Fantasy football start ’em, sit ’em: Week 9

Check out these start/sit decisions in Week 9 of fantasy football.

In what will be one of the most difficult weeks for fantasy football managers, the lineup decisions could make or break a matchup.

There’s a lot of fantasy firepower sitting on the bench this week with six teams on a bye, including the Cleveland Browns, Denver Broncos, New York Giants, Pittsburgh Steelers, Dallas Cowboys, and San Francisco 49ers.

Doing start/sit articles can be a little challenging. The players featured on the list below should not be taken as “must starts” or “must sits.” Instead, these are more suggestions on what we believe managers should do with fringe players heading into the weekend. The choice is ultimately up to the manager.

Just because a player is listed as a “start” doesn’t mean he should be put in the lineup over the secure, bona fide studs. Vice versa for the “sits.” If there’s no better option on the waiver wire or the bench, a manager shouldn’t automatically sit the player. That’s why these can be tricky waters to navigate.

You also can check out our start and sit bench list for Week 9.

The best fantasy football gamble of Week 9

Seven straight weeks of paltry results shouldn’t stop gamers from playing this bruiser.

Every week, at least one player becomes my fascination of whether he’s worthy of a fantasy football start as a streamer. The decision can be a mental wrestling match, but for the purpose of brevity, only one player can be chosen as the fantasy football gamble of the week.

The best fantasy football gamble for Week 9

Tracking my predictions: 2-5-1
Win: Player produces ≥ 75% of projected fantasy points
Loss: Player produces >75% of projected fantasy points
Tie: Player is ejected, leaves with an injury, or lands on COVID-19 list after publishing

2021 record: 8-9-1
2020 record: 5-10-1

A tie … meh. Last week’s inclusion of Minnesota Vikings tight end Irv Smith marked the second straight week in which the player chosen for this article series met an untimely fate. After Week 7’s inclusion, Matt Ryan was benched for the remainder of 2022, and Smith now will miss up to 10 weeks after suffering an ankle injury. Given the rules of scoring “winners” and “losers” in this segment, an injury counts as a tie.

Let’s see which player I can kneecap for the third consecutive week …

Green Bay Packers RB AJ Dillon at Detroit Lions

Dillon has to be among the most disappointing preseason darlings of the fantasy football season, and it hasn’t been for a lack of opportunities. He has rushed at least 10 times in six of eight outings and has averaged more targets than last year. Frustratingly, this has amounted to one touchdown — which came a million years ago in Week 1 — and no showings of more than 9.4 PPR points since the opening week.

After nearly two months of being a lineup anchor following the Week 1 teaser, it’s understandable why gamers have given up on Dillon as a weekly starter. The results just haven’t been good enough, and there are only so many times a fantasy owner can risk a precious lineup spot on a string of paperweight performances.

Two simplistic factors are at play to make Dillon a viable Week 9 starter: A fortuitous scheduling of six teams on their byes coincides with an intradivisional date with Detroit’s laughably weak defense. In this case, necessity alone may make Dillon a starter for some gamers, but it’s really the matchup itself to side with in this one.

[lawrence-related id=471288]

Detroit has given up the most rushing TDs in 2022 (11 through seven games), and just Cleveland has allowed more total TDs to the position, which took an extra game to happen. The position has racked up 10 individual performances of at least 11.2 points in PPR scoring. RBs have averaged more than 5.2 yards per carry, and four of the nine players to rush for a TD haven’t even been their respective team’s RB1. This matchup is 19.4 percent easier than the league average for positional success.

One aspect that’s more difficult to account for but still could be working Dillon’s favor is Green Bay’s pathetic passing game. Detroit is equally as terrible at preventing wideouts from wreaking havoc, and it’s a larger leap of faith to assume the Packers’ unimpressive passing attack will find more success through the air than on the ground.

While Aaron Jones will get the majority of chances to gash this group, Dillon shouldn’t be far behind him in touches, especially if this one gets out of hand early on.

My projection: 13 carries, 71 yards, 1 TD, 2 targets, 2 receptions, 13 yards (16.4 PPR fantasy points)

Fantasy football start/bench list: Week 9

Check out where your roster options fit into our Week 9 start/bench tiers.

Player analysis and projections can be found in our Start/Bench Tool customized to your myHuddle league scoring and rosters. All player listings by groups are in no particular order.

