Fantasy Football Focus: How To Set Your Week 9 Lineup For Success

Had another bad performance with my fantasy picks last week and lived up to my billing as the “Josh McCown of Fantasy Football Analysts.” Told y’all to bench Deshaun Watson and start Philip Rivers. Wrong, wrong. Said to sit Lamar Miller and start Hunter Henry. Wrong and wrong, again. And then there was the case of Jack Doyle, who exploded for 12 catches for 121 yards and a touchdown on a week where I said he’s be worthless.

To commemorate my week of crappiness, here is the worst play in the history of football:

On with the picks:

START ‘EM OR SIT ‘EM

Quarterbacks

START: Jared Goff, LA Rams – I thought about putting Watson here, but at this point he is a weekly must-start and this column is more geared to find you a player off the beaten path. Goff’s improvement from his rookie season is a big reason the Rams are 5-2 and second in the NFL in points per game. The former Cal star is averaging 245.6 yards per game and has been solid in his good matchups. This week, he gets a New York Giants secondary that is allowing the sixth-most fantasy points to opposing quarterbacks.

SIT: Marcus Mariota, Tennessee – There are only four defenses in the NFL forcing more interceptions than they’ve allowed touchdowns and one of those is Mariota’s opponent this week, Baltimore. Owners should also be worried about how little of a run threat he’s been since his Week 4 injury against the Texans.

Running Backs

START: Orleans Darkwa, New York Giants – Darkwa is listed here partly because he’s on my fantasy team and I have to convince myself this is going to work. The fourth-year pro out of Tulane gets a Rams defense that is allowing 4.6 yards per carry and the second-most fantasy points to opposing RBs. If he can churn out 117 yards against the Broncos’ front seven, he should do well here as well.

START: Ameer Abdullah, Detroit – Yes, we’re going with two starts and no sits for RBs this week. Why? BECAUSE I REALLY NEED ABDULLAH AND DARKWA TO DO WELL FOR MY FANTASY TEAM. Abdullah faces a Green Bay defense that is allowing the fifth-most fantasy points to opposing RBs, and Abdullah’s pass-catching backfield-mate, Theo Riddick, probably won’t steal too many points away because the Packers have allowed the fifth-least receiving yards to opposing RBs.

Wide Receivers

START: Ted Ginn Jr., New Orleans – Willie Snead’s preseason suspension and subsequent hamstring injury allowed Ginn to slide into the No. 2 WR role. As of late, the former Ohio State stud is taking advantage. In weeks 6 and 7, Ginn caught all 14 of his targets for 207 yards and a score. He managed just two grabs for 68 yards last week, but could blow up this Sunday in a matchup with Tampa Bay, who’s allowed the most fantasy points to WRs this year.

SIT: Alshon Jeffery, Philadelphia – I’m a big catch-rate guy. I believe a good receiver should catch a high percentage of his targets, and by that standard, Jeffery is not a good receiver. He’s caught only 45.2 percent of his targets this season (28-of-62), and is trending downward with a 8-for-24 run (33.3) in his last three games. Toss in the matchup with Denver and their tough CB duo of Chris Harris Jr. and Aqib Talib, and it’s clearly not a good week to play Jeffery if avoidable.

Tight Ends

START: Jack Doyle, Indianapolis – Doyle has settled into a nice role in the Colts’ offense. Brissett clearly likes him as a security blanket and has fed him 32 targets in the last three games. Doyle has turned those looks into 25 catches for 215 yards and two touchdowns. Now comes a matchup with Houston, who is allowing seventh-most fantasy points to tight ends.

SIT: Tyler Kroft, Cincinnati – Kroft is on a run as well. He’s hauled in 22-of-26 targets since Tyler Eifert went out with an injury, and is averaging four catches for 43.8 yards and .75 touchdowns in his last four games. But he plays at Jacksonville this Sunday, and the Jaguars have the stingiest pass defense in the league.

Defense/Special Teams

START: Houston Texans – Houston plays Indianapolis on Sunday, and the Colts have no Luck on offense (pun intended!). Indy has been giving opposing D/ST units good fantasy production all season, so this will be a nice chance for a banged up Texan defense to get back on track.

SIT: Kansas City Chiefs – Some would say Kansas City has a great matchup against a Dallas team missing its workhorse RB in Ezekiel Elliott, but the Chiefs are giving up 4.9 yard per carry. I think Alfred Morris will gain chunks of yards behind the Cowboys’ meaty offensive line and leave fantasy owners who started KC disappointed with the results.

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