is difficult to trust anyone on the Green Bay offense right now, but involving the rookie more is rational coaching for an offense stuck in the mud. Reed has had target totals of 6,7, and 8 in games this season. If that starts to be a weekly occurrence, he could gain momentum in the second half of the season.

Quentin Johnston – Los Angeles Chargers (19-percent)

Quentin Johnson has been one of the biggest disappointments of all rookie WRs this season, but he showed signs of life last week in LA’s win over Chicago. Five catches for 50 yards is not cause for celebration, but those numbers could increase this week with Josh Palmer likely to miss. The Chargers 1st round pick, however, faces a tough NY Jets defense. He is difficult to trust, but he can get a 20-percent Target Share this week.

Alec Pierce – Indianapolis Colts (2-percent)

Josh Downs could miss this week’s game. That means the speedy Alec Pierce could see an increased role, and a few more downfield shots. Pierce’s fantasy production has been non-existent, but he does have 14 targets in his last three games.

Jonathan Mingo – Carolina Panthers (8-percent)

Jonathan Mingo had a season-high 62 receiving yards in Carolina’s win over Houston. He is trending up and could be the secondary target Bryce Young needs over the second half of the season.

Tight Ends

Donald Parham – Los Angeles Chargers (5-percent)

Donald Parham has four TD catches on the season. He faces off against a NY Jets defense that has been generous to opposing TEs. Palmer missing also narrows the target options for Justin Herbert, and Parham could see a slight uptick in usage.

Cade Otton – Tampa Bay Buccaneers (5-percent)

Break glass in case of emergency TE option. 12 targets over his last two games.