Week 9 is here and with it comes another four teams on bye: Buccaneers, Lions, Seahawks and Washington Football Team. This article is not here for the obvious plays, so if you have Cooper Kupp, Tyreek Hill or Deebo Samuel, you know what to do. This article will look at fantasy football WRs on the fringe of WR2/Flex status to help you make the tough choices to win your matchups.
QB Fantasy Football Start/Sit
RB Fantasy Football Start/Sit
Fantasy Football Start or Sit: Week 9 WRs
Start: Brandin Cooks at Dolphins
Team Name: Home Cooking
Tyrod Taylor is looking like he is close to coming back and may play this weekend, but even if he doesn’t, Brandin Cooks is still a locked-in WR2 start this week. Over the last five weeks, he has been a roller coaster, with 5.3, 17.9, 7.1 and 20.3 fantasy points. However, this week he draws the best matchup that he might see all season against the Dolphins who are surrendering 43.6 fantasy points per game (fppg) to opposing WRs. Cooks is seeing an average of 8.8 targets per game, which is good for a 27.6% target share and, with that volume in this matchup, he has a very nice floor this week.
Start: Jaylen Waddle vs. Texans
Team Name: Waddle House
On the other side of the ball in the same game is another WR averaging 8.8 targets per game, and that would be Jaylen Waddle. He has finished as a WR2 or better in two of his last three games, with the exception of the Bills game last week. This week, the matchup is much better against the Texans, who are giving up 36.7 fppg to opposing WRs. As mentioned in the QB Start/Sit, this is a nice matchup for the Dolphins passing game. You can start both Waddle and DeVante Parker confidently this week.
Check out our FREE NFL fantasy football stats! Including targets, usage and more!
Sit: Jaguars WRs vs. Bills
Team Name: Hasta Laviska Baby
Last week, against the Seahawks, both Marvin Jones Jr. (5 catches for 35 yards) and Laviska Shenault Jr. (2 catches for 13 yards) were only targeted seven and four times, respectively. That sort of volume gives them a lower floor than we would like to see for a WR2. This week, it will likely be more of the same with a tough matchup against the Bills on deck. The Bills give up only 26.4 fppg to opposing WRs (second-fewest in the league) and have only allowed two WR touchdowns on the season. Both are better off left on your bench for the week.
Sit: DeVonta Smith vs. Chargers
Team Name: DeVonta’s Inferno
Bye weeks and injuries can make things pretty tough and force you to start some players that you would prefer not to, but this is not the week to start DeVonta Smith. It is pretty rare when a QB is a recommended start and his top WR is a recommended sit, but that is exactly the case this week. Over the last three weeks, Smith has eight catches and only one last week in a blowout win over the Lions. This week against the Chargers, he faces the worst matchup for WRs in the league. The Chargers have allowed the fewest yards receiving to opposing WRs and only 26 fppg. We have seen the floor for Smith, and there is a pretty good chance that is where he will end up this week as well.
