With a bevy of bye weeks, and
a multitude of must win games, fantasy owners will be scrambling
to put the optimal line-ups out there in Week 9. Even with half
the season in the books, there can be some surprise winners and
losers on a weekly basis. Let’s see if we can identify the
guys who might help, and avoid the ones who might sink us!
Note: Fantasy points
based on FF Today’s standard scoring system.
Bye Weeks: Chicago, Buffalo, Detroit,
Green Bay, Atlanta, Tennessee
Kaepernick's best fantasy performance of
the season came against the Rams in Wk 6 (343 yds, 3 TDs).
Grab a Helmet
Colin
Kaepernick v. STL: Before running into the Denver buzzsaw
two weeks ago, Kaepernick was coming off one of the best games of
his career in a 31-17 win on the road against this same St. Louis
team. In his last 3 games against the Rams, Kaepernick has passed
for 785 yards with 6 touchdowns and no interceptions. The Rams have
the personnel and scheme to keep Kaepernick from killing them with
his legs, but coming off the bye week, and the improved health of
Vernon Davis, the 49er offense will be the healthiest they’ve been
all year. Something else to consider, the rocket armed QB has five
30+ attempt games so far in 2014. He only had 4 such games all last
season. On a week where as many as four frontline starters are on
a bye, Kaepernick is a strong QB1 option.
Alex
Smith v. NYJ: With only nine touchdowns in seven games,
it’s hard to view Smith as a potential fantasy starter. On pace
for an Elvis Grbac, circa 1999-like season, Smith hasn’t dazzled,
but he’s brought a sense of calm to a Kansas City squad that started
0-2. Smith is doing what Andy Reid is asking of him, completing
short passes, using his athleticism as an asset and keeping games
close with mistake-free football. With enough volume, Smith makes
a decent spot start, especially this week against a Jets defense
that gives fantasy points away to quarterbacks like that weird old
lady in your neighborhood who gives out gross candy on Halloween.
Smith is a great streaming option, with the potential for a multi-touchdown
250-plus-yard week.
Joe
Flacco @ PIT: Lost in the madness of Pittsburgh’s offensive
onslaught last week, was the defense who continued to be burnt,
toasted, roasted, and sautéed by the Colt’s offense. The deep ball
is something the Pittsburgh defense is particularly poor at defending,
and that just so happens to be Flacco’s specialty. Averaging a robust
11.8 yards per competition, Flacco should have the time to hit a
few deep balls against the Steelers. Aside from his five-touchdown
game vs Tampa, Flacco has been mediocre on the road, but in an important
division game, look for Joe to buck his trend and be a fantasy asset
this week.
Grab a Headset
Michael
Vick @ KC: He may be starting for the Jets, but he
shouldn’t be starting for you if you can help it. Remember, this
is a team that in the last 10 years has been forced to start the
likes of Greg McElroy, Brooks Bollinger and Quincy Carter as fill-ins.
While Vick is much more decorated and is still a threat on the
ground, he simply hasn’t been a good quarterback in quite some
time and is a downright detriment if your league penalizes heavily
for turnovers. Arrowhead is still a wicked place to play and he’s
shown nothing in his spotty work thus far this season. If he truly
had much left, the Jets would have gone to him weeks ago. They
have no choice to start him, but you do. Vick’s legs will keep
him from being a total loss, but I don’t envy a fantasy owner
that has to rely on Vick this week.
Colt
McCoy or Robert
Griffin III @ MIN: The Colt McCoy experience is 1-0
in the nation’s capital, and it looks like he may get a second
look against the Vikings. I’d be surprised if RGIII suits up this
week with a looming bye, but regardless, I’d avoid this fantasy
situation at all costs if I could. McCoy is a career third-stringer,
and RGIII would be coming off another major injury to his lower
body. Couple these facts with the way the Minnesota defense has
rallied these last three games (15.6 ppg), and this is a fantasy
situation to avoid. Obviously RGIII would be the better start
if he gets the call, but at best he’s a QB2 even during this week’s
bye crunch.
Derek
Carr @ SEA: For a rookie on a poor team, Carr has been
a pleasant surprise so far in 2014. He’s making the players
around him better (and that’s saying A LOT on this Oakland
team) and not turning the ball over very frequently. He’s
going to win a desperate fantasy owner a game down the stretch
with a big game, but unfortunately it won’t come this week.
Seattle’s defense isn’t playing at the same level
as last year, but has done a good job at home against three of
the league’s best in Rodgers, Manning and Romo. Look for
an extra aggressive game plan against the rookie signal caller
with more man coverage concepts and blitzes, as Carr isn’t
much of a threat to run (58 yards in one game, and 9 total in
the other six games). This is a supremely tough spot for the rookie,
making him no better than a mid-tier QB2 this week.
Running Backs 
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