Key: Upgrade / Downgrade

QUARTERBACKS WIDE RECEIVERS
BEST BETS Opp BEST BETS Opp
Patrick Mahomes TEN DeAndre Hopkins SEA
Josh Allen @NYJ Stefon Diggs @NYJ
GREAT STARTS Opp J. Jefferson @WAS
Aaron Rodgers @DET GREAT STARTS Opp
Jalen Hurts @HOU A.J. Brown @HOU
Tua Tagovailoa @CHI Tyreek Hill @CHI
SOLID STARTERS Opp Davante Adams @JAC
Kirk Cousins @WAS Cooper Kupp @TB
Lamar Jackson @NO SOLID STARTERS Opp
Kyler Murray SEA Drake London LAC
Joe Burrow CAR Josh Palmer @ATL
Justin Herbert @ATL DeVonta Smith @HOU
Trevor Lawrence LVR Christian Kirk LVR
Justin Fields MIA Tyler Boyd CAR
FRINGE FANTASY PLAYS Opp Alec Pierce @NE
Ryan Tannehill @KC Curtis Samuel MIN
Derek Carr @JAC DK Metcalf @ARI
Geno Smith @ARI Rondale Moore SEA
Tom Brady LAR A. St. Brown GB
Marcus Mariota LAC Mike Evans LAR
Taylor Heinicke MIN D.J. Moore @CIN
SIT ‘EM IF YOU GOT ‘EM Opp T. Marshall Jr. @CIN
Zach Wilson BUF Chris Olave BAL
Jared Goff GB Romeo Doubs @DET
Andy Dalton BAL Adam Thielen @WAS
M. Stafford @TB Jaylen Waddle @CHI
Sam Ehlinger @NE Gabe Davis @NYJ
Mac Jones IND Mecole Hardman TEN
P.J. Walker @CIN Terry McLaurin MIN
Davis Mills PHI Chris Godwin LAR
RUNNING BACKS Keenan Allen @ATL
BEST BETS Opp Jakobi Meyers IND
Austin Ekeler @ATL Tee Higgins CAR
Alvin Kamara BAL J. Smith-Schuster TEN
Travis Etienne LVR FRINGE FANTASY PLAYS Opp
GREAT STARTS Opp Allen Robinson @TB
Aaron Jones @DET O. Zaccheaus LAC
Miles Sanders @HOU Josh Reynolds GB
Dalvin Cook @WAS Marvin Jones LVR
SOLID STARTERS Opp Robert Woods @KC
R. Stevenson IND Brandin Cooks PHI
Josh Jacobs @JAC Tyler Lockett @ARI
Dameon Pierce PHI Zay Jones LVR
L. Fournette LAR Mack Hollins @JAC
Joe Mixon CAR Devin Duvernay @NO
Derrick Henry @KC M. Pittman Jr. @NE
AJ Dillon @DET M. Valdes-Scantling TEN
Khalil Herbert MIA Darnell Mooney MIA
Jamaal Williams GB Garrett Wilson BUF
Raheem Mostert @CHI Isaiah McKenzie @NYJ
FRINGE FANTASY PLAYS Opp SIT ‘EM IF YOU GOT ‘EM Opp
Damien Harris IND Elijah Moore BUF
Jonathan Taylor @NE Kadarius Toney TEN
B. Robinson Jr. MIN Chase Claypool MIA
C. Edwards-Helaire TEN Jarvis Landry BAL
Kenyan Drake @NO Michael Thomas BAL
Antonio Gibson MIN Allen Lazard @DET
Tyler Allgeier LAC Nico Collins PHI
Michael Carter BUF Treylon Burks @KC
K. Walker III @ARI Ben Skowronek @TB
D. Montgomery MIA Rashid Shaheed BAL
D. Singletary @NYJ Julio Jones LAR
D’Onta Foreman @CIN Sammy Watkins @DET
Caleb Huntley LAC Hunter Renfrow @JAC
D’Andre Swift GB Parris Campbell @NE
Eno Benjamin SEA Kalif Raymond GB
SIT ‘EM IF YOU GOT ‘EM Opp M. Goodwin @ARI
Nyheim Hines @NYJ DEFENSIVE TEAMS
Justice Hill @NO BEST BETS Opp
Jerick McKinnon TEN Patriots IND
James Robinson BUF Eagles @HOU
Jeff Wilson Jr. @CHI GREAT STARTS Opp
Isiah Pacheco TEN Chiefs TEN
C. Patterson LAC Bills @NYJ
D. Henderson @TB SOLID STARTERS Opp
Ronnie Rivers @TB Dolphins @CHI
James Conner SEA Bengals CAR
Gus Edwards @NO Packers @DET
Chuba Hubbard @CIN Ravens @NO
TIGHT ENDS Vikings @WAS
BEST BETS Opp FRINGE FANTASY PLAYS Opp
Travis Kelce TEN Jaguars LVR
GREAT STARTS Opp Rams @TB
Mark Andrews @NO Buccaneers LAR
Robert Tonyan @DET Colts @NE
SOLID STARTERS Opp Cardinals SEA
Zach Ertz SEA Seahawks @ARI
Hayden Hurst CAR Panthers @CIN
Evan Engram LVR Chargers @ATL
Gerald Everett @ATL SIT ‘EM IF YOU GOT ‘EM Opp
Kyle Pitts LAC Titans @KC
FRINGE FANTASY PLAYS Opp Raiders @JAC
Noah Fant @ARI Texans PHI
Dawson Knox @NYJ Falcons LAC
Mo Alie-Cox @NE Lions GB
Mike Gesicki @CHI Bears MIA
Logan Thomas MIN Commanders MIN
Dallas Goedert @HOU Jets BUF
Taysom Hill BAL Saints BAL
Tyler Conklin BUF
SIT ‘EM IF YOU GOT ‘EM Opp
Cole Kmet MIA
Cade Otton LAR
T.J. Hockenson @WAS
Hunter Henry IND
Darren Waller @JAC
Austin Hooper @KC