Week 9 Fantasy Advice
- Noah Hays
- Nov 1, 2017
- 5 min read
Here it is again, I hope I can propel your team to victory in week 9. Unless your team is completely garbage you can still be in the hunt for the playoffs, so hopefully with this weeks advice and more to come I can help you slide into the playoffs and win some $$$. Join me as I look into my crystal ball to give you the answers you so desperately need.
Expert Photoshop done by myself
Q: Im in a dilemma. Which two RBs would you start out of Joe Mixon, Alfred Morris, and Kenyan Drake?
A: With the trade deadline coming to a close the Miami Dolphins left everyone in Miami confused and scratching their heads after trading Jay Ajayi to the Philadelphia eagles for a 4th round pick. Ajayi only in his 3rd year in the NFL has proven to be a explosive starting running back to depend on averaging 4.9 yards per carry in 2016 to go along with three 200 yard games. Yes 3. Some running backs are lucky to have 3 of those in a career let alone a single season. Somehow the Dolphins only got back a 4th for this player? Something doesn't seem right. Anyways with the dolphins backup being one for the taking a similar situation is in Dallas with Zeke suspended for 6 games. Alfred Morris is expected to have his workload increase but the same thing can be said for Daren McFadden. This leaves you picking between two players with big question marks in their backfields and one who should be an automatic start. Joe Mixon was inches away from the end zone after his longest play of the year coming off of a 67 yard screen. Mixon is now handling the majority of the touches with Bernard and Hill not surpassing double digit touches this past Sunday. Now this cuts it down to Morris or Drake. In my opinion you start Drake just based on the game situation, and inconsistent history of Alfred Morris. Dallas is going up against one of the most explosive offenses in the NFL so expect a shootout in the Jerry dome with less carries to go around for the whole backfield. The Dolphins on the other hand have the struggling Oakland Raiders with a 3rd string QB who will be reliant on the running back on checkdowns. Kenyan might not be the starter but has more upside this week than Morris. Start Mixon and Drake.
Q: Pick two WRs out of Sanu, Nelson , Sheppard
A: With Aaron Rodgers out most people are hesitant to start Jordy Nelson in leagues, I am not one of them. Brett Hundley has taken over as the starting QB for the Packers and you can expect him to force feed his #1 WR in Nelson any time he can get. Now I'm not saying that you should expect the type of long bomb touchdowns that Nelson has had in the past but you can still expect a high volume of targets especially in the red zone leading to a lot of opportunities for touchdowns. Their matchup this week could cause you to shy away from starting Nelson but I would put confidence into the veteran going against a experienced secondary in Detroit. The Lions gave up a 97 yard touchdown last game at home to Ben Rothlisberger who has struggled anywhere away from Pittsburgh, leaving me not scared of the
matchup against the Lions who have lost 4 out of their last 5. At the 2nd slot Its a little bit more tricky. Mohammed
Sanu is a great WR2 in fantasy but with Steve Sarkisian at the OC and Matt Ryan struggling it could change in an
instant from week to week. Although Sanu will go up against the Panthers #2 corner this week in Daryl Worley who
has been easy to expose most of the time this season. If the Falcons offensive line can give Ryan time (Don't count
on it with the Panthers defense being at full strength) and Sarkisian can act like a NFL offensive coordinator, Sanu
could put up some solid numbers. On the other side Sterling Sheppard is coming back from an Ankle injury to the Giants who missed two weeks before their bye in week 8. I would not expect the Giants to rush back the promising
2nd year receiver in a season that is pretty much all but over. If that isn't enough to convince you, the Giants offense has to go against one of the best defensive lines in the NFL in Aaron Donald and the LA Rams. Lets just say the
Giants O line isn't that great and Eli will most likely be on the run a lot. For me upside is a huge part of my picks and with Nelson already a must start play Sanu even in a iffy matchup.
Q: Delanie Walker or Tyler Kroft
A: With Delanie Walker suffering a bone bruise two weeks ago facing the Cleveland Browns leaving his status for this Sunday in question. Walker has played routinely at less than 100 percent, and coming off of a bye it should not keep Marcus Mariota's #1 target out. Pain tolerance is the biggest issue after Delanie was spotted in a walking boot after the week 7 win against the Browns. Even if Delanie played he would be going up against the Ravens who rank 12th in the league against opposing TEs setting up for a difficult matchup. At the same time a new starting TE in Cincinnati has emerged after the former starter Tyler Eiffert was put on IR and is not expected to return this season. Kroft has had at least 4 catches in each of the past four games notching 3 touchdowns in that span. Like Tyler Eiffert he has been a solid red zone target for the wildly inconsistent Andy Dalton and you should expect that to continue as long as Kroft stays healthy. The Bengals are going up against a Jacksonville defense who has been locking down almost any receiver who comes their way with Jalen Ramsey and AJ Bouye giving up the least amount of fantasy points to WRs. I wouldn't expect AJ Green to not preform but the other receivers on the roster and maybe even Green could struggle against these proven corners, leaving Kroft to get more targets against a Jaguars defense who ranks 21st in the league against opposing TEs. Walker is by far the more talented player but with injury concerns and not that far of a drop off in your 2nd TE, start Kroft and feel confident about it.
Thank you to the small amount of people who sent me questions and to my friend Blake who reminded me to do this. Hope I don't screw you in fantasy this week!
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