Am I delusional or are we actually in week nine of the NFL season? I have done some checking and, sure enough, that’s exactly where we are. Time sure does fly, doesn’t it? Even as that is the situation, there are managers that have starts and sits concerns regarding their roster. If you find yourself looking for answers, no worries! Welcome to my weekly article, this one shall be known as the Week Nine Fantasy Starts/Sits edition. I present these editions to help bring inner peace in the fantasy football realm.

To be clear, as has been the case the past five weeks, all position rankings are taken from ESPN. No question, there are sure to be disagreements about the players listed below. If that is where you find yourself, let’s talk about it!

Additionally, there will surely be managers that have questions about some players not included in this edition. Give me the names of the players you are having trouble deciding upon and I will get some research done and get back to you.

Unlike week eight when all teams were playing, the bye gets reintroduced in week nine. Fortunately, this only affects two teams: San Francisco and Pittsburgh. If there are any players from those two teams on the roster, it would be wise to plan ahead. With no further to discuss, we can dive right in.

Week Eight Starts

Quarterbacks

Sam Darnold, Minnesota Vikings

To be sure, a lot of the bloom is off the rose when it comes to Sam Darnold and the Vikings. After beginning the season with five straight wins, Minnesota has lost their last two games. Much of the blame for that has to go to their defense. Darnold, for one, didn’t put out a bad performance against the Rams.

In the game, Darnold completed 18 of 25 passes for 240 yards and two TDs. Encouragingly, he put a stop to throwing an interception after doing so in three straight games. Darnold has thrown 14 scoring passes on the season, so he has far outshone what football experts expected of him.

This week, the Vikings draw the Colts at home. At present, Indianapolis ranks a sorry 23rd against QBs. Playing at home against a defensively challenged opponent will put Darnold in a position to provide quality fantasy stats. If you are in a 2QB league and have Darnold, get him in this week’s lineup.

Kirk Cousins, Atlanta Falcons

Unfortunately, anyone that sat Kirk Cousins this past weekend due to his performance against Seattle missed out on a giant fantasy payday. After turning the ball over three times against the Seahawks, such a move is certainly understandable. In the end, Cousins only had six incompletions the entire game while throwing for 276 yards and four touchdowns. More importantly, he didn’t commit a single turnover.

Looking ahead, the schedule shows this weekend’s opponent is the Dallas Cowboys. Certainly, Dallas has been a huge disappointment this season. Opposing quarterbacks have feasted on the Cowboy defense to the point it is downright embarrassing. Overall, they rank 26th against QBs. All of the above indicates to this Week Nine Fantasy Starts/Sits edition Cousins is a must start.

Running Backs

Raheem Mostert, Miami Dolphins

At first glance, there isn’t much to Raheem Mostert‘s last game to recommend him for a start this coming week. However, ignore the nine carries for 19 yards and the single catch for 11 yards. However, do focus in on the two touchdowns. Most often, it is wise to not chase TDs in fantasy. Even so, recall that this is a player that led the entire NFL with 18 touchdowns a season ago.

Further, the schedule, as it so often does, gives us another reason to get Mostert into starting lineups. The Dolphins travel to Buffalo to take on the 28th ranked run defense. Ultimately, no further reasons are needed. Make sure that Mostert is in your lineup in week nine.

Alexander Mattison, Las Vegas Raiders

In week six, I recommended sitting Alexander Mattison. Such an action would have applied for this past week as well. I will not get into Mattison’s stats this past weekend, as they are not relevant to anything moving forward. There is good news, however.

With the Broncos and Chiefs behind him, Mattison can look forward to Cincinnati on Sunday. Obviously, no one would confuse the Bengal defense with either of the previous two. That is a fact even though Cincinnati ranks 14th versus running backs. They are especially poor at defending quarterbacks.

Expect the Raiders to use the pass to their advantage and then use their running game to keep the Bengals offense off the field. This Week Nine Fantasy Starts/Sits recommendation may seem like a stretch, but Mattison should return to his previous week’s output (23 rushes/92 yards) in this game.

