Week 9 QB Start, Sit: Quarterback Fantasy Football Strategy

The 2020 fantasy football season is quickly approaching which means it’s time to get a start on your research. We have you covered with our fantasy football rankings as well as projections for the upcoming season. If you are interested in the defensive side of the ball we have you covered there as well. Leave no stone unturned and check out everything we have to offer.

Week eight was one of the most surprising weeks for NFL quarterbacks in terms of fantasy production. New York Giants rookie QB, Daniel Jones led the way with 28.2 fantasy points, while QBs like Kirk Cousins only registered 11.6 points against the measly Washington Redskins. As the season progresses to week nine, there are many quality quarterbacks with favorable matchups that fantasy owners should take advantage of like Russell Wilson and Matthew Stafford. However, there are also QBs like Carson Wentz and Lamar Jackson, who are also phenomenal but should be avoided this weekend due to their intense competition.

Start ’em

Russell Wilson, Seattle Seahawks

Opponent: Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Russell Wilson is the best QB to start in week nine. Wilson had 15+ fantasy points in four straight weeks and accomplished this feat in all but one of his games this year. Tampa Bay’s secondary is currently surrendering the eighth-most fantasy points in the league this year, which makes it likely that Wilson will have a breakout game. Plus, Tampa QB, Jameis Winston, has a knack for turning the ball over, which will give Wilson a plethora of chances to see the field.

Matthew Stafford, Detriot Lions

Opponent: Oakland Raiders
Matthew Stafford has been one of the most underrated fantasy players this season. He is coming off consecutive weeks with 20+ points and has had 20+ points in three of his last four contests. Stafford heads to Oakland to take on the Raiders in week nine, who are trying to regroup their secondary without cornerback, Gareon Conley. The Raiders have failed to hold a team under 20 points this season and have given up 250+ yards and 3 TDs to starting quarterbacks for three straight weeks. Stafford has been excellent against bottom-ten defenses, scoring 20+ points against in each of those contests, so he is a high-end QB1 option in week nine.

Deshaun Watson, Houston Texans

Opponent: Jacksonville Jaguars
Since week five, Deshaun Watson has been on a terror, averaging 29.605 points per game. Even though the Jacksonville Jaguars are a top ten defense in terms of passing defensive efficiency, Watson is always a must-start. The Texans have a loaded receiving corps, so look for Watson to take advantage of his mismatches.

Garnder Minshew, Jacksonville Jaguars

Opponent: Houston Texans
Gardner Minshew has been the best rookie QB in the NFL this season. Minshew is currently just outside the top ten in terms of average fantasy points a game for a QB, and he would have a higher average if not for a lousy outlier game against the Saints. The former Washington State product has produced three 20+ point games the past four weeks and heads into week nine against a favorable Texans secondary, which has allowed the seventh-most fantasy points to opposing QBs. Houston’s defense has allowed 275+ yards and an average of 3.25 TDs over the past four weeks, which is promising for Minshew fantasy owners.

Kirk Cousins, Minnesota Vikings

Opponent: Kansas City Chiefs
After three straight weeks of putting up 20+ point outings, Vikings QB, Kirk Cousins, finally cooled down against the Washington Redskins. Although while Cousins’ fantasy production decreased, this was mostly due to the Vikings’ success running the football, especially in the red zone. The promising statistic to take note of is that Cousins has thrown for 275+ yards in four straight games, and will likely increase that streak to five games when the Vikings play the Kansas City Chiefs. The Chiefs are amongst the ten most generous teams when it comes to allowing fantasy points to QBs, which sets up Kirk for his potentially best outing for the next three or four weeks.

Jimmy Garoppolo, San Francisco 49ers

Opponent: Arizona Cardinals
Jimmy Garoppolo is a must-start in week nine because of his extremely favorable matchup against the Arizona Cardinals. The Cardinals secondary is reeling after a bad week in which they got torched by Drew Brees and are currently allowing the most passing TDs and fourth-most passing yards in the NFL. Consequently, the Cardinals are now giving up the most fantasy points in the league, according to Yahoo Fantasy Football. Jimmy Garoppolo isn’t the most explosive QB in the NFL, so he’s only a QB2 option with a high ceiling, but you should start him unless you have any of the other QBs on this list.

Sit ’em

Phillip Rivers, Los Angeles Chargers

Opponent: Green Bay Packers
There are three reasons why you should avoid starting Chargers QB, Phillip Rivers, against the Green Bay Packers. One reason is that the Packers defense is one of the ten most stingy units when it comes to restricting QB fantasy points. The next factor that should prevent you from starting Rivers is that he has had difficulty connecting with wideout Mike Williams. Williams has dropped a third of the targets that have been tossed his way, according to ESPN Fantasy. However, the biggest reason to avoid Rivers is that he is ranked 16th amongst quarterbacks in terms of fantasy points and has had a volatile fantasy season to this point. Therefore, he is incredibly dependent on his matchup, which should discourage fantasy owners this week.

Carson Wentz, Philadelphia Eagles

Opponent: Chicago Bears
After a hot start to the season, Eagles QB Carson Wentz has struggled since week five. This isn’t all on Wentz considering he has had to compete against the third and fourth-most stingy defenses the past two weeks and will be going against a stingy Bears defense that limits opposing QBs to the fifth least fantasy points. Wentz has thrown for less than 200 yards in four of the last five weeks and hasn’t been productive running the ball either. As a result, Wentz should be shelved by fantasy owners until week 12 or 13.

Kyler Murray, Arizona Cardinals

Opponent: San Francisco 49ers
Similar to Carson Wentz, Arizona QB Kyler Murray has cooled down considerably after six strong fantasy weeks. For the previous two weeks, Kyler Murray has generated poor performances against the New Orleans Saints and New York Giants, resulting in 6.96 and 10.10 points, respectively. You can expect this trend to continue when Kyler takes on the daunting 49ers defense that currently holds opponents to less than 130 passing yards/game (first in the NFL). While one of Murray’s strengths has been his ability to limit interceptions, the San Francisco defense is tied for second in the NFL with ten interceptions, indicating that this won’t be a great day for the rookie phenom.

Lamar Jackson, Baltimore Ravens

Opponent: New England Patriots
Lamar Jackson is a top-three fantasy quarterback and is typically a must-start because of his improved accuracy, incredible mobility, and Ravens offensive coordinator Greg Roman’s fantastic scheme. However, against a Patriots defense that has limited all of their opponents to under 20 points (with two shutouts), Lamar should be shelved until week 10. Lamar’s production decreases considerably when he goes against one of the ten most stingy defenses, and the Patriots currently are the stingiest defense by far. The Patriots now lead the league in interceptions with 18 and are exceptional at playing tight coverage, which could lead to some bad interceptions by Jackson. Look for Bill Belichick to create plays to contain Lamar Jackson in the pocket and limit his rushing ability, which will make him a low-end QB2 at best.