Najee Harris, Isiah Pacheco, Emari Demercado: Start ‘Em, Sit ‘Em Picks for Fantasy Football Week 9

Should I start Najee Harris, Isiah Pacheco, Emari Demercado for Week 9? Fantasy football start em, sit em picks and recommendations for the 2023 NFL season.

The Week 9 NFL slate is finally here, meaning it's time for fantasy managers to make tough, last-minute start 'em, sit 'em decisions. Najee Harris, Isiah Pacheco, and Emari Demercado are all hot names ahead of this week's games

Harris takes on the Titans on Thursday night. Pacheco faces the Dolphins in Germany on Sunday. Demercado and the Cardinals face the Browns on Sunday.

Should you start Harris, Pacheco, or Demercado in Week 9? Let's dive in.

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Should I Start Najee Harris for Fantasy Football?

Pittsburgh Steelers running back Najee Harris has struggled to make a big impact this season. Those struggles were especially noticeable last week when he had seven carries for just 13 yards against the Jaguars. He did make an impact in the receiving game, catching five passes for 42 yards.

Harris hasn't played over 57% of the team's offensive snaps in any game yet. Jaylen Warren has cut into Harris' snaps, leaving him as low-end RB2 play when the Steelers face the Titans on Thursday night,

He is the RB25 in our half-PPR consensus staff rankings.

Should I Start Isiah Pacheco for Fantasy Football?

One thing that the Chiefs have lacked during the Patrick Mahomes era is a top running back, but Isiah Pacheco is changing that. Through eight games, Pacheco has 108 carries for 459 yards and three touchdowns. He's also caught 24 passes for 160 yards and a score.

While Pacheco had a season-low 37 scrimmage yards last week, he had to deal with Mahomes playing through the flu, which hurt the entire Chiefs offense. On Sunday against the Dolphins, Pacheco should fare better. Miami allows 17.6 fantasy points per game to opposing running backs. Pacheco is a low-end RB1 option this weekend.

He is the RB10 in our half-PPR consensus staff rankings.

Should I Start Emari Demercado for Fantasy Football?

Arizona Cardinals starting running back James Conner remains on Injured Reserve and won't be able to play in Week 9. That means Emari Demercado is set to remain the Cardinals' running back.

Last week, Demercado had 20 carries for 78 yards in a loss to the Ravens. He now has 33 carries over the past two games. With Arizona set to start Clayton Tune at QB, expect the team to lean heavily on the run game. For that reason, I think Demercado's ranking is too low and he should be viewed as a solid RB2 play this week. The one concern here is that Demercado set out Wednesday's practice with a toe injury, so keep an eye on that.

He is the RB33 in our half-PPR consensus staff rankings.

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