Week 9 Fantasy Football Start Em Sit Em: Ryan Fitzpatrick and QBs You Must Bench

In fantasy terms, there is a select group of quarterbacks that should be started on a weekly basis regardless of matchups, including Aaron Rodgers, Tom Brady, Drew Brees and Michael Vick. Outside of that, there is a fairly large pool of signal callers capable of putting up huge numbers in any given week.

The thing that separates the top tier from the tiers below it, however, is consistency. You will rarely see a top-flight passer have a miserable game, but it happens with more regularity with players further down in the pecking order. Here are capable starting quarterbacks you should bench in Week 9.

Matt Schaub - Houston Texans

While the Houston Texans have traditionally been a passing team over the past few seasons thanks to the combination of quarterback Matt Schaub and wide receiver Andre Johnson, they have run the ball more frequently and effectively than ever this year.

Schaub's numbers haven't dropped off as he is still one of the better fantasy quarterbacks in the league, but running back Arian Foster figures to be the offensive focus this week against the Cleveland Browns. The Browns have had a difficult time stopping the run this season, but they rank second against the pass, although they haven't exactly faced many elite quarterbacks.

Stud wide receiver Andre Johnson may be back in the lineup for the Texans this week, but even if he is, he won't be at 100 percent. Houston should be able to handle Cleveland by running the ball and playing good defense, so I don't see a ton of scoring potential for Schaub on Sunday.

Joe Flacco - Baltimore Ravens

Baltimore Ravens quarterback Joe Flacco was expected by many to become a reliable fantasy starter this season, and while he has had his moments, he has been far too inconsistent. Flacco is the type of quarterback who either throws for over 300 yards or under 100, and he has five games this season with one or less touchdowns.

If that weren't enough to scare fantasy owners away, Flacco will be contending with the Pittsburgh Steelers and their top-ranked pass defense on Sunday night. Flacco was successful against the Steelers with three touchdown passes in Week 1, but Pittsburgh is a much better team at this point than it was early in the year.

Although the Steelers may be missing three regular starters at linebacker, these games tend to be physical with not much offense, as Week 1 seems to be an outlier. With the Steelers at home and the Ravens struggling as a whole, I would be surprised to see a repeat performance from Flacco.

Ryan Fitzpatrick - Buffalo Bills

As one of the best players on one of the most surprising teams in football, Buffalo Bills quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick has been a revelation this season. The Harvard grad was solid in a starting role last season and threw more than 20 touchdowns, but he seems to have reached another level in 2011.

Fitzpatrick is among the league leaders with 14 touchdown strikes and he consistently racks up around 250 passing yards. It might be best to sit him on the bench in fantasy terms this week, however, as he will be facing the New York Jets who rank among the NFL's best against the pass.

All-Pro cornerback Darrelle Revis will shut down Fitzpatrick's No. 1 target Stevie Johnson in all likelihood, so his options will be more limited than usual. In addition to that, New York has been very poor against the run, so I would expect the Jets to see a heavy dose of MVP-candidate Fred Jackson in Week 9. When you combine those factors, Fitz isn't likely to score big on Sunday.