Who To Start, Sit, And Scoop Up For Your Week 9 Fantasy Football Lineup

We’re in the final stretch of the fantasy football regular season with only four games remaining, so it’s do or die time. However, unless you’ve been truly snakebitten, the ridiculous amount of injuries and roster shakeups could still lead you to the playoffs. It seems like leagues this year are extremely top heavy, with only one or two teams doing well while the rest are languishing at 4-4. Make some savvy plays and pickups and you’ve got a chance to annoy the hell out of those cocky, healthy owners that have been enjoying their good fortune throughout the year.

The byes truly get nasty in Week 9: Arizona, Chicago, Cincinnati, Houston, New England, Washington are all missing. These are dark, dark times.

Start of the Week

Dez Bryant: He’s back, and Dak Prescott loves him. Dez had 14 targets against Philadelphia Sunday night. Fourteen! Sure, he only caught four of them, but let’s chalk that up to Philly’s solid pass D and him shaking the rust off. Now he’ll visit Cleveland where, if he gets 14 targets again, he’s sure to be one of, if not the top WR scorer this week. It’s a match made in heaven.

Start/Sit
QUARTERBACK STARTS

Dak Prescott: It’s abuse Cleveland week! Even though he didn’t look great (19/39 2 TDs, 1 INT, but Philly makes most QBs look mediocre), he should absolutely be someone to stream while you deal with Brady, Dalton, Palmer and Cousins on bye. He should get it done on the ground and through the air.

https://twitter.com/PFF_Gordon/status/792893022572781568

Matt Ryan: The Falcons and Ryan torched the Bucs for 300+ yards, 2 TDs, and 0 interceptions against the soft Bucs pass defense in Week 1, and the Bucs just gave up 500 yards to Derrick Carr. Even if Julio Jones’ injury is worse than expected, he’ll still be out there playing decoy, and Ryan will get his. Oh yes, Ryan will get his.

Aaron Rodgers: Once again, an obvious pick, but you should consider picking him up in DFS because the Colts secondary is losing people like they’re storming Normandy beach. Additionally, Rodgers is looking the best he has in over a year, and he’s taking advantage of week secondaries. It’s nice to see him back.

Rodgers gets this week’s Tweetsplosion™!

QUARTERBACK SITS

Ben Roethlisberger: It’s pretty scary to start someone two weeks removed from knee surgery, but if he plays there may be some desperate owners out there who need to play him, but why risk it? One hit, and Roethlisberger gets hit often, can end his day and leave you reeling. Mitigate the risk!

Russell Wilson: Pete Carroll said Wilson may be knee brace-free after this week, but Wilson still looks hesitant to run the ball, which has made the Seattle offense grind to a halt, even with Russ throwing the ball 35-37 times a game. Jameis Winston, Dak Prescott or Marcus Mariota are better options until Wilson and Seattle get right and stay right for a stretch of games.

Matthew Stafford: Detroit’s exciting start to the season has cooled significantly of late, and now it’s been three weeks in a row of mediocre offensive play. Stafford is only averaging 32 passes a game and has only tossed 2 TDs in the last two games, now he’s playing Minnesota. Maybe the Vikings aren’t quite the defensive juggernaut we thought they were after the Jordan Howard and the Bears carved them up, but they still must be respected.

RUNNING BACK STARTS

Mark Ingram: It’s not opposite week, you just shouldn’t be afraid of the Tim Hightower mess that took over Week 8’s Nola headlines. Ingram fumbled, Sean Payton went to Tim Hightower, and now there will be a committee, but Sean Payton didn’t say he outright intended for Hightower to dominate the backfield with 26 rushes, however.

“But I just felt the way Tim was running it, he was getting into a pretty good groove. And that’s the way it unfolded.” Payton said.

New Orleans simply has never been a single-back team. Ingram could do better if he’s used as a pass catcher and it’s not like he’s failing on pass protection. Against the porous 49ers run D, you can still expect a decent amount of points, especially in PPR leagues. Hightower is a between-the-tackles runner, and Ingram should still be believed in, for now.

