Week 9 fantasy football tips
A few additional fantasy nuggets to help owners set their Week 9 lineups, including injuries, sit/start matchup and the stat of the week.
Injury report
QB Josh McCown, Browns (out)
Short week won’t give his shoulder and ribs enough time to heal. Johnny Manziel gets the start vs. Bengals.
WR Brandon Marshall, Jets (questionable)
Held out of practice with toe, ankle injuries, but if he’s able to play he’ll have Ryan Fitzpatrick back at QB.
QB Marcus Mariota, Titans (questionable)
Has missed the past two games with a sprained knee, but may not have top target Kendall Wright (knee).
WR DeSean Jackson, Redskins (questionable)
Even if he’s fully recovered from a Week 1 hamstring injury, facing the Patriots isn’t an easy first game.
RB Carlos Hyde, 49ers (questionable)
Stress fracture in his foot isn’t getting any better, so look for the Niners to play it safe as they retool the offense.
QB Tyrod Taylor, Bills (probable)
He says he’s “100% ready” for his first action in a month, which should give the entire offense a fantasy boost.
RB Ryan Mathews, Eagles (questionable)
Ran for 97 yards and a TD in Week 7, but suffered a groin injury that’s lingering, despite a bye week to recover.
TE Antonio Gates, Chargers (probable)
Knee injury may have slowed him down last weekend, but he still seems healthier than fellow TE Ladarius Green.
-- Steve Gardner, Paste BN Sports
Key matchup
START: WR Stefon Diggs, Vikings
Diggs (95 yards, TD in Week 8) has at least six catches and 85 receiving yards in every game he's played. In less than a month, he has become a must-start fantasy option and he’ll be worth every bit of this week’s $7,100 price tag on Fantasy Score.
SIT: WR Allen Robinson, Jaguars
Robinson has scored a touchdown in three consecutive games, but this week he runs into the Jets’ shutdown corner, Darrelle Revis. That will make it difficult for him to return sufficient value on his $7,500 Fantasy Score salary.
— Marc Caviglia, BrunoBoys.net
Stat of the week
10.3
Fantasy points, on average, the Denver Broncos defense has surrendered per game to opposing quarterbacks this season -- by far the league's lowest. (Andrew Luck owners, you’ve been warned.) The St. Louis Rams rank second at 14.7.
-- Tony Holm, FantasySharks.com