Start or Sit? Complex Sports Fantasy Football Tips (Week 9)

Oh, how the fantasy football season flies by. Just a little while back, we were in the draft room getting excited about the prospect of having the dynamic Jamaal Charles on our squad or the guy that went from a nobody to being the Madden coverboy, Peyton Hillis. Fast forward to today and with some clutch pickups, effective trades and a little bribery, your team may still be in the hunt for a playoff spot. But what separates the true fantasy sports professional from any other person is their ability to make the right choice when it comes to making their starting lineup on a weekly basis. So instead of pulling out your hair trying to figure out who to keep in and who to pull out (II), check out Start or Sit? Complex Sports Fantasy Football Tips (Week 9) and we'll leave the bragging to you. 


New York Jets @ Buffalo Bills (1:00 ET)
START: Jets DEF, Bills DEF
SIT: QB Ryan Fitzpatrick, WR Steve Johnson, RB Shonn Greene

Ryan Fitzpatrick's been a revelation for the Bills this year, guiding his team to a 5-2 record on the strength of a 97.8 QB rating. Unfortunately, Fitzpatrick's steady but unspectacular performance just doesn't translate into a solid fantasy start, and certainly not against this opponent. With Steve Johnson stranded on Revis Island this weekend, Fitzpatrick will need to look at his other options and the only one that comes to mind is Fred Jackson. On the offensive side of the ball, the Jets had their bye week to try to get their act together, but we're not buying it just yet. The Bills gave up just 26 rushing yards last week (albeit to the Redskins); they figure to be crowding the box in an effort to make Mark Sanchez beat them, so Shonn Greene still isn't a solid play.

Seattle Seahawks @ Dallas Cowboys (1:00 ET)
START: WR Sidney Rice
SIT: RB DeMarco Murray

Ever since he took over for Felix Jones, DeMarco Murray has enjoyed the favorable rush defense schedule placed before him. But all that ends this week. The Seahawks D isn't as bad as the Rams or Eagles, so Murray owners need to hope for a solid receiving performance or a sneaky touchdown to salvage the Cowboys RB. As for Seattle's air attack, the duo of Tavaris Jackson and Sidney Rice should be in full force. Throughout this season, those two have developed some solid chemistry and with an ailing Dallas defense, Rice should be able to take advantage. 

Cleveland Browns @ Houston Texans (1:00 ET)
START: HOU Defense
SIT: RB Chris Ogbannaya 

Montario Hardesty is out. Peyton Hillis will be out as well. So, the starting running back for the Cleveland Browns will be Chris Ogbannaya. Who? It took a couple of spell checks to make sure we got that one right. But if you picked him up off of waivers, you will need to wait till next week to enjoy the fruits of your waiver. See what we did there? Aside from the obvious choices of Foster, Schaub and Daniels, the Texans defense looks like a solid spot start even without the services of Mario Williams.

Atlanta Falcons @ Indianapolis Colts (1:00 ET)
START: Any offensive star on the Falcons
SIT: Any offensive star on the Colts

Wait. Shouldn't the Colts star players always be must starts? Any other season, we would probably get murked in the comments section for such a suggestion. However, this year without Peyton Manning has been a fantasy nightmare for every Indianapolis player involved. We would even go to great lengths in saying that guys like Wayne, Addai and Collie shouldn't even be occupying space on your team (unless you're playing in a keeper league, of course). 

Miami Dolphins @ Kansas City Chiefs (1:00 ET)
START: QB Matt Cassel
SIT: WR Brandon Marshall

 
We're going out on a limb here. The Dolphins defense gives up the 6th most passing yards per game, and Matt Cassel is hitting his stride right now. If you are in desperation mode for a quick QB fix, check your lineup and figure out where you went wrong on draft day, then pick up Cassel and hope for the best. For the record, this game is at Arrowhead. Kansas City plays well at home. You know what that means, right? 

Tampa Bay Buccaneers @ New Orleans Saints (1:00 ET)
START: QB Josh Freeman
SIT: NO Defense 

If Josh Freeman's season were a rollercoaster, this game against the New Orleans Saints should be a good one. We think. Three weeks ago, the Bucs defeated the Saints with much of that having to do with Freeman's performance. A little over 300 passing yards and two touchdowns would make any fantasy owner happy, but if he lays another egg like he did against the Bears, you'll probably see many fantasy owners hitting the drop button in world-record time.

