Fantasy Football Week 9: Start ‘Em, Sit ‘Em

Welcome to The Big Lead’s weekly start ’em, sit ’em column. We are here to dig into the toughest decisions you may be facing for your fantasy matchup this week and give you answers. Some of those answers may even be right!

Presenting our Week 9 start ’em, sit ’em calls.

Adams’ wasted fantasy potential has never been more obvious than it was on Monday Night Football as the whole world watched Jimmy Garoppolo miss Adams for two wide-open, no-doubt touchdowns. And at this point it’s fair to wonder if the spot in the starting lineup isn’t better used on someone who plays on a functional team, an unthinkable concept for a fantasy star like Adams. Yet here we are, looking at the superstar wideout’s five-game streak of no touchdowns, having that very thought. However, the last time Adams was openly distraught about his role in the offense the Raiders made it a point to force-feed him the ball, so we’ll roll with him against the Giants this week. But next week may be a different story if this trend continues. START ‘EM

Mostert was an early fantasy star this season and everyone thought he had a chance to catapult to legitimate RB1 levels of production after Devon Achnae got hurt in Week 5. That came to fruition in Week 6, but the last two games have been underwhelming for Mostert as he’s failed to top 50 yards rushing against the Eagles and Patriots. There is a risk it’ll only get worse with Jeff Wilson Jr. back in the fold at RB, too. While Mostert still has some value it does not seem like things are slated to get better as Miami takes on the Chiefs and their eighth-ranked fantasy rushing defense on Sunday. It would be smart to look a different direction if you want a big day from a running back. SIT ‘EM

Kupp’s first two weeks back from his hamstring injury made everyone who invested a high draft pick in him believe he had taken no time to return to his elite fantasy form. The last two weeks, however, have been a splash of cold reality for that viewpoint. Kupp has totaled all of six catches combined in the last two games with no touchdown passes and hasn’t even managed to reach double-digit fantasy points. To make matters worse, Matthew Stafford hurt his thumb against the Cowboys on Sunday and it looks like there’s a good chance he won’t be able to play against the Packers this week. Green Bay is a tough defense even with a healthy starting QB. And without that, the receivers have no chance. SIT ‘EM

Welcome back to the fantasy game, DeAndre Hopkins! The Titans wideout exploded for three TDs this week after failing to get into the end zone once over the first seven games. It came against a pretty subpar Falcons pass defense, in fairness, and at least one touchdown was a totally blown coverage that probably won’t replicate itself every week. But Will Levis appears to already know what Ryan Tannehill does not– when in doubt, just throw it to Hopkins. And that vaults the wideout’s fantasy value back into more familiar territory. Especially this week going up against a bad Steelers group of cornerbacks. START ‘EM

Arguably the biggest fantasy disappointment of the year unrelated to injuries, Pierce has just been bad in the first half of the season. He’s only topped double-digit points twice in seven games and has precisely one touchdown this year. The Texans’ offense has been better than expected as a whole but the offensive line has gotten slammed with injuries recently which has exposed Pierce a bit. He can’t make something out of nothing and the coaching staff is totally fine handing the ball off to a fullback or a tight end instead of Pierce on the goal line. And they’re playing a very good Tampa Bay defensive front this week. Find someone else, maybe permanently. SIT ‘EM