Start 'Em, Sit 'Em Week 9: Making the Call on Fantasy Football Fringe Starters

The most stacked fantasy football squads out there will have to make a tough decision or two during Week 9, when six teams are on hiatus.

Own Aaron Rodgers? Great, but now you need a fill-in at quarterback. Same for those relying on Matt Forte, Eddie Lacy, Jordy Nelson, Randall Cobb, Alshon Jeffery, Brandon Marshall, Sammy Watkins, Martellus Bennett and many more of the game's fantasy phenoms.

Managers will have to utilize their bench and explore the waiver wire for Week 9 stopgaps, some of whom could evolve into late-season contributors. With the talent pool diminished this weekend, everyone will have to dive down the well and tinker with some fringe fantasy options, where ceilings are sky high but floors hit the very bottom.

Start 'Em: Andy Dalton, QB, Cincinnati Bengals (vs. Jacksonville Jaguars)

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Poor Andy Dalton has learned the hard way that touchdowns are fickle. A year after throwing 32 touchdowns, which trailed only Peyton Manning and Drew Brees, the Red Rifle has now tallied a mere six passing scores through seven games.

He's come up empty in the past two games through the air, but he ran two to the house himself against the Baltimore Ravens. Even after turning on his jets last week, that still gives him eight total touchdowns on the season, the same amount as Geno Smith before getting benched in disgrace.

As is often the case, touchdowns have clouded everyone's judgment, hiding the fact that Dalton is the same, if not a slightly better, passer as last season.

Year	GP	CMP %	Pass YDs/GM	YPA	Total TDs	Turnovers
2013	16	61.9	268.3	7.33	35	23
2014	7	65.4	234.4	7.56	8	5

Playing without A.J. Green also hurts, but his star wide receiver could return this Sunday. He told the Cincinnati Enquirer's Richard Skinner that his injured toe is feeling much better this week.

"I'll practice this week and see how it goes, but I think I'll be fine," said Green. "I was at 40 percent last week and I feel about 80 percent today. I haven't had any soreness after I've worked out."

Fantasy players should know by now that the Jacksonville Jaguars are not great at playing football. They tout the No. 27 passing defense, so Dalton becomes an inciting spot start if he gets his top target back.

Sit 'Em: Ryan Tannehill, QB, Miami Dolphins (vs. San Diego Chargers)

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Fresh off recommending Dalton against the Jaguars, now is probably not the best time to mention that the matchup didn't work out for Ryan Tannehill last week.

Not that he played terribly, but he snapped a five-game streak of amassing at least 200 passing yards with 196. After completing 72.3 percent of his throws over the previous three contests, he went a mediocre 16-of-29 to spoil a promising opportunity.

Now he'll have to avenge that effort against the San Diego Chargers, who rank No. 6 in passing defense even after just facing Peyton Manning. Despite his grand peaks, his inconsistency is scarier than a haunted house, if those were actually scary.

One reason this advice could backfire: Tannehill has flashed his mobility lately, running for 49, 48 and 48 rushing yards over his past three games. Only Cam Newton, Russell Wilson and Colin Kaepernick have more rushing yards than Tannehill's 198 this season.

That salvages his value as a No. 2 quarterback and matchup play, but this isn't the ideal week to unleash him.

Start 'Em: Bobby Rainey, RB, Tampa Bay Buccaneers (at Cleveland Browns)

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Many drafters invested a premium pick on Doug Martin. He has failed spectacularly, and it's time for everyone to move on.

That includes the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, who have given him 11.6 carries per game this season despite his atrocious 2.9 yards per rush. A receiving threat during his rookie campaign, Martin now has nine catches for 54 yards to accompany his porous rushing output.

Bobby Rainey is no superstar, but he's averaging 4.6 yards per carry under Martin's shadow. He's also a bigger pass-catching threat out of the backfield, collecting six receptions for 41 yards against the Minnesota Vikings last weekend. As shown by the Tampa Bay Times' Greg Auman, the 27-year-old was more efficient with his chances than Martin.