San Francisco 49ers @ Washington Redskins (1:00 ET)
START: SF Defense
SIT: WAS Defense

After their impressive start, the Washington Redskins are starting to settle into midseason form. By that we referring to their slow decline down the standings into their usual last-place slot. With John Beck at the helm, did you not see this coming? Meanwhile in San Fran, the 49ers have essentially clinched the NFC West. Led by their tough defense, the Niners should be able to impose their will throughout this matchup against the Skins. 

Cincinnati Bengals @ Tennessee Titans (4:05 ET)

START: RB Javon Ringer, RB Cedric Benson
SIT: RB Chris Johnson

Benson is back in the lineup after his one-game suspension and should immediately be able to make an impact against a Titans team that is allowing 129.3 yards rushing per game. On the Titans, the running game is a little more complicated. Though Ringer took the majority of carries from Chris Johnson to end the last game, coach Mike Munchak has still said that Johnson will start. Considering Ringer did well last game with 60 yards on the ground and 42 in the air, he should be a solid flex option if you need one.

Denver Broncos @ Oakland Raiders (4:05 ET)
START: RB Michael Bush, WR Darrius Heyward-Bey
SIT: RB Darren McFadden (OUT), QB Tim Tebow

To be 100 percent honest, Tebow's FANTASY numbers last week weren't horrible. He might have had one of the worst looking games of any player this season, but with his touchdown and rushing yards, he put up a par points performance. He probably wouldn't be the worst thing you could find this week either, but there should still be better options out there. McFadden will be out again, so make sure Bush is lined up, and don't forget about Heyward-Bey just because he was on a bye week. This dude has been extremely consistent in his past four games. 

Green Bay Packers @ San Diego Chargers (4:15 ET)
START: QB Philip Rivers, TE Antonio Gates
SIT: RB James Starks, RB Ryan Grant, RB Ryan Mathews, WR Malcom Floyd

Rivers has been awful lately. However, Green Bay’s pass defense has been equally awful the entire season. Even though it is against the only undefeated team left in the league, the Chargers QB could still have a big day. The Chargers have been hit hard lately with injuries to Gates, Mathews, and Malcom Floyd. Gates practiced on Friday, but neither Mathews nor Floyd were able to. As far as the Pack, we’re going to keep telling you to bench their backs until they prove that they are using a different strategy.

New York Giants @ New England Patriots (4:15 ET)
START: WR Mario Manningham, WR Victor Cruz, RB Brandon Jacobs, RB BenJarvus Green-Ellis, WR Wes Welker
SIT: WR Hakeem Nicks, RB Ahmad Bradshaw

The Patriots are dead last in pass defense. The Giants might not have Nicks or Bradshaw, but Manningham and Cruz are perfectly capable of shredding New England’s secondary, and Jacobs should still be able to do enough down low to draw the safeties in a bit. Patriots receiver Wes Welker has been participating in limited practice this week, but after a loss and in a big game like this, we expect his desire will put him out on the field contributing like he usually does.

St. Louis Rams @ Arizona Cardinals (4:15 ET)
START: RB Beanie Wells
SIT: QB Kevin Kolb, QB Sam Bradford, WR Danario Alexander

What a match we have here. Two 1-6 teams that both have injured starting quarterbacks. You might want to schedule as many things as you can during this period of time, just so you don’t have to watch two horrible teams sloppily battle each other. Kolb is dealing with a foot issue, while Bradford is battling his ankle still. For the Rams, after winning with A.J. Feely last week, there’s no reason to rush Bradford back out there.

Baltimore Ravens @ Pittsburgh Steelers (8:20 ET)
START: WR Antonio Brown
SIT: WR Emmanuel Sanders, WR Hines Ward

We have been all about Antonio Brown for a few weeks here at Complex, and yet, he’s still sitting around as a free agent in many of the leagues we’re in. He is getting a ton of looks right now, and considering Sanders is out and Ward is coming back from injury, he should still have a decent day against a tough Ravens defense.

Chicago Bears @ Philadelphia Eagles (MON, 8:30 ET)
START: RB LeSean McCoy, RB Matt Forte, WR Roy Williams, TE Brent Celek
SIT: All other Bears receivers

The Eagles are coming off a game in which they rushed for 239 yards and did not turn the ball over once. It was against a quickly spiraling Dallas Cowboys team, but the win put them right back in the division mix. Celek was a factor last week and now has two straight games with a touchdown. The Bears are coming off two wins and a bye and also have been led by their running back, Matt Forte. The Bears have yet to find any sort of reliable receiving threat, but Roy Williams has started to pick up a little bit of steam. If you’re needing a flex option, we don’t think he’ll be horrible.