The fantasy football Week 9 schedule is here and some sleepers and free agent pickups to start include Lorenzo Taliaferro, Jeremy Hill, John Brown, Jonas Gray, Brandon LaFell, Ahmad Bradshaw, Christine Michael, Juwan Thompson, Robert Griffin III, Charles Sims, Bobby Rainey, Mohammed Sanu, Larry Donnell, Odell Beckham, Branden Oliver and Tre Mason, as those players have the chance to step up this weekend.
The fantasy weekend has some big matchups for teams and with the halfway mark coming, fantasy owners do not want to mess things up at risk of missing the playoffs. Sleepers and surprise picks can make a huge difference for owners and this week Taliaferro, Hill and Michael are all running backs that could perform, even with their counterparts also playing. Justin Forsett, Giovani Bernard and Marshawn Lynch will get their touches, but a gut feeling has Taliaferro, Hill and Michael putting up some points.
Last week Taliaferro scored two touchdowns and he could be a goal line option over Forsett for the Ravens as they play against the Steelers. Michael has been getting extra touches over the past couple games and he could be in line for some carries, while Bernard and Hill have been splitting carries and things could tip to Hill with Bernard ailing a bit from last weekend. Ahmad Bradshaw is a strong start option, as he has been the most consistent back for the Colts and he has some extra motivation against his old team on Monday night.
Brandon LaFell had a huge game last week and now he looks like the top option for Tom Brady on offense over Julian Edelman. John Brown had a career day for the Cardinals and now he has a solid matchup with the Dallas Cowboys, but he could put up numbers if the defense focuses on Michael Floyd and Larry Fitzgerald. Brown should be right in line with his targets from last week and he had five catches for 119 yards and a touchdown in the game and his speed is a game changer for the Cardinals.
With Stevan Ridley out for the Patriots for the season, Shane Vereen and Jonas Gray are the main backs and for owners in need of an RB, pick up Gray. Last week Gray had the top amount of carries for the Patriots and ended up with 86 yards on 17 carries in the matchup. Gray had more touches earlier in the game and he will be getting the carries in running situations, while Vereen remains a strong option in PPR leagues and on passing downs.
LaFell has been a major surprise and in the past few weeks he has really come on and he could end up with career best numbers after this season. Last week LaFell was on the field for all but 13 snaps on offense and he had a huge game with 11 catches for 124 yards and one touchdown. This season LaFell has 30 catches for 461 yards and four touchdowns and he is already getting close to his best numbers from when he was in Carolina. LaFell and Jeremy Hill are the sleeper picks of the week, especially if Bernard is limited.
