Find success this weekend with the NFL Week 9 Start/Sit list for the offensive side of the ball!
Another week, another major injury to shake up the Fantasy football landscape. MVP candidate and current RB1 Derrick Henry unfortunately was placed on Injured Reserve with a broken foot which required surgery. There is a possibility that he is able to return by season’s end but major questions linger of his potential amount and quality of workload if he does return. We now turn our eyes to a former fantasy football hero, Adrian Peterson, who will fill in as the temporary Henry replacement.
Another unique situation that came to a head in week 8 is regarding Atlanta Falcons WR Calvin Ridley decision to step away from the game of football. Ridley put out a personal statement explaining the surprise week 8 inactive designation due to a personal matter. I wish Ridley well as he takes some time away from the game to work on his mental well-being. The specifics of the personal issues and timeline of his potential return are unknown. My advice is to just hold him on your rosters where you have him.
It is important to recognize that whether a player is dealing with physical or a mental struggle, at the end of the day they are human beings. Fantasy Football is supposed to be a fun game to play but provides unique obstacles to overcome. Obstacles of which are entirely minuscule compared to what the actual athletes sometimes have to face. I wish Henry and Ridley well and hope for a speedy and full recovery!
The Week 9 bye situation is a little heavier with four teams that have the week off. The four teams that are on bye are the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Washington Football Team, Seattle Seahawks, and Detroit Lions.
The “Trust, If You Must, and Bust” System:
“Trust” = Strong start, a player who should be started in all formats!
“If You Must” = Weak start, a player who is good enough to be a starter, but faces a tough matchup or holds an unclear opportunity in a good offense. Some caution should be used while the risk is recognized, as this is often league format dependent.
If you play in a shallow league, I would lean towards benching this player if you have a decent replacement option. In a deep league, I would lean towards starting, since the options may be more scarce. Either way, expectations should be managed.
“Bust” = Keep on your bench, at least for now. These players should be avoided since stronger options at the relative position should be considered first. These are players who fit into one of the following categories:
- A player in a tough matchup or currently holds ambiguous weekly opportunities in the offense.
- A strong bench stash for season-long purposes but currently in a “wait and see” period. Wait and see if their role expands for starter caliber consideration. For example, this type of player may be a strong backup RB behind a stud in an elite offense or could be in line for a big workload if the starter misses time.
- Currently lacking a clear offensive opportunity in either a projected good or bad offense
- Is too volatile on a week-to-week basis. There is no need to play boom or bust type players if you can help it.
Weekly Start/Sit Decision Reminders
Be sure to always be mindful of weekly injury reports and gameday inactive announcements as this could pivot a weak starter into a strong starter!
Be sure to always leave the FLEX spot(s) free of Thursday night players!
Thursday Night Football
New York Jets at Indianapolis Colts
Jets
Trust – Michael Carter RB
If You Must – Corey Davis WR (if active, unlikely), Mike White QB, Jamison Crowder WR (stronger option if Davis is inactive)
Bust – Elijah Moore WR, Ty Johnson RB
Colts
Trust – Jonathan Taylor RB, Michael Pittman WR, Carson Wentz QB
Bust – Nyheim Hines RB, Zach Pascal WR, Mo Alie-Cox TE, Jack Doyle TE
Sunday Early Afternoon Slate
Cleveland Browns at Cincinnati Bengals
Browns
Trust – Nick Chubb RB, Jarvis Landry WR
If You Must – Baker Mayfield QB
Bust – D’Ernest Johnson RB, Rashard Higgins WR, Austin Hooper TE, David Njoku TE, Odell Beckham Jr. WR (he is looking to become a drop candidate, but i wouldn’t do it just yet if you can help it)
Bengals
Trust – Joe Burrow QB, Ja’Marr Chase WR, Tyler Boyd WR, Tee Higgins WR, Joe Mixon RB
If You Must – C.J. Uzomah TE
Bust – Samaje Perine RB
Denver Broncos at Dallas Cowboys
Broncos
Trust – Courtland Sutton WR, Jerry Jeudy WR
If You Must – Melvin Gordon RB, Javonte Williams RB, Tim Patrick WR, Teddy Bridgewater QB
Bust – Albert Okwuegbunam TE
Cowboys
Trust – Dak Prescott QB, Ezekiel Elliott RB, Amari Cooper WR, CeeDee Lamb WR, Dalton Schultz TE
If You Must – Tony Pollard RB
Bust – Blake Jarwin TE, Cedrick Wilson WR
Houston Texans at Miami Dolphins
Texans
Trust – Brandin Cooks WR
If You Must – Nico Collins WR
Bust – David Johnson RB, Phillip Lindsay RB, Davis Mills QB
Dolphins
Trust – Mike Gesicki TE, Myles Gaskin RB, Tua Tagovailoa QB, Jaylen Waddle WR, DeVante Parker WR
Atlanta Falcons at New Orleans Saints
Falcons
Trust – Kyle Pitts TE, Cordarrelle Patterson RB
If You Must – Matt Ryan QB, Mike Davis RB
Bust – Falcons WRs
Saints
Trust – Alvin Kamara RB
If You Must – Mark Ingram RB, Marquez Callaway WR, TreQuan Smith WR
Bust – Saints QB: Trevor Siemian or Taysom Hill? TBD… (best case scenario is “If You Must” with Taysom Hill and Siemian if named starter is an add for Super Flex leagues but only a desperation start)
Las Vegas Raiders at New York Giants
Raiders
Trust – Darren Waller TE (if active) Josh Jacobs RB, Derek Carr QB
If You Must – Hunter Renfrow WR, Kenyan Drake RB, Bryan Edwards WR
Bust – Raiders WRs; after the terrible situation revolving around WR Henry Ruggs III there is a clear void in the Las Vegas passing attack since his recent release from the team. The question is: who will step up and will it matter for fantasy purposes? Keep an eye on WR Zay Jones , he should be a speculative add but want to see consistent usage before considering him as a starting option.
