Oh, how time flies; we’re officially halfway through the season! Week 9 is primed to feature its fair share of comebacks and misfortunes. While Christian McCaffrey and Michael Thomas are making their long awaited returns this week, injuries and COVID designations have wreaked havoc on multiple teams. Here’s a list of my favorite sleepers and biggest busts for the important week ahead.
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WEEK 9 SLEEPERS
Nick Foles, QB, Chicago Bears | Current ECR: QB22
Back to back losses against the Rams and the Saints have knocked “Da Bears” to a 5-3 record heading into Week 9. The cushion Chicago had is gone, and it’s do or die time in order to have a chance at securing a playoff berth within the stacked NFC. While the Titans started the season at a strong 5-0, their own set of back to back loses has them sitting precariously atop the AFC South at 5-2.
Foles is beginning to settle into the starting role, and is finally utilizing receivers Darnell Mooney and Anthony Miller. The two combined for 17 targets, 142 yards, and a touchdown in last week’s overtime thriller against the Saints. On the other side, Tennessee’s defense is struggling to get off the field. The Titans have given up 17 passing touchdowns through seven games, and rank dead last in opponent third down conversion percentage, allowing a whopping 61.86-percent success rate. With lead back David Montgomery only rushing for one touchdown this season, Foles is set up for red zone success all day.
La’Mical Perine, RB, New York Jets | Current ECR: RB37
I know, I know. It’s the Jets, a team that barely qualifies as a professional football organization. But I swear I have a logical explanation…
They play the Patriots.
New England’s defense has allowed an average of almost 180 rushing yards per game and six rushing touchdowns over the last two weeks. Even with Perine splitting snaps with Gore, the rookie out of Florida has proven more effective than the veteran in past weeks. This coupled with his presence in the passing game means Perine has a solid shot at rushing for over 80 yards and a touchdown come Sunday.
Cole Beasley, WR, Buffalo Bills | Current ECR: WR34
Ah, here I go again, singing about the great woes of the Seattle pass defense. It may sound like a broken record at this point, but it’s true: the Seahawks secondary is literally the worst in the league. And it’s not close.
So far this season, six wide receivers and five quarterbacks have claimed top 10 finishes against this uninspiring defense. With Josh Allen desperately in need of a “get right” game, Seattle poses the perfect opportunity for him to finish as QB1 in Week 9. Stefon Diggs may be the big name in Buffalo, but Cole Beasley has quietly risen to WR30 this season. He catches over 80-percent of his targets and averages over 60 receiving yards per game. With a game script that is heavily in their favor, look for the Allen-Beasley connection to be going strong this weekend.
Ross Dwelley, TE, San Francisco 49ers | Current ECR: TE23
Is anyone else slightly concerned that San Francisco won’t be able to field a team this week? Not only is Garoppollo, Kittle, and almost every single running back injured, but the team was forced to put all but one active wide receiver on the COVID-19 list this Wednesday. With a second string offense at the helm, who’s going to step up?
Ross Dwelley.
He came on in relief of George Kittle early in the 4th quarter last weekend, and managed to snag one reception for 16 yards and a touchdown. While Dwelley had a short week to prepare for the starting gig, he is in a great position to make an immediate impact on this battered offense. Backup quarterback Nick Mullens loves to feed his tight ends, and they are his go-to targets in the red zone this season. Assuming Mullens and Dwelley are on the same page Thursday night, the undrafted third year tight end is as good a streaming option as any this week.
WEEK 9 BUSTS
Ben Roethlisberger, QB, Pittsburg Steelers | Current ECR: QB10
BUT THE STEELERS ARE PLAYING THE COWBOYS. IT WILL BE A BLOW OUT.
Yeah, probably. But, the Steelers trampled the Browns 38-7 three weeks ago and Big Ben only threw for 162 yards and one touchdown. Instead of throwing all day, Tomlin simply had the rushing game take over and let the Steelers sail to an easy victory. Odds are a very similar fact pattern will emerge on Sunday.
