Week 9 Start 'Em, Sit 'Em: Flex, PPR Advice for Fringe Fantasy Football Stars
Knowing when to start and sit the stars on any team often determines whether a manager wins or loses in any given week in fantasy football and that is no different entering Week 9.
With so many tough match-ups for recognizable faces, and favorable ones for others, knowing when to add a player to the starting lineup and subtract another is key.
Even if that player is a multiple-time league and Super Bowl MVP who may or may not be struggling to muster the offense that he has become synonymous with.
Ahead of the midway point of the season, find out which players have earned the right to be in your lineup and will help power you to victory with this preview of who to start and sit in Week 9.
Start: Chris Olave, WR, Saints at Panthers
Chris Olave has been among the more frustrating fantasy wide receivers, thanks to an inconsistent stat line that makes it difficult to know when and where to start him.
Start him in Week 9 against a Panthers defense allowing 33.39 points to opposing wide receivers.
Olave impressed last Sunday against a Chargers squad that is the stingiest in football against opposing wideouts, catching eight balls on 14 targets for 107 yards. While he still did not find the endzone, he helped fuel an otherwise struggling offense with quarterback Spencer Rattler under center.
With Derek Carr still unlikely to play against Carolina, Rattler will look for the talented wideout in hopes that he can exploit some of the Panthers' obvious woes defensively.
If Rattler can avoid the big mistakes, there is no reason to believe Olave cannot have a highly productive day and finish inside the top 15 at his position for the first time since Week 3 against Philadelphia.
Sit: Zay Flowers, WR, Ravens vs. Broncos
Baltimore's Zay Flowers has been one of the most prolific fantasy options all season, finishing in the top 20 in four of his eight games. He has undeniable on-field chemistry with quarterback Lamar Jackson and can take over a game if targeted early and often.
Against Cleveland, he caught 7-of-12 passes for 115 yards.
The Denver Broncos, though, are a tough match-up and one managers should look to avoid if possible.
The Mile High defense gives up the fourth-fewest points to opposing wide receivers with 26.09 and there is no reason to think that changes against Baltimore.
The Broncos have limited opposing receivers to just four touchdowns, too, limiting what Flowers can realistically do for managers should be in their lineup.
Sit him this week, replace him with a receiver facing a weaker pass defense than the one led by Antoine Winfield Jr., and put him back in your lineup for Week 10.
Start: Patrick Mahomes, QB, Chiefs vs. Buccaneers
It seems rather odd that the best quarterback of this generation would not be an automatic start. Still, Patrick Mahomes has not been the same explosive, points-tallying fantasy option that he was in previous years through the first eight games of the season.
Still, he is a must-start in Week 9 against a Tampa Bay Buccaneers defense surrendering the most fantasy points to opposing quarterbacks in the league at 22.81.
Mahomes has through eight touchdowns to nine interceptions on the season, uncharacteristic stats for the league MVP, but look for him to improve upon those totals against a leaky Bucs defense that has given up 31, 41, 27, and 36 points, respectively, in their last four games.
The three-time Super Bowl champion will have an opportunity to finish in the top 10 at his position for the first time all season. That he has not yet is stunning.
Look for him to carve up the Bucs defense and remind fans and managers alike why he carries with him the reputation that he does.
Sit: Amari Cooper, WR, Bills at Dolphins
The Miami Dolphins are the third-stingiest defense in the league against opposing wide receivers, giving up just 25.20 points to the position and only four touchdowns in eight games.
That does not bode well for Amari Cooper, who will likely have managers hoping he can bounce back from last week's abysmal one-catch, three-yard performance against the Seattle Seahawks that ended with him ranked 109 at his position.
Quarterback Josh Allen will likely do everything in his power to get his veteran receiver the ball. Still, the Dolphins will not make it easy and, with no guarantee that Cooper will deliver managers should not hold out hope that he can be the answer at one of the most important positions on the roster.
Sit Cooper this week, find a more consistent option at the position with a better match-up, and start them instead.
Cooper Kupp vs. Seattle comes to mind.
All stats via FantasyPros unless otherwise noted.