The fantasy football Week 9 schedule is here and some sleepers and free agent picks moving forward for owners include Mark Ingram, Jeremy Hill, Donte Moncrief, Charles Sims, Ben Roethlisberger, Brandin Cooks, Bryce Brown, Jonas Gray, John Brown, Shane Vereen, Branden Oliver and Jerick McKinnon, as those names have the chance to step up as surprises moving into the weekend.
Big Ben had an amazing day and he is still available in many leagues and he is a solid option for anyone in need of a quarterback in the next few weeks. Roethlisberger set a career high and had an amazing day with six touchdowns and over 500 yards passing against the Colts. Mark Ingram had a strong night for the Saints and with Pierre Thomas hurt he could be a low end RB1 for the next few weeks. Giovani Bernard is banged up and that could open things up for Jeremy Hill.
The Bills are dealing with an injury to Fred Jackson and with CJ Spiller likely out for the season, Bryce Brown and Anthony Dixon are solid pickups. The Buccaneers have Doug Martin banged up and they could trade him and that makes both Bobby Rainey and Charles Sims strong pickups for the rest of the season. Jonas Gray had a strong day with the Patriots and he is a better starting option for now than Shane Vereen for anyone looking for a legit runner. Gray had over 80 yards in the game on the ground and should be there over Vereen and James White.
Ingram had a career day on Sunday night against the Packers and now he is a strong RB1 option moving forward for the time being. Pierre Thomas is injured and Ingram is the better back between Khiry Robinson and Travaris Cadet and he should get more opportunities after his great night. Ingram had 24 carries in the game and averaged over seven yards per carry as he went for 172 yards in the matchup and he also scored a touchdown. Ingram now has four touchdowns in four games and that is what makes him a worth fantasy option.
The Colts and Steelers had a massive shootout and with Reggie Wayne sidelined, WR Donte Moncrief stepped up for Andrew Luck in a big way. Moncrief was tops on the team with 12 targets on the day and he also had seven catches for 113 yards and a touchdown and he nearly equaled the yards he had for this season in one game. The rookie has the chance to keep stepping up for Andrew Luck and with TY Hilton getting tons of attention from opposing defenses, he could continue getting targets in the offense.
Charles Sims is an interesting option for all those fantasy owners in desperate need of an RB, as the Buccaneers are getting ready to welcome him back from short term IR. Sims is a mystery fantasy wise, but Doug Martin has been frustrating and constantly injured and he is banged up again. The Bucs may end up trading Martin and that would open the door for Sims and Bobby Rainey to get the bulk of the carries moving forward.
