Fantasy Football Week 9 Starts, Sits: Patriots’ Defense Should Ground Colts
Tua Tagovailoa is worthy of a starting spot
Fantasy football managers continue to creep closer to the postseason with Week 9 and the passing of NFL trade deadline firmly meaning the first half is behind us.
The upcoming slate will feature six NFL teams on their bye week -- Browns, Cowboys, Broncos, Giants, Steelers and 49ers -- tied for the single-largest bye week all season. And while that shouldn't mean too much for the quarterback position in fantasy football, the same can't be said about either running back or team defenses.
With that in mind, we've included a handful of starts and sits before Week 9 in fantasy football.
D'Onta Foreman, RB, Carolina Panthers
Disclaimer: Foreman missed practice Wednesday with an ankle injury, throwing his Week 9 status in question against the Cincinnati Bengals. If Foreman does play, however, fantasy football managers can't leave him on the bench. Foreman, since the Panthers trade Christian McCaffrey before Week 7, ranks fourth in touches and sixth in average points among all running backs. He's coming off a week in which he scored 31.80 points in full-point leagues (three touchdowns) and has ran for 118 yards in each of his last two games. Whether fellow Panthers running back Chuba Hubbard returns or not, Foreman needs to be in the lineup.
Tua Tagovailoa, QB, Miami Dolphins
Tagovailoa is living up to the hype the Dolphins set for him when they acquired Tyreek Hill to pair with Jaylen Waddle this offseason. Miami's wideouts are just too good, and Tagovailoa's fantasy stock is greatly benefiting. The Dolphins quarterback, since returning from a scary injury in Week 7, has thrown for a league best 749 passing air yards -- more than 100 yards more than the next quarterback -- with 10 passes of 20 or more yards. He was at his best in Week 8 against the Lions, too, finishing as the highest-scoring signal-caller behind a league-best 86.1% of passes deemed "catchable," either caught or dropped. Tagovailoa now is going against a Chicago Bears' defense that Dak Prescott carved up in Week 7, making the Dolphins quarterback QB7 on Yahoo entering the slate.
Terry McLaurin, WR, Washington Commanders
McLaurin clearly has appreciated quarterback Taylor Heinicke stepping in for the injured Carson Wentz. In the last two games with Heinicke, McLaurin has 11 receptions on 16 targets for 186 yards and one touchdown -- coming up about six inches short of a game-winning score in Week 8 against the Indianapolis Colts. McLaurin has averaged 17.45 points in full-point fantasy football leagues during that sample size. He'll now go up against a Minnesota Vikings' defense which is allowing the ninth-most points to wideouts. He's viewed as Yahoo's WR18 entering Week 9.
New England Patriots defense
The Patriots will welcome the Colts to Gillette Stadium on Sunday in another big spot for New England. Fortunately for the hosts, the Colts are rolling with quarterback Sam Ehlinger for his second career start after having just fired their offense coordinator. Indianapolis star running back Jonathan Taylor has his status in doubt, too, with the star running back re-aggravating an ankle injury in the same ankle that caused him to miss two games earlier this season. Indianapolis has been a bad offense this season, allowing the third-most sacks and turning the ball over a league-worst 16 times in eight weeks. Especially with some starting defenses on their bye week -- Cowboys, Broncos, 49ers, etc. -- the Patriots are in must-start territory in Week 9.
Sits
Brian Robinson, RB, Washington Commanders
Robinson doesn't offer the upside that was expected upon his return. The Commanders rookie saw less offensive snaps (25%) than both Antonio Gibson (36%) and J.D. McKissic (36%) in Week 8 against the Colts. He's coming off a performance in which he finished with 20 yards on eight carries all while the targets from Heinicke go to either Gibson, McKissic of the Commanders wideouts. Since Week 5, Robinson has averaged 6.70 points in full-point leagues with merely two rushes of 10-plus yards. The Vikings also have been far better against the run than the pass, allowing merely 15.9 points per game to players at the position. Robinson is viewed as Yahoo's RB26.
Damien Harris, RB, New England Patriots
Harris has proven far too reliant on goal-line work and a touchdown for a Patriots' offense that ranks third-worst in the league in red area. Harris, who previously was dealing with a hamstring injury, has averaged 4.60 points per game in the prior two contests, playing 41% of snaps in Week 8. The arrival of second-year running back Rhamondre Stevenson has completely overshadowed Harris, as well. The Colts, meanwhile, have allowed just 18 points to running backs this season with Harris ranked Yahoo's RB28.
Allen Robinson, WR, Los Angeles Rams
The status of Cooper Kupp is in question given his ankle injury and Robinson is coming off back-to-back weeks with double-digit scoring, averaging 10.40 points per game. But that doesn't mean Robinson should be thrown into the lineup against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, who absolutely need a Week 9 bounce back against a struggling LA offense. Robinson is viewed as WR36 on Yahoo's rankings entering the slate.
New York Jets defense
This is rather simple: The Jets are facing the Bills and it's probably not smart to start any defense against Buffalo.
