Happy Thursday November 2nd and welcome back to my weekly Start/Sit HUB! Mike here, providing you with information that can help you win your fantasy league week in and week out. For all things fantasy football, follow me on Twitter (@FantasyHubbard).
The TNF game we get to watch tonight features the 3-4 Tennessee Titans and the 4-3 Pittsburgh Steelers. The home team Steelers are currently favored by 2.5 with an over/under of 36.5. That is a very low over/under. Will Levis is looking to win another game after pleasantly surprising Titans fans with a victory and 4 TD passes in week 8. Can Will do it again or is the Pittsburgh defense and bright lights prove to be too much? To answer that question, we would have to hope DeAndre Hopkins plays and plays well given he scored 3 of Levis’ TDs last game. This game has low scoring duel written all over it. My prediction is that the Steelers emerge victorious by a score of 16-13.
I’m here every week during the fantasy football season with start and sit suggestions that can impact your team each week. My decisions as always include obvious and not so obvious picks. I would also like to clarify that my sit suggestions are based on the assumption you have or can add a player that has a better chance at success. Good luck this week and continue to check out my weekly articles.
TNF START/SIT
Start – George Pickens – George gets Tennessee tonight on TNF in Pittsburgh. The Titans have a solid rush defense but have been slacking against WRs. Pickett to Pickens is something you like to hear regularly. Even with the return of Diontae Johnson Pickens was able to score a TD. Diontae Johnson is also a great start this week as long as Pickett plays well. George can be electric, and it shows since he has already had 100+ receiving yards in 3 separate games this season.
Sit – Najee Harris – Najee is coming off his worst rushing performance of the season, but at the same time could argue it was his best receiving performance. Problem is Jaylen Warren is the RB who is most involved in the pass game. Warren has been getting opportunities which only hurts Najee’s stock. I could see this being a run heavy game, although Harris has just one TD on the season and he hasn’t eclipsed 75 rushing yards in a game this season.
Happy Saturday fantasy friends and welcome back to my Start/Sit Hub. Week 9 began on TNF where the Steelers escaped with a 20-16 victory over the Titans. Diontae Johnson looked great and helped the Steelers a ton on offense. The now 5-3 Steelers take on the Packers next while the now 3-5 titans travel to Tampa Bay. Next week’s TNF game is between the Panthers and the Bears. Well, I hope it’s more exciting than it sounds.
Games that I’m looking forward to watching in week 9 include the Cowboys/Eagles, the Chiefs/Dolphins, and the Bills/Bengals. Those should be 6 playoff teams showing what they got midseason. Can AJ Brown continue his 125 receiving yard record? Will Tyreek Hill go off in Germany? And can the Bills slow down the emerging Bengals? Enjoy your weekend of football and good luck getting that fantasy W.
WEEK 9 BYES: Denver Broncos, Detroit Lions, San Francisco 49ers, Jacksonville Jaguars
START OF THE WEEK
Start – Alvin Kamara – Kamara might have the best RB workload in the NFL right now. He is averaging over 17 carries and nearly 8 receptions in each game. Alvin takes on the Bears next whose defense isn’t expected to deter Kamara very much. Kamara should finish atop the RBs in fantasy points this week barring any unforeseen circumstances.
Dolphins @ Chiefs (GERMANY 9:30AM ET)
Start – Tyreek Hill – Yes, it’s obvious. Hill gets his former team the Chiefs for the 1st time since leaving them after the 2021 season. Hill has proven he can play with any QB and is a matchup nightmare for everyone in the NFL. Hill doesn’t have a great matchup with the KC pass defense this season but like I said he is matchup proof, and he is going to want to remind KC how good he is. Look for the cheetah to display his talents in Germany for a game.
Sit – Either D/ST – This Dolphins/Chiefs game has an over/under of 50.5 which is tied for highest this week with the Bengals and Bills. A lot of points are hoped for and expected so not the greatest idea to start either defense.
Vikings @ Falcons
Start – Bijan Robinson – Bijan carried the ball 11 times last week leading the Falcons backfield and scoring his first rushing TD of his career. Bijan was targeted 5 times last game but didn’t record a catch. I think Robinson has a good opportunity to catch a few passes and lead the Falcons in rushing again.
