The Fantasy Footballers’ Week 9 Starts
It’s Week 9, which means injuries and byes be damned, it’s time for the playoff push! Here are The Footballers’ Week 9 Starts from today’s 300th episode!
Andy’s Starts
QB Philip Rivers vs Tennessee
Tennessee has given up 8 TDs to QB over the last 3 games including 3 TDs each of the past two weeks. With Tennessee’s defense softening up, I love the potential for Rivers in this one at home.
RB Darren Sproles @ New York Giants
Sproles had 15 carries last week against Dallas and tallied 6.7 yards from scrimmage per touch (4th out of 42 qualifying RBs). He does what he does.
WR Stefon Diggs vs Detroit
This is a gut play, but Detroit has given up a league-leading 19 TD to the WRs. Diggs looks healthier and the offense should perk up at home with a change in the offensive coordinator. I’m going with Diggs after 8 catches on 13 targets last week.
TE Travis Kelce vs New York Jets
With Foles in the lineup, Kelce went off with 7 receptions for 101 yards last week and a TD. He has the 4th highest reception rate on targets among TEs and he is a safety blanket.
Mike’s Starts
QB Jameis Winston vs Atlanta
Atlanta is allowing an average of 300 yards and 2 TDs per game through the air. I’m expecting a big game out of Winston and Mike Evans.
RB Mark Ingram/Carlos Hyde
Start them both. They get to face the worst and 2nd worst fantasy run defenses. Ingram is still the starting RB in New Orleans.
WR Donte Moncrief vs Green Bay
Green Bay’s secondary is beatable. T.Y. Hilton is banged up, may not even play. Moncrief is the go-to red zone target for Andrew Luck.
TE Kyle Rudolph vs Detroit
Detroit is terrible against TEs. There have only been two games where the TE has failed to score against Detroit this year. Kyle Rudolph is a TD machine.
Jason’s Starts
QB Dak Prescott @ Cleveland
The Dak Attack is my #4 QB this week. In last four games, he has 8 TDs and two more on the ground and now gets to face the Cleeve-a-land Browns. This should be a monster game for Dak.
RB Carlos Hyde vs New Orleans
He is practicing in a non-contact jersey, but he is practicing and I think Hyde will be fine. He faces New Orleans who has given up 12 TDs on the ground alone. He should have a great game.
WR Davante Adams vs Indianapolis
Stay in the flames with Adams now that he has the trust of Aaron Rodgers. This game’s 54 O/U is among the highest this year.
TE Coby Fleener @ San Francisco
If you look at Fleener’s two monster games, they came against Atlanta and Carolina who have weak secondaries. San Francisco also has a weak secondary so Fleener has a shot at another big game.
Eric’s Starts
QB Colin Kaepernick vs New Orleans
Kaep has yet to exceed 200 yards passing, but he’s already tallied 150 yards rushing in just two games. He has a passing TD in each of those games and now gets to face a putrid New Orleans defense while enjoying home-field advantage. I say he exceeds 200 yards and gets at least one passing and rushing TD.
RB Latavius Murray vs Denver
Denver has a reputation as a great defense, but they’re vulnerable on the ground. Denver has given up an average of 117.4 yards rushing per game, which is 7 more yards than New Orleans allows for perspective. Murray should see more touches than he did after returning from injury last week and gets to enjoy running behind one of the best offensive lines in the league at home.
WR Terrelle Pryor Sr. vs Dallas
Pryor bounced back in a big way last week after returning from injury. Say what you want about the 0-8 Browns, they do put up a decent fight offensively and Pryor has a way of being in the middle of the offense.
TE Lance Kendricks vs Carolina
This is not the week to be too tricky with TEs between byes and injuries, but Kendricks has had 12 receptions in the last two games. Carolina’s defense may be on the up-and-up, but they’ve been stung for 5 TDs to TEs, plus a rushing TD to Coby Fleener. I’m not expecting Kendricks to score one on the ground, but if you’re desperate for a TE Kendricks could be a sneaky play.
Jason Moore’s Ironclad, Lock-and-Loaded ‘Boom Boom Kicker of the Week’
I’m going with the this year’s #2 kicker so far, which is 41-year-old Matt Bryant. He’s Locked-and-Loaded!
Be sure to check out all of Episode #300: Starts of the Week, Week 9 Matchups, and News.