Week 9 Start 'Em, Sit 'Em: Final Review of Most Difficult Fantasy Matchups

Fantasy football owners are faced with difficult decisions every single week. Should you stick with a struggling starter or go with the high-upside player with a favorable matchup? These choices could wind up making or breaking your week—or season.

Week 9 is chock-full of bye-week teams, making these tough decisions all the more prevalent. The player you decide to add in your starting lineup could even come from the waiver wire due to this immense amount of inactivity.

Taking all of this into consideration, let's take a look at one player worthy of a start and one who should be relegated to the bench for all four of fantasy football's major positions.

Quarterback

Start 'Em: Colin Kaepernick

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The San Francisco 49ers signal-caller hasn't exactly lit it up for fantasy owners this season—well, aside from his Week 6 matchup against the St. Louis Rams when he threw for 343 yards and three touchdowns. Luckily, he plays the Rams twice each year, and Week 9 happens to be the second time.

St. Louis has been dreadful against the pass of late. While the team ranks 11th in yards allowed with 231.3, it ranks 31st in points allowed with 30.0 per game. From a fantasy perspective, the Rams are giving up an average of 19.0 fantasy points per game to opposing quarterbacks this season, according to ESPN.com, ranking them 29th in that category.

Kaepernick is coming off a bye week, is well rested and has plenty of healthy weapons at his disposal. Expect him to put together another big performance against the Rams for the second time this season.

Sit 'Em: Robert Griffin III

Some fantasy owners may be excited to have Griffin back in Week 9; however, he will be a huge risk in any starting lineup. While the Minnesota Vikings haven't been one of the league's better teams this season, they have been very good against the pass.

Defensive guru Mike Zimmer's presence is already being felt in Minnesota, as the team is ranked fourth against the pass this year, allowing an average of just 212.1 yards per game. It has been just as good from a fantasy standpoint, allowing only 13.0 fantasy points per game to opposing quarterbacks.

Griffin is coming off a lengthy layoff due to injury, and this team has a history of rushing him back before he's fully ready. That said, we should expect to see some rust on Sunday. Considering his difficult matchup, that's not a good omen. He's best left on the bench in Week 9.

Running Back

Start 'Em: Ahmad Bradshaw

Bradshaw is poised to tear it up against the New York Giants on Monday Night Football. He's been a revelation out of the Indianapolis Colts backfield this season, as his versatility makes him a dangerous weapon as a ball-carrier and receiver.

He's averaging 4.9 yards per carry so far this season, and now he gets a great matchup against a Giants defense that is allowing 122.0 rushing yards per game and is allowing an average of 20.6 fantasy points to opposing running backs, according to ESPN.com.

While Bradshaw is splitting time with a now-healthy Trent Richardson, that hasn't affected his fantasy output at all this year. Between his carries out of the backfield and rapport with quarterback Andrew Luck in the passing game, expect a big showing from this ball-carrier in Week 9.

Sit 'Em: Chris Ivory

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There may not be a New York Jets starter worthy of a spot in a fantasy football lineup this week, and Ivory is no exception. This offense is in flux right now, as question marks at the quarterback position will continue to hinder performances of players at the surrounding positions.

At first glance, a matchup against a Kansas City Chiefs defense that's allowing 112.9 yards on the ground per game may seem favorable. However, this defense has been great from a fantasy perspective, giving up just 11.3 fantasy points per game to opposing ball-carriers. In fact, over the last two weeks, neither the San Diego Chargers nor the Rams could even reach double-digit points against this unit.

Unless you have absolutely no other option in Week 9 at either the running back or flex position, do yourself a favor and keep Ivory on the bench.

Wide Receiver

Start 'Em: Brandon LaFell

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LaFell has caught the eye of quarterback Tom Brady, and that's a great sign for his fantasy owners. The wide receiver is coming off an 11-reception performance that yielded 124 yards and a touchdown against the Chicago Bears. Jeff Howe of the Boston Herald tweeted the wide receiver's recent stellar numbers:

Expect more of the same to continue in Week 9.

The Denver Broncos are allowing an average of 242.9 passing yards per game, which is about average in the NFL; however, fantasy wide receivers have had recent field days against this defense. Coming into Week 9, the Broncos have allowed an average of 17.9 fantasy points to wide receivers, according to ESPN.com; although, they have given up 36 and 20 points in their last two games, respectively.

Considering the absolute tear Brady is on right now, we should expect some big numbers from the future Hall of Famer on Sunday. LaFell will be one of the primary beneficiaries.

Sit 'Em: Keenan Allen

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Allen is coming off a very nice performance in Week 8 against the Broncos, but that isn't likely to continue on Sunday against a Miami Dolphins defense that is ranked third against the pass, allowing an average of 211.6 yards per game. Miami is also stout against wide receivers in the fantasy realm, allowing 17.6 fantasy points per game.

This is an extremely difficult matchup for a wide receiver who has been very inconsistent this season. Allen certainly has plenty of talent, but he's only scored more than five fantasy points in two of his eight games so far this year.

Allen would be a viable flex play if he showed up on more of a consistent basis, but he's simply too much of a risk to warrant a start in Week 9.

Tight End

Start 'Em: Travis Kelce

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Kelce is probable for Sunday's contest against the New York Jets, and he's poised to get back on track after a couple of quiet weeks.

With a great amount of speed, Kelce is emerging as one of Kansas City's most dangerous offensive weapons. Pro Football Focus tweeted one reason why this tight end can be so problematic for opposing defenses:

"

Most yards after the catch WR: Demaryius Thomas 388 TE: Travis Kelce 248

— Pro Football Focus (@PFF) October 28, 2014"

He'll get a great chance to show what he's made of against a Jets defense that's allowing 10.6 fantasy points to opposing tight ends, according to ESPN.com.

New York's defense is allowing 28.5 points per game, which ranks 30th in the league. Expect the Chiefs to find the end zone often on Sunday, and don't be surprised if one of those scores goes to the team's tight end.

Sit 'Em: Heath Miller

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Miller was a huge beneficiary of quarterback Ben Roethlisberger's enormous Week 8 performance in Week 8, racking up seven receptions for 112 yards and a score. Unfortunately, his owners shouldn't expect a repeat performance against the Baltimore Ravens in Week 9.

Baltimore's defense has been stepping up in a big way of late, and it has been fantastic against tight ends in 2014. The Ravens are only allowing 4.5 fantasy points per game to the position—the fourth fewest in the league.

Adding to Miller's impending difficult matchup is Baltimore's ability to keep points off the board. Heading into Week 9, the Ravens are only allowing 16.4 points per game, ranking second in the NFL in that category. Expect the Pittsburgh Steelers tight end to have a rough outing on Sunday. He's better off left on the bench.