2009 Fantasy Football Start and Bench Advice: Week 9

Here is our Week 9 Fantasy Football Start and Bench Advice for the 2009 Fantasy Football Season. Start ‘EM & Sit ‘Em Advice was meant to be bold, yet calculated. We know that and we understand that. We also understand that fantasy owners aren’t looking for answers to the obvious questions, which is why we have addressed more dilemma-like situations entering Week 9 of the 2009 fantasy football season.

Smitty’s Week 9 Thoughts

I really like both DeAngelo Williams and Jonathan Stewart this week against a strong (on paper) Saints’ rushing defense. Yes, the Saints are 11th against the run through seven games, but they still surrender over 102.1 yards-per-game on the ground and the unit has given up nine rushing touchdowns so far this season. Plus, tough rushing defenses don’t slow down these two running backs… we just saw what this Carolina duo did to a relatively tough Cardinals’ rushing defense. The Cards were one of the league’s top defensive rushing units heading into Week 8, but D-Will and J-Stew knocked Arizona down to the eight spot in terms of defensive rankings against the run. The Panthers duo totaled 245 rushing yards and 2TDs on 40 carries last week. That’s 6.1 yards per pop. Again, the Saints give up over 100 rushing yards and over one rushing touchdown per game. Honestly, I expect those stats alone out of Williams… and Stewart should get his usual 70 or so and a score.

If you’re even considering benching Ronnie Brown this week against New England, go get a check-up from the neck-up. Brown only received 11 carries last week against the Jets, and he averaged just 2.5 yards per carry, but keep in mind that Brown is still on pace to score 16TDs this season (and that includes those outings he struggled in). In just the first four weeks of the 2009 season, Brown was averaging 92 rushing yards per game and was averaging 5.1 yards per carry. If the price is right, go after him via trade. If you own him, don’t sell-low in fear that Brown will fade into mediocrity. The Patriots’ rushing defense isn’t awful, but they aren’t fantastic either. New England is 15th against the run through seven games and Miami will figure out a way to get Brown the football in Week 9. I do see Tom Brady and Randy Moss going nuts in Week 9, and New England could win by more than a couple scores, but Miami will hang in the game long enough to get Brown his touches. Miami will attempt to get the Wildcat formation back to form.

Expect big things from the Jaguars offense in Week 9. Obviously Maurice Jones-Drew will go nuts this week against that awful 26th-ranked Chiefs’ rushing defense, but Mike Sims-Walker should also explode against the Chiefs’ 28th-ranked passing defense. This could be one of those 100-yard games this week for Sims-Walker. Try trading for him now, as he is coming off a disappointing Week 8 outhing where he caught just two passes for nine yards. I’m not saying every Sims-Walker owner will react to his one recent outing, but it’s worth a try. Back to Week 9, even David Garrard will be a good start against the Chiefs. Just know that Garrard will go back to being almost worthless from a fantasy perspective after this game, though. Garrard is only worth starting if you’re in need at the position this week due to injuries or byes.

If you own Cedric Benson, look to use another option in Week 9. Benson faces the Ravens in Week 9, a defense that ranks 4th against the run so far this season. I also don’t expect much out of Carson Palmer or Chad Ochocinco this week!

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Week 9 Start & Bench Advice

Name a player that you would surprisingly BENCH in Week 9 ?

tavaner is a contributor of fantasy footballxtreme Clinton Portis is a guy I’d be looking to find an option for this week. While running backs have had success running the ball against the Falcons, Portis does not have the benefit of having a passer able to keep the Falcons from loading up the line against the run. Other reasons to sit Portis this week include the number of carries he’s been getting (19,15,14 in his last three games).. and the injuries to the offensive line. Also, the loss of Chris Cooley as well. Atlanta’s defense is improving, but the truth of that is beyond the stats.

xyz is a Fantasy Football Xtreme contributor We’ve all been there… you question starting your stud player. It’s like a tingling in the back of your head you want to ignore… but you can’t. There are many reasons for it – maybe you have other good choices, maybe you don’t like their matchup – but in the end it is a hard thing to pull the trigger on, especially if you have spent a fairly high pick drafting said player. I am a big believer in playing your studs, but by this time in the season there are guys that have either greatly under performed and/or who have a matchup that warrants the thought they should be benched. To that end, I offer up a couple of names for fantasy owners in week 9.

First up is Steve Smith (CAR), a guy who has vastly under performed in 2009. Yes, it has as much to do with the play of QB Jake Delhomme as anything, but in the end the reasons matter little when a guy isn’t putting up numbers. This week Smith faces a very good Saints defense playing at home, and in spite of the potential for a shootout, I think Smith is a questionable start this week. Unless you are looking for a 4-50 outing, you can probably do better. Along those same lines, rookie sensation Matt Forte is another who has greatly disappointed so far in his sophomore season. He did finally have a good outing last week, but considering the opposition I would have expected more than 90 yards on 26 carries. If not for the pair of TDs, Forte owners would be carrying pitchforks and torches to his door right about now. This week Forte and his 3.5 ypc average face the Cardinals, a top 10 rushing defense giving up under 100 yards per game on the ground. Not a match made in heaven for Forte owners. I own him myself and really want to believe he can justify his top 5 pick status in the second half of this season. But his consistently poor showings have turned him into a justifiable benching, especially with the emergence of a lot of other talented players at the position.

