Start 'Em, Sit 'Em Week 9: Flex, PPR Advice for Fringe Fantasy Football Stars

For fantasy football owners looking to sneak back into playoff contention in PPR leagues, look no further than the waiver wire or the end of your bench. As the bye weeks hit hard, we'll go through several start 'em, sit 'em and drop candidates.

In Week 9, pay attention to rookie running backs. Two first-year players have favorable matchups for slightly different reasons. Both offer high upside due to their target volume as receivers.

It's important to leave last year in the past. Think about what the player has done for you lately. What happened during the 2016 season can't help you claw back into postseason contention or further clamp down on a top spot in 2017.

Finally, we'll say farewell to a fantasy football legend. Someone who's helped owners overcome poor production at the wide receiver position since 2004. He's still hanging around on some rosters, but it's time to say goodbye.

Who should you start, sit and drop in Week 9?

Start 'Em

1. RB, Alvin Kamara, New Orleans Saints vs. Tampa Bay Buccaneers

2. RB, Joe Mixon, Cincinnati Bengals at Jacksonville Jaguars

3. RB, Christian McCaffrey, Carolina Panthers vs. Atlanta Falcons

4. WR, Kenny Stills, Miami Dolphins vs. Oakland Raiders

5. TE, Austin Seferian-Jenkins vs. Buffalo Bills

Start 'Em: RB, Joe Mixon, Cincinnati Bengals at Jacksonville Jaguars

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The Cincinnati Bengals game plan should focus on attacking the league's worst ground defense on Sunday. Quarterbacks should attack the Jacksonville Jaguars secondary with caution, but the defense lacks discipline in running lanes.

Fantasy owners should anticipate minimal pass attempts for quarterback Andy Dalton and at least 20 touches for running back Joe Mixon. Despite a dip in workload over the past two weeks, he eclipsed 100 yards from scrimmage for the second time against the Indianapolis Colts in Week 7.

Mixon leads the Bengals backfield in rush attempts (85) and receptions (17). Expect him to see a high volume of touches in a conservative offensive approach against an aggressive defense. He's a must-start player in Week 9.

Start 'Em: RB, Christian McCaffrey, Carolina Panthers vs. Atlanta Falcons

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Despite Carolina Panthers quarterback Cam Newton's inconsistencies, the offensive design still provides running back Christian McCaffrey ample opportunities to contribute as a dynamic playmaker. He's been targeted at least five times in the passing attack each contest with a handful of carries.

In fact, McCaffrey leads the team with 66 targets and 49 receptions for the season. When Newton isn't connecting on his deep throws, he'll settle for the high-percentage completions underneath to the rookie running back.

According to Football Outsiders, the Atlanta Falcons allow 57.6 receiving yards per contest to running backs.

Since the Panthers opted to trade wideout Kelvin Benjamin, per ESPN's Adam Schefter, Devin Funchess becomes an obvious starter for the remainder of the season. Nonetheless, McCaffrey's targets should also increase with more passes to go around.

Sit 'Em

1. RB, Frank Gore, Indianapolis Colts at Houston Texans

2. RB, LeGarrette Blount, Philadelphia Eagles vs. Denver Broncos

3. WR, Jordan Matthews, Buffalo Bills at New York Jets

4. WR, Jamison Crowder, Washington Redskins at Seattle Seahawks

5. TE, Tyler Kroft, Cincinnati Bengals at Jacksonville Jaguars

Sit 'Em: WR, Jordan Matthews, Buffalo at New York Jets

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Benjamin's move to Buffalo ultimately kills wide receiver Jordan Matthews' fantasy value. In six games as a starting receiver, he's caught 15 passes for 193 yards and a touchdown. Going forward, he'll vanish in the Bills passing attack.

Buffalo will play the New York Jets on a short week, but it shouldn't take much to lob a few passes to 6'5" Benjamin deep downfield for a few completions. Matthews hasn't caught more than three passes with the Bills, and it won't happen with a new No. 1 wideout in the offense.

Even if Benjamin doesn't suit up due to a short turnaround, Matthews would've likely disappointed his fantasy owners anyway. He had a favorable matchup against the Oakland Raiders secondary in Week 8 and finished with just three catches for 21 yards.

Sit 'Em: WR, Jamison Crowder, Washington Redskins at Seattle Seahawks

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For owners trying to guess which Washington Redskins wide receiver sees the most targets, you're better off picking the winning lotto numbers on any given day.

Quarterback Kirk Cousins has targeted three wideouts at least 30 times through seven games. Furthermore, the coaching staff plans to make a concerted effort to increase Josh Doctson's role.

Wide receiver Jamison Crowder's 123-yard performance in the previous outing may entice you but fight the urges to start him. He's going to CenturyLink Field and draws a tough matchup against the Seattle Seahawks.

The Redskins offense lacks the dimensions to mirror what Houston Texans quarterback Deshaun Watson did against the Legion of Boom. Washington's rushing offense hasn't reached the 100-yard mark since Week 4. Remember, Crowder has logged five games with fewer than 50 receiving yards. Look at his previous performance as a blip not the start of a trend.

Players to Drop

1. RB, Terrance West, Baltimore Ravens

2. RB, Jeremy Hill, Cincinnati Bengals

3. RB, Thomas Rawls, Seattle Seahawks

4. WR, Randall Cobb, Green Bay Packers

5. WR, Terrelle Pryor, Washington Redskins

6. WR, Donte Moncrief, Indianapolis Colts

7. WR, John Brown, Arizona Cardinals

8. TE, Eric Ebron, Detroit Lions

9. TE, Antonio Gates, Los Angeles Chargers

10. TE, Martellus Bennett, Green Bay Packers

Drop 'Em: RB, Terrance West, Baltimore Ravens

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All fantasy owners should cut bait with Baltimore Ravens running back Terrance West. At some point, he's going to recover from his calf injury, but the 26-year-old won't have a starting position or much of a role within the offense.

Running back Alex Collins put a stronghold on the early-down role with his first 100-yard performance against the Miami Dolphins' top-10 run defense in Week 8. The rookie ball-carrier already leads the team with 478 rushing yards.

If you're hoping West returns as a receiving back, it's not going to happen. Javorius Allen already fills the role with 32 receptions for 145 yards and a touchdown out of the backfield. Running back Danny Woodhead returned to practice on Tuesday, which further pushes West to the curb in Baltimore.

Player to Drop: TE, Antonio Gates, Los Angeles Chargers

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Los Angeles Chargers tight end Antonio Gates isn't going to lead your team to victory as one of the most productive players at his position.

Quarterback Philip Rivers has targeted Gates either once or twice in each of the previous three games. The 37-year-old tight end hasn't caught more than three passes in any contest this season. Furthermore, he's yet to eclipse 30 receiving yards in a game.

Similar to Cousins, Rivers has too many options to settle on one pass-catcher. Secondly, he's relying on a younger tight end in Hunter Henry who lists third on the team with 312 receiving yards.

Thank Gates for all the fantasy football memories, but it's past time for him to hit the waiver-wire scrapheap.