Week 9 Start 'Em, Sit 'Em: Assessing Sunday's Toughest Fantasy Decisions

Many fantasy football owners are reaching a critical juncture of the season, and as a result, handling their teams with the utmost of care is pivotal.

The 2014 NFL season is at the midpoint, which means that the playoffs are inching ever closer in many fantasy leagues. For those on the outside looking in, and especially those near the bottom of the standings, time is slowly running out to get into a postseason position.

All is not lost, but these next two or three weeks are critical. Owners should read every bit of information they can.

Below are six different players who fall under one of two designations: start 'em or sit 'em. Each player could be the difference between a win and a loss in this important weekend.

Quarterback

Start 'Em: Ryan Tannehill vs. San Diego Chargers

Phelan M. Ebenhack/Associated Press

This is the classic matchup advantage. Ryan Tannehill remains an infuriatingly inconsistent quarterback, but it's hard to disagree with how mediocre the San Diego Chargers pass defense is.

By the numbers, San Diego isn't that bad, giving up an average of 219.1 yards a game and 6.6 yards an attempt, both of which are impressive. However, the Chargers secondary has also allowed 14 touchdowns (tied for 23rd) and intercepted only four passes (also tied for 23rd).

Football Outsiders ranks the Chargers 26th in pass defense.

Maybe Dan Marino can be the guy to help coax out Tannehill's best traits. The two have been going over tape together in order to help the current Miami Dolphins QB, per Jameson Olive of Fox Sports Florida.

"Dan's been great. He's been around a lot, as of recent," the third-year starter said. "I've watched tape with him. He's been in the TV room, he's a great resource to have around with his knowledge of the game and, obviously, with the success he's had in his career."

Tannehill likely won't have a monster day fantasy-wise, but he should do more than enough to crack the top 10 QBs in Week 9.

Sit 'Em: Ben Roethlisberger vs. Baltimore Ravens

Perhaps it's crazy to put Ben Roethlisberger here. Last week, he threw for 522 yards and six touchdowns without a single interception. Roethlisberger was Week 8's best performer, and now he's not even worth starting?

Surprisingly, yes. One of the traps fantasy owners sometimes fall into is getting lost in one great game and failing to look ahead.

The Baltimore Ravens rank seventh in pass defense, according to Football Outsiders, and have surrendered an average of 15 fantasy points a game to opposing QBs on ESPN.com (23rd in the league).

Historically, Roethlisberger has struggled a bit against the Ravens, averaging 223.1 yards, 1.4 touchdowns and 1.1 interceptions over 15 games.

Running Back

Start 'Em: Ronnie Hillman vs. New England Patriots

Joe Mahoney/Associated Press

Ronnie Hillman fantasy owners had a bit of a scare on Wednesday when the Denver Broncos running back picked up a shoulder injury. ESPN.com's Jeff Legwold reported that Hillman was limited in practice on Thursday but should be on the field when the Denver Broncos take on the New England Patriots.

As tough as the Patriots have been against the pass this year, that's about how bad they are against the run. New England's giving up an average of 129.6 yards a game, which ranks 29th. The Pats are also allowing an average of 4.6 yards a carry.

Running backs have a lot of success against New England, posting 20.3 points a game on ESPN.com.

Hillman should have his best performance of the season.

Sit 'Em: Giovani Bernard vs. Jacksonville Jaguars

Things could change between now and Sunday, but all signs are pointing to Giovani Bernard missing the Cincinnati Bengals' matchup with the Jacksonville Jaguars.

Paul Dehner Jr. of The Cincinnati Enquirer reported that Bernard missed his second day of practice this week, which casts serious doubt over his availability:

In the event Bernard does play, he's unlikely to be 100 percent. That would mean the Bengals coaching staff leans a little heavier on Jeremy Hill, who's averaging a respectable 3.9 yards a carry. Having Hill be the primary ball-carrier wouldn't be a bad thing for Cincinnati.

The incentive isn't strong for the Bengals to push Bernard too hard given his current status, and you should alter your fantasy lineup accordingly.

Wide Receiver

Start 'Em: Andrew Hawkins vs. Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Tony Dejak/Associated Press

The one thing really holding back Andrew Hawkins' fantasy potential this year is his lack of touchdowns. He has 36 receptions and 470 yards, and for so long, his failure to find the end zone was a glaring problem. Now that Hawkins has gotten over the hump, he should become a much more reliable option.

Hawkins couldn't have asked for a better opponent to continue his momentum. The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are giving up the most fantasy points to opposing wide receivers, according to ESPN.com. Opposing QBs are throwing for an average of 286 yards against the Bucs, which means Brian Hoyer's due for a big day.

Mary Kay Cabot of The Plain Dealer in Cleveland reported that Jordan Cameron remains out of practice following a concussion:

That should mean more targets for Hawkins, making him a strong start for Week 9.

Sit 'Em: Emmanuel Sanders vs. New England Patriots

Jack Dempsey/Associated Press

The Patriots secondary is where fantasy points go to die. New England is second-best in the league in points allowed to opposing wide receivers. That could spell bad news for one or more of the Broncos' cadre of talented wideouts.

The player who looks most likely to lay an egg is Emmanuel Sanders. He may be coming off his best performance of the season, but his numbers have been somewhat sporadic in 2014.

Week	Receptions	Targets	Yards	TDs
1	6	9	77	0
2	8	9	108	0
3	11	15	149	0
5	7	9	101	0
6	3	6	38	0
7	3	3	41	1
8	9	9	120	3

Sanders hasn't yet reached that kind of category where he's absolutely undroppable no matter the circumstances. He's still capable of a bad performance here and there, and one could very well arrive on Sunday.

You wouldn't be foolish to start him, but don't be surprised if his final numbers are underwhelming.