Week 9 is upon us. While Thursday Night Football was a bit of a laugher, it was still kind to IDP managers. Fred Warner went bonkers, Dre Greenlaw cemented his hold on the nickel linebacker role beside him, and Za’Darius Smith moved into a tie for third in the league with his seventh sack of the season. Let’s hope the rest of Week 9 goes as smoothly.
In deeper IDP leagues that do not treat the position as purely a novelty, deciding who to sit and who to start often becomes a challenge. With that in mind, we will take a look at a few players we should both be started and sat in IDP leagues. We will try to avoid the obvious such as starting Devin White or Budda Baker and instead focus on players who will actually be debated for this weekend’s contests.
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Start em
Romeo Okwara (DE – DET)
Romeo Okwara is on an incredible stretch. Perhaps he has been motivated by having his younger brother pushing his way up the depth chart, but Romeo has been a man possessed. He has five sacks in his last five contests and is a must-start until he cools down. He was terrific in Week 8, racking up five solos, one assist, one sack, one tackle for loss, one QB hit. Romeo has three sacks and four QB hits in his last two contests and is not going to be the one to lose snaps with Everson Griffen expected to be active this week. Start him with confidence despite the tough on-paper matchup against a Vikings team limiting the defensive end position to the fewest fantasy points in the league.
Stephon Tuitt (DE – PIT)
Stephon Tuitt should be an obvious play for Week 9. Yes, Zack Martin is back, but a date with the Dallas Cowboys is more than a fantasy manager could ask for. Dallas has surrendered the fifth most fantasy points to the defensive end position and will be terrorized by an aggressive and talented Steelers front seven. They will be in even more trouble on the multiple snaps where Minkah Fitzpatrick lines up in the box. Tuitt is tied for seventh in the league with six sacks, and is a must-start until further notice, but is a DL1 option for Week 9. He had a massive Week 8 that saw him post eight solos, one assist, two sacks, three tackles for loss, and three QB hits. Tuitt will terrorize whichever quarterback is under center for Dallas and should finish as a DL1 for the second straight week.
Robert Spillane (LB – PIT)
Avery Williamson is going to put heat on Spillane, and possibly Vince Williams sooner than later, but for Week 9, Spillane should still be locked into a high snap role. His run game upside is not at the level it was at against Tennessee and Baltimore, but Ezekiel Elliott and Tony Pollard should still get enough touches for Spillane to make a sizable impact. Spillane was a monster in Week 8, racking up 10 solos, one assist, one interception, one fumble recovery, and two passes defended. He should shine almost as bright in Week 9 against a Dallas Cowboys offense relinquishing the fifth most fantasy points to the linebacker position. Start Spillane this week if you have him, and worry about Williamson when he starts siphoning a significant amount of snaps.
Bobby Okereke (LB – IND)
If you were not paying attention to Indianapolis Colts game or checking scoring leaders on a weekly basis, you may have missed the fact that Bobby Okereke has passed Anthony Walker on the depth chart. Okereke has been excellent as a starter and has recorded five solo tackles in four straight games, playing every snap twice. He has been over 79 percent of the snaps since Week 2 and should have a big game in store for his fantasy managers. Week 9 gives him a Baltimore Ravens team surrendering the fourth most fantasy points to the linebacker position.
Daniel Sorensen (S – KC)
If you start two or more defensive backs in your league, there is a good chance that Sorensen has been more productive than one of your starters. Heck, there is a chance that he has produced more fantasy points per game than both of your starters. Sorensen is on a hot streak and needs to be started wherever possible. Sorensen saw his interception streak snapped at two games, but was still a DB1 in Week 8, racking up eight solos, one assist, and one forced fumble. Worth plucking from the wire to start this week (and going forward), he has a plus matchup on tap against a Carolina Panthers team surrendering the 15th most fantasy points to the safety position. Start him if you got him, if you don’t, go and check your wire, just in case.
