Week 9 Start'em - Sit'em

Wednesday, Oct 30, 2019 at 12:00 pm ET

This is the Fantasy Football Nerd's look at the best and worst matchups for Week 9 of the 2019 NFL season. Analysis is aggregated from multiple sources including FFN. FFN rankings are based upon PPR (point per reception) scoring. Given the known conditions, these matchups are the ones to watch and/or avoid.

Please Note: This list does not generally include the elite players that you are going to start regardless of matchup. You don't need us to tell you to start Aaron Rodgers, Travis Kelce, or DeAndre Hopkins. Instead, we take a look at other players on your team that we believe either have great matchups or should be avoided for multiple reasons. Factors like opposing defense, performance trending, and peer comparisons may influence our decisions.

Start 'em Gardner Minshew (JAC, QB)
Gardner Minshew and the Jaguars are going across the pond to take on a Texans team that is giving up an average of 22 fantasy points per week (sixth most in the NFL) and 2.25 passing touchdowns (fifth most). Derek Carr and Jacoby Brissett averaged 25 points over the past two weeks against them.

Start 'em Dak Prescott (DAL, QB)
Fresh off his bye week, look for Dak Prescott to once again light up the Giants. When he faced them back in Week 1, he put up a fantastic 33.4 fantasy points. The Giants are giving up the 8th-most yards through the air. This should be a big game for Prescott and the Boys on Monday night.

Start 'em Kirk Cousins (MIN, QB)
A matchup with Kansas City isn't great on paper, but after surrendering 27 points over the last two weeks, it is possible to have a big game against them. Kirk Cousins is ranked 12th this week on FFN. He should have Adam Thielen back for this game which means his full arsenal will be available.

Start 'em Jordan Howard (PHI, RB)
Coming off a monster game against the Bills, Jordan Howard comes into this week's rankings at #23 facing a Bears defense that has given up almost 18 fantasy points to the opposing team's number one RB. Josh Jacobs and Latavius Murray averaged 30 fantasy points over the past few weeks against them. Keep Howard locked into your lineups.

Start 'em Josh Jacobs (OAK, RB)
Don't look now, but Josh Jacobs is on a roll. He's ranked 10th this week on FFN facing a Detroit defense that gives up more fantasy points to running backs than any other team. If there was ever a game for him to shine in, this is it. He also makes for a nice DFS option.

Start 'em Mark Walton (MIA, RB)
With no Kenyan Drake, you could take a flyer on Mark Walton based on volume and the fact that the Jets give up the 9th-most fantasy points to the position this year. We don't have a huge sample size to work from, but given the lack of waiver wire options right now, Walton is worth a roll of the dice.

Start 'em D.J. Chark (JAC, WR)
Ranked 12th this week is D.J. Chark - one of the better surprises in fantasy this year. That magic should continue this week against the Texans who are giving up the 2nd-most fantasy points to his position this year. If Tyrell Williams, Hunter Renfrow, and Zach Pascal can average almost 22 fantasy points, Chark is locked in for a healthy double-digit day.

Start 'em DK Metcalf (SEA, WR)
DK Metcalf has started to solidify his role on this team as well as on fantasy teams. He's ranked 26th this week making him a borderline RB2 and certainly a strong flex option against Tampa Bay who is giving up the 3rd-most fantasy points to wide receivers this season.

Start 'em Marvin Jones (DET, WR)
Marvin Jones is going to be a roller coaster for fantasy owners. After a monster four score game in Week 7, he managed just 4 catches for 22 yards last week. He should bounce back nicely in a plus matchup against the Raiders who have surrendered more than 20 fantasy points to DeAndre Hopkins, Marquez Valdes-Scantling, Demarcus Robinson, Emmanuel Sanders, and Allen Robinson.

Start 'em Jonnu Smith (TEN, TE)
If you're looking for a bye-week filler in an injury-depleted position, Jonnu Smith fits the bill. Assuming Delanie Walker doesn't play, Smith is a viable option.

Start 'em Greg Olsen (CAR, TE)
Lining up across the field from Jonnu Smith will be veteran TE Greg Olsen. Olsen underwhelmed last week, but that was against the 49ers. This week, the Titans are giving up the 5th-most fantasy points to the position. Olsen should fall back into that safety blanket role.

Start 'em New York Jets (NYJ, DEF)
If you're streaming defenses, there's a good chance that the Jets are available. They haven't done much this year, but a matchup with the Dolphins puts them in must-start territory.

Start 'em Jason Myers (SEA, K)
Ranked 2nd this week on FFN is Jason Myers facing a Tampa Bay defense that is giving up the second-most fantasy points to kickers this season.

