Fantasy football start/sit advice, Week 9

I won't hide it. One reader even emailed me mid-Sunday to remind me I told everyone to sit Jamison Crowder, who promptly went off for 107 yards and a touchdown. Jordan Howard and Stefon Diggs were also on the sit list, while Doug Baldwin and Ryan Fitzpatrick didn't help much as starters.

There were some bright spots, though. Tyler Eifert and Travis Kelce came up big, John Brown and JJ Nelson each found the end zone, and both quarterbacks on the sit side finished outside the top 12 passers.

QB Dak Prescott at Browns

You could just read the paragraph from last week's column, the one that was written before Ryan Fitzpatrick failed to do much against one of the league's worst defenses. The Browns allow the fourth-most fantasy points per game to quarterbacks. Prescott came around in the second half against the Eagles last week, finishing with three total touchdowns. Dez Bryant is back in the mix to give his value another boost. Prescott is easily a QB1 here.

QB Marcus Mariota at Chargers

Mariota scored 11 touchdowns in his last four games. The Chargers defensive stats might look a little inflated (or deflated depending how you think about it) due to the fact that they've faced Trevor Siemian twice in the past three weeks. San Diego has given up 300-plus passing yards in four of six games against quarterbacks not named Siemian. Mariota should be a reliable performer in a week where several top passers are off.

RB Mark Ingram at 49ers

It's tough to see one of your players get benched an entire game for a fumble, but the Saints had no problem inserting Tim Hightower as the lead running back in Week 8. I understand the caution with Ingram, but consider a few things. 1) The 49ers are absolutely horrible against the run. Six running backs have topped 100 yards rushing against them. In Week 7, Jacquizz Rodgers and Peyton Barber finished in the top 20 in fantasy scoring at running back. 2) Hightower had five carries inside the Seattle two yard line last week. He did not score on any of them. While we know Seattle's defense is stout against the run, the Saints coaching staff knows they are better off with their star running back on the field. I'm not worried about Ingram against a defense as bad as San Francisco's.

RB Theo Riddick at Vikings

What a return. Riddick came back from injury in Week 8 and handled 19 touches for 133 yards and a touchdown. His matchup with the Vikings probably doesn't look appealing initially, but Minnesota ranks in the top ten in most receiving yards allowed to running backs. This is also the second-toughest defense in terms of fantasy points for wide receivers to face. Matthew Stafford is going to be checking down often, and Riddick is going to be eating up yardage over the middle.

WR Quincy Enunwa at Dolphins

He's scored in back-to-back games, and Enunwa saw a season-high 11 targets in Week 8. He has stood out as the Jets second-best receiving option behind Brandon Marshall. Enunwa will face Dolphins slot corner Bobby McClain, presenting another exploitable matchup in a week with improve his rapport with his No. 2 wideout.

WR Donte Moncrief at Packers

In his first game back since injuring his shoulder in Week 2, Moncrief played 59 of the Colts 66 offensive snaps. He finished with 41 yards and a touchdown. Dating back to last season, Moncrief has played ten games with Andrew Luck (Week 2 of this season was cut short due to injury). He has seven touchdowns in those games. The Packers are one of eight teams to allow 10-plus touchdowns to wide receivers. Fire up Moncrief or trade for him if you still can.

TE Kyle Rudolph vs. Lions

TE Antonio Gates vs. Titans

The veteran played 68 percent of the snaps in Week 9, while rookie Hunter Henry was only in for 56 percent. Their roles have reverted back to normal. Gates was targeted a team-high nine times in Week 8, and while he only managed to bring in four catches, he found the end zone for the third time this year. He also leads the Chargers with 10 red zone targets. His efficiency might be on the decline, but Philip Rivers has no problem feeding Gates. Plus, the Titans allow the fourth-most fantasy points per game to tight ends.

QB Tyrod Taylor at Seahawks

Poor Tyrod. A fringe QB1 despite working with an offense that's being held together by a bandaid, Taylor was on the sit list last week, and he'll remain here when he faces the fifth-toughest defense for quarterbacks in terms of fantasy production. Taylor played well against the Patriots, but his receivers dropped multiple passes, and the Bills turned to the ground game near the end zone. Seattle has only allowed one quarterback (Matt Ryan) to throw more than one touchdown pass in a game.

He's just not healthy. Wilson hasn't scored a touchdown in three games. Now he gets another tough matchup with a Bills defense that has only allowed eight passing touchdowns this season, and four of those came from Tom Brady last week. I've seen some people say owners should drop Wilson. While I'm not quite ready for that, he's staying on my bench until his play, or health, improves.

RB Isaiah Crowell vs. Cowboys

His inefficiency has been buoyed by his ability to score in the past two weeks. Crowell rushed for 130 yards on 45 carries in his last four games. The Cowboys have been one of the toughest teams for running backs to score against, only allowing three rushing touchdowns all season. Duke Johnson might be the better play this week, but neither back is too appealing for this matchup.

WR MIchael Crabtree vs. Broncos

TE Julius Thomas at Chiefs

One of the more notable letdowns for 2016, Fleener only has two games with double-digit fantasy points in standard and PPR scoring. Both of those games were at home. His number of snaps have dwindled each week, and last Sunday they reached a season-low at 34 percent. Josh Hill is seeing more playing time. Fleener is running fewer routes. There's nothing positive about his situation right now. The 49ers are a middling matchup for tight ends, but Fleener isn't on my radar until something drastically changes.