Start 'Em, Sit 'Em Week 9: Lineup Advice, Stars to Exploit and Sleeper Options
Week 9 is where fantasy football owners use start 'em, sit 'em decisions to get it right back.
One word sums up the past week of fantasy football well: Disaster.
Where to start? Six teams sat on bye, sidelining guys such as Le'Veon Bell, Todd Gurley and Odell Beckham Jr. As a brief example, one of the top sleepers of the week, Devontae Booker of the Denver Broncos, went down with an injury. So did one of the top overall favorite players, Kansas City Chiefs running back Spencer Ware.
It's comeback time for owners, who have plenty of quality matchups for both stars and sleepers to exploit in Week 9. Here is a look at matchup value comparisons and notable start-sit scenarios.
Quarterback
| Derek Carr (vs. DEN) vs. Aaron Rodgers (vs. IND) | Aaron Rodgers |
| Blake Bortles (at KC) vs. Dak Prescott (at CLE) | Dak Prescott |
| Matt Ryan (at TB) vs. Drew Brees (at SF) | Matt Ryan |
| Andrew Luck (at GB) vs. Matthew Stafford (at MIN) | Andrew Luck |
| Philip Rivers (vs. TEN) vs. Cam Newton (at LA) | Cam Newton |
Star to Know: Dak Prescott, DAL (at CLE)
Rookie status or not, Dallas Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott continues to play like a fantasy stud.
Prescott hasn't fallen underneath 17 points in a game since Week 2. In a critical Week 8 contest against the Philadelphia Eagles, he posted the best fantasy performance of his career with 287 yards and two scores, good for 26 points.
Next up for Prescott is a laugher of a matchup against the Cleveland Browns. Cleveland entered Week 8 having allowed at least a pair of passing touchdowns in every game, though a cupcake encounter with the New York Jets broke the streak.
Expect Prescott to start another streak. There's always the chance Tony Romo comes back, though it seems unlikely. On the off chance it happens, plug in Romo here.
Sleeper to Exploit: Case Keenum, LA, (vs. CAR)
Yes, it's risky to roll with a member of the Los Angeles Rams not named Todd, but hear this one out.
Quarterback Case Keenum looked like a great sleeper option in Week 6 thanks to a dynamite matchup against the Detroit Lions. What did the journeyman do? Just throw three scores and tally 28 points.
Keenum is a matchup-based play at best, but that makes him worth a streaming look in Week 9 against the Carolina Panthers. The once-proud defense has allowed three or more passing touchdowns in three games this year.
Allowing some of the biggest point totals to quarterbacks this year, the Panthers might struggle with Keenum, crazy as it sounds.
Running Back
| Jonathan Stewart (at LA) vs. Matt Forte (at MIA) | Matt Forte |
| Devonta Freeman (at TB) vs. Melvin Gordon (vs. TEN) | Melvin Gordon |
| Ezekiel Elliott (at CLE) vs, Frank Gore (at GB) | Ezekiel Elliott |
| Isaiah Crowell (vs. DAL) vs. Latavius Murray (vs. DEN) | Isaiah Crowell |
| Theo Riddick (at MIN) vs. Mike Gillislee (at SEA) | Mike Gillislee |
Star to Know: Carlos Hyde, SF (vs. NO)
San Francisco 49ers running back Carlos Hyde is the next back who gets to tear a hole in the New Orleans Saints defense.
Hyde has been a disappointment as of late, scoring five points in Week 6 before missing the following week with an injury. He's slated for a return after San Francisco's bye and couldn't have a better matchup.
Literally—the Saints entered Week 8 allowing the most points to backs on average. New Orleans didn't do much to shed the miserable status, either, as the unit has now coughed up at least one rushing score in five games and allowed 11 total.
This leaves Hyde to feast after recovering for a few weeks, taking his owners along for the ride.
Sleeper to Exploit: Derrick Henry, TEN (at SD)
Tennessee Titans running back Derrick Henry is arguably the best fantasy handcuff in the league, though his status gets a raise with DeMarco Murray nursing an injury.
Henry took 16 carries for 60 yards and a score—good for 15 points—in a Week 8 game against the Jacksonville Jaguars. Murray now has a day-to-day tag after a toe injury during the contest.
