NFL's Week 9 of the 2025 season once again deprives fantasy football players of many top players across every position.
Hopefully, those afflicted by another matchup during the league's vacation weeks can pick up (or move up from their bench) some of our favorite start 'em picks below.
Keep scrolling for AllSportsPeople' staff picks for Week 9 fantasy sleepers.
❌ AVOID THESE PLAYERS: Week 9 busts
➕ UPGRADE YOUR TOOLS: Sign up for Yahoo Fantasy Plus
Best Week 9 Fantasy Sleepers
QB sleeper picks this week
Trevor Lawrence, Jaguars at Raiders
Lawrence should be more locked into Liam Coen's passing game after the bye, figuring out how to best feed Brian Thomas Jr. And Travis Hunter in a favorable road matchup against a reeling Raiders defense that won't get better after their bye. - Vinnie Iyer
Joe Flacco, Bengals vs. Bears
(Pending his day-to-day shoulder injury) Why aren't more fantasy managers starting this guy? He's revitalized in Cincinnati, and the wheels don't look to be coming off anytime soon. The Bears have given up the seventh-most fantasy points to quarterbacks this season, so the strategy of pumping targets to Ja'Marr Chase should continue to work. Let's get wacko for Flacco in Week 9. - Sloan Piva
Daniel Jones, Colts at Steelers
The Colts' offense has been firing on all cylinders. In the last four weeks, they're lowest point total was 31 points. As a result, Jones has been a great fantasy option. In Week 9, he'll face a Steelers defense that allows the third most FPPG to opposing QBs. - Griffin Missant
📋 TOP FANTASY PICKUPS: Week 9 waiver wire
RB sleeper picks this week
Bam Knight, Cardinals at Cowboys
The Cardinals face the Dallas Cowboys in Week 9, so you should start every Cardinal you have. Knight will still be the RB1 for this offense with Trey Benson on IR. The Cowboys just allowed RJ Harvey to finish as the RB6 overall in Week 8. Knight is a must-start with this upside against Dallas. - Griffin Missant
Tyjae Spears, Titans vs. Chargers
The Titans are flipping their backfield to get more of the explosive Spears involved desperate for some playmaking spark around Cam Ward. The Chargers can give up some chunk runs and there should be more garbage time on which Spears can feast, now getting more snaps than Tony Pollard. - Vinnie Iyer
Tyjae Spears quietly took over this backfield 👀
— SharpSideFF (@SharpSideFF) October 27, 2025
51% snaps
9 carries, 18 routes, 3 targets
82 total yards & a TD
Wouldn’t be surprised if Tony Pollard is traded before the deadline pic.twitter.com/rqyqedNVzp
Kimani Vidal, Chargers at Titans
Vidal has an "every other week, he's good" trend going, but he should buck that and be good for a second straight week this time around. The Titans are absolutely atrocious, and they're surrendering the fifth-most PPR points to running backs. Cam Ward also can't hold onto the ball and keep his defense off the field, so expect LA to control the clock with plenty of Kimani rushing attempts. Omarion Hampton isn't due back for at least a couple more weeks, so make sure you're cashing in on Vidal for as long as the rookie's out. - Sloan Piva
↕️ WEEK 9 Fantasy Rankings: QB | RB | WR | TE | D/ST | PK | Half-PPR Cheat Sheet
WR sleeper picks this week
Josh Downs, Colts at Steelers
Indianapolis remains atop the AFC, Daniel Jones is a top-six MVP candidate, and Jonathan Taylor looks like a shoo-in for Offensive Player of the Year. Tight end Tyler Warren has been a gold-strike of a draft pick and Michael Pittman looks as good as we've ever seen him. That's all good for Downs, who benefits from opposing defenses having to pay attention to all these thriving pieces around him. The 24-year-old has been quietly efficient this season, catching 78.4 percent of his targets and scoring touchdowns in each of Indy's past two games. Buy in now — the Steelers' D has been largely exposed by opposing passing games this season. - Sloan Piva
Jordan Addison, Vikings at Lions
While this will overall be a tough day for the Vikings, the game script should be in favor of the Minnesota pass catchers. Despite getting handled in Week 8 on TNF, Addison still managed to have a good fantasy performance. Expect similar results in this one as the Vikings will have to pass at a high rate in the second half. - Griffin Missant
Kendrick Bourne, 49ers at Giants
Jauan Jennings and George Kittle are back but there are some questions still about the status of Ricky Paarsall. Bourne is a key downfield target and the Giants' secondary struggles with giving up some big plays downfield and Bourne woudl get an additional boost should Brock Purdy's deep ball arm come back to replace Mac Jones. - Vinnie Iyer
🏈 Need another fantasy game? Start playing DFS.
TE sleeper picks this week
Colston Loveland, Bears at Bengals
Loveland is getting more chances to be the key third target with Cole Kmet hurt and the wideouts thin behind Rome Odunze and D.J. Moore. The Bengals allow the most fantasy points to tight ends and are becoming historically bad against the position. Look for the first-round rookie to enjoy his first breakout game of a promising career ahead. - Vinnie Iyer
Oronde Gadsden, Chargers at Titans
He's hardly a sleeper at this point, but as of Monday he was only rostered in 61 percent of leagues so maybe 39 percent of fantasy is just asleep. Wake up! Oronde Gadsden is for real, people. The rookie has 19 catches for 309 yards and two TDs over the past three weeks, and now he gets to beat up on the hapless Titans. E-Gads! - Sloan Piva
Theo Johnson, Giants vs. 49ers
The Giants are losing offensive weapons every game. Even the ones that are out there are not 100%. Johnson has been a reliable target for Jaxson Dart and should be featured in a limited Giants offense. - Griffin Missant
🆕 FANTASY TOOLS: NFL Player Stats | NFL Transactions | NFL Depth Charts | Fantasy Injury Reports
Team Defense (D/ST) sleeper picks this week
Los Angeles Chargers at Titans
The Chargers are coming off one of their better defensive performances in Week 8. Now, in Week 9, they'll face a Titans offense that isn't good at scoring many points. This bodes well for the Chargers, and they should be a great play. - Griffin Missant
Jacksonville Jaguars at Raiders
The Jaguars are strong against the run and have been consistent in forcing takeaways while the Raiders have been very giving with Geno Smith with their offensive line breaking down in front of him. They will come through with their pass rush dictating the action. - Vinnie Iyer
Seattle Seahawks at Commanders
A ton of managers dropped Seattle's D/ST ahead of it scheduled bye week, so check to see if the Seahawks are available in your league. A date with the Commanders shouldn't scare you — Jayden Daniels has missed multiple weeks, the Washington o-line and run game has been inferior and both Deebo Samuel and Terry McLaurin have battled injuries for the majority of this season. Seattle's elite, and the sacks and interceptions will come. - Sloan Piva