Fantasy Football Week Nine Start Ems

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With four of the five worst rush defenses on a bye this week, RBs could struggle in week Nine. Fortunately for Bruno Boys Nation , the Bruno Boys have your back, providing you as always with our Fantasy Football Week Nine Start Ems , helping to ensure you don’t leave that big game on your bench.

QUARTERBACKS – START ‘EM

Matt Hasselbeck (Seattle Seahawks) vs. Detroit

Any QB playing against the Detroit Lions defense is most likely a good option. The Lions have allowed almost 30 points a game and 18 TDs through the air in seven games. Hasselbeck has just been average for most of the season, but coming off a tidy 250 yard and two TD performance against the Cowboys, it seems that he could be back on track. With the absence of any real running game for the Seahawks, the team will be relying on the passing game. The Hasselbeck-led Seahawks should win this contest, and the QB himself should post good numbers for fantasy purposes.

David Garrard (Jacksonville Jaguars) vs. Kansas City

It seems like every time people assume Garrard will do well, he fails miserably and vice-versa. The Titans team he faced in week eight is not the same team that was allowing six TDs to the Patriots a few weeks prior. Garrard is in no way a #1 QB this weekend, for the mere fact that most of the stud QBs have good match-ups, but with a plethora of bye week QBs out, you could find 200 yards and two TDs sitting there with Garrard. After not throwing a TD the previous three weeks, we understand if you are hesitant to start him…but it is the Chiefs. 10 pass plays of 40+ yards, over 250 yards passing, and 13 TDs through 7 games could be the remedy for the big QB in week nine.

Joe Flacco (Baltimore Ravens) @ Cincinnati

Flacco’s previous game against the Bengals was his worst fantasy output in ‘09 (186 passing yards, one TD, two INT for just seven fantasy points), but Flacco has been too good to let the Bengals get in his head. He’s been everything the Ravens have asked for in his sophomore season, and he has emerging stud RB Ray Rice as a great check-down option for him in the passing attack. The Bengals are 30th in the league allowing over 250 yards per game through the air, but they are only allowing about 1.5 TDs per game. Still, we like Flacco as a Start ‘Em in week 9.

RUNNING BACKS – START ‘EM

Ray Rice (Baltimore Ravens) @ Cincinnati

Ray Rice has emerged as perhaps one of the few must-start RBs in fantasy football . The biggest reason? Simple, even against a good run defense, he is nearly as dangerous as a receiver. In Rice’s worst game of 2009, he posted 82 total yards. In other words, other than Adrian Peterson , Cedric Benson , and perhaps Michael Turner , Rice has been the most solid RB in fantasy football in 2009. We aren’t assuming you were thinking about benching him, but we believe he is bound for a good game. Against Cincy in week five, Rice had 143 total yards and a TD, and while to predict 20 points is slightly high, it wouldn’t surprise us if he gets to that total this weekend.

Ryan Grant (Green Bay Packers) @ Tampa Bay

Grant has really only had one bad game in 2009, which happened to come last week against the stout Vikings defensive front. But, for some reason, it seems that people are expecting more out of him. After his big game against the Browns, in which he posted 148 rushing yards and a TD, we think he may be able to see the same number of touches (and in turn get the same fantasy points), as he did in week seven. Tampa Bay has given up 162 rushing yards and a rushing TD per game in 2009, and while Grant may not see all the carries (if they get out to an early lead), he could still be in for a nice fantasy output.

Ahmad Bradshaw (New York Giants) vs. San Diego

So far we are one for one on the Ahmad Bradshaw Start ‘Em this season, so we’re going for a perfect two for two (yes, we are proud of that accomplishment). Bradshaw has breakout candidate written all over him in week nine against a surprisingly bad Chargers defense that is 27th in the NFL allowing over 130 rushing yards per contest and a rushing TD per game. Bradshaw could be explosive as San Diego is coming cross country for a game where the Giants need to prove they are better than they played in week eight against Philly.

WIDE RECEIVERS – START ‘EM

Mike Sims-Walker (Jacksonville Jaguars) vs. Kansas City

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