Who should I start in Fantasy Football Week 9? 5 breakout players to consider
The NFL season may only be reaching its midway point now, but the fantasy football season is inching closer and closer to the end of its regular season. The playoffs are within distance, and to reach them, you have to be a great manager. It's not just about the draft; your weekly decisions on who to start make a difference in your results.
Hitting in one or two breakout players is vital for any fantasy manager who wants to win their league. It could be a player who's on the back end of your roster, a free agent addition, or maybe someone coming from the IR.
Check out five breakout players who you should consider starting in Week 9.
5 breakout players for Fantasy Football on Week 9
#1 - Jerry Jeudy, WR
Jeudy is not necessarily a big surprise here, but his big game is coming soon, and it might be against the Dallas Cowboys this week. Jeudy returned to the lineup last week, but with a game on his belt and more security after recovering from injury, he's projected to be a major piece of the Broncos offense for this game. They'll definitely need him if they want to upset Dak Prescott and the Cowboys.
He's only amassed two games this year, but his first outing in Week 1 saw him with 6 receptions for 72 yards. There's fantasy value here.
#2 - Bryan Edwards, WR
The reason Edwards is set for a breakout fantasy performance isn't the best one. He's projected to take a greater role on the Raiders offense with Henry Ruggs being released following his off-field incident and arrest.
Edwards was essentially the WR3 for Las Vegas, but his role could grow bigger now, and that is if he doesn't step up and become the main man over Hunter Renfrow. The Raiders currently have only three wide receivers on the active roster, and Edwards' role is set to get bigger now.
The NFL trade deadline passed at 1 p.m. PT, so it appears the #Raiders have stood pat in terms of making a deal following Henry Ruggs III getting charged with DUI resulting in death this morning. They have 3 active wide receivers: Hunter Renfrow, Bryan Edwards & Zay Jones.
#3 - Trevor Siemian, QB
Few think Siemian is a good quarterback at all, but when it comes to Fantasy Football, there's potential for a lot of points with Siemian's New Orleans Saints playing the Atlanta Falcons on Sunday.
Taysom Hill is back into practice and there's a chance he could play today, which would greatly diminish Siemian's value. However, if Hill remains out as he nurses a serious concussion, you might want to take a shot at Siemian and start him.
#4 - Van Jefferson, WR
Van Jefferson's role in the Los Angeles Rams offense is growing bigger each week. He has amassed at least 84% of the snaps over the last two weeks, he has three touchdowns already, and even though he's only the third option behind Cooper Kupp and Robert Woods, there's potential for a breakout fantasy performance as he became the main deep receiving option.
Van Jefferson is a sneaky add wherever possible in fantasy leagues.
- 94% and 84% of snaps last two games 🔥
- 6+ targets in 4 of 8 games. 👀
- On pace for 11 TDs, 933 receiving yards, and 232 PPR points in games with 6+ targets.
- Favorable schedule going forward https://t.co/ZlJZY8cScI
Last week, he had six targets; against the Detroit Lions on Week 7, there were seven targets and a touchdown.
#5 - Jeremy McNichols, RB
This one is pretty obvious: With Derrick Henry down, the next man's up. Yes, the Titans actually signed Adrian Peterson to take over Henry's role, but McNichols will probably share the workload. Plus, his work in the passing game always deserves merit, especially in points-per-reception (PPR) fantasy leagues. You might want to take a flier on him.