The word "sleeper" gets thrown around a lot in the world of fantasy football, to the point where an actual definition may vary from person to person. In general, in my eyes, sleepers are players who may be flying relatively under the radar in a particular field.

In any case, we all need to find a sleeper from time to time. Whether you're a season-long fantasy football manager looking to roster a potential breakout player before your league-mates, someone playing NFL DFS on FanDuel who needs a spike week from a low-salaried player, or even just a manager in a pinch due to byes or injuries, we have you covered.

Here are some fantasy sleepers who could have a big week this week.

We'll reference our NFL projections. All NFL odds come from FanDuel Sportsbook and may change after this article is published.

Fantasy Football Sleepers: Week 9

Courtland Sutton, WR, Denver Broncos

FanDuel Salary: $6,000

Courtland Sutton is not not on people's minds heading into Week 9, but I think he's flying somewhat under the radar considering his manageable salary and awesome outlook this Sunday.

Sutton is enjoying a 22.8% target share, 37.6% air yards share, 34.4% red zone target share and 53.9% end zone target share for the 5-3 Denver Broncos. Those are some insane, hard-to-beat market shares. However, Sutton has yet to top 17 FanDuel points this season thanks to being on a Denver team that leads by their defense and takes a slower, more tentative approach on offense. The Broncos have also won four of their last six games by 14 to 23 points, so positive game scripts have kept Sutton out of the equation at times.

Considering the Broncos are traveling to take on the Baltimore Ravens for a game that favors the Ravens by 9.5 points and shows a 46.5 over/under, this could be Sutton's spike week.

Let's state the obvious -- the Broncos are likely to trail in this one. A come-from-behind game scenario favors the pass, and Sutton's 4.5 downfield targets per game prove he is their go-to-guy on big plays. The kicker? Baltimore comes into this one with numberFire's third-worst schedule-adjusted pass defense. They're allowing opposing WRs to log the third-most targets (22.4), third-most receiving yards (190.1), and the most receiving touchdowns (1.62) per game.

The Ravens are also ceding 13.0 yards per catch (12th-most), have surrendered a minimum of 23 points in all but one game, and are handing away an average of 26.1 points.

All of this leads me to loving Sutton at his $6K salary, and if he goes at all overlooked, he's a candidate to be a week-winner this Sunday.

Bo Nix, QB, Denver Broncos

FanDuel Salary: $7,200

Let's stay with the Broncos and consider the possibility of a Bo Nix-Sutton stack. Nix was considered a top sleeper option a week ago and made good on the soft matchup by posting a season-high 29.76 FanDuel points despite rushing for an uncharacteristic four yards.

We've already mentioned how the Broncos passing game could thrive against a poor pass defense that's also favored by 9.5 points. It's rare that we find a team in a spot where they'll draw a friendly defensive matchup and are primed to encounter a negative game script.

Nix's rushing upside is the main thing that has him on our DFS radar. He's punched in four touchdowns this season and touts a 34.3% red zone rush market share. He also rushed for 75 yards in Week 7 and is averaging 32.4 rush yards per game.

The Ravens are letting up the third-most fantasy points per game to QBs, including the most passing touchdowns (tied) and yards. Their rush defense is awesome and has been especially limiting against QBs, which is the main reason we've got to taper expectations for Nix. But if he can have a boisterous day in the air and find a way to either gain some yardage with his feet or capitalize off goal line work, Nix could be in for another awesome DFS showing.

Jalen Coker, WR, Carolina Panthers

FanDuel Salary: $5,200

The Carolina Panthers are starting Bryce Young again this Sunday and Diontae Johnson was traded to the Ravens earlier this week. Those moves figure to draw the masses off of all things Carolina in Week 9, and perhaps aptly so.

However, a date with a beaten-up New Orleans Saints team is inbound, paving a path for undrafted rookie Jalen Coker to shine.

Coker did numbers last week, catching four of his six targets from Young for 78 yards and one touchdown. The combo did all that against a first-ranked Broncos pass defense. Young has long sought chemistry with one of his wideouts, so I wouldn't be surprised to see him go back to the newcomer this weekend.

The Saints' injury report shows us that Marshon Lattimore is at risk of missing this contest, which is doubly brutal considering Lattimore is a very good defender and CB Paulson Adebo is already out on injured reserve. Coker has a chance to see great volume in a soft matchup, all while potentially going overlooked in DFS.

T.J. Hockenson, TE, Minnesota Vikings

FanDuel Salary: $5,600

T.J. Hockenson hasn't suited up since Week 16 of the 2023-24 NFL season after sustaining an ACL injury, but he's expected to make his long-awaited return to the Minnesota Vikings this weekend.

Hockenson figures to have a fairly low roster rate this weekend, both because he's been totally off our radars this year, and some might be wary of his usage and efficiency in his first game back from a major injury.

Coach Kevin O'Connell stated that T.J. is "as good as he has really looked since we've gotten him here and that's saying something considering the impact he made right away in 2022." To add, Hockenson returned to practice on October 4th and had a 21-day evaluation period, so it's clear he and Minnesota aren't acting in haste with this return.

The Vikings will host the Indianapolis Colts, who struggle with a 26th-ranked schedule-adjusted pass defense. In turn, Minnesota has earned a 26.5 implied team total in this one. Plus, the Colts have been exploited by opposing tight ends, coughing up the seventh-most targets (7.25), fourth-most receptions (6.12), and fifth-most touchdowns (0.50) per game to the position.

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The above author is a FanDuel employee and is not eligible to compete in public daily fantasy contests or place sports betting wagers on FanDuel. The advice provided by the author does not necessarily represent the views of FanDuel. Taking the author's advice will not guarantee a successful outcome. You should use your own judgment when participating in daily fantasy contests or placing sports wagers.