Sit/Start Week 9: Reviewing All Fantasy Relevant Players In Every Single Game

Game Info

Kickoff: Sunday, October 23rd, 4:25 PM ET

Location: Raymond James Stadium, Tampa

Betting Odds: TB -3.0, 42.5 total via PFF.com

Network: FOX

Writer: Estevão Maximo (@estevao_maximo on Twitter)

Los Angeles Rams

Quarterback

Matthew Stafford (Sit, QB2)

Are the Rams not doing well because Matthew Stafford is playing poorly, or is Stafford not doing well because the Rams are playing poorly? The answer is probably both. In a matchup of perceived contenders heading into the year but both with a losing record, it’s interesting to look at a number of underperforming options and the underlying causes.

A lot has gone wrong for the Bucs in 2022, but this is a defense that has yet to allow a QB to reach 250 passing in a game, and without much resembling an effective game, Stafford is probably in for a long afternoon which is why it’s hard to look at him as more than a low-end QB2 in Week 9.

A silver lining for Stafford and the Rams is that the Bucs’ D is 29th in Red Zone percentage in 2022. But the reality is that Stafford has more interceptions (8) than passing touchdowns (7), and with an offensive line that’s struggled (Stafford has been sacked 24 times), the Rams are simply not the team they were a year ago.

Running Backs

Ronnie Rivers (Sit), Malcolm Brown (Sit) Darrell Henderson (Sit)

What was the name of that song again? Oh right, on to the next one. There is simply nothing for you here in this Rams’ backfield. Cam Akers is for all intents and purposes off of this team, and although in a vacuum one would figure that this statement would mean Darrell Henderson was in line to dominate this backfield, that is far from the case,

Ronnie Rivers started the last game and almost split snap shares with Henderson, Rivers sitting at 36%, and Henderson at 41%. Rivers got the bulk of carries (eight to four), and target (four to two), but his production (36 scrimmage yards) only served to further cement Henderson’s status as a clear sit.

You simply don’t want to be touching anyone in this backfield right now.

Wide Receivers/Tight Ends

Cooper Kupp (Start, WR1), Allen Robinson (Sit), Ben Skowronek (Sit), Tyler Higbee (Start, TE1)

When the offensive line is playing at a subpar level, the first and at times only step for the passing attack is to get rid of the ball quickly, in the direction of Cooper Kupp. The reigning triple crown winner is a target hog in this floundering offense, so much so that his 79 and 80 receiving yards games in the last two weeks are a downgrade on what he’s delivered for most of the season. There aren’t many bigger locks to weekly production than Kupp.

It’s understandable if many of the readers are simply too hurt to even look at Allen Robinson for the rest of the season, but in this economy you can’t ignore production, and Robinson has delivered some over the last two weeks, enough to get real flex consideration. The former Chicago Bear has 117 yards, 10 catches, and a score in the last two games, and with the lack of any threats beyond Kupp at the WR position, the opportunity has always been there for him to perform.

The recent emergence, if we can call it that, of Allen Robinson, further solidifies the need to move on from the Ben Skowronek hype, if there even was one, and although Tyler Higbee has come back to earth as of late (22 rec, yards in the last two weeks), Stafford still looked his way six times last week, and the Rams tight end is one of the very few reliable options in this offense, making him a low-end TE1.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Quarterbacks

Tom Brady (Start, QB1)

The Buccaneers cannot run the ball and look no further than their 3.0 yards per carry (worst in the league) to see that. Although one can rightfully argue how poorly that impacts the overall effectiveness of the offense and subsequently the passing game, the silver lining is that they’re pretty much guaranteed to air it out weekly.

Tom Brady has thrown for more than 300 yards in three of his last five games, and although the outcome has been far from ideal from a results standpoint, for the purposes of fantasy this amount of volume will lead to production one way or the other, and perhaps the pinnacle of that came in the Sunday Night game against the Chiefs. Brady remains a start this week on volume alone.

Running Backs

Leonard Fournette (Start, RB2) Rachaad White (Sit)

The former number four overall pick has seen better days as a lead back, and more explosive days, but Lenny still remains a decent RB2 option due to the sheer volume of passing work that he gets. Leonard Fournette is third in targets (42) and actually leads the team in receiving touchdowns (three, the same number as Mike Evans). That volume shows no signs of slowing down, with the Bucs unable to run the ball, and an offensive line incapable of giving Brady enough time to look downfield consistently.

Rachaad White has looked good in the limited time he’s been out there, and the time feels like more in the near future than anything that he’ll take over as the lead back of this team, whether that happens this season or next year remains to be seen, but for now, Lenny is still the starter.

Wide Receivers/Tight Ends

Mike Evans (Start, WR2), Chris Godwin (Start, WR2), Julio Jones (Sit), Russell Gage (Sit), Cade Otton (Start, TE2) 

Mike Evans is coming off two games with double-digit targets and would have a touchdown in there if not for that ridiculous drop against the Panthers, but for a season with a lot of ups and downs, the volume has been there for Evans even if he’s struggled to find the end zone as much as he usually does.

Chris Godwin is another receiver whose volume has been there but the production has been capped due to a lack of touchdowns, which comes back to the fact this offense has been rather underwhelming, and not necessarily effective.

Both Godwin and Evans take up a majority of this passing work, and with Leonard Fournette as the third option, there is very little to go around for the rest of this group, even in an offense that passes the ball so much. Julio Jones flashed in week 1, but injuries have derailed his season, and for now, he is a sit. Russell Gage did the bulk of his damage this season when close to the entire team was out against the Packers and is also a sit.

Cade Otton disappointed last Thursday, turning five targets into only 15 yards, but he had a few missed opportunities over those five targets and could’ve easily done more damage, including with a couple of looks in the end zone. Otton is a low-end TE2 and an interesting streamer for Week 9.