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This is the time of the year where the NFL bye weeks start getting on fantasy footballers’ nerves. Thanks to major injuries to Tennessee’s Derrick Henry and New Orleans’ Jameis Winston, Green Bay’s Aaron Rodgers testing positive for COVID, and Atlanta’s Calvin Ridley taking time off to address his mental health, millions of fantasy football managers are already stuck shorthanded headed into Week 9.
Now add that four teams are on bye and it is enough to make a fantasy football manager have severe heartburn and indigestion. At least fantasy GMs know these players will not be showing up this week. The problem are the players who are have a 50-50 chance of suiting up this Sunday.
Without further ado, here are my sneaky starts, pivot plays and post-waiver pickups for Week 9 – and the questionable superstars who you might need to replace at the last minute in your fantasy lineup:
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Sneaky Pickups and Starts for Week 9
If Denver’s Noah Fant (COVID list) cannot be cleared in time for Sunday, you could pick up and play….
Pat Freiermuth, Pittsburgh Steelers (TE) vs. CHI (MONDAY)
The tight end pool on fantasy waiver wires is drying up quicker than Squid Game’s player pool. Finding a decent tight end at the juncture of the season is difficult thanks to the terrifying trio of injuries, byes and a half-season of the good available tight ends already being snatched up. Yet Freiermuth is still on the shelves in 78 percent of leagues at the present time.
Freirmuth is thriving as Ben Roethlisberger’s man over the middle. He has 11 receptions for 102 yards and a touchdown over his last two games and has solidified himself as Pittsburgh’s top tight end over veteran Eric Ebron. Freiermuth is facing a Chicago defense Monday night that showed how vulnerable it is to the pass when premium pass rusher Khalil Mack is not on the field. The Bears made Jimmy Garoppolo and Deebo Samuel look like Joe Montana and Jerry Rice this past Sunday. If Mack does not play again this Monday, Freiermuth and the Steelers should have a field day tearing up Chicago’s secondary.
If Arizona’s DeAndre Hopkins (hamstring) is ruled out before Sunday’s kickoff, you could pick up and play….
Van Jefferson, Los Angeles Rams (WR) vs. TEN (SUNDAY NIGHT)
Jefferson has fought off veteran speedster DeSean Jackson for the right to be the undisputed No. 3 WR in Matthew Stafford’s high-powered passing attack. Jackson was cut after not being dealt at the trade deadline, so Jefferson is officially the Rams’ home run threat whenever head honcho Sean McVay calls for Stafford to heave a 50-yard pass downfield. Jefferson has accounted for 131 yards and a TD over the past two weeks.
Jefferson will run fly patterns against Tennessee’s 24th-ranked pass defense this Sunday night. That secondary turned Michael Pittman Jr. into a fantasy superstud last weekend and should have trouble covering all the Rams receivers this week. Jefferson does not get the targets Cooper Kupp and Robert Woods get. Fantasy managers know this. However, he has carved out a niche in the Rams offense and now appears he will get six-to-seven targets per game from here on out. Pick up Jefferson and he may be like Jorge Soler and hit a homer or two for you this weekend.
If Jacksonville’s James Robinson (ankle) cannot limp onto the field Sunday, you could pick up and play…
Jeremy McNichols, Tennessee Titans (RB) at LAR (SUNDAY NIGHT)
Derrick Henry’s foot injury has opened a door for McNichols that you could drive an 18-wheeler through. Tennessee’s version of Nyheim Hines has only carried the ball seven times this season since Henry hogs the rushing attempts, but McNichols has caught 21 passes for 203 yards and a TD out of the backfield. While the Titans signed future Hall of Famer Adrian Peterson to be the main early-down man in the coming weeks, A.P. will probably need a week or two to get the playbook down before he can contribute. That means McNichols should be Tennessee’s top tailback heading into Week 9’s titanic tilt with the L.A. Rams.
At first glance you would think a matchup against the surging Rams and a defense fronted by Pro Bowlers Aaron Donald, Jalen Ramsey and newly-acquired Von Miller is too daunting to use McNichols. Fantasy managers need to consider three things though. First, McNichols ran for over 3,000 yards and 43 touchdowns over the last two years of his college career. Second, he has averaged 4.4 yards per carry in the NFL. Third, if the game turns into the shootout I think it will, McNichols should see plenty of passes against a pass defense that allows 264 passing yards per game. Pick up and play McNichols and you should get decent fantasy production from him, if not something fantastic.
If New York’s Kenny Golladay (knee) misses another contest, you could pick up and play….
DeVante Parker, Miami Dolphins (WR) vs. HOU
UPDATE: Parker had a setback and has been placed on IR.
Parker battled injuries and missed three games, which is why he is currently available in almost half the fantasy leagues out there, but it appears he is now healthy and ready to roll. In the five games he has dressed for he has not had a clunker. Parker has had at least four receptions and 42 yards each time he has shown up and has not been targeted fewer than seven times in any contest. He only has one touchdown and has not had any 100-yard games this season, but he is primed to have his best game of the year this week after setting season-highs across the board last week when he racked up eight catches on 11 targets for 85 yards versus Buffalo.
Parker has a sweet matchup against a Houston defense that is ranked 30th overall, 31st in points allowed and let Matthew Stafford and Kyler Murray have three-TD passing games against them the past two weeks. Miami quarterback Tua Tagovailoa was impressive against Jacksonville and Atlanta’s defenses in Week 6 and 7 (620 passing yards and six TD tosses), so he is proving that he can pass well against mediocre or downright terrible defenses. He should have no trouble getting the ball to Parker this week, and Parker should have no trouble having a great game as long as he does not suffer another injury.
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