Sit 'em Daniel Jones (NYG, QB)
Danny Dimes is coming off a monster game throwing for 322 yards and four touchdowns. Against the Cowboys this week, his battle will be more uphill than last week. Dallas gives up the fifth-fewest fantasy points to QBs this year keeping Carson Wentz and Aaron Rodgers in single digits. The good news is that Jones had negative fantasy points with his four snaps against them in Week 1 so there's nowhere to go but up.

Sit 'em Carson Wentz (PHI, QB)
If you have Carson Wentz, you're likely going to play him, but don't be surprised if he disappoints this week. While teams have been able to run on the Bears, opposing QBs have struggled. Chicago is giving up the 6th-fewest fantasy points to them this year.

Sit 'em Mitchell Trubisky (CHI, QB)
Although the Eagles have surrendered 22 fantasy points to QBs each week, it's awfully difficult to trust Trubisky even in a matchup that looks great on paper. Philly has given up the 9th-most fantasy points to the position, but Trubisky has averaged just 11.6 fantasy points for the games he's played in full.

Sit 'em Ty Johnson (DET, RB)
Last week's waiver wire darling is this week's sit candidate. He failed to deliver much in his first game without Kerryon Johnson and it's tough to expect much more against Oakland and their 7th-ranked fantasy defense.

Sit 'em LeSean McCoy (KC, RB)
It's been awfully difficult to project the Kansas City backfield this year. Combine that uncertainty with the fact that the Vikings have surrendered the 5th-fewest fantasy points to running backs this year, and this becomes a situation to avoid.

Sit 'em Devin Singletary (BUF, RB)
This isn't a terrible matchup with the Redskins, but Singletary is just not startable. The problem with Singletary isn't talent but rather his usage. He's stuck playing behind Frank Gore and is averaging just 5 touches a game. Yes, he may occasionally find the endzone (just 2 trips this year), but he's a boom or bust player that can't be trusted to deliver.

Sit 'em Sammy Watkins (KC, WR)
Watkins comes into our Week 9 rankings at 40th making him a low-end flex option against a solid Vikings secondary that has largely kept WR2's in check. Watkins gets a boost if Mahomes suits up, but he's likely to struggle in this one.

Sit 'em Terry McLaurin (WAS, WR)
Fantasy owners have been pretty happy with the production out of Terry 'F1' McLaurin this season, but that doesn't mean that he's startable in Week 9. Nobody gives up fewer fantasy points to wide receivers this year than the Bills.

Sit 'em Corey Davis (TEN, WR)
Both Corey Davis and AJ Brown were popular waiver wire pickups recently, but keep him on the bench this week. It's a favorable matchup on paper, but we saw very little rapport between Davis and new starter Ryan Tannehill. The Titans remain a run-first team, so if you have to use Davis, consider him a low-end flex option.

Sit 'em Trey Burton (CHI, TE)
There's not much to get excited about with the Bears offense. The only bright side is that he gets to play his former team. The down side is that Burton hasn't eclipsed 100 yards...all season. He has yet to find the endzone after finding it six times last year.

Sit 'em Benjamin Watson (NE, TE)
You'd think that a talented TE in a Tom Brady offense would automatically equate to a must-start situation, but that's not the case. Watson saw just one target last week, and while that number will obviously go up, his floor is so low right now that starting him is a risky gamble.

Sit 'em Baltimore Ravens (BAL, DEF)
The Baltimore Ravens defense has been pretty spot on this year, but a matchup with the Patriots and their unstoppable offense should slow things down for them. Normally found within our top 12, Baltimore can be found ranked 25th week.

Sit 'em Eddy Pineiro (CHI, K)
If the Bears can barely trust Eddy Pineiro, can you? Only one kicker has walked away with double-digit fantasy points against the Eagles this year.

Join the Discussion

If asking a sit/start question, be sure to provide your scoring format and contribute to answering questions from other FN members as well.

Matthias CommentedNov 3, 2019 11:00 am

So:
1) Start Melvin Gordon, James White, or drop Latavius Murray and pick up/start Jaylen Samuels?
2) Just lost T.Y. Hilton...pick up Sanders, Amendola, AJ Green, or Josh Gordon?
3) Thanks!

Nerd CommentedNov 3, 2019 11:00 am

Murray's value is tied to Kamara's health. With Kamara expected back after the bye, you could drop him for Samuels. Then play Gordon and Samuels.

I think you could pick up any of those guys as a replacement. Emmanuel Sanders has scored twice in his two weeks with San Fran. Amendola won't be consistent, but he's a decent option in PPR formats depending on how deep your league is. Green (when he comes back) will step back into WR1 status although his QB situation is murky right now. Gordon is an interesting option. I like them in this order for the rest of the season: Green, Sanders, Amendola, Gordon.

Good luck!