The Biggest Start/Sit Decisions for Week 9 (Fantasy Football)

“Ahhh yeah.”
— Brooks Carmean

Aloha, Footclan! Welcome to Week 9 of the Start/Sit series, where we’ll identify and discuss your most commonly asked “Who should I start?” questions for the week.

The projections between any two players on your roster may appear similar, but this “simple” choice could be the difference between your team’s victory or defeat. Luckily, the Fantasy Footballers have created an amazing Start/Sit tool to easily compare any two (or more) players with insight from the Ballers themselves, and trust me — it’s an extremely valuable asset that will help you make these crucial lineup decisions that could ultimately lead you to your #FootClanTitle. Please note that the Footballers’ rankings are constantly being updated as news breaks, so make sure you check out the tool for yourself to catch any last-second changes.

So, without further ado, let’s kick things off with the most popular Start/Sit questions for Week 9:

Featured Matchup

WR:
Rondale Moore (ARI) or Joshua Palmer (LAC)?

Rondale Moore is fresh off what might be his best game this year, catching 7-of-8 passes for 92 yards and a TD in a loss against the Vikings. He posted similar numbers last season (8/114/1) during his rookie breakout game against…the Vikings. Huh.

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almost had him, gotta be quicker than that 😉@moore_rondale x #BirdCityFootball pic.twitter.com/QoNEpUmHPG

— Arizona Cardinals (@AZCardinals) October 30, 2022

Anyway, Moore went on to do absolutely nothing after that initial blow-up game, and the fear is history will repeat itself. He’s already played the Seahawks in Week 6 and only produced 49 scoreless yards despite seeing 10 targets. However, it’s encouraging to see his target share grow. Moore is already averaging two more targets per game (6.6) this season than he did in 2021 (4.6), which raises his fantasy floor — as does his role in the slot. He’s seen eight or more targets in three of his last four games, although that “fourth” game was a two-target disaster.

Joshua Palmer is everyone’s favorite Week 9 streamer — and Jason’s WR Start of the Week — thanks to his mouth-watering matchup and expected surge in workload due to a hobbled receiving room. The Falcons are giving up the MOST receptions, yards, and schedule-adjusted fantasy points to opposing WRs. Palmer should be heavily leaned on with Mike Williams and Keenan Allen inactive, although this could easily turn into another Austin Ekeler bonanza with Gerald Everett and somehow DeAndre Carter hogging the rest of the targets.

Moore was last week’s WR7 thanks to his 19.9 fantasy points, which is more than Palmer has ever produced in his career (best fantasy game: 15.1 points). And his elite 8.8 YAC/R speaks for itself (9th best among ALL offensive players). But the matchup and anticipated workload for Palmer is way too enticing.

The Verdict
Joshua Palmer

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QB:
Justin Fields (CHI) or Tom Brady (TB)?

Believe it or not, the Plant Man has only been a QB1 twice this year and has had more weeks finishing as the QB20 or worse. His coaches are predictable, his protection is weak, and his arsenal is constantly missing pieces. His upcoming matchup against the Rams isn’t great either. But Brady continues to sling it, averaging a strong 42.5 pass attempts per game. That average jumps to 47.4 from Weeks 4-8, which coincides with Chris Godwin‘s return to action.

But Justin Fields is the unanimous favorite. It’s certainly been a rough start, but Fields has been outstanding for fantasy since Week 5. Here’s what he’s averaged per game:

More importantly, he’s produced great numbers against tough defenses like the Patriots and Cowboys. He also leads the league in drives tackled inside the 5 since Week 5, meaning he could’ve done even better had he managed to convert more of these attempts. Fields is also Mike’s QB Start of the Week.

The Verdict
Justin Fields

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RB:
D’Andre Swift (DET) or Jamaal Williams (DET)?

This is tough. We know D’Andre Swift is phenomenal when he plays, but he’s been unable to stay on the field. Normally, he’s an auto-start if he’s active. But head coach Dan Campbell announced that he overused Swift last week after he gave him just five carries and five targets, casting doubt over his workload this week against the middling Packers’ defense.

His counterpart, Jamaal Williams, has been balling without Swift and is the RB12 after eight weeks of football. It hasn’t always been smooth sailing, though, as he’s been TD-or-bust. In fact, the man is the epitome of boom-bust. His only good games, regardless of Swift’s involvement, were great because he managed to score twice in all of them (including last week against the Dolphins). If he didn’t find the endzone, then he finished with less than seven fantasy points.

The Verdict
D’Andre Swift for floor, Jamaal Williams for upside… but monitor the reports.

D’Onta Foreman (CAR) or Raheem Mostert (MIA)?

	We do the work. You dominate your draft. Get the 2023 UDK D’Onta Foreman CAR RB @ CIN Sun, 11/6 1:00pm EST Clips	Raheem Mostert MIA RB @ CHI Sun, 11/6 1:00pm EST Clips
	EXPERT PROJECTIONS
Proj. Points	13.1	13.5
Andy Rank	RB #16	RB #12
Mike Rank	RB #15	RB #13
Jason Rank	RB #15	RB #13
	MATCHUP DETAILS
Opp. Rank	9	29
Home/Away	Away	Away
Over/Under	42.5	45.5
Line	+7.5	-4.5

Am I crazy for favoring D’Onta Foreman over Raheem Mostert? I mean, both guys are great starts, especially in such a rough bye week. But Foreman is coming off 118 yards and three TDs from 26 carries, 11 of which were in the red zone. That is elite usage for the team’s new workhorse, who won’t have to worry about Chuba Hubbard who was declared out. The Bengals are a tough defense to run against, but they’ve allowed over 100 all-purpose yards to two of their last three opposing RBs. The game script could get out of hand and force the Panthers to throw, but Foreman’s utilization near the goal line makes him a strong start.

Raheem Mostert has been a pleasant surprise for fantasy. His usage and health have held up favorably so far, and though he hasn’t produced consistently, all signs point to a good week for Colonel Mustard. Both teams involved in this showdown have been shaken up with trades, with the Bears losing LB Roquan Smith and acquiring WR Chase Claypool, while the Dolphins traded away RB Chase Edmonds and acquired RB Jeff Wilson and LB Bradley Chubb. This is mostly good news for Mostert, considering that the Bears’ vulnerable defense gets much weaker without Smith. But Wilson is a legitimate threat to siphon touches, though it may take another week for him to get going. Mostert is Andy’s RB Start of the Week.

The Verdict
D’Onta Foreman

TE:
Kyle Pitts (ATL) or Gerald Everett (LAC)?

Let’s check in with our local Pitts expert:

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good news i traded Kyle Pitts, two of my children, deed to house, and 3 years salary and acquired Travis Kelce so I no longer need to worry about PItts

— Andy Holloway (@andyholloway) November 4, 2022

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The Verdict
Kyle Pitts