Fantasy Football Week 9 Start/Sit
Last Week:
Rob Kelley vs. Jonathan Stewart — Loss
Donte Moncrief vs. Stefon Diggs — Loss
Giovani Bernard vs. Theo Riddick — Loss
Week 8 Record: 0–3
Season Record: 15–18
This weekly column serves to help Fantasy Life App users make tough start/sit decisions and win their weeks. Let’s get into the questions.
@msparks asked: “Who do you start C. West or Gurley?”
Chiefs running back Charcandrick West has been the hottest pickup of the week — his ownership has risen from 1.9 percent to 74.7 percent in a matter of days — after Spencer Ware exited last week’s contest with a concussion. Since then, Ware has been ruled out, and, with Jamaal Charles’ transition to injured reserve, West looks to be in for a massive workload against a plus matchup in the Jaguars. Todd Gurley has been a major disappointment to fantasy owners this season. A consensus first round pick, the all-purpose back has averaged only three yards per carry and found the end zone only three times this season; those numbers equate to a running back ranking outside the top 20. Things won’t get any easier for Gurley this week, as he matches against the Panthers incredible front seven which has allowed the eighth fewest fantasy points per game against opposing running backs this season. Like West, Gurley will be St. Louis’ bellcow — and his talent dictates that he always has the chance to go off — but given the opportunity and the matchup, West, even with Nick Foles at quarterback, will rack up more fantasy points this week.
The Pick: Charcandrick West
@dark knights asked: “Prosise or DuJuan Harris for a spot start PPR?”
As of this writing, Carlos Hyde is listed as questionable after not enduring a single contact practice this week. His AC joint sprain restricted him from playing two weeks ago, and after a bye this past week, things aren’t looking good for the talented veteran. If he doesn’t play, that will again leave the 49ers with the committee of DuJuan Harris, Mike Davis and Shaun Draughn, a near impossible-to-predict three-headed monster. During Hyde’s initial absence, Harris earned 11 carries and two receptions, Davis seven and zero and Draughn one and five. Those initial numbers bode well for at least the largest share of the San Francisco backfield this week, but with such a small sample size, nothing is certain. Rookie C.J. Prosise enjoyed the best game of his pro career last week, attaining a 4–23 and 4–80 statline, but such efficiency is hard to replicate on a consistent basis. With such limited touches, it’s hard to trust the first-year back, and with Christine Michael still dominating the workload, Prosise is merely an opportunity-seeking backup. Harris will match up against the second worst fantasy defense against runinng backs, making him the player to start in this one.
The Pick: DuJuan Harris
@samnek8 asked: “Should I start Demaryius Thomas or Allen Robinson this week?”
Even more of a bust thus far than the aforementioned Todd Gurley is current WR38 Allen Robinson. The disappointing wideout has failed to receive more than 72 yards this season, and after a 2015 campaign that featured fourteen touchdowns, Robinson has only two scores this year. However, the ever present big-play threat has a juicy matchup against a Chiefs secondary that has allowed the seventh most fantasy points per game to opposing wide receivers this season. Demaryius Thomas has quietly been a top 15 pass catcher this year, making use of competent quarterback play that he lacked last season. However, it’s that quarterback play that keeps his ceiling low. Denver’s inability — or rather, refusal — to throw the ball downfield keeps Thomas’ receptions up but yard totals down. Trevor Siemian has gone down the field more often as of late, but he certainly limits Thomas’ potential. Still, Thomas is Denver’s top receiver who gets eight targets a game — including 10 in each of his last three contests — while Robinson needs too much to go right — namely, a touchdown or two — to succeed. Thomas’ match up isn’t as good, but it’s still a plus one, meaning that the Bronco should ride in this decision.
The Pick: Demaryius Thomas
@kbland_309631 asked: “Jimmy Graham or Delanie Walker this week?”
Jimmy Graham has been a pleasant surprise for fantasy owners this season after returning from a painful patellar tendon injury, but the former All-Pro has slowed down of late. In large part due to the Seahawks’ declining offense — Russell Wilson hasn’t thrown a touchdown since week four — Graham has seen both his receptions and yardage totals decrease in each of his last four games. Delanie Walker, pegged as a top five tight end by many in the preseason, has recently moved into that status, despite his missing week three’s contest. While he has been effective, he has also remained inconsistent, catching less than five balls in four of his seven games and gaining less than 80 yards in all but two contests. Thus, the battle of unreliability can be looked at from a matchup perspective: Walker’s opponent, the Chargers, have allowed the sixteenth fewest fantasy points per game to opposing tight ends, while Graham’s opposition, the Bills, have allowed the ninth fewest. Due to Marcus Mariota’s love for his tight end so far in his career, and the Seahawks offense yet to have taken flight, I expect Walker to outperform Graham this week.
The Pick: Delanie Walker
@cbaca77 asked: “Should I start Kaepernick or Tannehill?”
After replacing Blaine Gabbert six weeks into the season, Colin Kaepernick has been an adequate fantasy quarterback. Averaging 16.1 fantasy points per game between two matchups (@ BUF and vs. TB), the 19 percent owned Kaepernick has been a real streaming possibility thus far and will continue to be that as the season continues. This week, with six teams on bye and a great matchup against the Saints defense, that possibility intensifies, thrusting Kaepernick into more starting situations than ever before (this season). Ryan Tannehill has been inconsistent at best, averaging only 13.6 fantasy points per game; the passer has never scored within four fantasy points of his prior matchup. It’s rare that I would ever advocate starting Tannehill if I had another even semi-decent choice, and even though the Jets have allowed the ninth most fantasy points per game to opposing quarterbacks, the Texas A&M product is just so hard to trust. Kaepernick, fresh off a bye, at home, and lining up against one of the worst defenses in the league, should provide fantasy owners with a more stable floor — thank you rushing yards — and a much higher ceiling than his counterpart.
The Pick: Colin Kaepernick
Until next time, ask your start/sit questions to @cb on the Fantasy Life App and @CBRetweet on Twitter.
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