Sneaky Starts, Pivot Plays, and Post-Waiver Pickups for Week 9 - Joe Flacco, Devin Singletary, Xavier Legette, Dalton Schultz, Bo Nix, Josh Downs

Michael Florio's fantasy football sneaky starts, pivot plays, and post-waiver waiver pickups for Week 9 of 2024. Start 'em as under-the-radar fantasy sleepers.

We have reached the point in the season when some of you may be in season-saving mode. If you are sitting at 3-5, this may apply to you. To save your season, you have to change your approach. Rather than holding injured players and waiting for them to return, you have to trade them. 

Yes, you may not get full value, but those players do you no good if they return when you are already eliminated. You should also try to target players who have already had their bye so you can have your full roster available to you weekly. 

Right now, you are just trying to win the week, not the league. Win enough weeks and you will have the chance to win the league. This article can help you win in Week 9. 

Sneaky Starts and Pivot Options

If you need a QB… 

Matthew Stafford threw more pass TDs last week than in his first six games combined. He threw for the second-most yards in a game this season. Stafford and the Rams offense is different when Cooper Kupp and Puka Nacua are healthy. He gets the Seahawks, who he has a track record of success against. They also have struggled against QBs. In their last five games, four QBs scored 19.8 fantasy points or more. All but one threw multiple passing TDs against them. 

Bo Nix is a strong start this week, not just a sneaky one. Nix threw for a season-high 284 yards and three touchdowns last week and has multiple passing TDs in three of the last four games. He has four rushing TDs and five games with 25-plus rushing yards. Three times he has topped 45 rushing yards. It is why he topped 20 fantasy points in three of his last four. Now, he gets the Ravens, who have allowed the most passing yards, passing touchdowns, and third-most fantasy PPG to QBs. 

Justin Herbert has been getting better results as of late. In his last two games, he threw for 349 and 279 yards, his two highest totals of the season. He also had his second multi-touchdown game last week. What stands out to me is he ran more last game, showing that his foot issue may be behind him. His young pass-catchers seem to be stepping up as well. Herbert has become a streaming option you can use once again. 

no QB has played better than Justin Herbert over the last three weeks pic.twitter.com/csfOuHziCf

— Steven Ruiz (@theStevenRuiz) October 28, 2024

Joe Flacco is back as the starter for the Colts. I have lots of thoughts on that. That is for another time, though. For fantasy, Flacco had one big game, going for nearly 27 fantasy points. In his other start, he scored 14. That is enough to have him in play, especially against the Vikings, who have allowed the fifth-most passing yards this season. 

Jameis Winston is back in our fantasy lives! He started last week and threw for 334 yards and three touchdowns. It was by far the best the Browns looked as an offense. It also came in a great matchup, so do not expect results like that weekly. We know, though, that Winston brings a high ceiling and can go off in any given week. That is enough to have him in play as a replacement option. 

If you need an RB… 

Chase Brown is rostered in all leagues but has not always started. This is a week you can elevate him into your lineup. Brown has double-digit carries in five straight games and consistently sees around three targets per week. He also has been seeing goal-line usage as of late. His explosiveness comes into play against the Raiders, who have allowed 4.6 yards per carry and the fourth-most rushing yards over expectation. 

Chase Brown

Taking over the Bengals backfield.

50%+ snaps in three straight games.

Averaging 15+ opportunities per game Weeks 4-8.

Zack Moss has not eclipsed 3.0+ yards per carry since Week 3.

The best RB will continue to get volume in must win games.pic.twitter.com/yS6L88aOvW

— Joe Orrico (@NoExpertFF) October 30, 2024

Devin Singletary is in play if Tyrone Tracy Jr. cannot suit up this week. We have seen Singletary produce in this offense, with two games over 14 fantasy points in his first three, before getting injured. The Commanders have allowed the sixth-most rushing yards and fifth-most touchdowns to backs. They have also allowed explosive runs at the highest rate in the NFL.

Tyler Allgeier has seen 12-plus carries in two of his last three games. He also gets involved near the goal line as well. The floor is low, but there is an upside here at least. Especially considering the Cowboys have allowed the sixth-most fantasy PPG to RBs this season. Braelon Allen and Blake Corum are pivot options similarly. Low floor, but some upside there. 

