This might be a good week to once again trust Patrick Mahomes as a No. 1 Fantasy quarterback. His matchup against Tampa Bay at home is awesome, and hopefully he'll take advantage of it.
The Buccaneers are No. 2 in most Fantasy points allowed to opposing quarterbacks, and Kirk Cousins (twice) and Lamar Jackson have scored at least 36.7 Fantasy points against Tampa Bay in the past four games. Will Mahomes follow suit?
He just had his best game of the season in Week 8 at Las Vegas with 22.2 Fantasy points behind 262 passing yards, two touchdowns and one interception, along with 17 rushing yards. Prior to that, he scored 15 Fantasy points or less in three games in a row, and he's averaging just 16.7 Fantasy points per game for the season.
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He's been a fantasy bust, which is funny since the Chiefs are undefeated. But he has eight touchdowns and nine interceptions for the year, and his receiving corps has been a revolving door due to injuries to Marquise Brown (shoulder), Rashee Rice (knee) and JuJu Smith-Schuster (hamstring).
DeAndre Hopkins will hopefully help, especially with a full week of practice. In his first game with the Chiefs in Week 8 following his trade from the Titans, Hopkins only managed two catches for 29 yards on three targets.
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But this week, with Travis Kelce, Hopkins and Xavier Worthy, Mahomes should have enough firepower to succeed against the Buccaneers. I consider him a low-end No. 1 Fantasy quarterback in all leagues.
QBs to Start
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Stafford looked great in Week 8 against Minnesota in his first full game with Puka Nacua and Cooper Kupp. He scored 32.8 Fantasy points, and I'm excited to see what he does in Week 9 at Seattle. The Seahawks have allowed four of the past five quarterbacks to score at least 23.5 Fantasy points, and I like Stafford as a top-10 quarterback in this matchup.
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Three quarterbacks in a row have scored at least 20.7 Fantasy points against the Cowboys, including Jared Goff and Brock Purdy scoring at least 28 points in the past two games against Dallas. Cousins only has three games this season with at least 21.5 Fantasy points, with two of them against Tampa Bay, so he needs to show he can excel against other teams. I expect that to happen in this matchup, and Cousins should be considered a top-10 Fantasy quarterback in Week 9.
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Darnold lost left tackle Christian Darrisaw (knee) in Week 8 at the Rams, but he was quickly replaced by Cam Robinson via trade from Jacksonville. Hopefully this will help Darnold avoid too much pressure against the Colts, who have allowed four quarterbacks this season to score at least 21.3 Fantasy points. Darnold only has one game this season below 18.3 Fantasy points, so he should provide a safe floor, but he also has the potential for a huge outing in this matchup at home.
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Goff had one of the wackiest stat lines you'll ever see in Week 8 against Tennessee. He was 12-of-15 passing for only 85 yards, but he scored three touchdowns to score 21.5 Fantasy points. This is now four games in a row with at least that total, and he's averaging 24.1 Fantasy points in three games on the road this season. However, this is his first outdoor game of the year, but I'm still starting him. The Packers could be without two key members of their secondary in cornerback Jaire Alexander (knee) and safety Evan Williams (hamstring). Both were injured in Week 8 at Jacksonville, and Trevor Lawrence scored 27.3 Fantasy points. Goff could have similar success in this NFC North showdown.
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Prescott only scored 17.6 Fantasy points in Week 8 at San Francisco, and he's been held under 20 Fantasy points in consecutive games going back to Week 6. I expect him to snap that streak in Week 9 against the Falcons, who have allowed three of the past four quarterbacks to score at least 21.8 Fantasy points, including two in a row with Geno Smith and Baker Mayfield. Given the matchup, I'm still trusting Prescott as a No. 1 Fantasy quarterback in all leagues.
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Sleepers (Start/Sit)
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We had Nix as a sleeper last week, and he delivered with 35.8 Fantasy points against Carolina. Hopefully he'll stay hot in Week 9 against the Ravens, who are No. 3 in most Fantasy points allowed to opposing quarterbacks. Four quarterbacks in a row and five of the past six against Baltimore have scored at least 24.9 Fantasy points, and Nix has now scored at least 24.7 points in three of his past four games.
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The Colts are starting Flacco in Week 9 at Minnesota, and hopefully he can take advantage of this matchup with the Vikings, who are No. 10 in most Fantasy points allowed to opposing quarterbacks. Three of the past four quarterbacks have scored at least 22.8 Fantasy points against Minnesota, including two in a row. And Flacco has scored at least 19 Fantasy points in two of three appearances this season.
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QBs to Sit
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Stroud lost Stefon Diggs (knee) for the season after he was hurt in Week 8 against the Colts, and Nico Collins (hamstring) isn't eligible to return until Week 10. Without two of his top receivers in Week 9 against the Jets, it will be tough to start Stroud in one-quarterback leagues. He's also scored 17.9 Fantasy points or less in three of his past four games, and the Jets held Stroud to 91 passing yards with four sacks on 10-of-23 attempts last year before he left in the fourth quarter with a concussion. I would only start Stroud in Superflex and two-quarterback leagues.
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Lawrence had his best game of the season in Week 8 against Green Bay with 27.3 Fantasy points, and he has scored at least 21.1 Fantasy points in three of his past four games. But I expect the Eagles defense to keep Lawrence in check, especially with Christian Kirk (collarbone) out and Brian Thomas Jr. (chest) and Gabe Davis (shoulder) banged up. Philadelphia is No. 8 in fewest Fantasy points allowed to opposing quarterbacks, and three quarterbacks in a row have scored 14.9 Fantasy points or less against the Eagles heading into Week 9.
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Winston was awesome in his first start for the Browns in Week 8 against Baltimore with 29.5 Fantasy points, but that was a great matchup. This week, Winston is facing a Chargers defense that is No. 7 in fewest Fantasy points allowed to opposing quarterbacks, and Bo Nix in Week 6 is the lone quarterback against Los Angeles with multiple passing touchdowns. I'm only starting Winston in Superflex and two-quarterback leagues for Week 9.
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Herbert just had his best Fantasy game of the season in Week 8 against the Saints with 279 passing yards, two touchdowns and no interceptions, and he ran for 49 yards for 28.1 Fantasy points. Prior to Week 8, Herbert failed to score more than 15.7 Fantasy points in any game, so let's keep expectations in check at Cleveland. The Browns allow an average of 18.7 Fantasy points per game to opposing quarterbacks, and that's a good expectation for Herbert if he has another solid outing. He's only worth starting in Superflex and two-quarterback leagues.
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Bust Alert (Start/Sit)
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It was great to have Tagovailoa back in action in Week 8 against Arizona following his four-game absence with a concussion. And he played well with 234 passing yards and one touchdown on 28-of-38 passing, including 13 rushing yards, but he only scored 16.7 Fantasy points. This week, Tagovailoa is facing a Buffalo team that has kept him in check. He's scored 15.9 Fantasy points or less in five of his past six games against the Bills, who are No. 6 in fewest Fantasy points allowed to opposing quarterbacks. Only two quarterbacks have scored more than 17.9 Fantasy points against Buffalo this season.
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