NFL Week 9 Fantasy Football: Start Jay Cutler, Sit Matt Ryan and More
Last week was a banner week for Matthew Stafford and my fantasy football predictions.
Matthew Stafford, my pick to start at QB, had a huge week, putting up 24 points, while Ben Roethlisberger, the QB I said to sit, had only 5 points, good for a +19 point differential right off the bat.
My RB picks were also decent, as Frank Gore had 17 points, compared to only 13 points from Darren McFadden. That put me at +23 for the week.
WR brought me back to reality though, as Dwayne Bowe had 7 points and Miles Austin had 11 points, dropping me back to +19.
I also dropped the ball slightly on my TE pick, as Vishante Shiancoe had only 3 points, while Jon Carlson had a whopping 4 points.
Still, I managed to finish with my best point differential yet, at +18, bringing my total for the year to +27.
Here are my Week 9 fantasy football picks.
QBs: Start Jay Cutler
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Everything about Jay Cutler's body language and recent performance on the field screams, "Don't play me!".
But, against a weak Buffalo Bills pass defense, even the embattled Jay Cutler will have a big fantasy day.
Buffalo has only intercepted one pass this season, a miserable total for an NFL team nearly halfway through their season.
Though I expect the Bills to intercept Cutler once, doubling their season total, he'll throw for three or four touchdowns to offset the pick.
The Bills defense has also allowed 15 receiving touchdowns this year, tied for third worst in the NFL.
QBs: Sit Matt Ryan
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Matt Ryan and the Atlanta Falcons have to play a surprisingly good Tampa Bay Buccaneers team this week.
Perhaps the most surprising stat is that the Bucs' defense already has 14 interceptions, the most in the NFL. And they do it with virtually no pass rush to speak of, as they are tied for last in the league with only six sacks.
Look for them to sit back in coverage and bait Ryan into a couple of bad interceptions.
RBs: Start LeSean McCoy
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Coming off of the Philadelphia Eagles bye week, LeSean McCoy should be fully rested and ready to go. That's good news for his fantasy owners, since he is also playing the Indianapolis Colts, who give up a lot of yards on the ground.
Look for the Colts-Eagles game to come down to the wire, with McCoy pounding the ball and moving the chains for Philly.
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RBs: Sit Arian Foster
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The Houston Texans play the San Diego Chargers this week. The Chargers statistically have the best overall defense in the league and the second best run defense. Therefore, every yard will be a tough yard for Arian Foster.
Also, I expect the Chargers-Texans matchup to turn into a shootout, with Matt Schaub having to match Philip Rivers pass for pass.
Thus, don't expect Foster and the running game to play a major factor in this ballgame.
WRs: Start Patrick Crayton
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The San Diego Chargers have the best pass defense in the NFL. Their opponent this week, the Houston Texans, are at the complete opposite end of that spectrum.
When you get Philip Rivers matched up against the worst pass defense in the league, you expect huge things. Patrick Crayton will be his No. 1 wide receiver this week, so look for him to reap the benefits of Rivers' huge day.
WRs: Sit Steve Johnson
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Of all the problems the Chicago Bears have had this season, their defense has been a bright spot. Surprisingly, the Bears have only allowed four touchdown passes all year.
Therefore, I don't expect Ryan Fitzpatrick and the Buffalo Bills to do much scoring through the air this week.
This will certainly affect the Bills' best receiver, Steve Johnson, who has six touchdown catches on the year. I don't expect him to add to that total this week.
TEs: Start Todd Heap
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Todd Heap has caught three touchdown passes in his last two games, despite being banged up. He's banged up again this week, with neck and shoulder issues, but he's expected to play when the Baltimore Ravens take on the Miami Dolphins.
The Dolphins don't allow very many 20+ yard passing plays, so look for Joe Flacco to find Heap for some shorter completions.
Then, look for those shorter completions to add up to a nice day yardage-wise, and maybe a touchdown or two.
TEs: Sit Tony Gonzalez
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The Tampa Bay Buccaneers have some of the best young safeties in the NFL right now. While they occasionally blow an assignment, they get better and better every single week.
That's bad news for the Atlanta Falcons and Tony Gonzalez. Gonzalez normally creates matchup problems for any safety that tries to cover him, but if any secondary is up to the task, it's Tampa Bay's.
Tony will still have a couple catches, but look for him to finish the day with less than 50 yards and no touchdowns.
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