I whiffed on a lot of “starts” in Week 8. Truthfully, I’m still reeling from Kenny Gainwell’s usage, or lack thereof, and the duds we saw from Mike Williams and Emmanuel Sanders. But at least the “sits” were spot on. Now it’s time to take a look at Week 9. As always, I’ll be bringing you names at every position that I believe will exceed expectations or fall flat.

Let’s get into the picks.

Starts: Quarterbacks

Justin Herbert, Chargers @ Eagles

Justin Herbert is coming off back-to-back poor performances. However, Philadelphia should be a perfect get-right spot for the second-year QB. The Eagles are allowing opposing QBs to complete a league-high 74% of their passes. With Keenan Allen, Mike Williams, and Austin Ekeler at his disposal, Herbert should be able to sustain drives and score plenty of points against this vulnerable defense. And Jalen Hurts should do just enough to keep the Chargers’ offense in attack mode.

Carson Wentz, Colts vs. Jets

Carson Wentz has quietly put together an impressive stretch of performances. Since Week 5, Wentz has finished no worse than QB14 in weekly scoring. During that four game stretch, he has accounted for ten total TDs. Surprisingly, the Jets haven’t been a great matchup for opposing QBs this season. But, if Mike White can keep the Jets in the game and force the Colts to play four full quarters, I believe Carson Wentz will deliver for the fifth week in a row. 

Honorable Mention: Derek Carr, Raiders @ Giants

Starts: Running Backs

Zack Moss, Bills @ Jaguars

Excluding Week 1, when he was a surprise inactive, Zack Moss has actually been fairly consistent for fantasy, finishing as the RB26 or better in five of his six games this season. Moss is handling valuable touches in one of the league’s best offenses. He ranks 11th in red zone carries this season, and he’s seen at least four targets in each of the past three weeks. I’m expecting another solid outing in a positive game script against the Jaguars.

Josh Jacobs, Raiders @ Giants

Josh Jacobs might be the most boring 23-year-old first-round RB in NFL history. There is nothing flashy about his game, and you’re never excited to start him, but he always comes through one way or another. He has finished somewhere between RB14 and RB30 in all five of his starts this season, including games against Baltimore and Philadelphia that he exited early. You can expect more of the same from Jacobs in Week 9.

Saquon Barkley, Giants vs. Raiders

If he returns from injury this week, Saquon Barkley is an interesting option against the Raiders, who have allowed the 4th-most rushing yards per game and 5th-most yards per rush attempt this season. Barkley comes with plenty of risk, of course, but he’s also soaked in upside. If you’re dealing with injuries or bye weeks, or you’re a massive underdog and need to swing for the fences, you could do a lot worse. If Barkley is ruled out, you should feel comfortable playing Devontae Booker instead.

Honorable Mention: Myles Gaskin, Dolphins vs. Texans

Starts: Wide Receivers

Mike Williams, Chargers vs. Patriots

Mike Williams has now scored fewer than five PPR points in three of his last five games. However, in the other two games, he finished as the overall WR2 and WR1, respectively. There is absolutely cause for concern, but I refuse to give up on a player with that sort of upside, especially one tied to an elite young QB. A rising tide lifts all boats. If Justin Herbert can get back on track against a generous Eagles’ defense this week, then Mike Williams can do the same.

Kadarius Toney, Giants vs. Raiders

Ever since his back-to-back impressive games in Weeks 4 and 5, Kadarius Toney has struggled with injuries. However, he emerged from his Week 8 matchup against the Chiefs relatively unscathed, which is a good sign for his outlook in Week 9 and beyond. Meanwhile, Sterling Shepard and Kenny Golladay continue to deal with their own injuries. Toney is a flex play with upside against the Raiders.

DeVante Parker, Dolphins vs. Texans

Apparently, Week 9 is all about boring but consistent veterans. Across five games this season, Parker is averaging over eight targets per game, and his 38.4% air yards share ranks 15th in the league. You should expect Parker to convert some of those downfield targets against the Texans, who have allowed the 6th-most points to WRs this season.

