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As someone who has only lived in South Florida a few years, it took me a while to recognize the need to prepare for the storm before it was ever on the radar. Because as soon as people start talking about it, the shelves at the store start to look bare. I hope you prepared early for the Week 9 Byenado, because at this point the streaming options on the waiver wire are starting to look like those store shelves.
With one magical exception.
Quarterback
Ryan Fitzpatrick is back, and you should get excited. If you combine Fitzpatrick and Jameis Winston, you come to the startling conclusion that the Tampa Bay starting quarterback has been the best in Fantasy this season in four-point per passing touchdown leagues (second in six). Yes, better than Patrick Mahomes.
Fitzpatrick doesn't have a great matchup in Week 9, but it doesn't really matter. You're starting any Tampa Bay quarterback at this point. It's partially because of great weapons like Mike Evans, Desean Jackson and Chris Godwin, but mostly because the Bucs defense can't stop anyone and game flow will dictate a lot of passing.
Derek Carr delivered in a big way in Week 8, and I wouldn't hesitate to go back to him against the 49ers. San Francisco has given up the sixth most Fantasy points per game to opposing quarterbacks, and Carr is going to be winging it because -- as you'll see below -- I don't expect Oakland's defense to be any better.
Carr has been inconsistent in terms of Fantasy, but a lot of that is just the sequencing of his touchdowns. Eight of his 11 touchdowns have come in two games this season, but he has at least 244 yards in every game but one, and he's topped 300 yards three times. He should give you a decent floor against a plus-matchup, but his upside is a far cry from that of Fitzpatrick.
This is a matchup of two of the worst defenses in football in terms of defending quarterbacks in Fantasy, so hopefully C.J. Beathard and Carr can feed off each other.
Beathard gave us three straight games of at least 20 Fantasy points before struggling the past two weeks against the Rams and Cardinals. I'd expect a bounceback against a bad Raiders defense, but I wouldn't expect a lot of upside.
At quarterback, the important thing to remember this week is Fitzpatrick is the only quarterback worth adding and starting over someone you're rostering. Carr and Beathard are largely bye-week replacements, nothing more.
Tight end
This is just about the worst week we've had for tight end streamers, so I apologize to the Zach Ertz owners out there. The Dolphins just allowed two touchdowns to Jordan Thomas, and Chris Herndon has scored each of the past two weeks. That's the good news. The bad news is, he only saw one target in Week 8. That's terrifying, and reminds me a lot of C.J. Uzomah heading into last week. Still, he's the best option.
Benjamin Watson has been featured in this column more than I'd like to admit, but this is a pretty good spot for him in Week 9. The Rams should score enough to keep Drew Brees passing, and they have struggled against tight ends. Watson had 10 targets in Week 6 and 7 combined before getting blanked in Week 8. I'd attribute that more to game script than anything else, Brees only threw 22 passes.
I have Watson projected for five targets in Week 9 with about a 35 percent chance of scoring a touchdown. That tells you more about the state of streaming tight ends this week than how I feel about him.
Jordan Thomas took advantage of that Dolphins matchups in Week 8. In Week 9 he'll face a Broncos team that has actually been worse against tight ends than the Dolphins. Thomas has been reliable this year, catching 83 percent of his targets but hasn't shown a lot of explosiveness, with a receiving average of just 8.0.
How I feel about him in Week 9 will hinge of the availability of Keke Coutee and just how involved we expect new Texan Demaryius Thomas to be. In the unlikely event both receivers are unavailable, Jordan Thomas could jump to the top of this list. If both are available, he's a touchdown-dependent dart throw.
DST
Dallas Cowboys vs. Tennessee Titans
The Cowboys are at home, in prime time, against a lifeless offense. The Titans rank 30th in points (15.1) and yards (280.9) per game. They've also given up more than three sacks per game and thrown more interceptions than touchdowns.
Washington vs. Atlanta Falcons
This one doesn't seem as obvious, but the Falcons have been pretty dreadful in their only two road games. They scored 12 points at Philadelphia and 17 points in Pittsburgh. Neither of those defenses have been as good this year as Washington, who has yet to allow anyone to score more than 21 points in their building.
Carolina Panthers at Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Fitzmagic is back, and I've already told you he's a must-add. That doesn't mean I think he'll be perfect. Tampa Bay has had trouble protecting its quarterbacks, and Fitzpatrick has always been turnover prone. I don't think Carolina has a great week in terms of points or yards allowed, but I do expect sacks and turnovers. Their big-play potential this week is through the roof.
K
Brandon McManus vs. Houston Texans
Graham Gano vs. Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Mason Crosby at New England Patriots
I love McManus in the thin air against Houston. He's scored at least eight Fantasy points in all four home games he's played. Gano and Crosby should have plenty of scoring opportunities in what should be high-scoring games.
So who should you sit and start? And what shocking QB could win you Week 9? Visit SportsLine now to get Fantasy football rankings for every single position, and see which shocking QB finishes in the top 10 this week, all from the model that out-performed experts big time last season.
