We’re getting into the back half of the fantasy football regular season here, and we're back to give you a couple of players to push into your starting lineup or move to your bench, along with a sleeper.
Now, you're not going to find "start Adrian Peterson" here. If you drafted a player in the first five rounds, chances are those are your go-to players, so we'll try to give you some less-than-obvious choices to bolster your lineup every week.
On that note, here we go for Week 9:
Start ‘em
Darrius Heyward-Bey, Indianapolis Colts wide receiver vs. Houston
The Colts and quarterback Andrew Luck had the bye week to work on timing and rhythm without No. 1 receiver Reggie Wayne, which should help Heyward-Bey against a reeling Houston squad. The seventh overall pick in the 2009 draft has been a fantasy bust since coming into the league and he hasn’t done much this year either, but he is the big body now in Indy and Luck will be looking his way.
Marvin Jones, Cincinnati Bengals wide receiver vs. Miami
Normally, we advise against chasing points (see Royal, Eddie) but in this case Jones is a good start even against a decent Dolphins defense. Quarterback Andy Dalton has figured something out the last three weeks and Jones has seen his targets increase from two in week 5 to eight last week. With A.J. Green on the other side, teams will not double Jones – they’ll dare him to repeat last week’s four touchdown performance. He won’t score that many again, but he will get plenty of chances to make plays.
Sit ‘em
Tom Brady, New England Patriots quarterback vs. Pittsburgh
Yes, Brady has fallen this far. If you have a better matchup with your backup, he might be a better option than the man once known as Tom Terrific. His hand was noticeably swollen last week and he was not effective at all as the Patriots moved to a more run-oriented attack, and while the Steelers don’t have the same defense they’ve had in years past, they’ve allowed only one passing touchdown since their bye four weeks ago while coming up with four interceptions. On the year, the Steelers have allowed the fourth fewest fantasy points to quarterbacks across Yahoo! leagues.
Pierre Thomas, New Orleans Saints running back vs. New York Jets
Thomas had a solid week against Buffalo last week and touched the ball 17 times – his second highest total of the year. That should tell you something, and it’s a bad matchup with the Jets, who are giving up the third fewest fantasy points to running backs across Yahoo! leagues. Outside of Drew Brees and Jimmy Graham, no other member of the Saints offense is a "must start" as the production is too uneven.
Sleeper
Andrew Quarless, Green Bay Packers tight end vs. Chicago
In his first game filling in for the injured Jermichael Finley, Quarless split time with Brandon Bostick and was used as a blocker as Packers coach Mike McCarthy decided to run the ball down the throats of the Minnesota Vikings. And, while the Vikings typically give up big numbers to tight ends, wide receiver Jordy Nelson took advantage of those gaps in coverage out of the slot. That doesn’t mean Quarless will be used the same way this week against a terrible Chicago Bears defense. He caught both passes Aaron Rodgers threw at him against the Vikings and he was targeted five times when Finley was hurt in week 3 against Cincinnati. At home, and against a team that has no pass rush, he might be more of a factor in the passing game.