Giants
Trust– Kadarius Toney WR
If You Must – Saquon Barkley RB (if active, unlikely), Devontae Booker RB (if Saquon Barkley inactive), Daniel Jones QB, Evan Engram TE, Sterling Shepard WR (if active, unlikely), Kenny Golladay WR (if active)
New England Patriots at Carolina Panthers
Patriots
Trust – Damien Harris RB
If You Must – Hunter Henry TE, Jakobi Meyers WR, Nelson Agholor WR, Jonnu Smith TE, Mac Jones QB
Bust – Kendrick Bourne WR, Brandon Bolden RB, Rhamondre Stevenson RB
Panthers
Trust – D.J. Moore WR, Christian McCaffrey RB (if active) Chuba Hubbard RB (only if McCaffrey inactive)
If You Must – Robby Anderson WR, Sam Darnold QB
Buffalo Bills at Jacksonville Jaguars
Bills
Trust – Josh Allen QB, Stefon Diggs WR, Dawson Knox TE (if active)
If You Must – Devin Singletary RB, Zack Moss RB, Cole Beasley WR, Emmanuel Sanders WR
Jaguars
If You Must – Marvin Jones WR, James Robinson RB (if active), Trevor Lawrence QB, Dan Arnold TE, Laviska Shenault WR, Jamal Agnew WR, Carlos Hyde RB (if James Robinson inactive)
Minnesota Vikings at Baltimore Ravens
Vikings
Trust – Kirk Cousins QB, Dalvin Cook RB, Justin Jefferson WR, Adam Thielen WR
If You Must – K.J. Osborn WR, Tyler Conklin TE
Bust – Alexander Mattison RB (becomes a Trust – only if Dalvin Cook is inactive)
Ravens
Trust – Lamar Jackson QB, Mark Andrews TE, Marquise Brown WR, Rashod Bateman WR
Bust – Devonta Freeman RB, Latavius Murray RB, Le’Veon Bell RB, Ty’Son Williams RB
Sunday Mid Afternoon Slate
Los Angeles Chargers at Philadelphia Eagles
Chargers
Trust – Justin Herbert QB, Austin Ekeler RB, Keenan Allen WR, Mike Williams WR
If You Must – Jared Cook TE
Bust – Justin Jackson RB, Larry Rountree RB
Eagles
Trust – Jalen Hurts QB, DeVonta Smith WR, Dallas Goedert TE, Boston Scott RB
If You Must – Kenneth Gainwell RB
Bust – Quez Watkins WR, Jordan Howard RB, Jalen Reagor WR
Green Bay Packers at Kansas City Chiefs
Packers
Trust – Davante Adams WR, Aaron Jones RB
If You Must – AJ Dillon RB, Randall Cobb WR, Jordan Love QB
Bust – Allen Lazard WR (if active)
Chiefs
Trust – Patrick Mahomes QB, Tyreek Hill WR, Travis Kelce TE, Darrel Williams RB
If You Must – Mecole Hardman WR
Bust – Jerick McKinnon RB, Josh Gordon WR, Derrick Gore RB
Arizona Cardinals at San Francisco 49ers
Cardinals
Trust – Kyler Murray QB (if active), DeAndre Hopkins WR, Chase Edmonds RB, James Conner RB, Zach Ertz TE
If You Must – Christian Kirk WR, Rondale Moore WR, A.J. Green WR (if active, unlikely)
49ers
Trust – Deebo Samuel WR, Elijah Mitchell RB
If You Must – Jimmy Garoppolo QB, Brandon Aiyuk WR
Bust – Trey Sermon RB, Jamycal Hasty RB
Sunday Night Football
Tennessee Titans at Los Angeles Rams
Titans
Trust – A.J. Brown WR
If You Must – Ryan Tannehill QB, Adrian Peterson RB, Julio Jones WR (if active)
Bust – Jeremy McNichols RB
Rams
Trust – Matthew Stafford QB, Cooper Kupp WR, Darrell Henderson RB, Robert Woods WR, Tyler Higbee TE
If You Must – Sony Michel RB, Van Jefferson WR
Monday Night Football
Chicago Bears at Pittsburgh Steelers
Bears
Trust – Khalil Herbert RB
If You Must – Justin Fields QB, Cole Kmet TE, Allen Robinson WR, Darnell Mooney WR,
Steelers
Trust – Najee Harris RB, Diontae Johnson WR, Chase Claypool WR
If You Must – Ben Roethlisberger QB, Pat Freiermuth TE
Good luck and enjoy the games!