Now he'll face the Cleveland Browns, who have issued 4.8 opposing yards per carry with seven touchdowns through the ground. 

Martin shouldn't interfere with Rainey producing a productive point tally, but Charles Sims might. The rookie is eligible to come back the team's IR this week after missing the opening eight weeks with an ankle injury.

Tom Krasniqi, host for 620 WDAE and 95.3FM Tampa Bay, believes Sims will receive immediate work.

It's certainly possible, but nobody can bank on Sims becoming the top dog in his NFL debut, if he even makes it this Sunday. For now, Rainey is the Tampa Bay rusher to start at Cleveland.

Sit 'Em: Jonas Gray, RB, New England Patriots (vs. Denver Broncos)

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Bill Belichick continues to toy with fantasy players, pulling Jonas Gray off the practice squad to replace the injured Stevan Ridley after managers rushed to add Brandon Bolden. While Gray is now worth that same speculative add, the coach's unpredictability and a difficult matchup make him a poor play this weekend.

Even Gray had no idea what to expect heading into Sunday, per ESPNBoston.com's Lee Schechter.

"

Man, it's crazy because when you go into the game you don't even know how many carries you are going to get. I'm thinking it could be like last week -- only a few carries, blitz protection, get some routes -- but when you get a heavy workload like that, your first run goes for a long gain, it's confidence, more and more confidence.

"

Can owners searching for a starter on the waiver wire trust Belichick to keep turning Gray's way? Probably not, and it's far from certain the rookie could make enough of a dent given a full workload. No team has allowed fewer rushing yards than the Denver Broncos, who yield 72.4 yards per game on 3.4 yards per carry. 

Since Denver's No. 17 passing defense is far more mortal, a resurgent Tom Brady should air it out all night, even if it means testing former teammate Aqib Talib. Take another week to see how Belichick delegates his backfield.

Start 'Em: Andrew Hawkins, WR, Cleveland Browns (vs. Tampa Bay Buccaneers)

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Need a steady wide receiver this week who will safely deliver a few catches and solid yardage? Andrew Hawkins is a steady play with a chance to post monster numbers given a strong matchup.

As Brian Hoyer's top wideout sans Josh Gordon, Hawkins has now been targeted at least nine times in six games this season. Despite the frequent looks, he hadn't broken out from a fantasy perspective until the past two weeks, where he registered 112 receiving yards against the Jaguars and 88 yards, along with his first touchdown of the season, against the Oakland Raiders.

There's a wide discrepancy in Cleveland's pass distribution, with ESPN's Tristan H. Cockcroft noting Hawkins' massive edge in targets over his teammates.

The exploitable opponents keep on coming, as Tampa Bay is the top opponent for wideouts under ESPN scoring. After collecting six receptions in his past three games, Cordarrelle Patterson caught six on Sunday against the Buccaneers.

Someone is going to pounce on that defense and snatch up fantasy points, and Hawkins has little competition in Cleveland. An outstanding start in point-per-reception leagues, the matchup makes his a solid standard play for someone in a bind.

Sit 'Em: Percy Harvin, WR, New York Jets (at Kansas City Chiefs)

New location, same result. The New York Jets worked tirelessly to implement Percy Harvin into their offense during his team debut, but he finished with an ineffective 50 yards.

Smith and Michael Vick targeted him a combined nine times, but they connected on only three for 22 yards. The newcomer avoided a complete disaster with 28 rushing yards on four runs, but he demonstrated no big-play prowess for Gang Green.

Although Vick represents a minor upgrade for the Jets skill players, the volatile situation is still a major minus for every receiver. But Eric Decker received a season- and team-high 12 targets, so he's Vick's go-to guy in the early stages.

Neither is worth starting against the Kansas City Chiefs' No. 1 passing defense. Other than Chris Ivory, stay away from anyone on Rex Ryan's imploding squad.