Week 9 Start 'Em, Sit 'Em: Play or Bench Tips for Fantasy Football Managers

It's Thursday, so that means another week of the 2021 NFL season has arrived. The Indianapolis Colts will be hosting the New York Jets to kick off Week 9 action.

At this point in the year, you have a good indication of your current situation in fantasy football. Maybe you're in a good spot to reach the playoffs. Or you may be trying to push your way into that spot. Either way, it's important to keep making the right lineup decisions to put yourself in the best position to have success.

Heading into Week 9, here's some start/sit advice to help with any tough choices.

Although Kirk Cousins struggled during the Vikings' Week 8 loss to the Dallas Cowboys, that performance fit in with the up-and-down season he's been having. So it wouldn't be surprising to see him bounce back with a strong showing in Week 9.

That's especially the case considering the matchup that Cousins will have on Sunday. Minnesota is going on the road to take on the Baltimore Ravens, who are allowing an NFL-high 296.1 passing yards per game. It should be a high-scoring matchup with plenty of offense on both sides.

Because of that, Cousins should get back on track with a big fantasy performance. He's had three passing touchdowns in three of the Vikings' past six games (and only one in each of the other three), and he should play more like that than he did last week.

When Miles Sanders went down with an ankle injury, it seemed like rookie running back Kenneth Gainwell was going to have success in Sanders' place. Gainwell scored a touchdown in Week 7, when Sanders got hurt, and he seemed poised for a strong showing in Week 8.

However, that ended up not being the case. Gainwell had 13 carries for 27 yards in a win over the Detroit Lions while splitting the work with Boston Scott and Jordan Howard, each of whom scored two touchdowns. It was a big day on the ground for the Eagles, just not for Gainwell.

In Week 9, Philadelphia is hosting the Los Angeles Chargers, who have had some trouble slowing opposing rushing attacks. But with Scott and Howard likely to stay in the mix, Gainwell is too risky to start in fantasy. In fact, it's best to leave all Eagles running backs on the bench, as it's tough to tell how the work is going to be split up.

If you started Emmanuel Sanders in Week 8, then you came away hugely disappointed. The Bills wide receiver didn't catch a pass and finished with zero points. So, why should you turn to Sanders again when Buffalo takes on the Jacksonville Jaguars in Week 9?

Well, the Bills were trying to get Sanders involved last week, as he was still targeted four times. That was a season low, though, so it may just end up as an outlier when looking back later in the season. He had been targeted a season-high-tying eight times in Buffalo's previous game.

Sanders has been an inconsistent fantasy performer, but he's had a few big games. This week could be another one, considering the Jaguars are allowing 278.1 passing yards per game (fifth most in the NFL). It may feel risky after last week, but give Sanders another opportunity, as he should come through in a big way.

Mike Williams got off to a huge start in 2021, as he had seven or more catches in four of the Chargers' first five games. In those four contests, he scored at least one touchdown and had at least 82 receiving yards in each of them.

However, Williams has cooled off in a big way. He's been held to two or fewer catches in three of Los Angeles' past four games, including each of its past two. In that pair of games, he's had only four receptions for 46 yards and no touchdowns.

This week, the Chargers face the Philadelphia Eagles, who are allowing only 28.21 fantasy points per game to opposing wide receivers, third fewest in the league (per NFL.com). So this isn't the week to rely on Williams, as Los Angeles will probably lean more on running back Austin Ekeler and its rushing attack.