Charcandrick West: He’s the next man up if Spencer Ware misses time with a concussion and Jamaal Charles was just put on IR. West could get a ton of work this week against the Jaguars, at home if he’s the man. No matter what, you have to get him now. He’s the Ware handcuff. Keep in mind the Chiefs just signed Bishop Sankey.

Jonathan Stewart: The eyeball test seems to show the Panthers trying to keep Cam Newton safe at the goal line, so Stewart has scored 4 TDs in his last two games since returning from injury. The Rams have a top ten run defense, but there should still be plenty of scoring opportunities for J-Stew.

RUNNING BACK SITS

Matt Asiata/Jerick McKinnon: That Vikings O-line was probably the scariest thing to come out of Monday night’s Halloween game against the Bears. Neither of these dudes can be trusted anymore, especially if they’re splitting work with McKinnon possibly coming back from an ankle injury. The Lions are in the bottom third of the league in run defense, but there has to be a better option out there, right? Well… bye-nado…

Latavius Murray: Another week, another dozen touches or so for Oakland’s “lead back.” In Week 8, Murray had 11 rushes for 48 yards. His 5 catches helped him in PPR leagues, but he didn’t do much with them by yielding only 23 yards. Now he plays the Broncos, and could be shut down completely. He’s not even getting a good amount of snaps.

Darren Sproles: A week after Sproles got his largest snap count in his career, it’s best to bet on some regression. He’s the red zone back, but even with fumble-heavy Ryan Mathews and Wendell Smallwood trying to get into the mix and failing, it’s hard to depend on a 33-year-old RB who’s playing the most he ever has in his career. You may need to play him with this awful bye week upon us, but temper your expectations and make it a PPR play only.

WIDE RECEIVER STARTS

Mike Wallace: As long as Steve Smith Sr. is out of the lineup, you need to play Mike Wallace. In Week 7, he had 10 catches for 120 yards, and Week 9 is sure to host a shootout between the division rivals. Smith is still dealing with an ankle injury, and Baltimore is giving the second-most points to opposing receivers, so both teams will be chucking in back and forth.

Mike Evans: An obvious start, but some owners might be nervous considering he only had 50 yards on 11 targets in a losing effort against the weak Oakland defense. Bet on him to bounce back against Atlanta’s soft D. This is for the DFS players. He’s worth the cash.

Terrelle Pryor: Dallas lost both Morris Claiborne and Barry Church to “concerning” injuries that could set them back 4-6 weeks each. This helps out the Cleveland receiving corps, who could be busy and in comeback mode when Dez, Dak, and Zeke run up the score. Pyror had 13 targets from McCown on Sunday, and even if Coleman returns and eats into those targets, he’s still the #1 option for the Browns.

Here’s an extremely “Browns” highlight.

https://twitter.com/DownWithDamon/status/792809677465673728

WIDE RECEIVER SITS

Doug Baldwin: As long as Russell Wilson is hurt (he’s now dealing with a pectoral muscle issue) the running game will be affected and the play action will be weakened, so it’s hard to trust any Seattle WR. When C.J. Prosise and Paul Richardson carve out a role on the offense, you know you’re entering a world of unpredictable scoring. Baldwin’s 6 targets made up 18.9% of Seattle’s target share, and that’s scary-low for that high of a percentage.

Jordan Matthews: His 11 catches for 65 yards (and a touchdown) was downright Maclin-esque, on Sunday against Dallas. But, his 14 targets were 1 less than his previous 3 games combined. He’ll regress to the mean, and while the Giants may be an interesting play (and with these byes you’re playing everyone), but there could be better options out there for you.

Marvin Jones: With Theo Riddick back and the offense making a concerted effort to get Golden Tate involved, Jones has scored a total of 29 fantasy points in PPR leagues over the last 3 weeks. He could still be usable in those PPR leagues, especially with these byes, but he’s touchdown dependent against the Vikings. It’s a rough situation with an unpredictable ebb and flow that may drive owners mad.

