What could end up being an AFC Championship showdown, the Bills meet with the Chiefs for what could be the battle of the season. These two guys are easy to put in lineups; they’ve been there all season. The exciting part is the full arsenal of weapons Patrick Mahomes is rolling out now, which will force the Bills to keep their foot on the gas and not let the game slip away with James Cook. – Brian Hartman
Just as the city he resides in, Caleb Williams‘ season has blown in good games and bad. Coming off a multi-week skid, Caleb can’t find a better matchup than this week with the Bengals. Cincinnati has averaged over 20 points per game in this position this season. Though he didn’t find the end zone, he still had a productive day with 285 yards and 25 on the ground as well. Better days are ahead, and this week seems poised for another. He’s in my starting lineup this week and one of a handful of guys with the ceiling he’ll have in this game. – Brian Hartman
If you’re playing Caleb Williams, you may as well play his opponent on the other side. Joe Flacco has been a gift from above for fantasy players. What we thought was a lost season has resulted in Ja’Marr Chase receiving the highest targets in NFL history across three games. Chase Brown is now playable again. The Bears have all the weapons to turn this game into a shootout, and Vegas agrees, giving this game the second-highest point total of the week. – Brian Hartman
As we move toward Friday, we already have several notable fantasy receivers ruled OUT for Week 9 and beyond.
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Terry McLaurin has been ruled out for Week 9.
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Travis Hunter suffered an injury in Thursday’s practice and is expected to head to IR.
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Calvin Ridley continues to miss time and remains sidelined.
With Ridley out again, Parker Washington becomes a really interesting sleeper at receiver. We’ve already seen him post 9+ fantasy points multiple times this season and even command 10+ targets in a game. He draws a beatable matchup against the Raiders, who allow the 4th-most fantasy points per game to opposing WRs. Washington has legitimate FLEX appeal in Week 9.
Unfortunately, Washington’s receiving corps doesn’t offer a clear plug-and-play option to replace McLaurin. We’ve seen Luke McCaffrey, Chris Moore, and Jalin Lane all have flashes in his absence, but none provide consistent, bankable upside. With Seattle allowing one of the lowest yard totals to WRs, this is a situation to avoid if possible.
If you’re digging deeper, Chimere Dike is another FLEX-worthy sleeper against the Chargers. While the matchup looks tough on paper, Dike has quietly earned 7-8 targets per game when Ridley sits. The Chargers have also surrendered a 90-yard WR in three of their last four games. Expect potential garbage-time production — enough to make Dike a viable desperation FLEX in Week 9. –Steve Pintado