Week 8 was one to remember especially if you owned the likes of Eli Manning or Drew Brees, who torched the fantasy scoreboard with dominant performances. Then there were also those who shined unexpectedly and ultimately increased their value for the approaching week. That being said, let’s now take a look at some of those names—from each position on offense—who could strengthen your respective lineups for another promising week of intense football action ahead. And of course, we’ll include a solid defense to help your team out further.
If you’re still looking for more valuable additions to strengthen your team further, click here and check out what the experts are saying in our fantasy football experts guide article for Week 9.
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2015 NFL Week 9 Fantasy Sleepers
Tavon Austin – Wide Receiver, St. Louis Rams
The emergence of Todd Gurley isn’t the only thing that the St. Louis Rams and fantasy owners should be getting crazy about. There’s also a guy by the name of Tavon Austin, who’s been a beneficiary of Gurley’s sudden outburst.
[sc:NFL240banner ]Austin, the former West Virginia standout, is becoming more involved in the Ram’s offense lately. He’s making his presence felt in both the receiving and rushing game. The 24-year-old wide receiver showed this in Week 8, during which he hauled in four catches for 98 yards with a touchdown and also carried the ball three times for 21 yards and a rushing score.
If you’re in search for some help at the receiver position then Austin’s name is on top of the list. Gurley looks to be on track for yet another explosive week against the Vikings and that means more chances for Austin to continue being involved on offense especially with most of the attention hovering all over the rookie running back.
DeAngelo Williams – Running back, Pittsburgh Steelers
DeAngelo Williams. If you still see this name on the free agency pool or waiver wire, then you better pick this guy up right now. He’s expected to be the best option that all fantasy owners will go after since the Steelers’ star running back in Le’Veon Bell suffered a season-ending injury (torn MCL) in the past week.
Williams will now be the lead back from now on and he’s already proven that he can do so when Bell was out serving his two-week suspension earlier in the season. He rumbled for 127 yards in the opener opposite the Brady-led Patriots and added 77 with three touchdowns in the following week versus the 49ers. Then when Bell went down on Sunday, he wasted no time in stepping up with 71 yards on just nine carries.
From this point on, Williams is bound to start making some noise once again which will leave fantasy owners smiling or either scratching their heads if they’re on the opposing side.
Vernon Davis – Tight End, Denver Broncos
A new start with his new team—the Denver Broncos—might just be what Vernon Davis needs to get his form back on. He no longer has to live with a struggling Niners offense as he’ll have now the luxury of playing alongside a future Hall of Famer in Peyton Manning.
Davis has had a disappointing season thus far due to a combination of injuries and some team dysfunction in San Fran. But it’s worth noting that the two-time Pro Bowler is slowly getting up to speed again with eight catches for 109 yards over his previous two games. He’ll still be a risky pick up, though, since he has yet to build a rapport with Manning.
Derek Carr – Quarterback, Oakland Raiders
Since Oakland’s bye week, Derek Carr has been on a rampage and is starting to garner some believers in the past two weeks. In that stretch, he’s accumulated 622 yards with seven touchdowns and no zero interceptions to lead two-straight wins against the Chargers and the Jets.
Carr will strive to keep this momentum going against a good matchup in Week 9 which will be against the Steelers, who are struggling in defending against the air this season with 269.5 yards allowed per contest.
Sebastian Janikowski – Kicker, Oakland Raiders
Another Raider has also been making some noise of own and that’s Sebastian Janikowski. It’s still too early to tell if he can keep this up but he’s been on point for the last two weeks, during which he nailed five of his six field goal tries and converted all of eight extra points. And in total this season, Janikowski is 11-of-13 in the field goal department and a perfect 15-of-15 on extra points.
Miami Dolphins Defense
The Miami Dolphins defense seemed to have found its identity under new head coach Dan Campbell. Since Campbell took over, the defense has been phenomenal for two-straight weeks against favorable matchups (Titans and Texans). But when they stepped toe-to-toe with Tom Brady and the Pats in Week 8, they were dominated. They gave up 36 points and forced zero turnovers.
Heading into Week 9, though, the schedule lightens up for them as they go on the road against a Buffalo Bills team that currently ranks ninth-worst in the NFL with only 340.6 total yards garnered per contest.
All set for another exciting week in the NFL? Create a betting account now and get yourself ready for all the explosive action in Week 9.
