Fantasy Football Week 9 Start 'Em & Sit 'Em Quarterbacks: Love looks to stay hot, Stafford and Murray rise
Quarterbacks you want in Week 9 lineups, and those you should avoid
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I'm curious to see which Jordan Love will show up in Week 9 against Carolina. Will it be the one we saw in Week 8 at Pittsburgh who scored 34.3 Fantasy points? Or will it be the quarterback who scored 16.9 Fantasy points or less in his previous two games against Cincinnati and Arizona?
Love has three games this season with more than 19.9 Fantasy points, and they all have something in common. He attempted at least 30 passes in all three of those outings, and we hope his volume is up against the Panthers.
The concern would be an anemic offense for Carolina against a dominant Green Bay defense, and then Josh Jacobs and the Packers run game can just dominate this matchup at home. I don't want to trust Love if he's not attempting at least 30 passes, even though the Panthers have allowed four of the past five quarterbacks to score at least 26.1 Fantasy points.
On the other hand, Love looked awesome against the Steelers, and that was the first game with Christian Watson this season in his return from last year's torn ACL. Maybe Matt LaFleur will let Love throw it around more, and Fantasy managers will benefit.
I'm treating Love as a low-end starter in all one-quarterback leagues. He should be good, but I'm worried about him being great based on his volume. Let's hope he can throw it a lot against the Panthers in Week 9.
QBs to Start
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Stafford went into his Week 8 bye with a five-touchdown game against Jacksonville in London in Week 7, and that was without Puka Nacua (ankle). He's expected back for Week 9 against the Saints, and Stafford has scored at least 31.5 Fantasy points in three of his past four outings, with the lone time he failed to reach that mark coming in Week 6 at Baltimore when Nacua was first injured. Five quarterbacks this season have scored at least 21.5 Fantasy points against New Orleans, and Stafford should add to that total in Week 9.
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Goff had a down game at home in Week 7 against Tampa Bay with just 12.3 Fantasy points, and he's now scored 16.7 Fantasy points or less in each of his past two games in Detroit. But he should get back on track in Week 9 against the Vikings, who have allowed three quarterbacks in a row to score at least 20.1 Fantasy points, including two in a row of Jalen Hurts and Justin Herbert going over 30 points. Goff has also scored at least 22.8 Fantasy points in two of his past three games against Minnesota, and he should do well against the Vikings once again in Week 9.
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Murray (foot) has missed the past two games, and then Arizona had a bye in Week 8. He should be ready to go for Week 9, and he gets a dream matchup against the Cowboys, who are No. 1 in most Fantasy points allowed to opposing quarterbacks. Murray has only topped 20 Fantasy points twice this season in five games, but Dallas has allowed every opposing quarterback this year to score at least 23.7 points. This should be Murray's best Fantasy performance to date, and he has top-10 upside in all leagues in Week 9.
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Jones comes into Week 9 having scored at least 20.7 Fantasy points in four games in a row, including three in a row with at least 26.2 points. He's playing great, and he should stay hot at Pittsburgh. The Steelers have allowed four of the past five quarterbacks to score at least 23.2 Fantasy points, including two in a row with Joe Flacco and Jordan Love, and the lone quarterback to reach that total was Dillon Gabriel in Week 6. Jones has top-10 upside in all leagues for Week 9.
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Williams is due for a big game after two dud performances against New Orleans and Baltimore in the past two weeks, where he combined for just 15.4 Fantasy points. He should have a breakout game against the Bengals, who are No. 7 in most Fantasy points allowed to opposing quarterbacks. Only two quarterbacks this season have failed to score at least 20.5 Fantasy points against Cincinnati, which were Joe Flacco in Week 1 with the Browns and Jordan Love in Week 6. Aaron Rodgers and Justin Fields have combined for 53.3 Fantasy points in the past two games against the Bengals, and Williams should bounce back in a big way in Week 9.
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Sleepers (Start/Sit)
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Darnold has thrived in plus matchups so far this season, and this should be considered one of those games in Week 9. The Commanders are No. 5 in most Fantasy points allowed to opposing quarterbacks, and only two quarterbacks this season have failed to score at least 21.9 points, which were Russell Wilson in Week 1 and Justin Herbert in Week 5 (he had 19.5 points). Dak Prescott and Patrick Mahomes each scored at least 28.9 Fantasy points in the past two games against Washington, and Darnold has scored at least 24 Fantasy points in two of his past three games.
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Dart scored 21.4 Fantasy points in Week 8 at Philadelphia, and he has now scored at least 19.6 points in all five starts he's made this season. He's getting quality production on the ground with either a rushing touchdown or 55 rushing yards in all five games, and he might have to use his legs more with Cam Skattebo (ankle) out for the season. The 49ers have allowed three of the past four quarterbacks to score at least 23.6 Fantasy points, and Dart should be considered a low-end starting option in all leagues in Week 9.
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Lawrence went into his bye in Week 8 having scored at least 19.6 Fantasy points in three games in a row, including two outings with at least 23.2 points, and hopefully he'll stay hot in Week 9 against the Raiders. Las Vegas has allowed two of the past three quarterbacks to score at least 22.9 Fantasy points, and Lawrence should be considered a low-end starting option in all leagues in this matchup on the road.
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QBs to Sit
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Stroud scored 25.7 Fantasy points in Week 8 against San Francisco, and he has scored at least 22.4 points in three of his past four games. He should get Nico Collins (concussion) back for this game, and Patrick Surtain II (pectoral) is likely out for the Broncos. That said, I would only start Stroud in Superflex and two-quarterback leagues in Week 9. Denver's pass rush should still be an issue for Stroud, and only three quarterbacks this season have scored more than 16.6 Fantasy points against the Broncos. I don't think Stroud will be horrible since Collins is back and Surtain is hurt, but I would still expect Stroud to score fewer than 20 Fantasy points in this game.
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There are several quarterbacks this week that I like, but I don't expect them to perform at a high level. And Rodgers is one of those guys. He's scored at least 20.8 Fantasy points in three games in a row, and I can see him being in that range or slightly lower against the Colts. It's not a daunting matchup since four quarterbacks this season have scored at least 24.7 Fantasy points against Indianapolis, but Rodgers has only reached that total twice this year. He's a great starter in Superflex and two-quarterback leagues, but I don't love his upside in one-quarterback leagues in Week 9.
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Tagovailoa is another quarterback this week where I like him, but I don't expect him to have a big performance Thursday night at home against Baltimore. He just had 32.2 Fantasy points at Atlanta, but prior to that, he scored fewer than 10 Fantasy points in each of his past two games against the Chargers and Browns. The Ravens have held their past two opposing quarterbacks to fewer than 12 Fantasy points in each game against Matthew Stafford in Week 6 and Caleb Williams in Week 8, and I expect Tagovailoa to score fewer than 20 Fantasy points in this game.
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Bust Alert (Start/Sit)
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Nix was exceptional as the Start of the Week in Week 8 against Dallas with 31.8 Fantasy points, and he has 75.6 points in his past two outings against the Giants and Cowboys. But those were favorable matchups at home, and now he has to face the Texans on the road. Houston is No. 1 in fewest Fantasy points allowed to opposing quarterbacks, and Baker Mayfield in Week 2 and Mac Jones in Week 8 are the only quarterbacks with more than 15.6 points against the Texans this year, including matchups with Matthew Stafford, Trevor Lawrence, and Sam Darnold. I would only start Nix in Superflex and two-quarterback leagues in Week 9.
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