Honorable Mention: Jakobi Meyers, Patriots @ Panthers, Jarvis Landry, Browns @ Bengals

Starts: Tight Ends

Dalton Schultz, Cowboys vs. Broncos

With Cooper Rush under center in Week 8, Dalton Schultz finally had a bad game after four consecutive top-10 finishes. Still, he saw seven targets in that game and recorded his 2nd-highest snap share of the season. Dak Prescott should be back in Week 9, making Schultz a must-start against the Broncos.

Honorable Mention: Tyler Conklin, Vikings @ Ravens

Sits: Quarterbacks

Justin Fields, Bears @ Steelers

Finally, Justin Fields flashed the upside that made him such a tantalizing pick in fantasy drafts this offseason. He finished as the overall QB5 in Week 8 with 103(!) rushing yards and a rushing TD. But I’m not sure Fields will be able to replicate his performance against the Steelers, who have been stingy against fantasy QBs this season. Plus, Vegas has the total for this game set at just 40 points, which is incredibly low. You have my permission to get excited about Fields’ long-term potential, but he’s a trap this week.

Kirk Cousins, Vikings @ Ravens

Kirk Cousins ranks 10th in the NFL in passing TDs, yet the Vikings have scored the 9th-fewest TDs this season. This is because the Vikings have scored just two rushing TDs. Even with this lopsided ratio working in Kirk’s favor, he has finished outside the top-20 QBs in three of his past four games. He’s just not doing enough as a passer to make up for his lack of mobility. Look elsewhere this week.

Sits: Running Backs

Ravens RBs, Ravens vs. Vikings

Who would’ve guessed that we would be actively avoiding all Ravens’ RBs halfway through the season? Not me, but here we are. Whether it be Devonta Freeman, Latavius Murray, Le’Veon Bell, or Ty’Son Williams, the Ravens have insisted on splitting the RB opportunities fairly evenly over the past several weeks. Unless one of these players is able to distance themselves from the rest, they are all TD-dependent desperation plays.

Carlos Hyde, Jaguars vs. Bills

If James Robinson is forced to miss Week 9, Carlos Hyde should see the vast majority of the RB opportunities. Great, a 31-year-old journeyman on one of the league’s worst offenses facing off against the best defense in the NFL. The Bills are allowing the 2nd-fewest points to RBs this season, and they’ve already shut out multiple teams in 2021. Stay away.

Honorable Mention: Mike Davis, Falcons @ Saints

Sits: Wide Receivers

Laviska Shenault, Jaguars vs. Bills

I had high hopes for Laviska Shenault when DJ Chark was lost for the season, but he has failed to deliver. In his defense, the entire offense is in shambles and he’s been thrust into a role that does not suit his skillset. Still, I never would’ve expected him to fall behind Jamal Agnew in the pecking order. In this brutal matchup, you need to keep Shenault on the bench. 

DeVonta Smith, Eagles vs. Chargers

DeVonta Smith has had a solid role in the Eagles’ offense. He’s seeing about seven targets per game, and he ranks 10th in air yards and 8th in air yards share. The problem is that his 440 unrealized air yards rank 7th in the league. He just hasn’t been on the same page with Jalen Hurts. Brighter days are ahead for the talented rookie, but I don’t expect his bounce-back performance to come against the Chargers, who rank 2nd against fantasy WRs. 

Honorable Mention: Robby Anderson, Panthers vs. Patriots

Sits: Tight Ends

Tyler Higbee, Rams vs. Titans

Matthew Stafford is the QB3 this season. He ranks 2nd in passing TDs, 2nd in passing yards, and 2nd in yards per attempt. Unfortunately, none of that has benefitted Tyler Higbee because the Rams rank 28th in TE target share this season. Tyler Higbee has gone five straight games without scoring double-digit fantasy points, and he seems to be the odd man out in this offense. It’s time to look for a more reliable option. 

Honorable Mention: Jonnu Smith, Patriots @ Panthers

Thanks for reading this article! Look me up on Twitter at @fantasyfreezer if you’d like to hear more from me. I love answering fantasy questions, discussing trades, and engaging in friendly debates, so be sure to drop in and say hello.

You can read the previous articles in this series here:  Week 1, Week 2, Week 3, Week 4, Week 5, Week 6, Week 7, Week 8