Fantasy Football Mailbag - Robert Woods, DK Metcalf, Mark Andrews

November 8, 2019

Kev Mahserejian answers reader questions from the fantasy football mailbag with his weekly Q&A session. In Week 9, he will provide lineup advice to answer pressing start/sit questions for tough matchups.

This article's content may vary week-to-week, but generally, it will be answering questions fielded from either the @RotoBallerNFL twitter account or my personal one (@RotoSurgeon). This week, the focus is on start/sit questions, and there were plenty. Every week, many of us struggle with which quarterback to start, or who to flex, and I am here to help.

The questions selected will combat difficult decisions that might be specific to Week 10 starters. We have seen plenty of early risers and fallers who may not make the cut in our lineup as we stumble through the season. The hype and shine wear off some places and beginning to glisten elsewhere. However, sometimes, it is just best to not rock the boat (particularly if things are going well).

If you need any questions answered in the coming weeks, feel free to follow and ask either account and we will make sure to respond promptly.

Week 10 Mailbag

Verdict: Chicago Bears

The Bears are a mess right now but luckily, their defense is still very legit and they have the benefit of playing at home this week. Chicago has been susceptible to the run ever since Akiem Hicks went down, however, the Lions' offense will be throwing the ball often due to their lack of a run threat with Kerryon Johnson out of the picture. Start Chicago and hope for a low scoring NFC North affair in which they kill the clock with the run to avoid over-relying on the pass. The Bears' pass rush will have the opportunity to sack Stafford on various instances Sunday.

While the Bears may not be the best option for Week 10, they are the best of this list. The Jets and Giants are a clusterfudge of bad and the Lions' defense is so porous that it may allow Mitch Trubisky to look competent this weekend. Chicago is just the safest option here with just enough upside.

Verdict: Robert Woods

As hot as Metcalf has been over the past few weeks, he gets a brutal matchup against the 49ers this weekend. The Seattle OL will have trouble keeping the 9ers DL in check resulting in fewer opportunities for Russell Wilson to go deep. Metcalf is so good that he only really needs one deep shot to hit but that is hard to bank this week. This game feels more like a short to intermediate pass game for Russ than a game where he is bombing like last week versus Tampa Bay.

Robert Woods is not fun to own this season, everyone can agree on this. However, Brandin Cooks is set to miss significant time with his most recent concussion resulting in Woods stepping up a rung for Jared Goff. Woods could be a safety valve against a Steelers Defense that will be getting to Goff early and often. He's received double-digit targets twice this season and is utilized in the run game occasionally. If he gets the looks, he could produce against a Steelers' secondary that lacks a true CB threat on the outside.

Verdict: Austin Hooper

Bank on garbage time for the TE1 in 2019. The Falcons are double-digit underdogs, while the Ravens are double-digit favorites. If Atlanta goes down big early on, Matt Ryan will be airing it out. Hooper's been his favorite non-Julio target this season with his lowest single-game target total at five. The Saints and Bengals are both stout against TEs negating any sort of matchup advantage to consider. Andrews should have a decent day but will have to do a lot with a little to return value. The Ravens will be running a ton on Sunday and should not have to rely on their pass-catchers much, if at all.

Verdict: Marlon Mack

Take the floor play here. Mack faces a porous Miami defense that is bottom-2 against the rush by DVOA. I really did not even need to state that if you have watched a second of the Dolphins this season. They stink, the Colts do not. As a double-digit favorite, at home, Indianapolis should crush the Dolphins even with Brian Hoyer at QB if need be. They could be starting Brock Osweiler and I'd still be this confident. Mack will have a big day without a target. They will be riding him to kill the clock and move on to the next week. There is multiple touchdown potential here.

Jones is an enigma. It feels like he either gets 30 points or 3 points. He has a fantastic matchup as well at home against a Carolina defense that is brutal against the run. The Panthers are the only team WORSE than Miami but I am still a little scared of Jones (who I love). This will be a cold-weather game with lots of ground-and-pound on both sides thanks to Christian McCaffrey. Jamaal Williams' presence is not as big a hindrance to Jones as Davante Adams is. With Adams active, Jones' targets per game nearly cut in half, killing a large chunk of his value. He is a must-start in most leagues regardless since most teams don't have better options, but up against Marlon Mack, I lean Mack this week.

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