Wide Receivers

Chris Olave, New Orleans Saints

Without question, ever since week two, the season has gone down hill for the New Orleans Saints. Certainly, injuries have played a key role in their collapse. In the previous week, those injury woes caught up to Chris Olave. Good news: he was back on the field against the Chargers in week eight.

In the game, Olave stepped up against the second ranked Los Angeles WR defense. Receiving an incredible 14 targets, Olave caught eight of them for 107 yards. He didn’t find the endzone, but that’s all that was missing from his game resume.

If that sounds good, and it should, the Saints move on to play the Panthers in Carolina. The Panther D has been picked on quite frequently in these articles this season, and for good reason. At present, they rank 21st against WRs and 29th against passers. Therefore, Olave will roam free regardless of who the quarterback is. Bottom Line: get Olave into a starting position in your lineup this week.

Josh Downs, Indianapolis Colts

Often, when a change is made at quarterback for whatever reason, a team’s receivers production goes down. That won’t be the case with Josh Downs, though. Indianapolis announced they are switching to veteran Joe Flacco over Anthony Richardson in the next game and possibly longer. That doesn’t come as any surprise after Richardson took himself out of the game with the Texans because he was tired. Bad enough that was the reason, but even worse that he announced it to the world.

In any event, the move to Flacco should boost Downs and the rest of the Colt receivers. Flacco is completing 65.7% of his passes for seven TDs and one interception in three games this season. Meanwhile, Downs has been targeted nine of more times in four games, including all three that Flacco started.

Truly, It is a match made in fantasy heaven. So much so that this Week Nine Fantasy Starts/Sits edition can’t give Downs a higher recommendation. There should be no question whether Downs should be in starting lineups this week.

Tight Ends

Sam LaPorta, Detroit Lions

Curiously, there have been multiple weeks where Sam LaPorta has virtually disappeared from the stat sheet. In weeks two and three, Laporta had two catches in each game. Even worse, in weeks six and seven, he only recorded two catches total. Considering how high powered the Lion offense is, it’s a complete mystery what’s happened. In fact, many fantasy managers decided to pull the plug and cut Laporta.

However, If you weren’t one of those, your patience is going to be rewarded. Last week against the Titans, LaPorta caught all six of his targets for 48 yards and a score. Next, the news gets even better.

Detroit hits the road to take on division rival Green Bay. No doubt, this will be an exciting game, but the Packers rank just 24th against opposing tight ends. Ultimately, LaPorta can be started with absolute confidence.

Fantasy Football Sits

Quarterbacks

Kyler Murray, Arizona Cardinals

Coming off his best game of the season, some may find it surprising that Kyler Murray would land on the bench side of this Week Nine Fantasy Starts/Sits edition. Maybe so, but hear me out. This week, the Cardinals are not playing the Miami Dolphins, but the Chicago Bears.

Except for that huge brain cramp at the end of the Washington game, Chicago kept Jayden Daniels under control. Expect the same result in this game. The Bears come in with the second best defense against QBs. Take away the final play from the Commanders, no doubt, their ranking would be even higher.

In my opinion, there is just no certifiable reason that you should anticipate 307 passing yards and two scores from Murray this week. Admittedly, there may not be much choice to start Murray if he is your QB. If there are other alternatives, however, seriously consider one of them.

Tua Tagovailoa, Miami Dolphins

As for Murray’s passing opponent last Sunday, Tua Tagovailoa, likewise, finds himself on the sit side of this week’s article. Like Murray, Tagovailoa has a tough opponent this weekend. In this case, that team is the Bills. At least Murray is facing Chicago at home. Tagovailoa must travel, as the game is in Buffalo.

As we all know, Tagovailoa has faced plenty of injury concerns, not just this season, but in his career. The game against Arizona was his first in five weeks. Given that fact, Tagovailoa gets credit for completing 28 of 38 passes for 234 yards and a touchdown against the Cardinals.

However, it must be pointed out that Arizona’s defense is not Buffalo’s. The Bills rank exactly tenth against QBs in fantasy, as opposed to 24th. In the end, as with Murray, if another option exists at quarterback, managers will want to explore those options.