Sit – Alexander Mattison – Mattison’s rushing has not been very good, and the box score doesn’t lie. He didn’t get to the 50 yards rushing mark 6 out of 8 games thus far and has just 1 overall TD which was receiving since week 2. Also have to be aware Cam Akers is now in the backfield as well and has already vulture 1 RB TD last week who says it won’t happen again?
Cardinals @ Browns
Start – Amari Cooper – The Browns are expecting Deshaun Watson to be active and play this weekend which is great news for Coop. Amari has 89+ receiving yards in 4 of his 7 games and a minimum of 6 targets each game. Arizona’s defense isn’t going to keep the Browns up all night worrying about them. Cooper should be in line for a good outing.
Sit – Keaontay Ingram – Ingram is in line for some RB work after the news broke that Demercado is out this week. Arizona is about to start a rookie QB while Kyler Murray gets closer to returning to action. Ingram might be leaned on more than ever before and maybe even get double digit carries for just the 2nd time in his career. Just remember the Cleveland defense is better than expected and should be able to handle Arizona’s offense.
Rams @ Packers
Start – Darrell Henderson – Henderson has led the Rams in carries the last 2 games since emerging due to injuries. The backfield currently belongs to Henderson and Royce Freeman. Henderson has taken the pass catching role of the 2 of them so I prefer Henderson at this time along with a bigger workload. Both RBs for LA are capable of scoring this week.
Sit – Aaron Jones – Aaron Jones has played in just 4 games entering week 9. He went off in week 1 scoring multiple TDs. He then only made an appearance for week 4 and has finally seemed to be healthy enough to play him these last 2 weeks. Jones rushing has been overall ineffective at this point, so his pas catching is looking more valuable. Jones may not have played a ton this season but it’s clear he can catch and run since he has just 2 more rushing yards than receiving this season. Don’t sleep on LA’s rush defense.
Commanders @ Patriots
Start – Rhamondre Stevenson – Rhamondre is another RB that hasn’t exactly lived up to their usually high potential at this point in the season. Patriots have fed him with double digits carries in all but 2 games, and Stevenson also gets targeted a good amount. He has 16 targets in his last 3 games and this week he will be taking on the Commanders. Their defensive stats against opposing RBs isn’t great or terrible, so we will have to see if the bad or somewhat good Commanders take the field.
Sit – Brian Robinson – Robinson seems to be TD dependent ever since his 2 TD splash in Denver week 2. Since then, Robinson has been hit or miss, usually depending on if he scores or not. The Commanders have Robinson, the lurking Antonio Gibson and also the possible emergence of young rookie RB Chris Rodriguez. I would steer clear of Washington rush offense and most likely the entire offense against the Patriots this week.
Bears @ Saints
Start – Alvin Kamara – SEE START OF THE WEEK TOP OF PAGE
Sit – Derek Carr – Derek might not be playing his best right now, but it’s clear he likes to target Kamara a ton whether that’s his preference or the play callers. Carr has thrown for over 300 yards 4 times this season including each of his last 3. Carr has 2 multi-TD games this season and has a 2:1 TD to INT ratio. Not saying he can’t produce this week against a mid Bears team, but I don’t have Carr inside my top 15 QBs this week.
Seahawks @ Ravens
Start – Lamar Jackson – Jackson has his Ravens firing on all cylinders and making him look like an MVP candidate. Jackson has a TD in every game this season, has 2+ TDs in 5 of his games, and also has 2 games this season where he accounted for 4 total scores. Jacksons stats against his week 8 opponent the Cardinals were below what we expect from him in fantasy. Look for Jackson to continue using his legs and weapons on offense to keep the Ravens 3 game win streak alive.
Sit – Geno Smith – Geno has a 2-game winning streak going and takes on Baltimore this weekend. Baltimore has been a top defense defending opposing QBs. Ravens give up an average of 176 passing yards each game. The Ravens are also 2nd to only the Texans in allowing opposing QBs to score this season. Geno has thrown 5 INTs in his last 3 games which is 1 more than the number of TDs he has in that timespan. Smith will have his hands full in Baltimore this weekend.
