There is no way around it—Week 8 of the NFL season was a devastating blow for teams and fantasy owners alike. It seemed as if half the league was injured, and superstars such as Steve Smith and Le’Veon Bell were lost for the season, while others, such as Matt Forte, suffered costly setbacks.
That leaves fantasy owners scrambling heading into Week 9, which is unfortunate timing because many impact players have already been scooped off the waiver wire at this point.
With limited free-agency options, the best you can hope to do is play the matchups if you were one of those impacted by the injuries. With that in mind, here is a look at the top matchup-based fantasy options for Week 9 at each position.
Quarterback
Ben Roethlisberger was one of the biggest fantasy disappointments in Week 8 in his first game back from injury, but he will bounce back in a major way in his upcoming game against the Oakland Raiders.
Not only will Big Ben be more settled into the offense with the injury rust officially gone, but the Raiders are 31st in the league in pass defense. Roethlisberger and Antonio Brown should carve that vulnerable secondary to pieces, and Michael Fabiano of NFL.com agrees:
Roethlisberger’s presence is also a boost to Brown owners, as ESPN Stats & Info highlighted:
Big Ben will be one of the best quarterbacks in the league Sunday.
Running Back
It is natural to worry about Cincinnati Bengals running backs in fantasy circles because Jeremy Hill and Giovani Bernard often split carries. However, Hill notched 15 against the Steelers the last time out, while Bernard only had one.
What’s more, Bernard has a mere eight catches in the last four games, so it’s not as if his pass-catching abilities are forcefully stealing much time from Hill.
That is great news for Hill owners, especially with a date against the Cleveland Browns and their league-worst run defense and 26th-ranked scoring defense. The Bengals should seize an early lead at home against that defense, which means they will turn to the running game to keep the clock rolling.
Wide Receiver
Eric Decker may be flying under the radar in fantasy circles, but he has posted 19 targets over the last two games for 154 yards. He also has five touchdowns in six games and gets to face the league’s 25th-ranked pass defense and 31st-ranked scoring defense in the Jacksonville Jaguars.
Throw those stats in with the fact teammate Brandon Marshall suffered ankle and toe injuries in Sunday’s game, and Decker should see plenty of targets against a weak defense.
Even if Marshall does play, he will likely be limited and serve as decoy, which will open up Decker. Marshall himself recognized the importance of the two being on the field together, per Zach Braziller of the New York Post: “That’s what you want. You can go back to his days [in Denver] when it was Demaryius [Thomas] and himself. One week it was Demaryius, other week it was him.”
Decker will see plenty of chances against Jacksonville in Week 9. That means plenty of fantasy points.
Tight End
The Bengals may be one of the best teams in the league, but they just allowed 105 receiving yards to tight end Heath Miller in Sunday’s game. Miller hadn’t topped 46 receiving yards since Week 1 until that outing.
Enter Gary Barnidge of the Cleveland Browns, who has already topped 100 receiving yards in three games this season. He also has six touchdowns in his last six outings and should exploit a Bengals defense that looked vulnerable over the middle against Pittsburgh.
While the Bengals will win this game comfortably, they will allow some fantasy points to Barnidge.
Kicker
Kickers are often a tossup in fantasy circles, so owners simply need to know their option will have the chance to score.
The New York Jets should put up some points against a Jaguars defense that is 31st in the league in points allowed per game. Plus, Nick Folk already has a 55-yarder on the season and can hit from distance. Trust the Jets to move the ball against Jacksonville and give Folk some scoring chances.
Defense
The Bengals are going to give up points to Barnidge, but fantasy owners can live with that if the defense plays well elsewhere.
Browns quarterback Josh McCown suffered rib injuries in his last game and will be on a short week. That is a recipe for turnovers against a Cincinnati defense that picked Roethlisberger off three times Sunday.
The Bengals will also run the ball and keep the Cleveland offense on the sidelines (see the Hill section). Cincinnati can’t give up many points on the scoreboard with its defense watching Hill and company carve up Cleveland’s front seven.
All stats are courtesy of ESPN.com as of Monday, Nov. 2 at 6 p.m. ET.
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