Fantasy Football: 4 Deep Sleepers for Week 9

If you're in a deep league or are playing some large-field NFL DFS tournaments on FanDuel this week, you'll probably need some deep sleepers on your squad.

Here are some players who are on the majority of waiver wires but need to be on your radar this week.

We'll reference our fantasy football projections. All NFL odds come from FanDuel Sportsbook, and lines may change after this article is published.

Fantasy Football Deep Sleepers: Week 9

Darius Slayton, WR, Giants

FanDuel Salary: $5,600 | Yahoo! Roster Percentage: 14%

In the two weeks Malik Nabers was sidelined for the New York Giants, Darius Slayton rose to the occasion, combining for 14 receptions, 179 receiving yards, 1 receiving touchdown, and 22 targets while accumulating 33.9 FanDuel points (FDPs) in that two-game sample. Even though Nabers has been back on the field for the Giants in their last two games, Slayton still notched 4 catches for 108 yards on 7 targets in Monday night's loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers.

Considering that Slayton is generating a 17.6% target share and 29.8% air yards share with 3.1 downfield targets (targets of 10-plus yards) per game while posting only 1.48 yards per route run (via NextGenStats), he's a boom-or-bust option with Nabers active. There is more room for a boom performance from Slayton this week as the Giants will host the Washington Commanders in Week 9.

Washington's defense is giving up the fifth-most FDPs per target (1.58), fifth-most receiving touchdowns (10), and fifth-most yards per route run (1.80) to WRs this season. With the Giants currently being just 3.5-point underdogs against the Commanders, there's some belief that New York can keep this game somewhat competitive against Washington's 22nd-ranked schedule-adjusted pass defense.

Elijah Moore, WR, Browns

FanDuel Salary: $5,500 | Yahoo! Roster Percentage: 10%

Upon Jameis Winston entering the starting offense for the Cleveland Browns in Week 8, the pass catchers on the Browns all saw major boosts in production. While Cedric Tillman and David Njoku were the ones to find the end zone last week, Elijah Moore led Cleveland's aerial attack in target share (29.3%) and yards per route run (2.58), which is why he was included in my players to stash article in Week 9.

Not only did Moore prove to be Winston's most-targeted player, but he led the team in slot snaps (22), according to PFF. The Browns seem more willing to let Winston cook through the air, so Moore's slot-centric role could stick moving forward.

Even though the Los Angeles Chargers aren't a team we typically target with WRs, they are allowing slot WRs to account for 43% of the fantasy points they give up to the position, which is tied for the 9th-most (per RazzBall). With Cleveland slight underdogs at home, they may need their passing game to come through for the second straight week.

Parker Washington, WR, Jaguars

FanDuel Salary: $5,400 | Yahoo! Roster Percentage: 3%

At the moment, Brian Thomas Jr. is questionable with a chest injury, Gabriel Davis is questionable with a shoulder injury, and Christian Kirk suffered a season-ending shoulder injury ahead of the Jacksonville Jaguars' Week 9 clash against the Philadelphia Eagles. Provided that information, second-year wideout Parker Washington could be in store for more playing time on Sunday.

Amid all the injuries this past week, Washington registered a 73.2% snap rate, 73.5% route rate, 13.3% target share, and 21.1% air yards share against the Green Bay Packers. Even though that workload resulted in only 3 receptions for 46 yards on 4 targets, Washington's role could grow if any of the wideouts aside from Kirk are inactive.

Sunday's Jaguars-Eagles showdown currently possesses a modest 45.5 total, and Jacksonville is expected to be in a negative game script. It remains to be seen who will be active for the Jags in Week 9, so keep tabs on their injury report before rushing to use Washington in your lineups this week.

Brenton Strange, TE, Jaguars

FanDuel Salary: $5,100 | Yahoo! Roster Percentage: 2%

Another member of the Jaguars who could see an expanded workload due to injuries is Brenton Strange. Strange filled in nicely for Evan Engram earlier this season, and even with Engram active for Jacksonville in Week 8, Strange still managed to turn his 5 targets into 5 catches for 59 yards.

Instead of leaning on their backup WRs, the Jaguars could elect to deploy more two tight end sets on Sunday with Engram and Strange having decent rapports with Trevor Lawrence. During Sunday's loss to the Packers, Strange had the third-most slot snaps (11) and the highest slot rate (78.6%) among Jacksonville's skill players, so he could help replace the loss of Kirk.

Only Kirk and Engram finished with more slot snaps than Strange this past week, making it possible that Strange gets a major boost in snaps in a tough matchup against the Eagles. Similar to Washington, it will be crucial to pay attention to Jacksonville's injury report throughout the week before taking a chance on Strange in season-long or DFS leagues.

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The above author is a FanDuel employee and is not eligible to compete in public daily fantasy contests or place sports betting wagers on FanDuel. The advice provided by the author does not necessarily represent the views of FanDuel. Taking the author's advice will not guarantee a successful outcome. You should use your own judgment when participating in daily fantasy contests or placing sports wagers.