Week 9 Fantasy Projections: Disappointing Stars Destined for Strong Performances

For fantasy football owners, there is absolutely nothing that can make a remote control go rocketing toward a wall faster than an underperforming star. 

Especially during bye weeks, owners count on their stars for consistent top-shelf production, as the rest of the roster is oftentimes riddled with replacement-level stopgaps. When it doesn't happen, it can be a wee bit frustrating. And that was certainly the case last week, as it seemed like a fantasy points were down across the board.

Nonetheless, as is usually the case with star players, all it takes is one great matchup to put them back on track. With that in mind, here is a look at a few stars who should rebound from a poor Week 8 to dominate in Week 9.

Jamaal Charles (RB, Kansas City Chiefs)

Romeo Crennel may not know why running back Jamaal Charles received just five carries last week, but it's a situation he needs to rectify quickly before Thursday's matchup against the San Diego Chargers.

That five-carry, four-yard performance gave Charles his third abysmal performance of the season fantasy-wise, and it's not exactly hard to blame the play-calling.

In games where he's gotten 20 or more touches, the Kansas City back has been the best fantasy RB in the league. In games he hasn't, well, he hasn't been. 

Charles is far and away the Chiefs' best offensive player. If he doesn't touch the ball at least 20 times in every game, barring injury, whoever is calling the plays should be fired. 

Though the Chargers have the second-best run defense in the NFL coming into this week, we all know that it takes just one carry for Charles to break free. Let's all just hope for sanity's sake that he gets more than five opportunities to make that happen.

If he does, look for him to break out one of those patented long runs for a touchdown and come away with a stellar game.

Robert Griffin III (QB, Washington Redskins)

Speaking of undeserving of any blame, Robert Griffin III owners can undoubtedly thank an atrocious performance from his receivers for limiting his Week 8 value.

The Redskins dropped an NFL season-high 10 passes in the team's loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers last Sunday.

While drops are an unpredictable phenomenon, it's pretty safe to say that the Washington receiving corps won't match that total this week. Coming into Week 8, the Redskins had only dropped 11 passes, which was a large reason Griffin was among the league leaders in completion percentage. 

As long as the receivers perform up to their previous value, Griffin should soar back into the top five among fantasy quarterbacks, especially against the 1-6 Carolina Panthers. Ron Rivera's squad may not be as exploitable defensively as last season, but it's still a unit that ranks just 15th against the pass and 20th against the run.

Vincent Jackson (WR, Tampa Bay Buccaneers)

By now, fantasy owners have been through the fantasy ringer enough times with Vincent Jackson to know that performances like last week are bound to happen.

Despite quarterback Josh Freeman throwing for 262 yards and three touchdowns against the Minnesota Vikings, Jackson had just two catches for 40 yards. And that came after looking like the best receiver in football in Tampa's previous three games, grabbing 17 passes for 382 yards and four touchdowns.

Again, none of this is new for Jackson owners, who have gotten rather used to his inconsistent performances.

Still, he's an obvious must-start in Week 9, and he should be able to tear up the Oakland Raiders secondary. Despite a ball-hawking nature, Oakland is prone toward giving up the big play, and at least one should manifest itself on Sunday.

After a disappointing performance, look for Jackson to once again rejoin fantasy owners' good graces with a 100-plus yard game. 

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