Start 'Em, Sit 'Em Week 9: Flex, PPR Advice for Fringe Fantasy Football Stars

Sometimes, players can emerge from nowhere to become fantasy football stars. These are guys who few were talking about before the season but have now worked their way into starting consideration.

This year, rookie running backs such as Michael Carter, Elijah Mitchell and Khalil Herbert fit that description. None of them were expected to be huge contributors heading into the season, but that's changed over the first eight weeks of the 2021 NFL campaign.

For fantasy managers who added such players to their rosters, it may lead to difficult lineup decisions, especially if they were just added for depth. But it's always better to have too many good players (especially at RB) than not enough.

Heading into Week 9, here's some start/sit advice to help with lineup decisions.

Rookie quarterback Zach Wilson is going to miss another week due to his right knee injury, which means Mike White will get another opportunity to lead the New York Jets' offense this week. And because of that, rookie running back Michael Carter is likely to be busy once again.

In New York's Week 8 upset win over the Cincinnati Bengals, Carter had 15 carries for 77 yards and a touchdown and nine receptions for 95 yards. He was targeted 14 times by White, so he should continue to be an integral part of the passing game in addition to his solid workload on the ground.

The 22-year-old has been trending in the right direction all season as he's gained more experience, and he's now worthy of starting in flex spots, especially in points-per-reception leagues because of his involvement in the passing attack.

Expect Carter to get plenty of touches Thursday night against the Indianapolis Colts, leading to another strong fantasy performance.

*Important note: Even though Carter is a flex-level player, put him in an RB slot rather than at your flex because he's playing on Thursday. That gives you more lineup flexibility on Sunday in case of any unexpected injuries.

Even though Khalil Herbert has emerged as the Chicago Bears' No. 1 running back in recent weeks, that doesn't mean he should always be in fantasy lineups.

The 23-year-old has had at least 18 carries in each of the past four weeks, but he's had only one touchdown over that span and been held to 75 or less rushing yards twice.

When Chicago has a great matchup for its ground game, Herbert should be started. But that isn't the case in Week 9, as the Bears are going on the road for a Monday night matchup against the Pittsburgh Steelers, which rank sixth best in the league in fantasy points allowed to RBs per game, per NFL.com.

There's a good chance the Steelers keep Herbert out of the end zone and hold him to a low yardage total, especially because he doesn't get too involved in the passing game. So it's best to leave him on the bench, unless you have no better options at running back.

Last week, Jerry Jeudy played his first game since the Denver Broncos' season opener after missing six weeks due to an ankle injury. It wasn't a huge return performance, as he had four catches for 39 yards in a win over Washington, but he got reacclimated to game speed.

Now, the 22-year-old could start putting up the big numbers many expected him to before the season began. Denver is going on the road to face the Dallas Cowboys, which allow the eighth most fantasy points to wide receivers per game in the league, per NFL.com.

The Broncos should be passing a lot to try to keep up with the Cowboys' high-powered offense. And Jeudy should be a major factor in that attack, especially now he's gotten back in the swing of things. He should be a solid flex option for Week 9.

Fantasy managers keep waiting for DeVonta Smith to break out during his rookie season, but that still hasn't happened. And it's unlikely to happen during Week 9.

The 22-year-old still hasn't scored a touchdown since his NFL debut in Week 1, and he has only eight catches for 107 yards over the past three weeks.

Smith faces a tough matchup this week, as the Eagles are hosting the Los Angeles Chargers, which are allowing a league-best 26 fantasy points per game to wide receivers, per NFL.com.

It's going to be tough for Philadelphia to get its offense going, especially through the air. There are likely better WR options on your league's waiver wire, so if you don't have much depth, pick up one of them to start in place of the Alabama product this week.