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Top 10 potential lineup busts to avoid starting in fantasy football. Justin Carter lists NFL players to consider sitting or benching as Week 9 lineup disappointments.
Last week I joked in this space about how the NFL doesn't make deadline deals, a statement that ended up being very wrong. All kinds of things ended up happening on Tuesday.
Do any of those things have a major bearing on this week of action? Any new names hurtling towards a bust, or just the same old guys? Let's find out.
Below are 10 lineup busts and avoids for Week 9 of NFL action.
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Top 10 Busts - NFL Week 9
Mitch Trubisky (QB, Chicago Bears)
The Bills have been a surprisingly bad matchup for fantasy quarterbacks this season, holding opposing passers to 10 or fewer fantasy points three times already. I get that Trubisky has been pretty hot lately, with 13 touchdowns over the past four games. But the past two games have also featured his two worst completion percentages of the season, and there's just enough doubt introduced to make playing Trubisky a difficult decision.
Philip Rivers (QB, Los Angeles Chargers)
The Seahawks haven't allowed a quarterback to hit 20 points, per ESPN, and they've only allowed two to hit the 15 point mark. While Rivers has had a good season so far, I'm worried about him against a Seattle defense that has surprisingly weathered the end of the Legion of Boom era.
James Conner (RB, Pittsburgh Steelers)
I'm still starting Conner in all my leagues because he has six touchdowns over the past three games and maintains a big role in the Pittsburgh offense and I don't really have better options, but his first meeting with the Ravens is sitting there in my brain, drilling its stat line into my head -- nine carries, 19 yards. What Conner has done since then has been great, but Baltimore has allowed the fewest fantasy points to running backs this season.
LeSean McCoy (RB, Buffalo Bills)
I do not need any fingers to count up how many rushing touchdowns the Bears have allowed this season because the answer is zero. No running back has found the end zone on the ground, and they've allowed just three receiving touchdowns to backs. McCoy doesn't have a touchdown at all this year, and this week definitely doesn't seem like the week for it to happen.
Tevin Coleman (RB, Atlanta Falcons)
Washington has a really good run defense and holds opponents under 60 rushing yards per game. Coleman is splitting time with Ito Smith. I still like Coleman a lot in terms of his outlook moving forward, but this is a week where I'd much rather look elsewhere for help at running back.
Any 49ers Wide Receiver
Short week. C.J. Beathard nursing a wrist injury that could keep him out of Thursday's contest. A backup quarterback named Nick Mullens who I know so little about that I started to write that he went to LSU before I realized he actually went to Southern Miss. If Beathard is good to go, you can keep the 49ers receivers at the same level you usually would, but if Mullens gets the start then I'm sensing Peterman vibes.
Any Bills Wide Receiver
Speaking of Nathan Peterman, he's starting Sunday against the Bears. The Bears are a good defense. Peterman is a bad NFL quarterback. I feel bad for him at this point and I'm sure he'd look better in a better situation, but reality is reality and there's no way I start a Bills wide receiver with Peterman under center.
Demaryius Thomas (WR, Houston Texans)
I like the potential of Thomas in Houston, but he's not a burner, which is what Will Fuller brought to the table. He's not going to be able to just step into the lineup, run really fast, and catch a ball on a streak route. Thomas could see a limited role in this offense in Week 9 before being fully unleashed after the Week 10 bye. I get that the Broncos are a good matchup for him and that it's a revenge game and that Keke Coutee is questionable, but it's also hard to trust a guy who just arrived on a team and won't fully know the playbook yet.
Cameron Brate (TE, Tampa Bay Buccaneers)
Whatever thin amount of fantasy value Brate held with his connection to Jameis Winston is gone now. Brate didn't catch a single pass in Week 1 or Week 2 with Ryan Fitzpatrick at quarterback earlier this season and with the emergence of O.J. Howard as a strong tight end from both a fantasy and an NFL perspective, Brate's back to being a non-entity. (Why didn't a team like the Cowboys try to trade for Brate, by the way? He's not a bad tight end.)
Hayden Hurst (TE, Baltimore Ravens)
While the rookie Hurst found the end zone last week, he's only caught three passes for 36 yards in four games this year. The Ravens have a lot of tight ends, plus a few receiving backs in Javorius Allen and Ty Montgomery. The Steelers have struggled against the position this season, but this isn't a situation where you stream against a bad defense. You very likely have a better option than Hurst on your roster or on waivers.
