Do you dare ride the Ryan Fitzpatrick magic roller coaster again?
After subbing in for a dreadful Jameis Winston in week 8, the early season darling Fitzpatrick is back in the starting lineup and offers an opportunity for waiver wire gold once again. Or he could generate nothing, too. It’s a complete mystery.
What’s not a mystery is that Tampa Bay is a dumpster fire at the moment and head coach Dirk Koetter is firmly planted on the hot seat.
There are plenty of storylines to go around in the week 9 fantasy football start ’em, sit ’em guide for quarterbacks.
Start
Matt Ryan vs. Washington Redskins
A once top-tier fantasy football defense this season is starting to hit some major roadblocks.
The Redskins have allowed the second-most fantasy points per game to quarterbacks in the last four weeks. They’re not turning over teams, allowing offenses to move the chains.
That’s a problem against Atlanta. Ryan doesn’t turn over the football. He has only three turnovers, compared to 17 total touchdowns. He’s thrown for more than 300 yards in four of the last five games, and the Falcons can score on any team.
The Redskins were once a solid pass defense this season, but that has faded.
Kirk Cousins vs. Detroit Lions
It’s been a regular ho-hum year for Cousins.
He’s good, but not good enough to beat quality teams. Even without that ability to beat good teams, he still regularly puts up solid fantasy totals. That should be the case once again in week 9 against Detroit.
Cousins has been fairly consistent in every game but the week 3 loss to Buffalo. His ceiling may not be as high as some quarterbacks, but his floor is high. That should help him against a Detroit defense that is allowing the sixth-most fantasy points per game to quarterbacks. The Lions also are allowing 8.8 yards per pass attempt in the last three games. Only three teams have been worse against the pass during that span.
The Vikings offense should be able to move consistently against Detroit. That should help Cousins put up QB1 fantasy totals.
C.J. Beathard vs. Oakland Raiders
This is a shot in the dark, but if you’re suffering from the bye-week blues, then Beathard offers you a chance.
Oakland is terrible. They’ve given up on the season and that defense just won’t stop being terrible. Oakland ranks last in the NFL in yards per pass attempt at 8.6. Miraculously, that is getting worse, with the Raiders allowing 9.7 yards per pass attempt in the last three games.
Beathard isn’t going to offer you consistently good production, but he has enough ability to be a streaming option.
He tallied at least 17 fantasy points in his first three starts this season in place of the injured Jimmy Garoppolo, before struggling in the last two games. If he’s healthy (which is a question after a wrist injury from week 8), he should be the best streaming option in fantasy football.
Sit
Marcus Mariota vs. Dallas Cowboys
Don’t be fooled by his performance in London from week 7. Mariota looked to get back on track slightly against the Los Angeles Chargers in week 7. He displayed his running ability against the Chargers, which is necessary for him to be a viable fantasy option.
However, I don’t trust Mariota to keep running. He’s avoided running the football recently, which will hinder his production against Dallas.
The Cowboys are allowing just 16.17 fantasy points per game to quarterbacks, the 10th-lowest number per game.
If Mariota chooses to operate from the pocket, he won’t be a QB1 in week 9.
Joe Flacco vs. Pittsburgh Steelers
The Steelers are getting better on both sides of the ball.
Pittsburgh’s offense is moving the ball at a better clip and the passing defense is allowing just 5.2 yards per pass attempt in the last three games. That spells trouble for the Ravens, which haven’t been the same team in recent weeks than it was earlier this season.
Flacco has scored less than 12 fantasy points per game in three of the last four games. Pittsburgh, meanwhile, is forcing quarterbacks into small gains, eliminating big plays.
The Ravens need a spark, but it won’t come in week 9.
Mitchell Trubisky vs. Buffalo Bills
It may seem like a good idea to stream Trubisky in week 9 against the Bills, but don’t fall for it.
Buffalo is one of the worst teams in the NFL, but it hasn’t been terrible against opposing quarterbacks. The Bills are allowing the third-fewest fantasy points per game to quarterbacks in the last four weeks. The Bills also are giving up the third-fewest yards per pass attempt this season.
This game won’t be a shootout — that’s impossible for Buffalo’s offense. Trubisky has been better in recent weeks, but there just won’t be enough pass attempts to make this worthwhile.
