START THEM!
- Jaylen Samuels vs IND. Expect Samuels to see a very heavy workload with both James Conner and Benny Snell expected to miss the Week 9 matchup. Last time Samuels was healthy on the field, he had 21 Touches including a TD and 3 Pass Attempts, and that was WITH Conner and Snell both on the field. Indy is also a bottom half team against the run, allowing 111 Total Rush Yards per game.
- Jordan Howard vs CHI. This one is pretty risky, but if you are a believer of the "revenge game" this is a perfect example of it. The former Chicago Bear has averaged 58% of the snaps over the last 3 Weeks, and he's fresh off a 20+ Carry game. He saw an increase in touches because Miles Sanders was hurt, and although he practiced fully, the injury was enough to take him out of last week's game. Plus, the Chicago Run Defense hasn't been the same since Akiem Hicks was put on injured reserve. They have allowed 118 Yards on average over the last 3 Weeks.
- Robby Anderson @ MIA. Despite trade rumors, Robby is still a New York Jet, and he's got a great Week 9 matchup against the Dolphins. In their last game, the Dolphins let Juju have his first 100 Yard game of the season, as well as Rudolph threw for a career high 251 Yards. Darnold is getting healthier every week and Robby can feast against a now Xavien Howard-less defense.
- James White @ BAL. White is your typical pass catching/3rd Down RB who's usage mainly comes in when the team is losing. Yet the Patriots are 8-0 and White has not had a game with less than 11 Points. The Patriots now have their toughest matchup yet, on the road into Baltimore (who is coming off a bye). I'm expecting a slight increase in usage for White, which could result in a 15+ Point game at the very least..
OTHER STARTS; Matthew Stafford @ OAK, DeVante Parker vs NYJ, Allen Robinson @ PHI, Mark Walton vs NYJ (Desperate), Jamaal Williams (Desperate), and Jonnu Smith (Desperate).
SIT THEM!
- LeSean McCoy vs MIN. Not only is McCoy against the 7th Best run defense in the league, but McCoy fell short in snaps thanks to yet another fumble last week. There's no telling what kind of role he will have and there's a good chance Damien Williams or even Darrell Williams sees more volume. McCoy has had some receptions sprinkled into his value here and there, but he's only got one great game on the year!
- David Montgomery @ PHI. Philly is still Top 10 against the run, and although Monty had over 30 Touches last game, the Eagles and every other team know that to beat the Bears you just have to force Trubisky to throw. They are going to bring pressure and stack the box, they have had a week to prepare and I'm worried the Bears offense will need to shift back to passing. I'm still ok starting Monty if you are desperate, especially if he does see the same volume he has that chance for a TD or extra passing volume.
- Hollywood Brown vs NE. Stephon Gilmore has been the definition of a shut down CB this season. But Brown also hasn't played since Week 5 and he's still questionable leading up to this week's game. The fact that he plays on SNF means that the official injury report won't be released until after the 4:00 Games have already started. Even if he does play there's a good chance he's limited and/or shutdown by Gilly.
- Terry McLaurin @ BUF. We have finally cracked the code when it comes to starting Scary Terry. Oddly enough, he depends on Case Keenum being his QB. He's already faced SF and NE, so with the expectation Keenum returning the following week I'm ok with starting him the rest of the way. But with a struggling Rookie QB going into Buffalo? I'm going to have to pass..
OTHER SITS; Phillip Lindsay vs CLE, Corey Davis @ CAR, Jimmy Graham @ LAC, and Mark Andrews vs NE (Temper Expectations).