Happy week 9 of the 2024 NFL season! 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).
This week’s TNF matchup is between the 6-2 Houston Texans and the 2-6 New York Jets. Texans just lost Stefon Diggs for the year and the Jets are sinking and quickly. The line favors the Jets by 2 points with a total over/under of 42.5 points. My prediction for this game is a Texans upset victory by a score of 23-20.
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 – Joe Mixon – Maybe obvious, but the matchup is too great. Mixon has been on a tear this season. He has only played in 5 games thus far but has over 100 rushing yards in 4 of those. He also has scored 6 total TDs. Houston uses him as a bell cow with 3 games with 25+ carries and he is also used in the pass catching game with 3+ targets in every game. The Jets defense can be elite, but more elite in the pass game leaving Mixon to rush and do a lot of the work.
Sit – Allen Lazard – Lazard is dealing with a chest injury that has him still questionable for this TNF matchup. He was inactive last game against the Patriots and that could be the case tomorrow so keep your eye on his status. Either way Lazard is surrounded by talent in the likes of Breece Hall, Davante Adams, and Garrett Wilson. Lazard usually gets some attention from Rodgers but seems a little too risky with the injury.
Last night we saw the Jets win. Not only win but win against a 6-win Texans team. The Jets defense kept CJ Stroud in check and won the game 21-13. Mixon was able to rush for 103 yards and a TD, but Rodger’s 3 TD passes finished off the Texans featuring an insane Garrett Wilson TD catch. The Jets will try to gain some momentum as they face the Cardinals next, while the Texans have the red-hot offense of the Lions to deal with next.
Some of the games I am looking forward to most in week 9 include the Dolphins/Bills, Cowboys/Falcons, and Lions/Packers. Tua vs Allen again. Kirk vs Dak. Lions and Packers hopefully putting up points.
WEEK 9 BYES – STEELERS, 49ERS
START OF THE WEEK
Start – D’Andre Swift – Swift will not let up on the gas pedal. The Bears RB has a TD in 4 consecutive games and is averaging 96 rushing yards per game in those 4 games. If you include receiving yards, his total yards per game over his last 4 games is 133 yards. De’Von Achane faced the Cardinals last weekend and finished the game with 147 total yards and a receiving TD.
Dolphins @ Bills
Start – De’Von Achane – Achane is in position to have a good week. I do not like the Miami passing game much this week but that opens a lot of opportunity for Achane. He had his best game of the season when he played Buffalo in week 2 with a total of 165 yards and a score. In the 3 games played with Tua he has 6+ receptions to go along with his carries. I believe Tua will have to target him a lot again in case they are trailing or just need to get the offense going. Achane has also scored in each game with Tua this season.
Sit – Tua Tagovailoa – Tua played Buffalo once this season already and we know how that ended. This time around he must travel to Buffalo and take on their defense. Buffalo has had at least 1 INT in each of their last 4 games and in 6 out of 8 games this season. Before Tua left in week 2 he had 3 INTs to this Buffalo defense. The Bills defense has 8 TD passes allowed since the conclusion of week 1 and has 8 INTs to match. Tua should have healthy receivers but the matchup is less than ideal so I would avoid the Miami pass game and focus on the running game.
Broncos @ Ravens
Start – Mark Andrews – Leave it to Mark Andrews to start the season on a bad note and test everyone’s patience in fantasy just to start scoring at will after 5 games of a lot of nothing. Andrews has 4 TD receptions in his last 3 games and is averaging 4 receptions per game in his last 4 games played. Although his targets are not very high, he does make the most of them catching 22 of his 27 targets this season. Matchup is not great here but got to ride the hot hand.
Sit – Javonte Williams – Williams is in an unfavorable matchup this week facing the Baltimore rush defense. Looking at the Ravens games this season they have not allowed a RB or anyone to surpass 52 rushing yards in a game. They also have allowed a RB to score just once in their last 4 games. Broncos will have to throw to have a good impact on this game.
