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

A few NFL trades that occurred on Tuesday have opened the door for some players to receive more opportunities moving forward.

We'll take a look at a couple of them from a fantasy football perspective in the midst of providing start 'em/sit 'em picks for running back, wide receiver and tight end. A note that the suggestions are based off point-per-reception leagues.

Running Back Start 'Em

San Francisco RB Matt Breida vs. Oakland Raiders

Green Bay Packers RB Aaron Jones at New England Patriots

Running Back Sit 'Em

Oakland Raiders RB Doug Martin at San Francisco 49ers

Tennessee Titans RB Dion Lewis at Dallas Cowboys

Wide Receiver Start 'Em

Denver Broncos WR Courtland Sutton vs. Houston Texans

Detroit Lions WR Marvin Jones Jr. at Minnesota Vikings

Wide Receiver Sit 'Em

Chicago Bears WR Taylor Gabriel at Buffalo Bills

Atlanta Falcons WR Calvin Ridley at Washington Redskins

Tight End Start 'Em

Minnesota Vikings TE Kyle Rudolph vs. Detroit Lions

Washington Redskins TE Jordan Reed vs. Atlanta Falcons

Tight End Sit 'Em

Pittsburgh Steelers TE Vance McDonald at Baltimore Ravens

New York Jets TE Chris Herndon at Miami Dolphins

Start 'Em: Denver Broncos WR Courtland Sutton vs. Houston Texans

Ian Rapoport of the NFL Network reported on Tuesday that the Denver Broncos traded wide receiver Demaryius Thomas to the Houston Texans.

That frees up rookie wideout Courtland Sutton to take Thomas' spot. The former SMU star has caught 17 passes (on 37 targets) for 324 yards and two touchdowns. While that catch rate isn't ideal, the yard-per-reception rate of 19.1 is third in the NFL, per Graham Barfield of NFL.com. Fantasy Insiders Editor-in-Chief Ben Gretch also reported that Sutton is 32nd in air yards.

With more targets and playing time, Sutton could be a mainstay in fantasy lineups.

Evan Silva of Rotoworld provided some commentary on what this move will mean for Sutton's Week 9 matchup against the Texans (yes, Thomas is playing his old team in his old stadium five days after the trade):

The Texans are 11th in adjusted passing yards allowed per attempt, but according to Sharp Football Stats, they have faced the easiest schedule of opposing pass offenses in the league (based off Football Outsiders' efficiency metrics). Breaking that down in future detail, six of eight Houston's opponents rank in the bottom half of the league in that regard, with three in the bottom five.

A deep threat like Sutton could give the Texans some problems. Houston has allowed a couple fat stat lines to wideouts, including six catches for 137 yards to Miami Dolphins wideout DeVante Parker and four catches and 115 yards to the Indianapolis Colts' T.Y. Hilton even though the latter player was on the field less than half of the game.

Sutton may be the most popular waiver-wire pickup in leagues where he's still available. He's worth a good chunk of your FAAB budget or high waiver priority.

Start 'Em: Detroit Lions WR Marvin Jones Jr. at Minnesota Vikings

Wide receiver Golden Tate beat all the reporters to the punch as he broke his own trade to the Philadelphia Eagles from the Detroit Lions.

Tate had 44 catches (on 69 targets) for 517 yards in seven games, so the Lions must find a way to replace his bountiful production.

Presumably, Lions wideouts Kenny Golladay and Marvin Jones Jr. will see more work. Golladay is second on the team in receptions and yards and was already a must-start even if Tate was still on the team.

However, Jones Jr., who had just 19 catches for 270 yards and three scores before a breakout game Sunday versus the Seattle Seahawks, now becomes a must start every week.

Jones Jr. is facing a tough Minnesota Vikings defense, which can hinder his outlook. Minnesota hasn't allowed more than 364 yards per game in the past four weeks, which is impressive considering the league average is 363.5. The Vikings also just shut down the powerful New Orleans Saints offense, holding the team to a season-low of 270 scrimmage yards.

Remarkably, Minnesota did that sans No. 1 cornerback Xavier Rhodes, who is dealing with a sprained ankle. It's unknown if Rhodes will be available for Sunday's game.

If he is, Rhodes could be shadowing Jones at times (Ben Goessling of the Star-Tribune noted that has been the case in recent outings).

However, the Lions wideout didn't have much trouble in the team's Thanksgiving meeting, catching six passes for 109 yards and two scores. Without him on the field, Jones could be in line for even more production as the banged-up Vikings secondary is already without rookie cornerback Mike Hughes (torn ACL) and potentially strong safety Andrew Sendejo, who is battling a groin injury and has missed three straight games. 

Don't be too concerned about the matchup, as the increased opportunities should be enough to start Jones moving forward. It's also beneficial to trust players with solid long-term prospects, and Barfield seems excited about Jones' remaining 2018 campaign:

In sum, Jones is an automatic start moving forward, even in tough situations.