Our League Winners staff is back with this week’s edition of Start or Sit. With bye weeks continuing and injuries still looming large in the fantasy football landscape, check out who should be in your lineup this week and who should be out.
Start
Josh Jacobs, RB – Las Vegas Raiders (Joe O’Leary)
It feels like Josh Jacobs has become a forgotten man in the fantasy football community. Not being on the injury report this week, Jacobs might be the healthiest he’s been coming off the bye. Jacobs has scored double-digit PPR points in every game this season. He’s also scored a touchdown in four of five games.
The matchup is juicy against a Giants team that is 22nd in the league giving up 123.2 rushing yards per game. Game script should favor Jacobs this week as the Raiders are favorites on the road. He may not be the most efficient running back, but volume is king, and Jacobs should see fifteen-plus touches. Josh Jacobs is a dependable RB2 this week.
Pat Freiermuth, TE – Pittsburgh Steelers (Matthew Morris)
Who says rookie tight ends don’t produce in fantasy football? After a slow start to the season, Pat Freiermuth is becoming relevant to the fantasy scene. In the Steeler’s last two games, Freiermuth has seen 14 targets for 11/102/1. Those stats are good for 27.2 PPR points, putting him at TE8 for Weeks 6-8, despite a week seven bye.
At the tight end position, targets and touchdowns are king. Freiermuth is building a solid rapport with Ben Roethlisberger with two straight seven target games. In Week 9, the Steelers face a Bears defense allowing only 3.6 fantasy points per game, second in the league. Despite the tough matchup, Freiermuth’s recent usage presents upside in both targets and touchdowns that is not easy to find at tight end.
Derek Carr, QB – Las Vegas Raiders (Thomas Christopher)
Those of you who know me, know I’m a massive Derek Carr stan. With the turmoil that’s surrounded the team this season (and most recently, this past week), I think Carr takes out his frustrations against a struggling Giants team. Carr has been an excellent option this year at the quarterback position, and I think he continues that success in Week 9.
Jeremy McNichols, RB – Tennessee Titans (Jeremy Shulman)
Everyone’s favorite future Hall of Fame running back has finally landed on a team this season. That’s right, Adrian Peterson is back and relevant once again for fantasy football. Well, maybe next week. Peterson should get some run after just being activated from the practice squad, but the Rams prolific offense almost assures that this will be a pro-McNichols script.
Against the Jets in Week 4, Jeremy McNichols saw 12 targets, catching 8 of them for 74 yards. I’m not expecting that level of work for the fifth-year pro, but he should see enough through the air and on the ground to be flex-worthy. Consider McNichols to have a relatively safe floor as the reeling Titans will need someone to replace Derrick Henry’s production in the backfield.
Jordan Howard, RB – Philadelphia Eagles (Keith James)
A real blast from the past came back to haunt all Kenny Gainwell managers on Halloween. The perpetual goal line thief himself, Mr. Jordan Howard, did what he does. Steal goal-line looks. With Miles Sanders out, Jordan Howard had 12 carries for 57 yards and two touchdowns against a terrible Detroit run defense. Well, guess what? Another juicy run defense is in the slate for Jordan Howard. The Chargers come to town, and Howard has a chance to hit lay dirt again. Play him with ease.
Sit
DeVonta Smith, WR – Philadelphia Eagles (Joe O’Leary)
It’s been tough sledding lately for the slim reaper. Smith is averaging 6.2 PPR points over the last three games. He’s only seeing 5.3 targets per game in that stretch as well. Don’t expect a turnaround in week nine versus a stingy Chargers pass defense. The Chargers have allowed the fewest fantasy points per game to wide receivers. If you have better options, you may want to use them this week.
Courtland Sutton, WR – Denver Broncos (Matthew Morris)
Courtland Sutton has been an elite fantasy football option this season. In Weeks 2-7, Sutton was the WR10 in PPR, finishing ahead of DeAndre Hopkins, Deebo Samuel, Justin Jefferson, and Mike Williams. Sutton has felt like a set-and-forget type of player this season. So, why did he make the sit list this week?
In two games sharing the field with Jerry Jeudy, Sutton had seven combined targets for 3/54/0, resulting in a disappointing 8.4 PPR points. Those games were also against defenses in the bottom half of the NFL against the wide receiver. The Broncos face the Dallas Cowboys, 25th in the NFL against wide receivers, in what should be a high-scoring affair. That seems it would bode well for the Broncos receiving options.
However, Sutton’s track record this season with Jeudy on the field, along with the options of Tim Patrick and Albert Okwuegbunam, make it difficult to trust Sutton unless we see him emerge as the clear number one option.
Russell Gage, WR – Atlanta Falcons (Thomas Christopher)
With Calvin Ridley out for some time, many expect Russell Gage to pick up the slack left behind by the talented WR. The only problem is Gage has had that opportunity this year and has faltered, being nothing more than a boom or bust option. He hasn’t been able to stay healthy this year either, and isn’t a reliable option against a great Saints defense. If you’re thinking about starting Gage, look elsewhere.
Jakobi Meyers, WR – New England Patriots (Jeremy Shulman)
Just a few short weeks ago, we thought Jakobi Meyers was set to become an every-week flex for our fantasy football rosters. Unfortunately, that hasn’t come to fruition. Meyers hasn’t finished better than the PPR WR35 in the past month. With Kendrick Bourne and Nelson Agholor becoming more involved, and given that Meyers has still never scored an NFL touchdown, I wouldn’t expect much production beyond his usual 4 for 40 lines. Especially in matchup up against a Carolina secondary that has been one of the stingiest units in the league when giving up fantasy points to wide receivers. Find a better option this week.
Darnell Mooney, WR – Chicago Bears (Keith James)
The Bears offense is awful. That’s putting it kindly. The worst offense in the NFL was supposed to thrive with rookie Justin Fields behind center, but Matt Nagy and staff are possibly the worst offensive minds in football.
Facing the third-ranked passing defense in the Pittsburgh Steelers, on the road, on Monday night, this Bears offense will do very little. Darnell Mooney has been Field’s go-to guy with 22 targets the last three weeks, but this is a terrible matchup for the anemic Bears offense. This is going to be a laugher, with Pittsburgh winning by double digits. Usually, that bodes well for garbage time pointsl but the Bears offense is just garbage with no points attached. Sit Mooney until further notice.
