With the quarterbacks going off in week 8, it’s no wonder that receivers had a big day. Odell Beckham led the charge with 31 points. Five other wide receivers joined Beckham with more than 20 points.
Some of the bigger names leaped toward the top of the leaderboard. A.J. Green, Julio Jones, Julian Edelman, Brandin Cooks and Alshon Jeffery were all in the top-10 for fantasy points in week 8 for wide receivers.
Will that trend continue in week 9? We’ll see in our week 9 start ’em, sit ’em guide for wide receivers in fantasy football.
Daily fantasy start of the week
Antonio Brown vs. Oakland Raiders
Brown was happy to see quarterback Ben Roethlisberger return from injury. Brown totaled 11 targets against the Cincinnati Bengals last week and tallied a touchdown for the first time since week 2.
The Raiders’ pass defense is atrocious and we fully expect Roethlisberger to air it consistently throughout this game. Brown will be the biggest benefactor.
In two games finished by Roethlisberger to open the season, Brown totaled 328 yards receiving combined.
Expect more of the same without Le’Veon Bell in the game. Don’t forget, in those first two weeks, the Steelers were without Bell. Brown will have a monster game this week against the Raiders.
Start
Rishard Matthews vs. Buffalo Bills
The Bills defense has been good this season. But against the pass, they’ve been vulnerable.
Buffalo is giving up 255 yards per game passing and don’t generally get to the quarterback. The Bills only have 11 sacks, the 28th most in the NFL.
That’s a good sign for the Dolphins, which will likely attempt to utilize the pass often against the Bills. Buffalo’s rush defense is still one of the better units in the NFL, forcing the Dolphins to rely heavily on Ryan Tannehill and the passing game.
Matthews continues to haul in double-digit targets and led the Dolphins last week with 12 against New England. The ball continues to come his way and we expect that to remain consistent.
We expect the Dolphins to pass quite a bit in this game and Matthews has shown weekly that he is a top-tier option for the Dolphins.
DeSean Jackson vs. New England Patriots
Normally we don’t like players against New England, especially after returning from an injury. But we have a sneaking suspicion that Jackson will make an immediate impact in his return from injury.
The Redskins aren’t known to the extend the defense and Jackson will give Kirk Cousins more options over the top. Coming off a bye week, we expect head coach Jay Gruden to have something special in store for the Patriots defense.
And while that defense has been good, it does give up 250 passing yards per game. Teams are usually behind against New England, so the Redskins will be forced to pass. Jackson will see several targets this week and if you’ve stashed him away on your fantasy football roster, he’s worth a look this week.
Daily fantasy sit of the week
Brandon Marshall vs. Jacksonville Jaguars
We liked Marshall last week against the Oakland Raiders and he responded with more than 100 yards receiving again.
However, this week, we’re not satisfied with his quarterback and we don’t like his injured ankle. He’s questionable for Sunday’s game against Jacksonville, so you can’t risk him early in the week on your DFS roster. Even if he does play, there’s too much uncertainty for the Jets.
The quarterbacks are injured and we’re not sure if Marshall can continue his incredible pace. He has more than 100 yards receiving in every game but one this season.
That streak will snap in this game and he won’t go off for major points.
Sit
Tavon Austin vs. Minnesota Vikings
Austin is an intriguing play, but we’re not biting this week.
The Vikings are dominating against the pass lately, giving up 229 passing yards per game. And against the St. Louis Rams, we’re looking for the Rams to run Todd Gurley more, and pass less.
Austin has put up solid numbers this season, going for more than 20 points twice this season. But he’s becoming more touchdown-dependent.
In three of his past four games, he has scored touchdowns. And it’s not because he’s garnering a lot of targets. He’s usually in single digits with receiving targets and he’ll get a few rushing carries per game.
But that isn’t enough to generate a start on a weekly basis. The Vikings should stop the Rams from passing the ball this week and that should limit Austin’s ability to score fantasy points.
Marques Colston vs. Tennessee Titans
Colston finally broke out of a slump this past week, going for double-digit fantasy points against the New Orleans Saints.
He tallied 17.40 points on his first 100-yard receiving output of the season against the New York Giants. The only issue we have with his day is that the Giants play defense on an optional basis.
The Titans do not. Tennessee actually allows the third-fewest passing yards per game in the NFL. We don’t believe Tennessee is that good, but teams generally focus on the run against the Titans.
We expect the Saints to do that this week, especially since everyone will think the Saints will air out the ball like last week.
New Orleans has a multi-faceted offensive approach this year. It can run and pass the ball, so expect the run this week. Don’t believe Colston has broken out for good. He has more bad than good left for this season.
