Fantasy Football Week 9: Start, Sit Advice For Toughest Lineup Decisions
Six teams are on byes in Week 9 of the 2015 NFL season, and that creates a situation where fantasy football owners will have some difficult decisions to make regarding which players to start and sit in their lineup.
Well, you’ve come to the right place for help. Here’s a look at our notable starts and sits for Week 9.
Starts
Quarterback: Derek Carr, Oakland Raiders
Carr has become a top-tier fantasy quarterback with 15 touchdown passes and just three interceptions trough seven games. He has a 7-0 touchdown to interception ratio in the last two games, and that success should continue in Week 9 against a Steelers defense allowing 270 pass yards per game, the sixth-most in the league.
Running Back: Jeremy Hill, Cincinnati Bengals
Hill is facing the league’s worst run defense this week, when the Bengals take on the Cleveland Browns. The Browns defense is giving up more than 140 rushing yards per game. Hill also is receiving the majority of the carries in Cincinnati’s backfield.
Running Back: DeAngelo Williams, Pittsburgh Steelers
Le’Veon Bell’s season-ending injury won’t hurt the Steelers’ rushing attack all that much. Williams ran for 204 yards and three touchdowns on 41 carries when Bell was suspended for the first two games of the season. After Bell got hurt last week, Williams ran for 71 yards on just nine carries. He should be started in all types of leagues in Week 9.
Wide Receiver: Willie Snead, New Orleans Saints
It’s difficult to sit any Saints receiver this week after quarterback Drew Brees threw seven touchdown passes in a 52-49 win over the New York Giants on Sunday. Snead caught two of those touchdowns and also tallied 70 yards on six receptions. He’s received six or more targets in six of the last seven games.
Wide Receiver: Reuben Randle, New York Giants
Randle didn’t catch a touchdown pass in the Giants’ loss to the Saints last week, but he did haul in five receptions for 55 yards. He’s received five or more targets in seven of New York’s eight games.
Randle also has a good matchup against a Tampa Bay Buccaneers defense that’s allowed the second-most passing touchdowns and has an opposing quarterback rating of 111.5, the highest in the league.
Tight End: Jacob Tamme, Atlanta Falcons
Tamme had a breakout game in Week 8 with 10 catches for 103 yards and a touchdown on 13 targets. He’s become a trusted target of Falcons quarterback Matt Ryan and is sure to get plenty of looks in the red zone, too. He’s also playing a San Francisco 49ers defense in Week 9 that’s allowed the fourth-most pass yards.
Sits
Quarterback: Nick Foles, St. Louis Rams
The Rams are a dangerous team because of their rushing attack and excellent defense. Foles, however, is not having a good season. He’s thrown for more than 200 yards once (and it was in Week 1) and completing less than 60 percent of his pass attempts.
Foles also is playing a Minnesota Vikings defense giving up the ninth-fewest pass yards per game. The Vikings are one of nine teams who’ve allowed fewer than 10 touchdown passes.
Running Back: Lamar Miller, Miami Dolphins
Miller was a complete non-factor against the New England Patriots with 15 yards on nine carries. He has an even tougher matchup in Week 9 against a Buffalo Bills defense giving up 91.9 rush yards per game, the sixth-fewest in the league.
Running Back: T.J. Yeldon, Jacksonville Jaguars
Yeldon has a really tough matchup versus the best run defense in the league. The New York Jets give up just 78.1 rush yards per game and have allowed only two rushing touchdowns all season. Yeldon also hasn’t been very consistent — he’s failed to tally 75 or more yards in back-to-back games and didn’t find the end zone until last week. Find a safer option if possible.
Wide Receiver: Allen Hurns, Jacksonville Jaguars
Even though Hurns has found the end zone in five straight games, he’s hit the 100-yard mark only twice and he’s received less than five targets in five of his last six games. Hurns also is playing against a very good Jets secondary and might draw some coverage from elite cornerback Darrelle Revis.
Wide Receiver: T.Y. Hilton and Donte Moncrief, Indianapolis Colts
The Denver Broncos have a fantastic pass defense (fewest yards allowed) and held All-Pro quarterback Aaron Rodgers to just 77 yards last week.
Colts quarterback Andrew Luck will face constant pressure in the pocket from pass rushers DeMarcus Ware, Von Miller and others. When Luck does have time to throw, Hilton and Moncrief should have a tough time getting open against Denver’s elite cornerback duo of Chris Harris and Aqib Talib.
It would be smart to sit all Colts players this week. The matchup is just too difficult.
Tight End: Vernon Davis, Denver Broncos
Fantasy owners with Davis on their roster probably are excited that he was traded to the Broncos and will receive passes from a capable quarterback in Peyton Manning instead of the struggling Colin Kaepernick. But the veteran tight end still isn’t a smart start this week.
It’s going to take time to learn a new playbook and develop chemistry with Manning, and starting tight end Owen Daniels will continue to receive a lot of snaps because he’s been effective through seven games.
Thumbnail photo via Geoff Burke/USA TODAY Sports Images