As always, benching a stud has to make sense and I don’t suggest simply benching guys without having another good player to start in their place. There are countless numbers of variations from lineup to lineup and league to league, and what is a good for one team is not necessarily good for another. Consider your options and decide for yourself whether sitting either of these guys can be justified within the context of your own team – if you can’t decide, get some thoughts from our fine collection of minds in the forums.

2009 Defensive Rankings Against The RUN Entering Week 9

Here are the defensive ranks against the run through Week 8.

Rk	Team	G	Yds	Avg	Yds/G	TD
1	Pittsburgh Steelers	7	536	3.8	76.6	2
2	San Francisco 49ers	7	594	3.2	84.9	5
3	Denver Broncos	7	603	3.4	86.1	3
4	Baltimore Ravens	7	613	3.5	87.6	4
5	Cincinnati Bengals	7	616	3.9	88	3
6	Miami Dolphins	7	647	3.6	92.4	8
7	Minnesota Vikings	8	758	4.1	94.8	2
8	Arizona Cardinals	7	675	3.8	96.4	5
9	Green Bay Packers	7	696	3.5	99.4	3
10	Seattle Seahawks	7	709	4.2	101.3	6
11	New Orleans Saints	7	715	4.4	102.1	9
12	Philadelphia Eagles	7	722	3.7	103.1	4
13	Dallas Cowboys	7	735	4.2	105	3
14	New York Jets	8	865	4	108.1	4
15	New England Patriots	7	766	4.5	109.4	1
16	Chicago Bears	7	774	4	110.6	7
17	Indianapolis Colts	7	784	4.5	112	5
18	Tennessee Titans	7	787	4.3	112.4	7
19	New York Giants	8	905	4.6	113.1	12
20	Houston Texans	8	906	4.7	113.2	11
21	Detroit Lions	7	824	4.8	117.7	6
22	Washington Redskins	7	830	3.9	118.6	3
23	Atlanta Falcons	7	852	4.5	121.7	5
24	Carolina Panthers	7	893	4.5	127.6	7
25	Jacksonville Jaguars	7	898	4.3	128.3	5
26	Kansas City Chiefs	7	917	4.4	131	6
27	San Diego Chargers	7	925	4.2	132.1	7
28	St. Louis Rams	8	1,078	4.2	134.8	12
29	Oakland Raiders	8	1,288	4.5	161	13
30	Tampa Bay Buccaneers	7	1,137	4.7	162.4	7
31	Cleveland Browns	8	1,364	4.9	170.5	12
32	Buffalo Bills	8	1,393	5.1	174.1	12

2009 Defensive Rankings Against The PASS Entering Week 9

Here are the defensive ranks against the pass through Week 8.

Rk	Team	G	Yds	Yds/G	TD	Int
1	Carolina Panthers	7	1,124	160.6	9	8
2	Washington Redskins	7	1,154	164.9	6	3
3	New York Giants	8	1,320	165	12	6
4	New York Jets	8	1,322	165.2	5	7
5	New England Patriots	7	1,234	176.3	8	7
6	San Diego Chargers	7	1,249	178.4	9	8
7	Indianapolis Colts	7	1,261	180.1	3	7
8	Denver Broncos	7	1,264	180.6	4	6
9	Green Bay Packers	7	1,288	184	13	11
10	Philadelphia Eagles	7	1,356	193.7	11	14
11	Buffalo Bills	8	1,586	198.2	6	15
12	Chicago Bears	7	1,396	199.4	11	7
13	Oakland Raiders	8	1,698	212.2	8	5
14	Houston Texans	8	1,706	213.2	9	6
15	Tampa Bay Buccaneers	7	1,498	214	16	8
16	Pittsburgh Steelers	7	1,501	214.4	9	5
17	New Orleans Saints	7	1,567	223.9	6	16
18	Seattle Seahawks	7	1,571	224.4	10	3
19	Baltimore Ravens	7	1,583	226.1	9	7
20	Arizona Cardinals	7	1,631	233	11	7
21	Miami Dolphins	7	1,652	236	9	6
22	Dallas Cowboys	7	1,660	237.1	12	4
23	Minnesota Vikings	8	1,903	237.9	13	6
24	Cleveland Browns	8	1,909	238.6	10	4
24	St. Louis Rams	8	1,909	238.6	11	6
26	Jacksonville Jaguars	7	1,697	242.4	13	5
27	Detroit Lions	7	1,763	251.9	18	5
28	Kansas City Chiefs	7	1,765	252.1	13	3
28	San Francisco 49ers	7	1,765	252.1	9	6
30	Cincinnati Bengals	7	1,773	253.3	10	8
31	Atlanta Falcons	7	1,795	256.4	10	6
32	Tennessee Titans	7	1,977	282.4	19	6

Useful Week Nine-Related Content

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2009 Player Projections
2009 Fantasy Football Cheat Sheets & Rankings (Year-Round)
2009 NFL Player Pages

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Week 9 Hot Hands and Cold Shoulders: Any Given Sunday | Fantasy Football Fools November 6th, 2009 1:50 pm

[...] hurt. Second, try out these fools for more fantasy starts and sits: The Fantasy Football Geek Blog, Fantasy Football Xtreme, FF Toolbox’s starts and sits, Matthew Berry’s sitting thyself love/hate, The Fifth [...]