It's time for the Week 9 installment of Thursday night matchups with my start/sit recommendations. This week the first place Atlanta Falcons travel to Tampa Bay for a battle with the 3-4 Buccaneers. It's a short turnaround for both teams coming off extremely close games. The Falcons pulled out a one-point victory at home against the Packers, while Tampa Bay fell in overtime to the Raiders.

Each week of the NFL season, we will be breaking down every game and providing you with some fantasy football advice and lineup recommendations based on matchups that we love, matchups that we hate, and injury information as well. Later this week, you will find parts one and two of our Week 9 NFL matchups, which should help you prepare your lineups to win this week. It’s essential to analyze the weekly NFL matchups to find lineup sleepers and gems, while also avoiding those players who may turn out to be busts.

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Falcons @ Buccaneers - Thursday 11/3 @ 8:25 PM EST

Matchups We Love

Julio Jones (WR, ATL) - Jones had another 29 yard performance last week, so he's due for a big game in Week 9, right? Tampa Bay has not deployed shadow coverage once this season, even though Brent Grimes is clearly superior to rookie Vernon Hargreaves at this point in time. Jones shouldn't face any coverage that he can't beat, much like Amari Cooper did last week to the tune of 12 catches for 173 yards and a touchdown. On a short week to recover, the Tampa defense shouldn't slow down the stud receiver very much.

Mohamed Sanu (WR, ATL) - Tampa is giving up the fifth-most fantasy PPG to opposing wide receivers. The prime beneficiary should be Julio, but with Tevin Coleman and Jacob Tamme ruled out, the Falcons could rely more on their wideouts. In Week 8, Sanu saw 10 targets for the second time in three weeks. He turned those looks into nine receptions, 84 yards and a score. His paltry 42.8 Y/G doesn't suggest fantasy starter, but in another bye-heavy week, he could be a legit streaming option.

Cameron Brate (TE, TB) - Winston should be forced to air it out often, with the running game in shambles and a potent offense on the other side. Although it seems like Evans is targeted 30 times a game, Winston will be forced to look in another receiver's direction eventually. Russell Shepard has scored the last two weeks, but is questionable with a hip issue. The Bucs will limit his snaps regardless because of his importance on special teams. Brate stands to benefit, as the Falcons are one of the worst at defending tight ends, allowing 492 yards and five TDs to the position in eight games. If you're deciding between Brate and Hooper, you may want to lean Brate.

Matchups We Hate

Mike Evans (WR, TB) - In standard leagues, Evans is pretty much matchup-proof and should be started each week. That being said, he won't light up the fantasy scoreboard every time out. He was held to four catches for 50 yards against Oakland in Week 8, marking only the second time he hasn't scored a touchdown this season. Atlanta gives up plenty of passing yardage, but there's a great chance that Desmond Trufant will be assigned to Evans for most of the day. If you have him in a season-long, start him, but I'm spending my dollars elsewhere in DFS this week.

Notable Players

Austin Hooper (TE, ATL) - Hooper is becoming a popular contrarian play in some daily circles due to Tamme's injury. The rookie has caught all 11 passes thrown his way this year for a total of 195 yards. Tampa has only allowed one TD to a tight end this year, however, so it's still risky to take him in standard. If you aren't thrilled with your TE situation, he could be worth a shot due to upside.

Antone Smith (RB, TB) - If you are really desperate for a running back or a punt play in DFS, Smith could get the bulk of the carries for the Bucs. Peyton Barber looked set as the RB3, but was suddenly outsnapped 22-3 by Smith last week when Jacquizz Rodgers went down. Another former Falcon, Smith never ran for more than 145 yards in a season despite owning an insane 9.1 Y/A. If you're feeling lucky, roll the dice with Smith and hope he rips off a long run or two.

Key Injuries

Jacquizz Rodgers (RB, TB) - out, Russell Shepard (WR, TB) - questionable, Tevin Coleman (RB, ATL) - out, Jacob Tamme (TE, ATL) - out