Eight of 14 games on Sunday were decided by one score. I don’t know if you were one of those superstitious fans who don’t watch the games but man was yesterday a fun day for football. Touchdowns were all around and a lot of last minute scores made it an exciting Sunday to watch. Hopefully you had DJ Moore in your lineup because he was on the start list last week. Now on to Week 9, where the tension continues to rise. Let’s check out these starts and sits.
Starts
QB - Marcus Mariota, Atlanta Falcons (vs LAC)
Mariota finished last week with his highest passing yard total of the season. You should get him in your lineup this week as he should continue this success. The Falcons are finding a groove on offense now with Mariota having 7 TDs over his last three games and with only 2 turnovers in that span. Mariota also has gone over 30 yards rushing each of the last four games. The dual threat QB is a great streamer play against a Chargers secondary who have given up 13 TDs through the air this season. Make sure he’s in your lineup if you need a QB.
RB - Miles Sanders, Philadelphia Eagles (@ Hou)
It’s kinda surprising this is my first Eagles player on my start list with them being 7-0 right now. This week make sure you have Sanders in your lineups. The Eagles are 9th in the league in rushing yards and they lead the league with 14 rushing TDs. Sanders only had 9 carries last week but took advantage of them and finished with 78 yards on the ground. Now the Eagles play the Texans who have allowed a league high 1302 yards on the ground at a whopping 5.6 yards per carry. Look for Philly to ground and pound all game, which makes Sanders a must start.
WR - Romeo Doubs, Green Bay Packers (@ Det)
The Packers are having a rough year but they may have found a guy to consistently contribute to their offense. Doubs got his third touchdown of the season this past week and has a total of 48 targets on the year now. The offense hasn’t been great, but Doubs played well against a stout Bills defense. Now they are going up against the Lions who have allowed 12 passing TDs and only have 2 interceptions on the year. Expect this game to have very little defense and with the repertoire Rodgers and Doubs are showing, Doubs should be in your lineup this week.
TE - Taysom Hill, New Orleans Saints (vs Bal)
This is how weird tight ends are this year. A QB is making the start list for TE. Technically he’s listed as a TE but he’s been playing like a RB. Chase the volume for TEs and that’s what Hill has right now. He finished last week with 10 carries and now has 39 carries in 7 games played this year. He has turned into a focal point of the offense and with how risky most TEs have been this season, Hill feels less risky every week. He’s a top 5 TE In fantasy right now and deserves to be in lineups.
Defense - Minnesota Vikings (@WAS)
The Vikings have been a middle of the pack defense all year but they should be primed for a great game against a poor Commanders offense. The Vikings have forced 6 turnovers and 10 sacks in just the last two games alone. They are primed to build on their recent success against the backup QB Taylor Heinicke and the Commanders. Play the matchups when it comes to defenses and this is a great matchup.
Sits
QB - Matthew Stafford, Los Angeles Rams (@TB)
With how good of a year Cooper Kupp has had and the amount of weapons in LA, it’s truly shocking the numbers Stafford has put up this year. Through seven games played Stafford has 7 TDs and 11 turnovers. The matchup could be high scoring but the Rams offense can’t be trusted outside of Kupp. Stafford doesn’t belong on rosters.
RB - Brian Robinson, Washington Commanders (vs MIN)
Robinson was getting a lot of love coming back from his injury and was thrust into the RB1 role. Now four games into his career he’s averaging just 3.2 yards per carry and just one TD to boot. His modest performances have caused him to lose touches and now he’s nearly splitting carries with Antonio Gibson. Even as a flex play you can’t trust Robinson in this matchup with the Vikings.
WR - Brandin Cooks, Houston Texans (vs PHI)
Coming into the year, Cooks was the clear WR1 in the Texans offense. But with Davis Mills under center things haven’t turned out too well. He has just four catches in each of the last three games and his season high in yardage came back in Week 1 with 82. Cooks was a solid play when getting 10 plus targets a game, but his numbers have taken a dip. Now up against a really good Eagles defense, it makes no sense to have Cooks in your lineup.
TE - Dawson Knox, Buffalo Bills (@NYJ)
Yes the Bills have a great team, but don’t let that trick you into putting Knox into your lineup. You have to get that volume from your TE and Knox doesn't have that. He’s averaging under four targets a game this season and he only has 17 catches the entire year thus far. Better options are available at this position.
Defense - New York Jets (vs BUF)
The Jets are a top 5 fantasy defense right now. That doesn’t mean you should have them playing. You might be thinking the Jets have been putting up good enough numbers to start them. They have had 7 interceptions and 16 sacks in the last 5 games. Josh Allen made some mistakes last week against the Packers, sure, but the Bills will still get the yards and points that will make you regret starting this unit. Don’t drop NYJ, just don’t play them this week.
