Lamar Jackson was the first or second quarterback selected in almost every fantasy football draft this year after being fantasy's top scorer last year and winning MVP. However, he has struggled at times this year and isn't playing up to his ceiling ahead of a very tough Week 9 matchup against the Colts. That lands Jackson among our top Week 9 bust picks. Avoiding Jackson, along with players like Colts RB Jonathan Taylor and Titans QB Ryan Tannehill against equally difficult opponents, could prove to be the right decision for fantasy owners making key start 'em, sit 'em decisions.
Per usual, our bust picks are just recommendations. They're not guaranteed to be accurate, but the basis for each pick is to avoid players in bad matchups (like Jackson and Gus Edwards) and players with workload issues (Taylor). These players could find success, but a combination of these factors will either cap their ceilings or their floors.
WEEK 9 FANTASY: Sleepers | Start 'em, sit 'em
Our busts weren't very accurate last week. All of our RB bust picks either found the end zone (Wayne Gallman, DeeJay Dallas) or came close to 100 scrimmage yards on the day (Devin Singletary). Michael Gallup put up solid yardage at receiver, while DeVante Parker caught a TD. Trey Burton also found the end zone, and Evan Engram put up good numbers despite facing a solid defense.
The one position that we had some success at was QB, as Ben Roethlisberger and Josh Allen had merely decent days. They weren't massive busts, but they still didn't live up to expectations. This week, we'll try to do better identifying players to stay away from.
WEEK 9 STANDARD RANKINGS:
Quarterback | Running back | Wide receiver | Tight end | D/ST | Kicker
Week 9 Fantasy Busts: Running backs
Gus Edwards, Ravens @ Colts (Jacob Camenker). Edwards saw 16 carries for the Ravens against the Steelers and was productive, but his Week 9 matchup against the Colts seems less favorable. The Colts have allowed the third-fewest fantasy points per game (FPPG) to RBs this season and held the Lions' leading rusher in Week 8 to just 11 yards. That player was cornerback/gadget player Jamal Agnew who had just one carry. Between the Colts' strength on defense and Edwards having to share reps with JK Dobbins, it's probably best to avoid him unless you are very thin at RB this week.
Leonard Fournette, Buccaneers at Saints (Vinnie Iyer). He will probably take over more of the touches from fumbling Ronald Jones with a few receptions, but it’s difficult to dent New Orleans for any notable rushing production.
Jonathan Taylor, Colts vs. Ravens (Matt Lutovsky). Taylor is dealing with a “little bit” of an ankle issue and was easily outcarried (20 to 11) and outrushed (89 to 22) by Jordan Wilkins last week. He also has to deal with Trey Burton stealing goal-line carries on wildcat plays. With a brutal matchup against Baltimore on tap, it’s tough to recommend Taylor in any format.
WEEK 9 DFS TOURNAMENT LINEUPS: DraftKings | FanDuel
Week 9 Fantasy Football Busts: Quarterbacks
Kirk Cousins, Vikings @ Lions (Camenker). Last week against the Packers, Cousins threw just 14 passes in a 28-22 Vikings win. He could be in for a similar workload this week if Dalvin Cook does well against a porous Lions run defense. Cousins has struggled with interceptions this year anyway (he has 10, good for the second most in the NFL) so it's probably best to avoid him unless he has a top-tier matchup. This doesn't qualify.
Lamar Jackson, Ravens at Colts (Iyer). He’s only a borderline QB1 by the numbers this season, making him sitable in 10-to-12 team leagues if you have a viable alternative with a more favorable matchup. He will underwhelm against a tough run defense, good coverage, and very active linebackers.
Ryan Tannehill, Titans vs. Bears (Lutovsky). Tannehill continues to post multiple touchdowns nearly every game, but he needed garbage time to do it last week against the Bengals. The Bears are tied for the fourth-fewest FPPG allowed to quarterbacks, so Tannehill’s floor and ceiling are even lower than usual in this matchup.
WEEK 9 DFS CASH LINEUPS: DraftKings | FanDuel
Week 9 Fantasy Football Busts: Wide receivers
Curtis Samuel, Panthers @ Chiefs (Camenker). Samuel has scored three times in the past two games, with two of those scores coming on the ground. With Christian McCaffrey (ankle) likely returning in Week 9, Samuel's opportunities to produce on the ground will lessen. That will make him more reliant on his receiving skills, but given that he's averaging just 4.1 catches for 37.4 yards receiving this year with just one TD, it's hard to trust him to be productive, especially with Robby Anderson and D.J. Moore working ahead of him and playing well.
Corey Davis, Titans vs. Bears (Iyer). He’s been very productive when active, including a big game last week, but he cools off, along with A.J. Brown, against the Bears’ cornerbacks.
Darius Slayton, Giants @ Washington (Lutovsky). Slayton hauled in a respectable five-of-nine targets for 56 yards last week, but it seems clear that Sterling Shepard has cramped his style since coming off the IR. While Slayton has seven catches (12 targets) and 79 yards in the past two games, Shepard has bettered him with 14 catches (18 targets) for 133 yards and a score. Against Washington, who’s allowing the fewest FPPG to WRs, Slayton is tough to trust in all formats, especially PPR.
MORE WEEK 9 DFS: Best stacks | Best values | Lineup Builder
Week 9 Fantasy Football Busts: Tight ends
Jonnu Smith, Titans vs. Bears (Camenker). Smith is still working his way back from an ankle injury, and over his past three games, he has put up just four catches for 51 yards. Anthony Firkser has actually outproduced him the past two weeks, so it seems that Ryan Tannehill is comfortable throwing to either of his two top TEs. The Bears actually allowed the 11th-most FPPG to TEs (9), but it's just hard to trust Smith with the opportunities not being there.
Robert Tonyan, Packers at 49ers (Iyer). Look for Aaron Rodgers to attack their cornerbacks more as San Francisco continues to cover the tight end well even with some injuries.
Mike Gesicki, Dolphins @ Cardinals (Lutovsky). Gesicki has one or fewer catches in four of his past five games, and it’s not as if he’s getting a bunch of targets either (three or fewer in those contests). Arizona went from historically bad at covering TEs last year to being above average this year, so there’s no reason to use Gesicki this week, especially with the jury still out on Tua Tagovailoa as a worthwhile starter this season.
WEEK 9 PPR RANKINGS:
Quarterback | Running back | Wide receiver | Tight end | D/ST | Kicker
Week 9 Fantasy Busts: Defenses
Atlanta Falcons vs. Broncos (Camenker). The Broncos have allowed the third-most FPPG to defenses this year (9.7), so some fantasy owners might think that they could do worse than the Falcons as a streamer. That may be true, but the Falcons rank bottom 10 in sacks per game and are middle-of-the-pack in total takeaways. Drew Lock may make some mistakes, but the Broncos just dropped 31 on the Chargers and they could put up a similar number against a bad defense like that of the Falcons.
New England Patriots at Jets (Iyer). They’re starting to struggle on this side of the ball, too, and the Jets have just enough capable playmakers at home to make New England disappoint with big-play quotient.
Indianapolis Colts vs. Ravens (Lutovsky). Pittsburgh was able to rack up four turnovers and sack Lamar Jackson four times last week, so it’s possible for a good defense to post fantasy points against the Ravens. That said, we’re not sold on that happening two weeks in a row, and as good as the Colts have been this year, this still shapes up to be a low-ceiling game for them.
