Week 9 Start 'Em, Sit 'Em: Play or Bench Tips for Fantasy Football Owners

Gardner Minshew II has become one of the most popular players in the NFL, and this week, the Jacksonville Jaguars' rookie quarterback might be able to help fantasy owners win their matchup, too.

Minshew and the Jags are taking on the Houston Texans in London on Sunday. Minshew will look to continue his strong debut campaign, as he's passed for 1,976 yards, 13 touchdowns and two interceptions in eight games this season.

While Minshew will be a good fantasy play this week, it will take more than him to be victorious. Heading into Week 9, here are some tips on which players to start and which ones to bench this week.

Start 'Em

QB: Gardner Minshew II, Jacksonville Jaguars vs. Houston Texans in London

QB: Matthew Stafford, Detroit Lions at Oakland Raiders

RB: Frank Gore, Buffalo Bills vs. Washington Redskins

RB: Jordan Howard, Philadelphia Eagles vs. Chicago Bears

WR: Michael Gallup, Dallas Cowboys at New York Giants

WR: DK Metcalf, Seattle Seahawks vs. Tampa Bay Buccaneers

WR: Emmanuel Sanders, San Francisco 49ers at Arizona Cardinals

TE: Darren Fells, Houston Texans vs. Jacksonville Jaguars in London

TE: T.J. Hockenson, Detroit Lions at Oakland Raiders

After a pair of subpar showings the previous two weeks, Minshew got back on track last week with a big performance against the Jets. He passed for 279 yards and three touchdowns while completing 64.7 percent of his pass attempts.

Minshew should have another strong game this week in London, as the Texans' secondary will likely be beatable. Houston is allowing 276.8 passing yards per game, which is fifth-worst in the NFL.

Plus, the Texans have a strong offense themselves, so the Jaguars may be in a position where they'll need to keep passing and trying to match points with the AFC South rivals. That makes Minshew an even better streaming option for fantasy owners looking for a quarterback this week.

On opposite ends of the Week 9 schedule, Emmanuel Sanders and Michael Gallup are both strong receiver plays this week.

Sanders is set for his second game since being traded to the 49ers, who will travel to take on the Cardinals on Thursday night. In his San Francisco debut last week, Sanders only had four receptions for 25 yards, but he scored his first touchdown since Week 2.

With a favorable matchup against Arizona, Sanders should get into the end zone again this week, and he'll likely have more yards to go with it this time.

The Giants have trouble stopping the deep ball, so expect Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott to hit Gallup on some long passes on Monday night. Gallup will likely put up some big yardage and score at least one touchdown.

Sit 'Em

QB: Baker Mayfield, Cleveland Browns at Denver Broncos

QB: Kyler Murray, Arizona Cardinals vs. San Francisco 49ers

RB: Le'Sean McCoy, Kansas City Chiefs vs. Minnesota Vikings

RB: Adrian Peterson, Washington Redskins at Buffalo Bills

WR: Larry Fitzgerald, Arizona Cardinals vs. San Francisco 49ers

WR: Curtis Samuel, Carolina Panthers vs. Tennessee Titans

WR: Sammy Watkins, Kansas City Chiefs vs. Minnesota Vikings

TE: Eric Ebron, Indianapolis Colts at Pittsburgh Steelers

TE: Jimmy Graham, Green Bay Packers at Los Angeles Chargers

Baker Mayfield and Kyler Murray are both young, talented quarterbacks, but neither is a good play this week.

After a solid rookie campaign last year, Mayfield hasn't been having success recently for the 2-5 Browns. He has thrown only six touchdowns to 12 interceptions, as he's been intercepted at least once in each of Cleveland's seven games.

Mayfield likely won't have better results this week against the Broncos, who rank fourth in the NFL with 194.8 passing yards allowed per game.

For the Cardinals, Murray has had a solid rookie season so far, but he hasn't been a great fantasy option recently. Over the past five games, Murray has three touchdowns passes, all of which came in a Week 6 win over the Falcons.

Murray will likely have trouble getting into the end zone this week, and he may not rack up much yardage, either. The 49ers lead the NFL with only 224.4 yards allowed per game, and they're going to make it tough for the Cardinals' offense to move the ball.

That's why Fitzgerald is another player to stay away from this week. After notching back-to-back 100-yard games to open the season, the Cardinals' veteran receiver hasn't reached that mark since. Christian Kirk will likely receive a lot of targets, as Fitzgerald will likely have trouble getting open against 49ers cornerback Richard Sherman if he draws that assignment.