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Dave's fantasy football start 'em and sit 'em booms and busts for Week 9 of 2024. Sneaky starts that may boom, and typical starters that will disappoint.
Well, November is here, and we have officially entered the third month of the 2024 NFL season. It never ceases to amaze me how fast it moves once it’s finally here. Week 8 was more of the same for us here. Some good calls mixed in with some poor ones.
Our big miss of the week was labeling both Tua Tagovailoa and Jaylen Waddle as boom calls. The Dolphins scored 28 points against the Cardinals defense but most of their damage was done on the ground. Tagovailoa finished as the QB22 while Waddle finished as the WR52. Not exactly what we were hoping to see. We did correctly label Tucker Kraft as a boom pick. He found the end zone for the fourth time in five games and finished as the TE9. We also nailed Alexander Mattison as a bust pick. He touched the ball 19 times but only totaled 44 scrimmage yards and finished as the RB33. Let’s get back to the grind and find out who should be in and out of lineups this week.
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Week 9 Fantasy Football Booms
Josh Downs - WR, Indianapolis Colts at Minnesota Vikings
The Colts' decision to bench starter Anthony Richardson is great news for Downs’ fantasy prospects.
Josh Downs (2024)
+ @FantasyPtsDataw/ Joe Flacco
+ 26.5% target share (WR8)
+ 9.0 catchable targets per game (WR1)
+ 19.2 FPG (WR7)w/ Anthony Richardson
+ 21.1% target share (WR32)
+ 3.3 catchable targets per game (WR66)
+ 9.6 FPG (WR52)— Scott Barrett (@ScottBarrettDFB) October 29, 2024
Downs is an uber-talented player, and he should continue having success with Joe Flacco under center. Minnesota’s defense got off to a fast start, but it has shown some cracks in the last few weeks. The Vikings also allow the most PPR points per game to opposing receivers, per Fantasy Football Today. This is a fantastic spot for managers to deploy Downs. As long as he stays healthy, he is in line for a huge game.
Gamers can confidently start him as a WR2 or flex play this week. He should be a large part of the offensive game plan against a Vikings defense that blitzes at one of the highest rates in the league.
Dak Prescott - QB, Dallas Cowboys at Atlanta Falcons
Prescott is in the middle of a three-game stretch where he’s failed to finish as a fantasy QB1. He’s thrown four touchdowns against six interceptions during this run.
Bosa gets the pressure. Brown gets the pick. @49ers ball!
📺: #DALvsSF on NBC/Peacock
📱: Stream on #NFLPlus pic.twitter.com/krcyeDf5RB— NFL (@NFL) October 28, 2024
That should change this weekend as Dallas plays an Atlanta Falcons defense that ranks 24th in defensive passing DVOA, per FTN Fantasy, and 31st in PFF’s Pass Rushing Grade. Prescott shouldn’t be under constant pressure, and that should allow him to find success against the Falcons secondary. Dallas’ continued lack of a running game will also mean plenty of opportunities for Prescott to air it out.
Expect the Cowboys signal-caller to get back on track Sunday and finish as a fantasy QB1. He is a fine streaming option for this week.
DJ Moore - WR, Chicago Bears at Arizona Cardinals
It’s been a disappointing season thus far for the Bears' top playmaker. He’s only had one finish as a WR1 and is currently just the PPR WR26 of the year. Such is life with a rookie quarterback and a suboptimal play-caller in Shane Waldron.
However, this could be a spot where the veteran has more success. Arizona’s defense has struggled to guard receivers as it allows the ninth-most PPR points per game to the position and ranks 29th in defensive passing DVOA.
The Cardinals also struggle to consistently rush the passer and rank just 30th in PFF’s Pass Rushing Grade. That should mean things are a little easier for the Chicago offensive line and Caleb Williams. As long as he’s not under siege, Williams should find Moore for a few big plays.
It’s been a bumpy ride, but gamers should stick with Moore for this week. He has let us down in plus matchups before, but he should find success this week as long as Chicago’s offensive line holds up.
Week 9 Fantasy Football Busts
Jameis Winston - QB, Cleveland Browns vs. Los Angeles Chargers
Winston took over as the Browns QB1 last week and led the team to an upset victory over the Baltimore Ravens. He threw for 334 yards and three touchdowns and finished the week as the QB10.
JAMEIS GOING FOR IT ALL!
📺: #BALvsCLE on CBS/Paramount+
📱: https://t.co/waVpO909ge pic.twitter.com/hAZ6Y2r9px— NFL (@NFL) October 27, 2024
While he had success against a porous Ravens secondary, Winston has a tougher draw this week against a Chargers defense that allows the ninth-fewest passing yards per game and ninth-fewest fantasy points per game to opposing quarterbacks.
Winston also had several turnover-worthy throws last week that Baltimore defenders just outright dropped, so his Week 8 performance was not quite as strong as the final stat line indicates. We could be in line for some regression against a better opponent this week.
He is undoubtedly an improvement over Deshaun Watson and will continue to be better for the offense overall, but this is not the best week for fantasy managers to trot him out there. Gamers should look elsewhere if they need a streaming option this week.
Rhamondre Stevenson - RB, New England Patriots at Tennessee Titans
Stevenson is coming off an RB5 finish last week against the New York Jets. While that was great to see, the Patriots could find it difficult to move the ball this week against a Titans defense that ranks sixth in defensive rushing DVOA.
With rookie Drake Maye likely missing this game due to a concussion, Tennessee will look to stack the box and force Jacoby Brissett and the New England passing game to beat it. That could spell trouble for Stevenson.
If you’ve got a deep running back room, you should consider leaving New England’s RB1 on your bench. It’s a tough matchup and a bad spot for New England fresh off an upset victory over a division rival.
Zay Flowers - WR, Baltimore Ravens vs. Denver Broncos
The Ravens' acquisition of Diontae Johnson throws a monkey wrench into Baltimore’s receiving room. It was an excellent pure football move as it will make this offense even more difficult to defend. From a fantasy football standpoint, though, it just creates more headaches.
Baltimore is already one of the lowest-volume passing attacks in the league. That alone made Flowers a risky start from week to week. Add in a receiver the caliber of Johnson, and it just further complicates things.
On top of all that, this is also a tough matchup as Denver’s defense has been strong against receivers. It allows the fifth-fewest PPR points per game to opposing receivers and allows the fourth-fewest passing yards per game as well.
Flowers is still a talented player, but a lot is working against him in this game. It’s a tough matchup, and we don’t know exactly how Baltimore plans to deploy its trio of receivers. It’s better if Flowers is left on benches until we have a better understanding of this receiving room.
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