5 Start, 5 Sit for Week 9 of the 2024 NFL Season
The NFL Season is now in full swing and every week brings with it new, dramatic story lines and roster-building challenges. Bye-weeks and injuries are likely plaguing your lineups by now and if not, you might be deciding between two startable players to get the most points possible. I’m going to go over ten players and let you know whether I think they are worth starting or whether they should stay on your bench…or worse.
Start:
Bo Nix vs BAL – Start
Bo Nix has quietly been having a fantastic rookie season and is currently QB9 in point rankings. He’s coming off of a monster 5 touchdown game against Carolina and now heads to Baltimore to play the Ravens. On paper, this is a scary matchup for the Broncos since the Ravens are favorites to make the AFC Championship. However, as good as the Ravens’ defense is against the run, it’s just as bad against the pass. The last three quarterbacks to play against them have all scored 20+ points and have combined for just short of 1000 yards and 8 touchdowns. The Broncos’ offense isn’t the most powerful, but I still think Nix will have a good day and will probably be passing a good amount. With a lot of important players on bye this week, he’s a good fill-in.
Brian Robinson vs NYG – Start
Robinson gets a repeat of the soft run matchup he got in week 2. In that game, he had 17 carries for 133 yards, 1 catch for 3 yards, but no scores. I think that the Commanders have developed significantly since that game, while the Giants have potentially regressed. I don’t see this week being another field goal fest and think that the Commanders will be putting up 30+. Robinson’s usage has been up and down this season, but his point production has been fairly stable. I think this could be a week that he breaks back out given the good matchup and prior success against the Giants.
Cedric Tillman vs LAC – Start
As we continue to see, the Browns are a decent team when they have a good quarterback! With the metamorphosis that Cleveland has undergone, Cedric Tillman is all of a sudden a breakout. In the past two weeks, he has 15 catches from 180 yards and two touchdowns. Volume like that is equivalent to what receivers like Justin Jefferson and CeeDee Lamb get. His size and speed make him a unique weapon for the Browns down the field, and he’s certainly been delivering. We know that Jameis Winston loves to throw deep, and Tillman has been his go-to guy. The Chargers certainly provide a more difficult test than the Bengals or Ravens could, but I still believe he will have success.
Cade Otton vs KC – Start
I had expected one of the younger receivers to be the one to step up and fill the void left by Mike Evans and Chris Godwin. Evidently it was the tight end to do it! Just in time for National Tight Ends Day, he had 9 catches for 81 yards and 2 touchdowns. Now, Kansas City is a very tough defense, so the Bucs still have their work cut out for them, but I do think that Otton is going to become the lead target for this offense until Evans comes back. He’s getting receiver levels of volume and has done a great job converting those opportunities into points. It’s rare to have a tight end you’re excited to start; Otton is one of them this week.
Any Saint vs CAR – Start
I almost feel bad doing it like this but it’s hard to deny what we’ve been seeing all season. The Panthers are really, really bad. For this matchup specifically, we have hard evidence that the Saints are going to do well, just look at week 1. Now, the Saints have certainly slid since then, but that doesn’t mean they won’t be bouncing back this week. Remember that five different Saints had touchdowns in week 1. If you have anyone, and I mean anyone, wearing black and gold this weekend, you can feel pretty good about them outperforming their projections.
Sit:
Dak Prescott vs ATL- Sit
Prescott has only scored more than 17 points once this season, against the Ravens (See Bo Nix above). Against defenses of all shapes and sizes, he isn’t able to make anything happen. the Cowboys have a shell of a run game and only really 1.5 weapons through the air. Dak is working with less than half of what most quarterbacks in this league have. He’s also thrown 2 interceptions in each of the last three games. The Falcons’ secondary is no slouch either. I think Dak is going to continue to struggle and potentially continue his terrible turnover streak.
Devin Singletary vs WAS – Sit
After returning from his injury, Singletary was barely being used on offense. With the huge game that his teammate, Tyrone Tracy, had against the Steelers last week, I think Singletary’s days are numbered. It looks like Tracy is going to miss this week with a concussion, but I still don’t think that it means good things for Devin. Even while he was getting starting-running-back volume, his value was mostly predicated on scoring touchdowns; something he hasn’t been doing lately. As I mentioned above, Washington has gotten a lot better in the six weeks since their last meeting and so I have to expect Singletary to perform worse. We’ll see how things go against Carolina next week, but for now, leave him on the bench.
Christian Watson vs DET – Sit
Watson was the highest drafted receiver the Packers have on the team right now, but he’s been the most disappointing this season. Injuries have always been a concern with him, but even when he is healthy, if he doesn’t score a touchdown, his performance is forgettable. His size and speed should make him valuable to the Packers, but he just isn’t producing. Detroit has an incredible secondary this year and will be pushing Green Bay to the limit. I don’t think Watson will be able to contribute enough this week to be worth starting.
Kyle Pitts vs DAL – Sit
Last week was our yearly “Kyle Pitts is alive!” celebration, but I think things may cool down this week. Not because Pitts isn’t good, but because I think it’s going to be the Bijan Robinson show. The Cowboys’ defense is pretty bad and I don’t think the Falcons will have any trouble beating them on the ground. My worry for Pitts this week is that there simply won’t be enough meaningful offensive snaps for him to produce very well. We’ve certainly seen his production fluctuated throughout the season, so it’s not outside the realm of possibility to think he could end up with 3 catches for 20 yards in a blowout win. I would tread carefully if I were expecting another big game out of him.
Zay Flowers vs DEN – Sit
Zay Flowers is another player whose points change drastically week to week. He followed up his 9 catch, 132 yard performance in Washington with a 1 catch, 11 yard day against the Bucs. I think the addition of an excellent veteran receiver like Diontae Johnson will only hurt his chances as well. Going against one of the better passing defenses in the Broncos is the third mark against Flowers for me. I have no doubt that he’ll still have big games, but I don’t think this week will be one of them.
If you want more offensive start/sit advice, follow me on X @TFFGRobbie. If you need IDP start/sit advice, give @ThePPRShow a follow as well.