Chargers @ Browns
Start – Ladd McConkey – Ladd is coming off his best game of the season. He scored 2 TDs and had season highs with 6 receptions and 111 receiving yards. Ladd is averaging over 6 targets per game this season is by far Justin Herbert’s most reliable receiver this season to this point. In Cleveland’s last 4 games they have allowed 7 WRs to score receiving TDs and allowed 3 different WRs to go over the century mark in yards. McConkey has the best shot to continue that trend.
Sit – Jerome Ford – Ford missed the last 2 games for Cleveland with a hamstring injury so watch his status if you own him. I do not like him this week given the matchup with the Chargers defense in LA and the fact that the Browns are using multiple RBs. Nick Chubb should get the majority of touches so Ford would have to get completely healthy and then be part of a 4 headed RBBC. Can’t forget Pierre Strong Jr and D’Onta Foreman are in the mix too.
Saints @ Panthers
Start – Chris Olave – Olave is going to face the Panthers again after facing them in week 1. He only had 2 receptions in their first meeting, but things are a little different this time around. The Saints have lost 6 consecutive games and should be getting Derek Carr back, while the Panthers have just 1 win this season of their own but have won more recently than New Orleans winning in week 3. Rasheed Shaheed is still on IR, and he caught a TD and had 73 yards in that first matchup. I like Olave to take on those stats this time around.
Sit – Bryce Young – Andy Dalton is healthy enough to return to action, but Bryce Young is going to start this week. Young threw for 224 passing yards and had 2 TD passes. That is his 3rd highest passing yards in his NFL career and cannot forget he also threw 2 INTs. The Saints should be ready for Young again. Diontae Johnson was traded to the Ravens so that is one less weapon for Bryce to rely on.
Raiders @ Bengals
Start – Brock Bowers – Brock is in 3rd place amongst all TEs in fantasy football points this season. The Bengals have not been good at defending opposing TEs. Last week Calcaterra had over 50 receiving yards as the Eagles TE facing Cinci and the week prior the Browns Njoku scored a TD and had 76 receiving yards. Brock should continue his steady rookie year this weekend.
Sit – Zamir White – Not much explanation needed here. White is behind Mattison in every way and is nursing a quad injury. Stay far away.
Commanders @ Giants
Start – Terry McLaurin– Scary Terry has been just that. Scary… in a good way. Terry had just 22 yards in their first matchup this season in week 2 even though he caught 6 passes. After that Giants game Terry got hot and has yet to cool off. The WR seems to just be getting more comfortable with Jayden Daniels and it shows. McLaurin has averaged 90 receiving yards in his last 6 games with 4 TDs. I do not see Giants holding him down twice in a season.
Sit – Wan’Dale Robinson – Robinson has been a good option for Daniel Jones this season but not to the extent of being a fantasy starter. Robinson scored 2 TDs this season with 1 of them being against the Commanders. He was saved by that TD since he had a season low 18 receiving yards in that game. Robinson has not eclipsed 50 yards or scored a TD in the Giants last 3 games. Daniel Jones favored Nabers by a landslide, but also Darius Slayton is eating into Robinsons opportunities. Nabers has more targets than Robinson even though he missed 2 full games this season.
Cowboys @ Falcons
Start – Kirk Cousins – Kirk is doing all he can to play well and win games for the Falcons. He has won 4 of his last 5 games and in that time, he threw for 509 yards in a single game, and he threw 4 TD passes in 2 separate games. The Cowboys are a mess averaging over 28 points per game allowed to opposing teams. Kirk has weapons and momentum that should ease him into a solid fantasy day.
Sit – Ezekiel Elliot – Zeke shocked some people scoring a TD in week 8 against the 49ers defense. That had a lot to do with Rico Dowdle being out last week and leaving the RB duties to Zeke and Cooks. Atlanta’s rush defense is middle of the pack, but I think Dowdle will get the majority of RB usage in this one.
Patriots @ Titans
Start – Rhamondre Stevenson – Stevenson carried the ball 20 times last game which is the third time he has done so this season. He is typically good for 2 or more receptions and has scored 5 TDs this season including 2 in his last game. Antonio Gibson has been dealing with a toe injury which could lead to more volume for Stevenson. If you want to beat the Titans, a good ground attack is vital. The Titan’s defense has allowed 2 rushing TDs in each of their last 2 games.
