Are there too many IDP starting lineup decisions for you this week? Can’t decide which linebacker or edge rusher to start? Which safety gets the nod this week?”
This will not be the typical ‘obvious starters’ type of article. Always start your studs like Brian Burns, Jordyn Brooks, and Tykee Smith. What needs to be shared is who we start and sit out of the not-so-obvious players. You will not see the Top 10-ranked players in these articles because we all already know to start these players. These players could be ranked #11 or #37.
Week 9 Byes include four teams this week: the Cleveland Browns, New York Jets, Philadelphia Eagles, and Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
***Please note that all rankings are pulled from FantasyPros.com’s current weekly rankings for DL, LB, and DB.
More NFL Week 9 Fantasy Football Advice From IDP+
Week 9 – DL/Edge Starters
Aidan Hutchinson – Detroit Lions
Hutchinson is ranked as the #17 DL this week. Take out Week 1, and Hutchinson is the #8 scoring DL in IDP. He has posted 16 tackles (11 solo), 6 tackles for a loss, 13 QB hits, 6 sacks, 4 forced fumbles, 1 fumble recovery, and 1 pass defended. His three best games this year came against teams ranked #19 or higher in points given up to opposing DE/Edge players.
He gets the worst team this year in that category this week in the Vikings. The Vikings have also given up 28 sacks in 7 games, as they have already had their bye. The 28 sacks given up are the third worst in the league, and the top two have not had their bye yet. This week should provide a top-three performance by Hutchinson.
Justin Eboigbe – Los Angeles Chargers
Eboigbe posted a goose egg two weeks ago against the Colts. However, in the three games surrounding that goose egg, he produced 13 tackles (10 solo), 3 tackles for a loss, 4 QB hits, and 3 sacks. Those numbers place him at #16 in combined scoring over the past four games.
Two of his three highest-scoring weeks have come against two of the top six teams in points allowed to opposing DTs. This week, he gets the Titans, who are the 28th-ranked team in points allowed to opposing DTs. The #54-ranked DL belongs in your starting lineup this week with confidence.
Jared Verse – Los Angeles Rams
Verse started slowly in his first two games, but has been incredible over his last five games. Combined over the last 5 games, including their bye, Verse is the #6-ranked DL with 25 tackles (16 solo), 7 tackles for a loss, 14 QB hits, 4 sacks, and 3 forced fumbles.
Next up on his list is the Saints, who are starting a rookie QB in his first start ever in the NFL. The Saints are tied for 10th in sacks allowed with 20 given up in eight games. Verse is ranked #22 this week, and that is just too low.
Week 8 – DL/Edge Sits
Carl Granderson – New Orleans Saints
Granderson has really struggled over the past three games. His defensive snap count has dropped to the 60% range in the past two games. In these past 3 games, he has produced a combined 2 solo tackles and 3 assisted tackles. Now he goes up against the stingiest team in points allowed to DE/Edge in the Rams. It will not be a good day for the #16-ranked DL this week. You can go ahead and bench him.
George Karlaftis – Kansas City Chiefs
Karlaftis has had similar results over the last three games. It is a little more concerning here as the competition has not been stout. The Chiefs travel to Buffalo this week, who are the #3-ranked team in points allowed to opposing DE/Edge players. Doesn’t look promising for a nice scoring week for the #11 DE/Edge player.
Week 9 – LB Starts
Dre Greenlaw – Denver Broncos
Greenlaw gets back on the field again in Week 9 against the Texans. His first game back was two weeks ago, when he played just 21 defensive snaps. Greenlaw had six tackles in those 21 snaps with 1 QB hit. Now, he faces off with the #28-ranked team in points allowed to opposing LBs. The #59-ranked LB for this week probably benefited from his suspension last week, as he was able to rest the quad that kept him out of the first seven weeks of the season. He will post top 20 numbers easily against this opponent.
