Fantasy Football Week 9: Start ’em, Sit ’em

Week 8 saw a relatively sparse number of injuries, but was most taxing to QBs. Kirk Cousins tore his achilles and is out for the season, Matthew Stafford was diagnosed with a UCL sprain in his right thumb, and Kenny Pickett left early with a rib injury.

The only other injuries of note were Drake London (groin, presumably week-to-week) and Darren Waller (hamstring, potentially out for a bit).

Week 9 kicks off Thursday as the Steelers host the Titans, then we get an early Sunday game in Germany as the Dolphins look to finally prove themselves against the frustrated Chiefs. Bye weeks have also returned, so those need to be considered as well.

Ian’s Record: 37-28

Start ’em

Sam Howell (QB, Commanders) at Patriots

I’ve never been doubtful of Howell’s ability to play football, but I was very humbly proven wrong last week when I said to sit him.

Despite the loss, everything was going right for Howell last week. He threw four touchdowns to four different pass-catchers and almost eclipsed 400 yards through the air against an Eagles defense that just held the league’s top offense to one touchdown the week prior.

In what could be a sneaky shootout now that Washington’s pass rush has taken a step backwards, expect Howell to go off for a second straight week against a very OK Patriots pass rush.

Saquon Barkley (RB, Giants) at Raiders (if he plays)

With Daniel Jones set to return after missing the last three weeks, it’s hard to imagine Barkley will receive the same workload he got last week (36 TOUCHES). However, a neck injury is obviously nothing to play with, so I would expect Barkley’s touches to reach at least the twenties again.

Monitor his status as the week progresses, but the Raiders are currently surrendering the fourth most fantasy points to opposing RBs through eight weeks. Cha-ching.

George Pickens (WR, Steelers) vs. Titans

Kenny Pickett is trending towards playing against Tennessee, but regardless of if it’s him or Mitchell Trubisky I have confidence Pickens can still create big plays against a shaky Titans secondary that is now without Kevin Byard.

His five targets last week only resulted in his one catch for a touchdown, but he’ll continue to get targeted and will rack up another 100-yard game in primetime. Trust.

Dalton Kincaid (TE, Bills) at Bengals

We finally saw the real Dalton Kincaid last week against the Bucs, and I’m fully expecting that to continue while Dawson Knox remains sidelined.

He saw the second-highest YPR average on the team last week at 13, including his impressive catch for a clutch touchdown.

The Bengals currently rank dead last in fantasy points allowed to opposing tight ends this year, and I’m expecting an absolute slugfest with the recent history these two squads have created with each other.

Sit ’em

Geno Smith (QB, Seahawks) at Baltimore

This is one of my games of the week. Both teams are riding win streaks, both teams currently sit atop their respective divisions, and both teams overall are looking like serious problems. But being in Baltimore is just a brutal road matchup for Geno Smith.

You’re looking at a defense first in points per game allowed, second in yards per game allowed, first in fantasy points allowed to opposing QBs – ON TOP of those individual stats – and it’s in Baltimore? Pass.

Alexander Mattison (RB, Vikings) at Falcons

Like I said a couple weeks ago, Atlanta’s run defense has been quietly nasty. Before last week, they had yet to allow a back to rush for 100 yards. Derrick Henry just had 101, on 22 carries.

I bring this up because Mattison hasn’t had 20 rushes in a game since week 3, so managers absolutely should not be tossing him into lineups with a hope and a prayer that something will suddenly develop.

It’s also worth noting that Cam Akers is starting to intrude on Mattison’s fantasy value, as it was him who found the endzone last week and not Mattison.

Marquise Brown (WR, Cardinals) at Browns

The trade deadline really stunk for Brown, as he pretty much had his footing with Josh Dobbs only to lose him to the Vikings in one of the first moves on Tuesday.

Now he practically has to start all over again with rookie Clayton Tune set to start for Arizona, which I can’t imagine they’ve had much time to become familiar with each other on the field prior to this week.

It also doesn’t help that despite a couple hiccups the past couple weeks, the Browns still rock against WRs. He’s overcome adversity once already this season, but it’s not in the cards this week for Brown.

Kyle Pitts (TE, Falcons) vs. Vikings

Ever since his two-week stint in weeks 5 and 6, Pitts has unfortunately fallen back into the Pitts we hate to see who just isn’t utilized enough at all. There’s a little upside with the sudden QB change, but I consider this a high-risk low-reward situation.

We have no idea how Heinicke will jive with Pitts in real-game situations, and Minnesota’s defense continues to get better under Brian Flores. Pass.

BYES: DETROIT LIONS, DENVER BRONCOS, SAN FRANCISCO 49ERS, JACKSONVILLE JAGUARS