Sit – Chig Okonkwo– I am avoiding all Titans in this one except for Tony Pollard, especially with Will Levis at QB. No pass catchers are appealing against the Patriots. Worth noting that Nick Westbrook-Ikhine has a TD in each of his last 3 games despite just 5 total receptions.
Bears @ Cardinals
Start – D’Andre Swift – SEE START OF THE WEEK TOP OF PAGE
Sit – Rome Odunze– The Bears have been riding Swifts offensive production lately and I do not blame them. Caleb Williams has also been running effectively. Williams has not had 30+ passing attempts since week 3. Odunze competes alongside DJ Moore and the vet Keenan Allen. Odunze is averaging 40 receiving yards in his last 3 games but there are a lot of mouths to feed right now for Chicago,
Jaguars @ Eagles
Start – Saquon Barkley – Barkley continues to tear up opposing defenses and that should be the case this week, the Jags defense is overall bad. The Eagles are 7.5-point favorites at home against a 2-win Jags team. If I’m Philly I’m pounding the rock all day until they stop it if they can stop it. I think Saquon is going to have his 6th 95+ rushing yard game in week 9. Only concern is Hurts vulturing TDS at the goal line which is a risk but high reward.
Sit – Travis Etienne – Etienne has not played since week 6 and if he is able to play, he gets the Eagles defense. Philadelphias defense has not allowed a RB to hit 50 rushing yards in their last 4 games. Travis also has the emergence of Tank Bigsby to worry about cutting into his volume. Travis also has not scored since week 2.
Lions @ Packers
Start – Amon-Ra St. Brown – Detroit is scoring at will and a big part of that is St. Brown. The stud WR has a receiving TD in each of his last 5 games played. Even in a blowout win when he only was targeted 2 times, he finished with a TD. With Jameson Williams still suspended, Amon-Ra can expect good volume in a hopefully high scoring game.
Sit – Packers D/ST – The Lions offense is red hot lately averaging 43 points per game over their last 4 games. This game has a total over/under of 48.5 points. Give me the over and avoid a shootout against your defense.
Rams @ Seahawks
Start – Kenneth Walker – Walker has been up and down lately regarding fantasy production. This week he gets the Rams. I believe the Seahawks will want to establish a good run game at home to open passing potential. Walker has been great as a pass catcher out too the back field having at least 24 receiving yards in each of his last 5 games.
Sit – Tyler Lockett – I was optimistic for Lockett to have a good game last week but unfortunately, he only caught 1 of 3 targets for 9 yards. Leaves me hesitant to consider him, especially if DK Metcalf can play this weekend. The Rams defense has been playing well against opposing WRs so the Seahawks will want to run a lot as long as the game isn’t out of hand either way.
Colts @ Vikings
Start – Josh Downs – The news that Anthony Richardson will be on the bench this week allowing Joe Flacco to start is some of the greatest news for Colts pass catcher owners in fantasy. In the 3 games that Flacco was able to play in, he targeted Downs 30 times. That is 10 targets in each averaged. The Vikings are one of the worst defenses defending WRs this season, so Downs has a reliable QB to target him and happens to have an excellent matchup. Sign me up.
Sit – Jordan Addison – I am putting Addison in this spot this week due to his volume concerns. Jordan has been targeted 4 times or less in all but one game this season. He has also only scored 1 receiving TD to this point. All that being said, Addison has not had a 4 reception game this season. Worth noting TJ Hockenson will be making his season debut.
Buccaneers @ Chiefs
Start – Cade Otton – Not only does Otton have a great matchup going against KC who are last in defending TEs in fantasy this season, but he is also Bakers top target lately given that Mike Evans and Chris Godwin both are not playing. Cade has 20 targets, 17 receptions, 181 receiving yards, and 2 TDs in his last 2 games with Tampa.
Sit – Rachaad White – White has a bad matchup against the KC defense that has been shutting down opposing RBs. So, with that already going against White, he also has Bucky Irving playing great as a rookie RB. Baker is going to have to throw throw throw to keep this a closer game on MNF and unless White can go off in the pass catching game, I do not like him as a starter this week in fantasy.