Voltar
If you drafted Lamar Jackson to be your top quarterback in fantasy football this season, I am very sorry. The Baltimore Ravens fell apart in one game with their kicker and top two quarterbacks all suffering injuries worthy of being placed on injured reserve.
Bye weeks will be a factor once again with the Pittsburgh Steelers and Tennessee Titans on bye. This will impact the running back position the most, although tight end Pat Freiermuth on the Steelers was also startable. However, there are some players who will rise to the occasion after the injuries on their respective teams and help your fantasy team.
So, who should and should not be in your fantasy lineup? Here are our starts and sits for Week 9:
Jared Goff has a very distinct pattern in fantasy football this season. He performs very well against defenses who are bad against the pass and puts up decent or dismal fantasy numbers. This week, he gets an ideal matchup against the Miami Dolphins, who have allowed the fifth-most fantasy points to quarterbacks this season. Especially with multiple teams on bye and this week’s quarterback injuries, a quarterback wih a good upside is worth starting in any fantasy format.
Jordan Love has five passing touchdowns in the past two games, but his fantasy production in those games was still mediocre. Even against the Detroit Lions, who have given up the most points to quarterbacks, Love had a poor day in fantasy. He also has an interception in each of the past three games. Now he is facing a defense that does not tend to allow of points to quarterbacks, the New England Patriots. ESPN may say he has the fifth-most fantasy points among quarterbacks, but that is partially inflated because he has not had a bye week. Leave Love on the bench.
The Patriots have a split backfield, but so far this year, Rhamondre Stevenson has been the beneficiary of this setup. He had 19 attempts for 82 yards last week, as well as eight receptions in the past two games. Green Bay has allowed the second-most rushing touchdowns to backs out of any team in the NFL this season, which makes them a great matchup for Stevenson. Especially with Jaylen Warren and Tony Pollard on bye, it is a good time to start a reliable back with a good matchup like Stevenson.
As a Derrick Henry fantasy owner, it pains me to say that Henry should be on the bench this week. Besides the fact that he had two rough games against the Cleveland Browns and Cincinnati Bengals before putting up a meager 14 points in PPR leagues against the Buffalo Bills, Baltimore is going against one of the best run defenses in the NFL and has an undrafted rookie at quarterback. This is really, really bad. The Jacksonville Jaguars can sell out on the run without having to worry about the pass, which puts Derrick Henry is a bad situation in fantasy this week.
With Terry McLaurin out for the season, someone has to step up on the Commanders. Stefon Diggs seems like the most likely option given his veteran experience. Right now, he seems touchdown-dependent with only three receptions last week against the Philadelphia Eagles. The Los Angeles Rams may not allow very many points to receivers, but they have allowed eight touchdowns, which is promising for Diggs and makes him worth starting this season.
Another casualty of the Ravens’ quarterback injuries is their top receiver, Zay Flowers, who finished last week’s game against the Bills without a single target. Clearly, Joe Fagnano being in the lineup is not helping Flowers’ production. Keep him on the bench this week, but he should be fine going forward with Jacoby Brissett at quarterback.
Last week against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers was a fluke due to the hurricane-like weather. The previous two weeks are more representative of Kyle Pitts’ true production. In the past two games, he has 12 receptions for 82 yards and three touchdowns. The Cincinnati Bengals may not have given up a touchdown to a tight end all season, but he can still have a good day in fantasy without a touchdown.
The concern with Isaiah Likely goes back to his last game against the Houston Texans. He only had two receptions for 12 yards. Despite the Eagles being on a six-game losing streak, they have actually done remarkably well against tight ends. Therefore, it might be a good idea to keep Likely on the bench one more week and then put him back in the lineup for Week 10.