Running Backs

Rachaad White, Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Truly, it is difficult to explain what happened to Rachaad White last week against the Falcons. He came into the game having 10 rushes in three straight, but had only six for 29 yards versus Atlanta. His day wasn’t a total disaster due to the fact that he caught five passes for 38 more yards and a score.

That kind of output is way more than anyone could possibly expect in his next game, however. Simply stated, there isn’t a tougher opponent for running backs to go up against than defending champion Kansas City. They are number one in that category.

Even worse, the Bucs have to face the Chiefs on the road in a prime time game Monday night. Placing all of the above information into this Week Nine Fantasy Starts/Sits edition leads to the equation of keeping White benched Monday night.

Javonte Williams, Denver Broncos

Last week, I rode with Javonte Williams. Unfortunately, it was one of those predictions that did not pan out. Going up against Carolina should have been a huge boost for Williams, but it was not to be. Against the Panthers, he carried the ball 17 times, his most of the season.

However, it didn’t result in production as Williams finished with just 44 yards for a paltry 2.6 average. His four catches netted only eight yards. Without question, it was one of the most disappointing fantasy results from last week. Carolina has the worst defense against running backs, but that fact did not aid Williams.

Moving forward to this week, the going is much tougher for Williams, as Baltimore is next. The Ravens have a top ten rush defense, ranking eighth. Further, the game is in Baltimore. Obvious conclusion: bench Williams in week nine.

Wide Receivers

Jerry Jeudy, Cleveland Browns

As could be expected, Cleveland was captured by excitement following the Browns very unexpected 29-24 win over Baltimore. Even so, everyone involved has to turn their backs on that game and move on, both in the real and fantasy worlds. In doing so, we must discuss Jerry Jeudy.  

Against the Ravens, Jeudy caught five of eight passes for 79 yards. The eight targets were the most he’s had over the previous three games. Unfortunately, that is the end of any good news for Jeudy and his fantasy managers. In only three games in 2024, Jeudy has produced over 70 yards of offense.

In each game after, though, he hasn’t been able to muster more than 27 yards, twice less than 20. Looking at the schedule, there is every reason to believe such a recurrence is coming. The Chargers are next up for Cleveland. They just happen to be the third best at defending WRs. With that in mind, escort Jeudy to your bench this weekend and keep him as far away from your starting lineups as possible.

Keon Coleman, Buffalo Bills 

Last week, I went on record in recommending Keon Coleman. It worked out well. Even so, as we all know, things can change in huge ways from one week to the next. Equally obvious, matchups have quite a bit to do with these recommendations. With all that in mind, this Fantasy Week Nine Starts/Sits edition places Coleman on the bench this time.

First, let me say that Coleman’s performance has nothing to do with keeping him on the sidelines. He’s had seven targets in each of the last two games, resulting in nine catches for 195 yards and a score. As pointed out above, though, the matchup is key. This week, it shifts wildly in the opponent’s favor. There is no sorry Seattle defense in Coleman’s way this time.

No, it is Miami’s secondary that will be in front of him on Sunday. There is only one team better at defending receivers than the Dolphins. Bottom line: it is best not to tempt fate two weeks in a row with a match up like this on the horizon. Keep Coleman away from lineups in week nine.

Tight Ends

Los Angeles Rams Tight Ends

In this section, it really doesn’t make a difference what Ram tight end we want to refer to. Despite putting up 30 points on the Vikings, LA tight ends caught a grand total of three passes in the game. It is a fact that they were a distinct non factor in the outcome.

It will be more of the same this week against Seattle, even though the Seahawks rank a lowly 25th against the position. Until we see something positive out of this group, maintain distance between them and your fantasy roster starting lineups.

The Last Word

Thank you for joining me for this Week Nine Fantasy Starts/Sits edition! Follow me on X (formerly Twitter) @kevin62wilsea. Please feel free to share this article. Be sure to turn to bellyupsports.com/ and bellyupfantasysports.com/ for all the MLB, NBA, NFL, NHL happenings and the latest sports news!