The NFL season may be halfway done after Week 9 concludes on Monday night, but the fantasy football season is much closer to its finish line. With the playoffs starting in Week 14 in most leagues, there are only a handful of opportunities to scoop up the wins necessary to go for glory, making each start or sit decision pivotal in the stretch run.

Seeing big names like Matthew Stafford and Derrick Henry fail to capitalize on their matchups has led to a difficult dilemma about whether it is time to move on to the new hotness or trust them to rebound going forward. Let's dive into the latest edition of Start, Drop or Bench with a look at the Rams' starting quarterback.

Start, Drop or Bench, Post-Week 9 Edition

QB Matthew Stafford, Los Angeles Rams

A fantasy superstar last season, sledding has been tougher for Stafford this year due to a slew of receiver injuries. Davante Adams is still on IR and Puka Nacua, who was the only real passing threat in Sunday's 20-13 win over the Commanders, suffered a knee injury on Los Angeles' final offensive play that required an MRI.

If Nacua has to miss time, Stafford (barring a trade) will have a relatively anonymous cast of characters (Konata Mumpfield, Tutu Atwell, Colby Parkinson and Tyler Higbee) as his primary pass catchers. The Week 10 matchup against Arizona appears friendly, but there is a good chance Sean McVay leans on his ground game to cover up for the lack of impact pass catchers, which makes Stafford a bad fantasy play.

Verdict: Bench

RB Derrick Henry, Baltimore Ravens

The struggles continued for Henry against Jacksonville on Thursday night as the future Hall-of-Famer turned in a middling 57 yards on 17 carries, getting out-produced by backup Justice Hill. Week 6 appears to be a line of delineation for Henry, as opponents who realized Lamar Jackson wasn't coming back anytime soon shifted into run-prevention mode, with Henry failing to exceed 58 yards in any of the past four games.

The hope here would be for the addition of Jacoby Brissett to open things up in the passing game, which could create more running lanes for Henry against the hapless Chargers on Monday night. If Henry can't get on track here, it would be worth a discussion about benching him for more suitable options going forward.

Verdict: Start (Last Chance)

RB Braelon Allen, New York Jets

One of the big waiver wire heroes of the season has been Allen, who emerged as an RB1 type once the Jets lost Breece Hall to injury. Head coach Aaron Glenn vowed that Hall wouldn't lose his job due to injury and stuck to his word, giving Hall 15 carries compared to just 8 for Allen in Sunday's loss to the Kansas City Chiefs.

With the Jets appearing unlikely to trade Hall, it appears that the duo will operate in tandem, with Hall functioning as the lead back and Allen retaining some flex value as the preferred goal-line runner. Flex appeal appears to be the ceiling for Allen now, but given New York's propensity for not getting its best players the football enough, the play is to bench Allen until we see more data on how the backfield work will be split up.

Verdict: Bench

WR Jameson Williams, Detroit Lions

It was certainly a quiet day for the Detroit offense in Miami and Williams played a part in that lack of production. The big play threat was targeted just twice in a 19-9 victory over the Dolphins, recording one catch for 31 yards and adding a rush for nine yards on the afternoon.

That volume was a significant dip for Williams but unfortunately fits into the boom-or-bust nature of his role, which has usually seen him get either four targets in a game or somewhere closer to nine. The Patriots' pass defense, which got toasted by Jordan Love and the Packers on Sunday, represents a good bounceback opportunity for Williams and Detroit's passing attack that fantasy players should take advantage of.

Verdict: Start

TE Kyle Pitts, Atlanta Falcons

The patron saint of Start, Drop or Bench, Pitts is back for a fifth time after delivering another dud in Sunday's international loss to the Bengals. Michael Penix Jr. looked Pitts' way five times in Madrid and he caught three of them for 23 yards, continuing an overall disappointing season for the talented tight end.

A three-week glowup that saw Pitts reach the end zone four times has proven to be a tease that lured Pitts' fantasy managers into a trap to keep starting him. Getting four points a week out of the tight end position isn't sustainable, so it is time to pull the rip cord on Pitts and take your chances with an option off the waiver wire.

Verdict: Drop

TE Tucker Kraft, Green Bay Packers

While Love and his top receivers (Christian Watson and Matthew Golden) were partying against the Patriots, Kraft's invite appears to have been lost in the mail. Kraft was a complete non-factor in an offensive explosion, getting targeted just three times and catching one pass for a yard.

The game flow worked against Kraft here, as New England's cornerbacks were pitiful, making it advantageous for Love to keep attacking them with his downfield pass catchers. Minnesota's defense will force a more conservative passing attack from the Packers in Week 10, which should play back into the favor of Kraft as an intermediate target.

Verdict: Start