Fantasy Football Week 9 Start 'Em Sit 'Em WRs: Nico Collins, Demario Douglas, and more
Fantasy managers don't (or at least shouldn't) need help with the obvious choices at receiver entering Week 9. Barring the first sign of an apocalypse, players such as Tyreek Hill and Cooper Kupp should be in starting lineups every week.
Decisions get a bit more difficult after that, and that is where I hope to help by providing a reason or two why we can trust certain WR3 or WR4 types that usually end up deciding fantasy matchups. Below are a few receivers who could post fantasy week-winning performances and a few other wideouts who are generally considered weekly starters that could disappoint:
Fantasy Football Week 9 Start'Em Wide Receivers
1] Nico Collins, Houston Texans vs. Tampa Bay Buccaneers
The Buccaneers may not be the force against the run this season that they have been for what seems like a decade, but they are still among the best. With Dameon Pierce (ankle) out this week, Houston has even less incentive to establish the run. Tampa Bay has been far less successful against the pass. That point was driven home in a big way in Week 8 against the Bills, who had four pass-catchers (Stefon Diggs, Gabe Davis, Khalil Shakir and Dalton Kincaid) top 15 PPR fantasy points.
While C.J. Stroud may not be the next Josh Allen, the rookie has already proven he is adept at handling a high-volume passing game. Furthermore, Tampa Bay has struggled against physical, big-play receivers such as A.J. Brown (9-131-0 in Week 3) and Davis (9-87-1).
Enter Collins (6-4, 215 pounds), who has established himself as the Texans' leading receiver and top big-play threat (he has been on the receiving end on 13 of Houston's 27 pass plays that have covered at least 20 yards). He should also be sufficiently motivated after a season-worst effort (30 receiving yards) in last week's loss at previously winless Carolina.
Our Start/Sit Optimizer projects a return of 13.7 points for Collins in Week 9.
2] Demario Douglas, New England Patriots vs. Washington Commanders
The buzz for Douglas has been building since the preseason, but New England had no other option but to play DeVante Parker and JuJu Smith-Schuster ahead of him considering the Patriots committed big money to both veterans this offseason.
Kendrick Bourne emerged as the team's top playmaker in recent weeks, but his season came to an uneventful end when he suffered a torn ACL in Week 8.
With Parker still dealing with a concussion and Smith-Schuster doing next to nothing when he has been healthy, the path is clear for the sixth-round rookie out of Liberty to be the featured receiver in Foxboro. Bourne and Douglas may be complete opposites as it relates to their play style, but the former is just the latest example of a player who can be very relevant in fantasy despite being stuck in a mostly ineffective offense.
However, the main reason why Douglas gets a nod this week is the opposition: the Commanders rank as the second-friendliest matchup for fantasy receivers and have surrendered some monster receiving lines for most of the season. While the rookie cannot be expected to perform at the same level as D.J. Moore (49.0 PPR fantasy points) or A.J. Brown (38.5), he has the speed and quickness to be a headache for Washington's cornerbacks.
Other potential strong start(s):
Brandin Cooks, Cowboys (The combination of a lackluster rushing attack and Dak Prescott's awakening has led him to look more often for Cooks recently. The top reason to play him this week, however, is that Philadelphia's stellar run defense and struggling secondary have forced opponents to air it out week after week, which has led to some massive receiver production.)
Also read: Fantasy Football Week 9 Start ‘Em Sit ‘Em QB rankings: Geno Smith, Dak Prescott, and more
Fantasy Football Week 9 Sit'Em Wide Receivers
1] D.J. Moore, Chicago Bears @ New Orleans Saints
Moore will have the benefit of knowing this week's opponent well going back to his days with the Saints' NFC South rival Carolina Panthers. Unfortunately, New Orleans also knows Moore very well and has to like its recent track record against him: in his last three games versus the Saints, Moore has TOTALED five catches on 18 targets for 41 scoreless yards.
Much of the credit for that should go to Saints CB Marshon Lattimore, but that may not be the only thing holding back Chicago's top wideout this weekend. Moore has failed to top 55 yards receiving in three straight outings, two of which have come with UDFA Tyson Bagent filling in for injured starting QB Justin Fields. Making matters even worse for Moore is that he is scoreless over his last three games since his three-TD outburst in Week 5.
2] Marquise Brown, Arizona Cardinals @ Cleveland Browns
Assuming Kyler Murray (knee) is not activated off the Physically Unable to Perform list on Saturday afternoon, nearly half of the teams playing this weekend will be using a backup quarterback as their starter. The reason for that in Arizona is Joshua Dobbs was dealt to the Vikings before the trade deadline earlier this week, leaving the team in a position where either Murray sees game action for the first time in nearly a year or rookie Clayton Tune makes his first NFL start.
It gets worse: even though the Browns' defense has fallen off a bit in recent weeks, it will be a tall order for either a likely rusty Murray or an inexperienced Tune to pick apart the Browns' secondary. With rookie Michael Wilson (shoulder) ailing and Arizona down to third-string running back Keaontay Ingram, Cleveland has little reason but to focus the majority of their defensive energy on Brown.
Other potential weak start(s):
Puka Nacua, Rams (Even though the rookie enters this weekend on the injury report with a knee issue, the major reason Nacua may disappoint is if Matthew Stafford sits due to his thumb injury. Assuming Nacua plays and Stafford does not, the former will be catching passes from Brett Rypien at less than 100 percent while also likely drawing Packers stud CB Jaire Alexander as his primary defender.)
Also read: Fantasy Football Week 9 Start 'Em Sit 'Em RBs feat. Tony Pollard, Raheem Mostert and more