That said…

TIGHT END STARTS

Gary Barnidge: McCown is back for better or worse, and Cleveland will be playing from behind. Barnidge’s 3 catches for 42 yards against the Jets in Week 8 was pedestrian, but he’s going to get there if he continues to get 7 targets a game. Now Dallas’ secondary is banged up and Cleveland will likely be throwing in garbage time.

Jimmy Graham: Consider this a bounce-back week after he failed to get into the end zone against the Saints. Graham has seen 41 targets over the last 5 weeks, (with a low of 5 targets against the Saints), but he’s the most reliable receiving option on Seattle, and so you must play him.

Antonio Gates: The old man still has it, and he’s clearly back as the 1a. receiving option in San Diego. Gates had a 20% target share on 9 targets Sunday, and most importantly is the red zone threat on the team. You have to play him as long as he’s upright.

https://twitter.com/HighlightHub/status/792827789099622400

TIGHT END SITS

Coby Fleener: He’s on the road, and simply cannot be trusted. The 49ers are certainly an enticing matchup, but if you can mitigate risk, then don’t play him. Once again, this is the bye-nado, so you have to play who’s available to you, but how many times can you have your heart broken? This is an abusive relationship.

Hunter Henry: Now that Gates is back, it seems like Rivers is looking away from his rookie. Henry only saw 4 targets on Sunday, and 8.9 percent target share, and as long as Gates is healthy, he’ll likely be the 4th option at best on the Chargers.

Jack Doyle: The honeymoon is over. Doyle was Luck’s best option over the last few weeks with Dorsett and Moncrief out, and even with Dorsett hurt again (and T.Y. Hilton nursing a hammy), it looks like Doyle is back as the 3rd, 4th or even 5th option on the offense. With Gronk, Fiedorowicz, Jordan Reed, Zach Miller and Tyler Eifert out, you may have to play him, but just be aware of what you’re getting into.

Waiver Wire

This is a sneaky week in which you’ll want to stash anyone you can to guarantee a future win. Yes, you want to win every week, but don’t burn your waiver or FAAB unless you absolutely need to. I personally would rather grab some of these guys during their bye week while others make desperation plays.

ATL WR Mohamed Sanu: Julio Jones was banged up yet again on Sunday and only caught 3 passes for 24 yards against the Packers. Even if he wasn’t hurt, this could’ve been by design. Jones drew coverage which led to Sanu’s 5 receptions and a touchdown on the game-winning drive. Julio made it out of Monday’s practice looking “fine,” but it’s clear that a winning game plan by the Falcons is to throw to someone other than Jones, hence, Sanu is worth picking up in PPR leagues.

BAL RB Kenneth Dixon: Harbaugh said they want to get their rookie more involved before their bye bye last week, and while the touches don’t reflect them getting him involved, it’s time to grab those late-season lottery tickets. He’s also the handcuff to Terrance West, had a phenomenal preseason, and could be one of those stories that fantasy championships are made of.

TEN RB Derrick Henry: Have you not handcuffed DeMarco Murray? You need to do that because Henry could be playing the lion’s share of snaps with Murray nursing a toe and a hamstring injury.

CLE WR Corey Coleman: The dynamic, young receiver is cleared to practice and could play this week after missing the last six weeks with a broken hand. We saw him emerging as the best receiving option in Cleveland before he broke his hand, now you have to get him on your bench.

SEA RB C.J. Prosise: I’m not sure how to feel about Prosise. Michael Thomas supplanted Thomas Rawls, who doesn’t seem like he’s going to get his job back, and now Seattle is shying away from Thomas. Game flow dictated a somewhat pass-heavy attack against New Orleans, but Prosise and Thomas had a 52%/48% touch split on Sunday. Maybe they want a more dynamic, dump off-catching back? He’s worth stashing, even if this whole situation is gross.

DEN RB Kapri Bibbs: He’s your handcuff to Devontae Booker who is dealing with a shoulder injury. If Booker can’t go, he could be a decent plug and play. Beyond the start potential, he’s a handcuff every Booker owner needs.