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Quarterbacks

Start ‘Em

Trevor Lawrence, Jacksonville Jaguars

I was down on Trevor Lawrence last week, due to his matchup and unpredictable performances, but this week I’m high on him. He faces a Raiders defense giving up a league-high 23 points per game and also a league-high 13.56 D-PAC score versus quarterbacks this season. He’s throwing the ball over 30 times per game, and the opportunities will be there against this defense.

Aaron Rodgers, Green Bay Packers

We haven’t seen the familiar Aaron Rodgers this season. It really is do-or-die time for the Packers this week after losing four straight games. The only team in the NFL giving up more points to fantasy quarterbacks than the Lions is the Raiders. If you can’t start Rodgers against the Lions, you can’t start Rodgers in fantasy football anymore. I expect him to light up the scoreboard in this one.

Sit ‘Em

Tua Tagovailoa, Miami Dolphins

I got blown up on Twitter this week for a take I had on Tua Tagovailoa during the off-season, so why not double down and say to sit him this week? Tagovailoa has had a solid season so far, but who wouldn’t with the playmakers he has around him? Miami faces the Bears this week who have been stingy against the pass this season only allowing 14 points per game to quarterbacks and a low 4.52 D-PAC Score. It will be hard to sit Tagovailoa after having a huge fantasy performance last week, but if you have options I would consider someone else.

Derek Carr, Las Vegas Raiders

After starting the season with three games of more than 250 passing yards and two touchdown passes, Derek Carr hasn’t reached 250 passing yards since and has one game with more than one passing score. The Jaguars, who face Carr and the Raiders this week, have allowed multiple touchdown throws once since Week 1. Don’t bank on Carr saving you from this massive bye week.

What are the Consistency Score and D-PAC? Learn all about them below.

Consistency Score

D-PAC

Running Backs

Start ‘Em

A.J. Dillon, Green Bay Packers

A.J. Dillon hasn’t exactly been blowing the doors off this season, getting a very inconsistent 2.72 running back consistency score this season and ranking him 37th in the league. Aaron Jones has been the clear-cut number-one running back, but it looked like the Packers found something last week against the Bills and were running the ball a ton with the team having over 30 rushing attempts. The Packers play the Lions this week, who are giving up over 27 points per game to running backs and a league-high 15.09 D-PAC score, so they should continue to run the ball and there should be plenty of touches to spread around. 

Caleb Huntley, Atlanta Falcons

I’ve got a deeper one here for you. Caleb Huntley has been getting a lot of work in the Falcons backfield and turned 16 carries into 91 yards in Week 8. He’s also been more efficient with his carries than Tyler Allgeier, averaging 4.69 yards per attempt to Allgeier’s 3.96. The Chargers have been as tough against the run as a wet paper bag. This is likely the last time to get good production out of Huntley as Cordarrelle Patterson likely returns in Week 10.

Sit ‘Em

David Montgomery, Chicago Bears

It has been a disappointing season for David Montgomery, and that disappointment continues this week. Montgomery has been averaging around 15 rushing attempts per game, and around two targets in the passing game, but has been highly inefficient with those carries averaging under four yards per carry. The Bears take on the Dolphins this week, who have been stout against the run only giving up 23 points per game to opposing teams and a league-low 6.82 D-PAC versus running backs score. 

Brian Robinson Jr., Washington Commanders

I want to see this guy succeed so badly, but it’s not going to happen this week. Brian Robinson Jr. is basically uninvolved in the passing game with J.D. McKissic and Antonio Gibson garnering all the targets. In negative game scripts, like Week 8 against the Colts, Robinson will see significantly fewer carries. The Vikings have a rather good run-stopping defense that has allowed only two runners to reach 80 rushing yards and it took them 17 and 20 carries to get there. Robinson will be scripted out by halftime, so I’d sit him this week.

Wide Receivers

Start ‘Em

Curtis Samuel, Washington Commanders

After a really good start to the season, Curtis Samuel has started to come back down to earth. He’s still seeing decent usage in both the passing and rushing game, as he saw four targets and four carries last week, but his efficiency is down, and has not had a touchdown since Week 2. This week, however, the Commanders take on the Vikings who are giving up 38 points per game and a top 10 D-PAC versus wide receivers score at 16.39. Big start for Samuel this week.

JuJu Smith-Schuster, Kansas City Chiefs

It’s hard to bank on one of the Chiefs’ wideouts for fantasy production, but Juju Smith-Schuster is a good bet in Week 9. He’s seen eight targets in five of seven games this year with over 110 receiving yards and a score in each of the previous two contests. Tennessee comes to town this week and they have not been able to slow down passing attacks, giving up 16.1 yards per reception to wide receivers over the last three games. Ride the hot hand with Smith-Schuster.

Sit ‘Em

DeVonta Smith, Philadelphia Eagles

I know, it’s a hard sell to tell you to sit anyone in the Eagles offense right now, but I’m not in love with DeVonta Smith against the Texans this week. Smith has not had consistent production this season with a 30th-ranked consistency score of 3.6 and only scoring 4.8 points last week. Meanwhile, the Texans have the league-best D-PAC versus wide receivers score of 8.37, allowing only 27 points per game.

Michael Pittman Jr., Indianapolis Colts

We all expected big things from Michael Pittman Jr. in 2022, but sometimes things change. The quality of targets has changed with Sam Ehlinger taking over under center. With Ehlinger’s capability to run out of the pocket, we could also see a decline in targets for all the Colts pass catchers. The Patriots are a defense that famously stammers young quarterbacks, leaving even fewer quality opportunities for Pittman and the others. 

Tight Ends

Start ‘Em

Kyle Pitts, Atlanta Falcons

I find it very crazy that at this point of the season I have to tell people it’s okay to start Kyle Pitts. If I have had him on my bench this year in recent weeks, I know others have as well. Pitts has been mediocre this season, ranked as the 15th most consistent tight ends, but had a promising outing last week scoring 16.5 points. The Falcons are facing the Chargers this week, who are giving up over 12 points per game to tight ends. With increased productivity and a favorable matchup, I’m starting Pitts this week in fantasy football. 

Gerald Everett, Los Angeles Chargers

Gerald Everett has been a quality streaming option at the tight end position. He’s caught 5 balls in three of the last four games, twice reaching 60 yards. The real gem with this pick is the Cardinals defense he’ll face. They have the most generous D-PAC score against tight ends at 7.57 and have surrendered four tight end touchdowns in their previous two games. Everett is my favorite tight end in Week 9.

Sit ‘Em

T.J. Hockenson, Minnesota Vikings

First off, I love this trade for the Vikings as Hockenson just seems like he is a perfect fit for the Vikings. Hockenson might pop right off the bat, but usually, new players need a game or two before getting fully acclimated to a new offense. Also, the Vikings are facing the Commanders this week who are giving up only 6.45 points per game and a second-lowest D-PAC versus tight ends score of 2.2. Be patient with Hockenson and think about starting him next week.

Cade Otton, Tampa Bay Buccaneers

The rookie tight end out of Washington has had a couple of safe fantasy days. With Cameron Brate likely to return to action soon, those days could be over for 2022. On top of that, Tampa Bay meets up with the Rams who currently have the most intimidating D-PAC score of 1.98 against tight ends. Only one tight end has surpassed 50 receiving yards against the Rams and he did it on one catch. I also wouldn’t start Brate if he returned in Week 9.

Don’t forget to hit us up on Twitter with any of your lineup questions. You can find Benjamin @FFRabbitDad and Brendan @OBryanBren. If you have a question, we will give you some guidance. After all, we want you to win!

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