Start 'Em, Sit 'Em Week 9: Debating Difficult Fantasy Football Lineup Decisions

Fret not, fantasy owners, those scary late-week start 'em, sit 'em decisions become a whole lot easier by this point of the season. 

Week 9 is upon owners, and all that means is about half a season worth of data, injuries, usages and more to digest in order to make the toughest decisions of all from here on out.

With waiver wires picked clean and trades on standby with another weekend on approach, now is the time for owners to work with what they have and make something out of the hard work to date put into week-by-week roster construction.

Some of the most difficult debates owners will find in regards to Week 9 are detailed below.

Quarterbacks

Start 'Em: Carson Palmer, ARI (at DAL)

Owners continue to shy away from Arizona Cardinals quarterback Carson Palmer, who is owned in just 14.6 percent of leagues.

A few missed games with a nerve injury in a throwing arm tends to do that to a quarterback, but Palmer's last three outings make his ownership percentage downright inexcusable:

WK	OPP	YDS	TD	I/F	PTS
6	Wsh	250	2	0 / 0	18
7	@Oak	253	2	1 / 0	16
8	Phi	329	2	0 / 0	21

At Palmer's current pace if he had not missed any games, he would be on average for more than 30 touchdowns and 4,500 yards. In other words, Palmer is a QB1 in every sense of the word.

But this is not just a waiver-wire recommendation. Palmer now gets to encounter a Dallas Cowboys defense that, while it ranks well thanks to some easy matchups, is one week removed from allowing Colt McCoy to throw for 299 yards.

Palmer is due to surpass that and add a number of touchdowns for good measure.

Sit 'Em: Michael Vick, NYJ (at KC)

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Try not to get cute at quarterback, the easiest position of all to figure out each week. 

Somewhere out there, an owner is getting ready to ride the Michael Vick experience to failure against a stout Kansas City defense that gives up the fifth-fewest points to quarterbacks on average this season.

ESPN's Rich Cimini puts it best:

Vick took over last week and scored six points—while throwing an interception and fumbling twice.

As far as must-avoid options go, Vick is king, even if his past success and new gig as a starter suggest otherwise.

Running Backs

Start 'Em: Ahmad Bradshaw, IND (at NYG)

In a way, Indianapolis Colts running back Ahmad Bradshaw is similar to Palmer in that he has not been wildly healthy this year, but when actually in games, he has been a must-start option regardless of matchup. 

Thanks to his ability through the air, Bradshaw has reached double digits six times this year in eight attempts, including a string of three in a row.

Bradshaw will always be an injury risk, yes, but the offense runs through him in a way that makes him a fantasy stud. For those who need a strong matchup, Bradshaw encounters the New York Giants, a team that allows the fourth-most points to the position.

Sit 'Em: Darren McFadden, OAK (at SEA)

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Now would be the time for a reality check.

Oakland Raiders running back Darren McFadden has had a return to form in recent weeks as the franchise switches back to more of a run-first approach, but he very much remains a matchup-based play.

Week 9 is a date with the Seattle Seahawks, a team that has held five opponents to 14 points or fewer on the ground. Feel free to add in the fact McFadden continues to make costly mistakes, as captured by Vic Tafur of the San Francisco Chronicle:

Until McFadden can string together strong performances against great defenses, he needs to sit on the bench.

Wide Receivers

Start 'Em: Mohamed Sanu, CIN (vs. JAC)

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By most accounts, it sounds as if Cincinnati Bengals wideout A.J. Green will be a go Sunday against the Jacksonville Jaguars.

Fantasy owners should not fret, though, as Mohamed Sanu remains a great option.

Sanu has been an absolute force as of late, scoring 12, 18 and 14 points in three of his last four performances as the No. 1 receiver, with the lone exception being five points against a strong Indianapolis defense. 

Now Sanu gets to encounter the Jacksonville defense, which ranks near the middle of the pack against wideouts and will have to account for Green, a high-profile decoy in his first game back from injury. 

Sit 'Em: Brandon LaFell, NE (vs. DEN)

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Nobody would suggest New England Patriots wideout Brandon LaFell has not been productive.

A note from the Boston Herald's Jeff Howe puts this into perspective:

The problem with LaFell? He is only consistent with the ball when it actually comes his way.

LaFell has been as erratic as possible, scoring in the double digits every other week since Week 4. In an offense that includes other talented options such as Rob Gronkowski, this makes sense.

This week seems like a down week against the Denver Broncos, a unit that allows the seventh-fewest points to wideouts this year. With LaFell blanketed by Aqib Talib, he needs to be on benches.

Tight Ends

Start 'Em: Travis Kelce, KC (vs. NYJ)

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Travis Kelce is one of the most talented tight ends in the NFL, but he has been in a slump as of late and is stuck in a questionable offense led by Andy Reid.

How to fix such a situation? A matchup against the New York Jets, of course.

The Jets allow the fourth-most points to tight ends this season. It is not like Kelce is not getting his chances, either, thanks to 10 targets over the course of his last two games.

Expect the dam to break this weekend.

Sit 'Em: Zach Ertz, PHI (at HOU)

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On the flip side at the position, a good thing had to end at some point.

Last week, Philadelphia Eagles tight end Zach Ertz fell off a cliff and scored just four points in an eye-popping matchup. Coming off a game in which he scored 10, it was the definition of a letdown performance.

This week the matchup is a nightmare. Houston allows the eighth-fewest points to the position and has allowed just two teams to break double digits this season. It is time to ignore the hype and look elsewhere for help.

Kickers

Start 'Em: Mike Nugent, CIN (vs. JAC)

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Mike Nugent has hurt owners over the course of the past few weeks, as the Cincinnati Bengals kicker had a bit of the miss bug in his fourth and fifth outings of the season.

Nugent is a great start this week against Jacksonville, though, and is even a great streaming start as he is owned in just 22.9 percent of leagues.

Cincinnati is sure to do some scoring at home against the Jaguars. To make things even better, they allow the most fantasy points to kickers this season. Just two teams have failed to break double digits in that regard.

Sit 'Em: Cairo Santos, KC (vs. NYJ)

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Here is how strange fantasy can be at times—Cairo Santos is owned in more leagues than Nugent.

To be fair, the hype train for the Chiefs kicker right now is through the roof considering he has three double-digit performances in his last four outings, but now he has a tough matchup—as strange as this sounds—against the Jets.

The Jets have allowed just three kickers to score in double digits this season. Surely better options exist in a game that may see scoring be a limited commodity.

D/ST

Start 'Em: Cincinnati Bengals (vs. JAC)

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Sorry, Jacksonville fans, but this is just how it goes. 

Go ahead and guess which team allows the most points to fantasy defenses this season. It would be Jacksonville, folks.

Much of this has to do with rookie quarterback Blake Bortles, who already has 12 interceptions this season. On the road against a strong defense, these issues should only be amplified.

Feel free to keep in mind, though, that the Bengals have one of the better defenses out there this season despite a number of injuries.

Sit 'Em: Dallas Cowboys (vs. ARI)

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This one is actually not as obvious as it looks considering the Dallas Cowboys have had a rather strong defense this season.

That said, the Cardinals rank among the top 10 in terms of points allowed to defenses on a weekly basis.

This week, a date against the aforementioned Palmer and his number of potent weapons in a vertical-based attack is something to steer clear of at all costs. There are undoubtedly better options at a predictable position.

All scoring info courtesy of ESPN standard leagues, as is points-against info and ownership stats. Statistics courtesy of ESPN.