Welcome to Week 9 of the fantasy football season. We’re passing the halfway mark and it’s now time to start thinking about the playoff chase, but first, owners have yet another tough bye week to navigate.
Fantasy football start/sit advice, Week 9: Quarterbacks
With six more teams on bye, fantasy owners have some tough decisions to make with their lineups this week.
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There are six teams on bye this week, leaving top-tier quarterbacks like Tom Brady, Andy Dalton and others unavailable for fantasy teams. There’s also the uncertainty of Ben Roethlisberger, who is expected to return from knee surgery but will likely be limited. With all that in mind, we’ll take a look at some quarterbacks worth starting in your leagues, along with three options you should stay away from.
Start
Dak Prescott, Dallas Cowboys (@ Cleveland Browns)
Prescott had his first legitimately bad game of the year last week, completing just 19 of 38 passes against the Philadelphia Eagles. However, he still led his team to a comeback win and finished the night with 287 yards and two touchdowns to go along with an interception. Prescott is in a perfect bounce-back spot against the Browns’ 24th-ranked pass defense this week.
Marcus Mariota, Tennessee Titans (@ San Diego Chargers)
After a poor start to the year, Mariota has been red hot in recent weeks, throwing 10 touchdowns to just one interception in his past four games. He was nearly flawless in last Thursday’s pummeling of the Jacksonville Jaguars, completing 18 of 22 passes for 270 yards and two scores. The Titans are finding their groove on offense and Mariota will be on the QB1 map against the Chargers, whose pass defense is 23rd in yards allowed per game.
Derek Carr, Oakland Raiders (vs. Denver Broncos)
It’ll be awfully tempting to sit Carr against the Broncos’ elite defense, particularly with Amari Cooper dealing with a back injury. However, the Broncos’ secondary will be without Aqib Talib, so there’s a chance that Carr can out-produce fantasy expectations this week. After shredding the Tampa Bay Buccaneers for 513 passing yards, Carr has earned the benefit of the doubt in fantasy. He’s an every-week starter until he proves otherwise.
Sit
Joe Flacco, Baltimore Ravens (vs. Pittsburgh Steelers)
Flacco has been straight-up bad for much of this season, throwing just five touchdowns to six interceptions in seven games. He’s also averaging 6.0 yards per attempt, by far the lowest mark of his career. Flacco simply hasn’t looked the same since his ACL tear from last season. The Steelers should be a good matchup with their 26th-ranked pass defense, but Flacco has failed to take advantage of good matchups this year. He’s hands-off in 12-team leagues.
Tyrod Taylor, Buffalo Bills (@ Seattle Seahawks)
LeSean McCoy will likely be back this week, which should help boost a Bills offense that flatlined without him in the lineup against the New England Patriots. That said, Seattle’s defense on the road in primetime is a tough matchup for any quarterback, and Taylor is no exception. He can be left on fantasy benches through the Week 10 bye.
Ryan Tannehill, Miami Dolphins (vs. New York Jets)
The Dolphins have essentially marginalized Tannehill in their offense, doubling down on Jay Ajayi as their workhorse running back. Tannehill has a good matchup with the Jets’ 32nd-ranked pass defense, but he simply hasn’t been that good this year and is now reduced to a game manager role. He has a minimal fantasy ceiling the rest of the season.