Buccaneers @ Texans
Start – Mike Evans – This matchup isn’t even really great for mike Evans. But that doesn’t seem to affect the WR at the slightest. Evans has played with a bunch of QBs ranging from Brady to Baker, but he is the constant on the offense. The work horse has 5 receiving TDs this season already and has 3 games with double digit targets.
Sit – CJ Stroud – Stroud is coming off arguably his worst game of the season statistically. Stroud fond the endzone with his legs which is the first of his career but that being said he had a career low 140 passing yards and no passing scores. Bucs defense is average, so CJ isn’t the worst play here but I’m going to wait until he looks back to his regular self-throwing for more yards and TDs.
Colts @ Panthers
Start – Adam Thielen – Thielen just continues to dominate for his team. Bryce Young clearly favors him and is right to do so. Adam has 8+ targets and 7+ receptions in every game with exception for week 1. Colt’s defense is middle of the pack defending WRs so Adam should be able to get his. He is just outside the top 10 in targets in the entire NFL with 70.
Sit – Gardner Minshew – I love me some Minshew mania but this week he is going to take a backseat on the bench. Minshew has become accustomed to the offense and receivers at this point but he gameplan isn’t ideal for him. This game has Jonathan Taylor written all over it based off the fact that Panthers haven’t been able to stop opposing RBs. Josh Downs is currently questionable lowering Minshew’s stock a wee bit more.
Eagles @ Cowboys
Start – CeeDee Lamb – This should be another good game for CeeDee Lamb facing the Eagles for the 1st time this season in a big NFC East showdown. Lamb is WR1 for Dak and has 3 games with over 100 receiving yards. He is on his 2nd consecutive game with over 100 receiving yards and his best performance of the season thus far. 14 targets, 12 receptions, 158 receiving yards, and 2 TDs. That is massive and will be needed to take down AJ Brown and the Eagles. Lamb and Brown will be fun to watch.
Sit – Tony Pollard – Pollard is a fantastic RB but this week he faces the Philadelphia rush defense that has shut basically everyone down. The D line is top notch and opposing QBs soon find out the way to move the ball is through the air. Pollard could be used heavily in the pass game, but I don’t think his rushing will make the impact he is hoping for. Eagles allow an NFL low 66 rushing yards per game.
Giants @ Raiders
Start – Josh Jacobs – Josh Jacobs is my pick here, and yes it seems obvious. Aidan O’Connell is set to start at QB this week in Vegas. How do you help QBs get adjusted in the game? You run the ball and open up the pass game. Jacobs should get a nice workload against the Giants both on the ground and hopefully through the air.
Sit – Daniel Jones – Jones is expected to and plans to start Sunday for the first time since week 5. Jones played 5 games and has just 2 passing TDs to show for it. He is going to have to establish an early rhythm if he wants a good chance to win this game. Jones can hurt you with his legs which might be the most promising attribute for him at this time in fantasy. Yea he rushes plenty, but remember he fumbles plenty too.
Bills @ Bengals
Start – Joe Burrow – Watch out NFL, Burrow is back, and it appears he is for real this time. After losing 3 of their first 4 games, Burrow has led his Bengals to 3 consecutive wins. In those last 3 games he has 8 passing TDs compared to 2 INTs. He also rushed for 43 yards last game. Bills defense is top notch so this should be fun to watch. Dial up Burrow and not worry about it.
Sit – James Cook – Cook has been good and bad at different parts of this season. Cinci has turned a corner and will look to maintain the Bills offense, especially Cook at RB. It will be interested if we get the shootout that we all hope for or if this is going to be a battle of defenses. Either way Cook is outside my top 15 RBs this week so tread lightly.
Chargers @ Jets
Start – Garrett Wilson – Wilson has been doing his best to play well for the Jets again this season despite the QB options throwing to him. No Aaron Rodgers, but he is holding his own and starting to put it all together. Wilson has 8+ targets in every game since week 1 and has double digit targets in 3 of his last 4 games. Garrett hit 100 receiving yards last week right on the money and there’s a solid chance he does that again this week against the Chargers.
Sit – Josh Palmer – Palmer has shown spurts of greatness, and he has also shown spurts of bench time. He is coming off his worst outing since the first 2 weeks of the season posting just 24 receiving yards. Quentin Johnston is becoming more relevant and that takes away from the already questionable Palmer this week. Avoid the disappointment of injury and bench Palmer this week.