D'Ernest Johnson did not come through last week for the Jags. He is more of a desperation or deep-league play, but the Eagles have shut down the run this season. If that is the case, we could see more passes go to the backfield, and Johnson is the top pass-catching back as long as Travis Etienne Jr. remains out. There is a good chance the Jags are in catch-up mode this week as well. 

If you need a WR… 

Cedric Tillman has 21 targets, 15 catches, 180 yards, and two touchdowns in his last two games. He is second in targets and air yards in that span, showing that he has fully taken over the Amari Cooper role. In that span, he leads the Browns in targets and yards against zone coverage, which is important because the Chargers use zone 80 percent of the time, the fifth-highest rate in the NFL. 

He isn’t the only Browns receiver to get excited about, though. Last week, Elijah Moore finished with eight catches for 85 yards on 12 targets. Jerry Jeudy had five for 79 on eight targets. It was the most, third-most, and fifth-most yards a Browns receiver has had in a game this season. Both are back in play as streaming options. I lean toward Moore if you have to pick between the two. 

Josh Downs had nine targets last week as the clear-cut top target for the Colts. Downs exploded with 22, 16, and 19 fantasy points in the games that Joe Flacco appeared in or started. He had nine targets in two of those and 12 in the other. He caught a touchdown in two of those three games. Yes, he is very much a strong start with Flacco back. 

Xavier Legette and Jalen Coker are options for you with the Panthers trading Diontae Johnson and Adam Thielen banged up. Legette led the way last week with seven targets going for 34 yards and a TD. The first-round pick brings upside and the Panthers have an incentive to try and get him the ball. Coker went for 78 yards and a touchdown on six targets. He was a sleeper I liked in the NFL Draft and brings some big-play upside to this team. The youth movement in Carolina may not bring a safe floor, but the upside is all you can ask for when diving this deep. 

Hopefully Germany will have something good for Xavier Legette to eat. #Panthers pic.twitter.com/qxVyZBYzPX

— Sheena Quick (@Sheena_Marie3) October 30, 2024

Gabe Davis and Parker Washington are another set of teammates for you. Christian Kirk is done for the year and Brian Thomas Jr. looks very up in the air. If he cannot suit up, expect Davis to be the top outside wide receiver and Washington to operate in the slot. Davis is boom or bust but brings upside, especially considering the Eagles can be had on the long ball. Washington doesn’t bring the same upside, but his floor feels safer. If Davis also doesn’t play this week, that would be a big boost for Washington. 

If you need a TE… 

Cade Otton is a must-start option who was still on waivers in some leagues this week, so I am going to include him here. Otton has 10 targets in each of his last two games and has scored 18 and 29 fantasy points. He already showed himself as a safe-floor option, but there is a big upside now with this much volume up for grabs. This could be another big week as the Chiefs have the second-most yards and the most fantasy PPG to tight ends this season. 

Dalton Schultz needed two injuries to open the way for him. We have seen this Texans offense with just one of its top receivers healthy. There were six games like that last season. He scored over nine fantasy points in five of those six games and twice scored 14 or more. The Jets have struggled at times against tight ends. Schultz is worth streaming this week. 

Noah Fant had been had by tight ends in recent weeks. On the season, the Rams have allowed the third-most fantasy PPG to tight ends. That jumps from 16 fantasy PPG to 20 per game in the last month. Fant has seen more consistent usage as of late and topped 60 yards in two of his last three. Due to the matchup and the recent usage, he is a streaming option this week. He gets a boost if DK Metcalf cannot go again. 

If you need a TE streamer for Week 9...

Noah Fant should be at the TOP of your list

LAR vs. TEs this season:

4th-most receiving yards per game allowed
4th-highest yards per reception allowed
2nd-most fantasy points per game allowed

— Derek Brown (@DBro_FFB) October 28, 2024

Zach Ertz saw a season-high 11 targets last week. He has at least five in each of his last four games. He has shown to have a safe floor as of late and is tied to a great QB and a good offense. I do not love his matchup this week, but if you are looking for a plug-and-play option off the waiver wire, volume is what you are most concerned with. And Ertz gets volume. 

Hunter Henry has 15 targets in his last two games. He has put up a respectable fantasy total in each of his last three games. I do not love his matchup this week, and he is more appealing with Drake Maye than Jacoby Brissett. But just like with Ertz, if you are diving deep at tight end, you want volume, and Henry is potentially his team's top target. 

Make sure to follow Michael on X, @MichaelFFlorio.

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