Kaden Elliss – Atlanta Falcons
Ellis has missed just one defensive snap all season. He just posted his season high stat line with 12 tackles (7 solo), 2 tackles for a loss, and 1 pass defended. This was against the 5th-best team in points allowed to opposing LBs, the Dolphins. Up next is the 22nd-ranked Patriots. The Patriots like to run, and Elliss likes to tackle. Look for a big day for the #14-ranked LB for Week 9.
Ernest Jones – Seattle Seahawks
Jones has been very consistent every week. He has posted double-digit scoring in every game. For the season, Jones has delivered 59 tackles (30 solo), 3 tackles for a loss, 1 QB hit, .5 sack, 5 passes defended, and 3 interceptions. This week, he gets the #21-ranked Commanders in points allowed to opposing LBs. The Commanders are also tied for 10th in sacks given up. Jones will far out-produce his #25 ranking for this week.
Week 8 – LB Sits
T.J. Edwards – Chicago Bears
Edwards has always been a favorite here, but he has not had a big impact in games since returning from his hamstring injury. In his 3 games back, Edwards has faced the #21, #26, and #30 teams in points given up to opposing LBs. The matchups were there, but Edwards was not. In these 3 games combined, Edwards has produced just 22 tackles (11 solo), 1 tackle for a loss, and 2 passes defended. The #19-ranked LB for this week will finish nowhere near the top 20 in scoring.
Nick Bolton – Kansas City Chiefs
Bolton is having a very disappointing season thus far, as he has posted just two games of double-digit tackles. Weeks 3 and 5 are the lone nice weeks for him. He has just five solo tackles in his last three games combined. His opponent this week will be the Bills, who come in sporting the #13 ranking in points allowed to opposing LBs. This matchup is one to stay away from with the current string of bad games from Bolton.
Week 9 – DB Starts
Quick Tip – When having a hard time deciding on a DB to start, and a rookie CB is one of those players, always choose the rookie CB if they are going against a pass-heavy team.
Marcus Jones – New England Patriots
Jones could be considered a cheat code in a similar fashion to Travis Hunter. Jones is #2 in scoring for the year out of all DBs. Not only does he play CB very well, but he has 10 punt returns for 216 yards. If your team gets individual statistics for special teams, he will be a top 3 player almost every week. Defensively for the season, Jones has 36 tackles (27 solo), 6 tackles for a loss, 1 QB hit, 1 sack, 9 passes defended, and 2 interceptions. Next up are the struggling #22-ranked Falcons in points allowed to opposing CBs. His #17 ranking for this week is still too low.
Kamren Curl – Los Angeles Rams
The #7-ranked DB on the season has scored double-digit points every week this year. The rookie QB in New Orleans should keep his streak going this week. This safety already has 57 tackles (38 solo), 2 tackles for a loss, 1 sack, 4 passes defended, and 2 sacks. His #24 ranking is much too low.
Nahshon Wright – Chicago Bears
Wright seems to be a very underrated DB, according to his #60 ranking this week for DBs. He has just one game of single-digit scoring back in week 3, which was against the #1-ranked team in points allowed to opposing CBs. Wright has four games of 25 points or more, with one game that topped 40 points. This week has the Bengals and their #30-ranked team in points allowed to opposing CBs. The points will keep adding up this weekend.
Week 8 – DB Sits
Daxton Hill – Cincinnati Bengals
The #16-ranked DB for Week 9 has struggled every other game over the last six games. This week is the other, so a lower production is expected in a tougher matchup against the Bears, who rank #13 in points allowed to opposing safeties. His five nice games have been against weaker competition, with a ranking of #17 or worse. His performances will now start taking a dip as the competition gets much tougher starting this week.
Tre’von Moehrig – Carolin Panthers
Moehrig gets the Packers this week after posting just one solo tackle against the Bills last week. In his last 3 games against opponents ranked in the top 13 in points allowed to opposing Safeties, he has a combined 4 solo tackles. He will not achieve the #10 ranking for Week 9 DBs.
Thank you for checking out my Week 9 IDP Start/Sit Advice article! You can read all of my articles on my IDP+ author page. Be sure to follow me on X at @OldMan_FF and @IDP_Plus (we have offense, too), and please consider becoming a subscriber. Week 4 IDP Start Sit
