Julius Thomas Fantasy Football Week 9: Jimmy Graham, Rob Gronkowski With Charles Clay Best Sleeper TE Replacements As Denver Broncos Schedule On Bye

The Denver Broncos pulled out a win on Sunday and while tight end Julius Thomas had to leave game with a foot injury, it doesn't appear to be serious, which is good news for fantasy owners and with him healing on a bye, some replacement options to start includes Jimmy Graham, Rob Gronkowski, Jordan Cameron and Charles Clay.

The Broncos had a couple scares early against the Washington Redskins on Sunday, but they were able to get things done by scoring over 30 unanswered points, the team improved to 7-1 and with Thomas having such a good season, it's welcome news for Peyton Manning and the offense. According to Pro Football Talk, Thomas had an MRI following the game and the reports came back clean for a high ankle sprain, meaning he should be fine heading into Week 10 of the season when the schedule picks up again with the Chargers. The Broncos then have some huge games after that, as they play against the undefeated Kansas City Chiefs twice and they have road game against the New England Patriots sandwiched in between those AFC West matchups.

Thomas has been the most consistent redzone target for a team that is full of them and he should have more than enough time to heal up and he has eight touchdowns this season from Manning to lead the team. Thomas had to leave the game on Sunday early, ending his day with three catches for 29 yards, but before that he had scored four touchdowns in his past three games and previously had a nine catch, 122 yard performance against the Cowboys. For anyone lucky enough to have tight ends as good as these guys on their teams, options like Jimmy Graham, Rob Gronkowski and Jordan Cameron are solid picks to use in place of Thomas this week while he has off.

Graham has been putting up video game like numbers this season with 630 yards and 40 catches and with his foot injury, he mostly played in the redzone, but that didn't stop him from putting up numbers on Sunday. Graham ended the day with three receptions and two touchdowns and he now has six touchdowns over his last five games and that includes a game where he left early and didn't have a catch against the Patriots. Over the past two games he has played, he has made 13 catches for over 150 yards and he should be a bit more healed up by next week. Gronkowski did not have a great day for the Patriots with just two catches for 27 yards, but he is getting back to game speed and he should be more on the same page with Tom Brady going forward.

Charles Clay is a solid sleeper option for deeper leagues and players who won't have a good option on the bench with Thomas out. Clay has scored a touchdown in three of his last four games and he had five catches for 37 yards last week against the Patriots. Clay has been a good option coming in for Dustin Keller after he was injured, making 29 catches for over 340 yards this season and he has been a scoring threat as well with three scores this season.