Odds seem strong the Titans will play it safe with Murray given his injury history, meaning Henry should see some work against the San Diego Chargers. Like the Jaguars, the Chargers have major problems against opposing backs and allowed five opposing backfields to total 21 or more points through the team's first seven games of the season.
If Henry gets a piece of the pie in Week 9, he's going to post a major line.
Wide Receiver
| Amari Cooper (vs. DEN) vs. Dez Bryant (at CLE) | Dez Bryant |
| Jordy Nelson (vs. IND) vs. Terrelle Pryor Sr. (vs. DAL) | Jordy Nelson |
| Jordan Matthews (at NYG) vs. Brandin Cooks (at SF) | Jordan Matthews |
| Donte Moncrief (at GB) vs. Demaryius Thomas (at OAK) | Demaryius Thomas |
| Kelvin Benjamin (at LA) vs. Mike Evans (vs. ATL) | Mike Evans |
Star to Know: Antonio Brown, PIT (at BAL)
Pittsburgh Steelers star wideout Antonio Brown is another guy who has disappointed over the past few weeks. He managed three points in the team's odd Week 6 loss to the Miami Dolphins, then took a knee in the quad and hobbled his way to 11 points in Week 7.
Fresh off a bye, Brown will do nothing short of explode against the Baltimore Ravens.
Baltimore used to field a great defense. However, It entered a Week 8 bye allowing the second-most points to wideouts on average, with 13 receiving touchdowns allowed through seven games.
Brown is good for one score and a guaranteed double-digit outing against the AFC North foe as the two teams once again head in opposite directions.
Sleeper to Exploit: Tyreek Hill, KC (vs. JAC)
So much for the idea Tyreek Hill was a one-hit wonder.
The Chiefs' newfound weapon caught one pass for 38 yards and a score in Week 7, good for 11 points. Most wrote it off as a fluke based on Hill's past production—then he hit Week 8 and caught five passes for 98 yards and a score, good for 15 points.
So away Hill goes. Now he gets to take on the Jaguars in Week 9 in what should produce another strong double-digit outing. The Jaguars have now allowed 10 receiving touchdowns to wideouts on the year and don't show signs of slowing.
Hill looks like one of the hottest commodities on the waiver wire this week, and the matchup with the Jaguars certainly helps.
Tight End
| Travis Kelce (vs. JAC) vs. Antonio Gates (vs. TEN) | Travis Kelce |
| Mychal Rivera (vs. DEN) vs. Julius Thomas (at KC) | Julius Thomas |
| Cameron Brate (vs. ATL) vs. Delanie Walker (at SD) | Cameron Brate |
| Jason Witten (at CLE) vs. Eric Ebron (at MIN) | Jason Witten |
| Gary Barnidge (vs. DAL) vs. Jimmy Graham (vs. BUF) | Jimmy Graham |
Star to Know: Jason Witten, DAL (at CLE)
Cowboys tight end Jason Witten finally broke through in Week 9, scoring his first touchdown of the season.
Granted, he scored his seven points on all of two receptions, but it's a step in the right direction for a guy still owned in 68.1 percent of leagues based on name recognition.
This could be the start of a great stretch for Witten thanks to the Week 9 game against the Browns. Cleveland has been one of the worst teams in the league against tight ends this year and entered Week 8 allowing the second-most points to the position.
Witten scoring against a defense that has already allowed six TDs to tight ends seems predictable.
Sleeper to Exploit: Cameron Brate, TB (vs. ATL)
After the Tampa Bay Buccaneers showed Austin Seferian-Jenkins the door, Cameron Brate became one of the hottest pickup options on waiver wires.
It looked great, too—Brate scored 16 points in Week 3 on a pair of touchdown receptions. The problem is he hasn't scored more than eight in a game since.
Still, that eight came last week via his first touchdown since Week 3. It's a nice bit of momentum going into a game against Atlanta Falcons. The defense has allowed four opposing sets of tight ends to tally 13 or more points.
That tally includes the Buccaneers thanks to a Week 1 matchup in which ASJ and Brandon Myers both caught touchdown passes. The position now belongs to Brate.
All scoring info and statistics courtesy of ESPN.com standard leagues, as are points-against info and ownership stats.
Follow Chris Roling (@Chris_Roling) on Twitter.
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