Start ‘Em, Sit ‘Em Wide Receivers for Fantasy Football Week 9

It’s week 9, folks! Time to nail down those fantasy lineups! Start ‘Em, Sit ‘Em is the ultimate look at the best and worst games in a given week for fantasy football leagues. Each week I examine the wide receivers who could exceed or fall short of expectations based on their weekly opponent… like Cedric Tillman and DeAndre Hopkins in Week 8!

For your final draft decisions, check out my fantasy player rankings. I update them daily! Also make sure you subscribe to the Fantasy Dirt Podcast with Lindsay Rhodes and me as we break down all things fantasy football five days a week!

All positions: QBs | RBs | WRs | TEs | K & DSTs

Goodbye: 49ers, Steelers

1. Justin Jefferson vs. Colts
2. CeeDee Lamb at Falcons
3. Ja’Marr Chase vs. Raiders
4. AJ Brown vs. Jaguars
5. Tyreek Hill at Bills
6. Drake London vs. Cowboys
7. Amon-Ra St. Brown at Packers
8. Puka Nacua at Seahawks
9. Malik Nabers vs. Commanders
10. Cooper Kupp at Seahawks

Complete Week 9 receiver rankings

Start of the week

Chris Olave at Panthers (1 p.m. ET, CBS): Olave finally woke up last weekend, putting up 18.7 fantasy points in a loss to the Chargers. He hadn’t scored more than 12 points in four of his previous six games, so it was a welcome sight. I’d also keep him in the lineup this week, as he faces a Panthers defense that has surrendered eight touchdowns and the fourth-most fantasy points per game to opposing perimeter receivers this season.

Start them

Terry McLaurin at Giants (1 p.m. ET, Fox): McLaurin’s hot streak continued last week as he scored 17.5 points despite a bad game on paper against the Bears. This week the opposite is true as he faces the Giants. New York held him to just 8.2 points in Week 2, but that was before McLaurin started to heat up. Their defense was poor against the perimeter, allowing five touchdowns and the seventh-most points per game.

DeVonta Smith vs. Jaguars (4:05 PM ET, CBS): Smith fizzled out in the stat sheet a week ago, scoring 20.5 fantasy points in a win over the Bengals. That came after earning just 0.80 points the week before. Smith should remain in all lineups against the Jaguars, who have allowed nine touchdowns and the fourth-most PPR points per game to wide receivers. Smith should post top 20 songs this weekend.

Courtland Sutton at Ravens (1 p.m. ET, CBS): Sutton has alternated between good and bad stats over the past four weeks, but this week’s game in Baltimore makes it difficult for him to stay put despite these inconsistencies. The Ravens defense has allowed the most fantasy points per game to reach receivers, including seven touchdowns. Overall, their defense has allowed 11 wideouts to score more than 13 points, including six who scored more than 20 points.

Xavier Worthy vs. Buccaneers (Mon. 8:15 PM ET, ESPN): Worthy doesn’t make big money, but he’s definitely worth using as a flex starter. He has scored more than 11 points in three of his last four games, and a game against Tampa Bay is very favorable. In fact, their defense has allowed seven touchdowns and the third-most points per game over the last four weeks. Overall, the Bucs are allowing 158.0 receiving yards per game to wideouts.

WRs with good matchups

Sits of the week

Zay Flowers vs. Broncos (1 p.m. ET, CBS): Flowers has been on fire lately, scoring at least 18.5 points in three of his last four games. Still, this week’s game against the Broncos is a tough one. CB Patrick Surtain and his defensive teammates have allowed just four scores and the fourth fewest points per game to wide receivers. Additionally, only one receiver has scored more than 14.2 points in a game against them in 2024.

Sit down

Amari Cooper vs. Dolphins (1 p.m. ET, CBS): Cooper saw his snap count increase last week, but he still only saw two targets in a win over the Seahawks. Additionally, Keon Coleman and Khalil Shakir both played more snaps and had more targets in the game. Next up is a tough matchup against CB Jalen Ramsey and the Dolphins, who have given up just two touchdowns and the seventh-fewest points per game on the perimeter.

Jaylen Waddle at Bills (1 p.m. ET, CBS): Waddle’s numbers have been abysmal since Week 2, as he has failed to score more than 8.6 points in six straight games. That had a lot to do with Tua Tagovailoa’s absence, but Tagovailoa returned last week and Waddle was still held to 8.5 points. Waddle has also been poor against the Bills in his career, being held to single digits in four of six career games. At best, Waddle is a shaky flex option.

Jordan Addison vs. Colts (8:20 PM ET, NBC): This is more about Addison’s lack of any sort of fantasy points, unlike this week’s matchup. The USC product has been held to four or fewer goals in all but one game this season, and has been held to single digits in four of the five games. The Vikings will also have TJ Hockenson back in the mix this week, which further divides the goaltending pie. Addison should be on the couch.

Jerry Jeudy vs. Chargers (1 p.m. ET, CBS): Jeudy had a nice game last week, catching five passes and scoring 12.9 points in a win over the Ravens. However, Cedric Tillman appears to have taken over the role of Cleveland’s new alpha receiver, and a matchup against the Chargers isn’t exactly favorable. In fact, their defense has surrendered the fewest points per game to wide receivers. I’d start with Tillman, who is hot, but Jeudy is a fade this weekend.

WRs with bad matchups