Dallas has allowed 11 rushing touchdowns this season and give up an average of over 170 rushing yards per game. At the same time, they give up just 214 passing yards per game to opposing quarterbacks. James Conner and the other Pittsburg running backs will feast in this matchup, but it might be a quiet outing for Roethlisberger as he won’t be forced to pass much once the Steelers seal a commanding lead.
Ezekiel Elliott, RB, Dallas Cowboys | Current ECR: RB12
It took me a couple weeks to get here, but I have finally come to the conclusion that Zeke just might not bounce back this year. Even if he does, it certainly won’t be against a Steelers front that has held opposing running backs to less than 100 yards in six of their seven games this season.
Hopes were high last week that Elliott would get a majority of the workload with rookie quarterback Ben DiNucci getting his first NFL start. However, it became clear that the game plan involved way more trick plays than Zeke runs, and Elliott disappointed for the third week in a row. In addition, the offense is struggling to get into the red zone, further limiting his potential ceiling. He has averaged just over 52 yards per game in the last three week, and has not scored a touchdown since Week 5. His bust potential greatly outweighs his boom potential, so fantasy managers should look for an alternative to plug in this week.
Robbie Anderson, WR, Carolina Panthers | Current ECR: WR14
Christian McCaffrey is ALIVE! The star running back is making his long-awaited return this weekend after being sidelined for seven weeks with a high ankle sprain. While it’s clear that the Panthers offense has missed its number one playmaker, what does McCaffrey’s return mean for leading receiver Robbie Anderson?
In his last three outings Anderson has averaged just 63.3 receiving yards per game, and he hasn’t logged a touchdown since Week 1. With Curtis Samuel’s red zone emergence and CMC’s return there’s not a great opportunity for him to break the dry spell this week. On top of this, the Chiefs allow the second lowest completion percentage (60.8%) to opposing quarterbacks, but rank 29th against the run. With McCaffrey rested and ready to go, fantasy managers should think twice before starting Anderson, or any Panthers wide receiver, this week.
Mark Andrews, TE, Baltimore Ravens | Current ECR: TE3
After a tough loss to the Steelers last Sunday, the Baltimore Ravens take on an even tougher defensive matchup this week: the Indianapolis Colts. While Mark Andrews currently sits at TE5 on the season, his last two outings have not been ideal. In the Ravens last two games Andrews has just five receptions for 55 yards and no touchdowns, and he finished as TE29 and TE22 in those weeks.
The Colts defense ranks first in the NFL against tight ends, allowing an average of just three fantasy points to the position. While they gave up 65 yards to T.J. Hockenson last weekend, Indianapolis has not given up a touchdown to a tight end this season. This fact along with the emergence of a powerful running back committee means Andrews may see a third week of light usage in the pass game. Since he only averages less than 40 yards per game, the touchdown dependent tight end is not at the top of my list this week. While fantasy managers probably can’t afford to sit him, they should temper their lofty expectations.
That’s it for this week’s edition of sleepers and busts!
Want to see how accurate I am so you know whether or not to trust a random girl on the internet? I’ll post all of my past predictions at the bottom of my article each week so fantasy managers can follow how they turned out.
Last Week’s Sleepers and Busts Results*
Week 8 Sleepers and Busts Article
Sleepers
- Derek Carr – Missed
- 153 total yards, 1 touchdown; finished as QB20
- Zach Moss – Hit
- 81 rushing yards, 2 touchdowns; finished as RB2
- Donovan Peoples-Jones – Missed
- 0 yards; finished as WR102
- Kendrick Bourne – Hit
- 81 receiving yards; finished ad WR31
- Albert Okwuebunam – Hit
- 9 receiving yards, 1 touchdown; finished as TE10
Busts
- Lamar Jackson – Hit
- 273 total yards, 2 touchdowns, 2 interceptions; finished as QB17
- David Montgomery – Missed
- 105 total yards; finished as RB19
- James Conner – Missed
- 60 total yards, 1 touchdown; finished as RB17
- Amari Cooper – Hit
- 5 total yards; finished as WR96
- T.J. Hockenson – Missed
- 65 total yards; finished as TE11
2020 Season Totals
- Hit – 5/10
- Missed – 5/10
*Using standard scoring
