Guess what? We’re at the halfway point of the NFL season. Week 9 is here, and while it would be nice to think everyone had a great record or a fully healthy fantasy roster, that just isn’t the case.
The reality is that some teams will be scratching and clawing their way through the rest of the regular season, which, by the way, is just six short weeks away for many of you. The best way to survive the bye weeks, injuries, or plain old bad performances is to turn to the waiver wire for sleepers you can stream. These players can give your team the boost it needs to stay alive in your league.
To help, here are 10 players and one defense you can stream to win Week 9.
*Streamers are players who are rostered in 50% or fewer of Yahoo! leagues.
Fantasy Football Week 9 Streamers
Quarterbacks
Sam Darnold, Seattle Seahawks
Darnold has bookended his season with two bad performances, but in between (Weeks 2 to 6) he was excellent. Over that five-week stretch, he ranked as the QB8 in points per game.
You can’t ignore the down weeks, but those came against much tougher opponents than the one he faces this weekend, the Commanders. Washington is allowing the sixth-most fantasy points to opposing quarterbacks and likely will not have an answer for Jaxon Smith-Njigba, Cooper Kupp, and company. Darnold should have a good day.
Trevor Lawrence, Jacksonville Jaguars
Lawrence likely does not inspire as much confidence as Darnold, especially with the news that Travis Hunter is going on IR, but the matchup is too good to ignore. On paper, the Raiders are an average pass defense, allowing the 16th-most points to opposing quarterbacks. A deeper dive uncovers that their ranking is padded due to facing Cam Ward, who has made even the worst defenses look good.
The only real concern is Maxx Crosby, who can single-handedly wreck a passing game. Still, with a hopefully healthy Brian Thomas Jr., Lawrence has enough weapons to turn this into a solid fantasy outing.
Running Backs
Bam Knight, Arizona Cardinals
Why is a starting running back with the backfield mostly to himself still available in so many leagues?
Either way, he should not be, especially given Knight draws a premium matchup against the Dallas Cowboys. You can say he has been underwhelming since he has not topped 57 rushing yards, but he has still finished as an RB2 in both games without Trey Benson.
Tyjae Spears, Tennessee Titans
At this point, Spears might as well have a reserved spot in this article.
Tony Pollard is not going anywhere, so Spears will remain in a committee, which limits his ceiling. The reason to keep liking him is his increasing usage.
Last week, he out-snapped Pollard for the second time in three weeks. While Pollard had more carries (11 to 9), Spears handled the passing downs, two-minute drill, and inside-the-five snaps. With Tennessee likely playing from behind most weeks, that passing game role is huge for his value.
Brashard Smith, Kansas City Chiefs
This one is a deeper dive, but some of you will need to dig this deep.
With Isiah Pacheco out, that leaves Kareem Hunt and Smith in the backfield. It is tough to project exactly how much work Smith will get, but Andy Reid has not leaned on one running back in recent years. Expect plenty of Smith, especially in the passing game, similar to Jerick McKinnon’s old role.
Wide Receivers
Troy Franklin, Denver Broncos
Do you know who ranks as WR25 in half-PPR leagues right now? You guessed it, Troy Franklin.
Sure, that is boosted by two huge games, 20 points in Week 2 and 23.9 in Week 8, but he also posted a WR20 finish (9.9 points) in Week 7.
Houston is a tough matchup, no denying that. But Franklin now has 18 targets over the last two weeks and has solidified himself as the WR2 in Denver. Fun fact, he has just two fewer targets on the season than Courtland Sutton.
Chimere Dike, Tennessee Titans
Two Titans in one article, yikes. But receiver options for streaming this week are not great, so here we are.
Dike has been excellent without Calvin Ridley, who seems unlikely to play again this week. In those two games, Dike has caught 12 passes for 163 yards and a touchdown, averaging a WR17 finish. Sometimes you just ride the hot hand.
Chris Moore, Washington Commanders
Just like Brashard Smith above, this one is a deep dive. However, some of you are in leagues where Franklin, Dike, even other potential streamers such as Christian Kirk, Jalen Coker, etc. are long gone.
Moore saw reduced snaps last week with Deebo Samuel and Terry McLaurin both healthy. But with McLaurin already ruled out after re-aggravating his quad injury, Moore should return to the WR2 role in two-wide sets.
Even better, Jayden Daniels is expected back at quarterback. The last time that was the case, along with McLaurin being out, Moore caught three of five targets for 46 yards and a touchdown.
Tight Ends
Juwan Johnson, New Orleans Saints
Over the last two weeks, Johnson has been heavily involved again, just like early in the season. He has totaled 15 targets and 132 yards over that span, finishing as a TE1 both weeks in half-PPR formats.
The matchup against the Rams is not ideal, but with rookie Tyler Shough starting, Johnson should see a healthy target share once again.
Theo Johnson, New York Giants
Without Cam Skattebo, the Giants running game, which has been the engine of their offense, will likely take a step back. Tyrone Tracy Jr. will fill in, but his 3.5 yards per carry will not move the needle.
That should mean more passing from Jaxson Dart. Wan’Dale Robinson and Darius Slayton will remain the primary outside threats, but Theo Johnson has become a trusted target.
Since Dart took over in Week 5, Johnson has averaged around a 20% target share, even in games where both Slayton and Robinson were healthy. The 49ers matchup will not be easy, but if you are grabbing a tight end off waivers, getting one seeing five or more targets per game is solid.
Defense
Jacksonville Jaguars
The Jaguars have been one of the league’s most opportunistic defenses, tied for second in interceptions and adding four fumble recoveries.
They hit a rough three-game stretch before their bye, when their aggressive style backfired. But this week against the Raiders, who have given the ball away 12 times, tied for second most in the league, the Jaguars should get back on track.
Stream them with confidence.