Week 9 Start 'Em, Sit 'Em: Fantasy Football Stars to Play and Bench

With six teams on bye, Week 9 could end up being one of the toughest weeks of the fantasy football season.

The Atlanta Falcons, Chicago Bears, Buffalo Bills, Detroit Lions, Tennessee Titans and Green Bay Packers are all off, which means no Aaron Rodgers, no Matt Forte and no Julio Jones. Fortunately, there are a few sleeper options available at each position who can save with you a strong week.

Of course, you also have to be careful about plugging in some of your bigger stars who might have poor matchups this week. Assuming you have better options, you might want to bench some of these high-profile players.

Here is a look at some quality options to put in your lineup and some stars to take out of it for Week 9.

Start 'Em

Pos.	Player	Team	Opponent
QB	Colin Kaepernick	San Francisco 49ers	St. Louis Rams
RB	Jerick McKinnon	Minnesota Vikings	Washington Redskins
RB	DeAngelo Williams	Carolina Panthers	New Orleans Saints
WR	Rueben Randle	New York Giants	Indianapolis Colts
TE	Travis Kelce	Kansas City Chiefs	New York Jets

Colin Kaepernick might not be the most consistent quarterback in the NFL, but he always seems to have success against the St. Louis Rams. 

So far this season, the San Francisco 49ers quarterback has only one game with at least 20 fantasy points. This came against the Rams in Week 6 when he totaled 28 points in standard leagues. 

In his four career starts against St. Louis, Kaepernick is averaging 248 passing yards, 38 rushing yards and has a total of six touchdowns with no interceptions. He should be able to use his arms and legs to have plenty of success against a young secondary.

A big day should be coming for Jerick McKinnon, who is clearly the top option in the Minnesota Vikings backfield. Over the last two weeks, he has totaled 183 rushing yards on 35 carries. Head coach Mike Zimmer was certainly impressed, via Brian Murphy of the Pioneer Press:

"

Jerick looks like a pretty good back, doesn't he? I love the way he runs. He's got some great cut ability. But the thing I like most about him right now is his physicality when he runs.

He's a smaller stature guy and is very strong. Doesn't run like a small guy, in my opinion, and he's got the juice to get in and out of cuts and make some things happen.

"

Although he has been limited in fantasy this year based on the fact he does not have a rushing touchdown, it seems like it is just a matter of time until he gets into the end zone. Stay the course with the young running back and he will eventually come through with a big day.

DeAngelo Williams represents a lot more of a risk than some of the other players on this list, but he is expected to return and start on Thursday night, according to Jeff Darlington of NFL.com:

He will split carries with Jonathan Stewart, but Williams has been the go-to option every time he is healthy. With the running back available in a lot of leagues, he would be a quality bye-week fill-in against a New Orleans Saints defense that has struggled away from home this season.

Another situation where it is important to look at the opportunities is with Rueben Randle. The New York Giants receiver is looking to take over the role of the injured Victor Cruz but has failed to put up big numbers this season.

On the plus side, Eli Manning keeps looking his way, giving Randle at least nine targets in each of the last five games. Against an Indianapolis Colts defense that struggled mightily last week against the Pittsburgh Steelers, the receiver should finally be able to turn opportunities into production.

Travis Kelce is dealing with a different situation, as he always seems to make things happen when he gets the ball but is often a forgotten member of the Kansas City Chiefs offense. However, he leads all tight ends with 248 yards after the catch, meaning he can still have a good day even without too many touches.

Fantasy owners might have to remain patient, but Kelce is on his way toward becoming an elite tight end. 

Sit 'Em

Pos.	Player	Team	Opponent
QB	Ben Roethlisberger	Pittsburgh Steelers	Baltimore Ravens
RB	Knile Davis	Kansas City Chiefs	New York Jets
RB	Tre Mason	St. Louis Rams	San Francisco 49ers
WR	Michael Floyd	Arizona Cardinals	Dallas Cowboys
WR	Eric Decker	New York Jets	Kansas City Chiefs

It is hard to bet against Ben Roethlisberger after he just put together one of the best performances we have ever seen. Adam Schefter of ESPN provides some perspective on the Week 8 showing:

Of course, this will likely be the best game Roethlisberger puts together all season, and it is hard to imagine him doing anywhere near this well against the rival Baltimore Ravens.

Baltimore has allowed a league-low seven touchdowns this season. The only quarterback to throw more than one in a game was Mike Glennon, whose two scores were both to cut the lead to 28 in the second half.

Roethlisberger could end up struggling against a defense that has been playing well and knows exactly how to stop him. 

Knile Davis appears to be a strong play after a 16-point effort in Week 8, especially when he finished with more carries than Jamaal Charles. However, it is important to note that 12 of his 16 carries came in the fourth quarter with the Kansas City Chiefs up 20 points.

His big day was aided by a kickoff return and a lot of garbage time running, something that will be hard to replicate against a strong run defense on the New York Jets.

One backup running back who seemed ready to take on the starting job was Tre Mason, but it seems like there is still a full committee in St. Louis. Nick Wagoner of ESPN.com provides a look at the snap counts for the top three backs:

The big problem is Mason's struggles in the passing game, which will keep him out of games more often when the team is losing. Against the 49ers, this could be a good portion of the day, and the rookie will be left on the bench.

Another player struggling to get the attention of the coaching staff is Michael Floyd, who finished with zero catches last game. The Arizona Cardinals receiver now has three games of one or fewer catches and does not have more than five all year.

Although non-PPR league players might not think this is a big deal, the problem is his lack of consistency. With the emergence of John Brown, Floyd is at times a fourth option in the passing game behind Larry Fitzgerald, Brown and Andre Ellington. 

Against the Dallas Cowboys defense that is allowing the fourth-fewest points to opposing receivers, it might be best to keep him on your bench. 

The same goes for Eric Decker facing a Chiefs defense that is currently ranked No. 1 in the NFL against the pass. More importantly, he is no longer the new guy in the receiving corps with Percy Harvin on the roster, and the Jets are going to keep trying to get the latest acquisition involved in any way possible.

Decker will be left with fewer targets with bad quarterbacks against a good defense. This does not add up to a strong fantasy day.

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