5 breakout fantasy football stars to pick up for Week 9

ARLINGTON, TX - OCTOBER 30: Justin Fields #1 of the Chicago Bears drops back to pass against the Dallas Cowboys during the first half at AT&T Stadium on October 30, 2022 in Arlington, Texas. (Photo by Cooper Neill/Getty Images)
ARLINGTON, TX - OCTOBER 30: Justin Fields #1 of the Chicago Bears drops back to pass against the Dallas Cowboys during the first half at AT&T Stadium on October 30, 2022 in Arlington, Texas. (Photo by Cooper Neill/Getty Images) /
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Baltimore Ravens
Baltimore Ravens (Photo by Douglas P. DeFelice/Getty Images) /

Chicago Bears’ quarterback Justin Fields and a pair of intriguing wide receivers highlight the top fantasy football pickups for Week 9.

Despite having just two teams on bye this week, there wasn’t a ton of interesting activity in fantasy football this week. D’Onta Foreman and Tony Pollard exploded when handed total control of their respective backfields due to injuries, but the window of opportunity to get either player on your roster has long since passed.

There are still good value plays to make ahead of Week 9, which is a good reason to continue checking this space each and every week for fantasy football pickups. All rostered percentages referenced in this column are based on Yahoo! fantasy leagues.

5. Top Fantasy Football Pickups For Week 9 – Baltimore Ravens TE Isaiah Likely

No offense in the NFL this side of Kansas City is more reliant on its tight ends than Baltimore, who have turned Mark Andrews into an unquestioned TE1 over the past two years. Andrews has run into some injury issues of late, sneaking into Week 8’s game despite a knee problem before leaving early with a shoulder injury.

The Ravens responded to the loss of Andrews by simply plugging rookie Isaiah Likely into Andrews’ role and he responded nicely. Likely was targeted seven times and caught six of them for 77 yards with a touchdown in Baltimore’s win over Tampa Bay on Thursday night.

The extra rest could help Andrews get ready for the Ravens’ Monday night game in Week 9 but Baltimore could opt to rest him with a Week 10 bye on tap in order to have Andrews fully healthy the rest of the way. This would make Likely, who is rostered in just five percent of Yahoo! leagues, a plug-and-play TE1 against the Saints.