Donovan Wilson (S – DAL)
Wilson is a plug-and-play starter for Week 8. He has had trouble seeing consistent snaps, but we expect nothing less from the Dallas Cowboys coaching staff. Wilson has produced at a DB1 level every time he has received 87 percent or more of the snaps this season. He racked up five solos, one sack, one forced fumble, one fumble recovery, and one QB hit in Week 8, and is primed for another big outing in Week 9. The Pittsburgh Steelers have allowed the 11th most fantasy points to the safety position, giving Wilson DB1 upside in a DB2 package. Still sitting on the wire in many competitive leagues, do yourself a favor and see if this potential Week 9 starter is still lying around. If he is already on your team, find a way to fit him in for Week 9.
Sit em
Willie Gay Jr. (LB – KC)
Willie Gay Jr. continues to frustrate. Actually, that should be corrected, the way the Chiefs coaching staff has used, or not used him this season, has been perplexing, confounding, and downright preposterous. At this point, Gay is rotating solid outings with duds where he sees minimal snaps. Granted, he was not seeing starters snaps in the games he produced in, but the snap contrast is glaring. Let’s examine his last four weeks of action. In Week 5 he posted 15 fantasy points thanks to playing 47 percent of the defensive snaps. In Week 6? He saw just five percent of the snaps and produced one solitary tackle. That meant we should keep him on benches for Week 7 right? Nope, he played a season-high 51 percent of the snaps and posted 12 fantasy points. Okay, so that means he is finally getting a regular role in the rotation, correct? Not a chance. In Week 8, he saw just 16 percent of the snaps, again recording just one tackle. If the pattern holds he is going to have a good week, but banking on that to happen, at this point, is a fool’s errand. Keep him on benches for Week 9.
Andrew Van Ginkel (LB – MIA)
Van Ginkel had an excellent Week 8 that included a fumble return for a touchdown. He recorded three solos, one pass defended, one fumble recovery, and a touchdown, propelling him to LB1 numbers for the week. It was his second high production outing of the season, but AVG remains a rotational player. He was excellent when he saw extended snaps in Week 4, but has seen less than 50 percent of the snaps every other week this season. He has seen 30 percent or less of the snaps in five of his seven contests. Keep him top of mind just in case any injuries strike in Miami, but until then, keep him on benches.
DeShon Elliott (S – BAL)
DeShon Elliott should be on most fantasy benches already due to the COVID tag, but it is important to note that he will be eligible to play this weekend if he returns a series of negative tests. He was tagged as a close contact to fellow defensive back Marlon Humphrey. If he does get cleared, it is probably safe to keep him benched. He has had some serviceable games this season, but he is more of an option in extremely deep leagues than for those in leagues that start less than four defensive backs or safeties. Elliott has recorded two solos or less in four of his seven contests this season. Furthermore, he has yet to record more than four solos in any contest this season. If you are in a pinch without him, by all means, start him if cleared. If you found yourself a worthwhile option for Week 9, stick with him. Keep Elliott benched despite a fantastic matchup against a Colts offense surrendering the fourth most fantasy points to the safety position.
Ryan Neal (S – SEA)
Thanks, Captain Obvious. For those who have not been paying attention to practice reports, Jamal Adams is set to return in Week 9 against the Buffalo Bills. That’s it. That’s the analysis. In all seriousness, Neal is likely to stay involved on defense, he has played too soundly not to, but he is going to be relegated to a rotational role at best. While that might work for the Seahawks, it means that IDP managers are going to want to look elsewhere for Week 9 and beyond. He is dealing with a hip injury, so the Seahawks may not even use him how they plan to when he is healthy. Neal worth stashing at the end of your bench for those in leagues with massive rosters, but for the rest of us, finding a replacement should be prioritized.
Everson Griffen (DE – DET)
Romeo Okwara has been playing inspired lately, and his hot play, plus the presence of Trey Flowers, Da’Shawn Hand, and 2020 NFL Draft first round pick Julian Okwara (Romeo’s younger brother) is going to make snaps hard to come by in Week 9. Griffen should be active for Week 9 but may be behind all of the names listed in his first game with his new team. He was acquired to pass both Okwara and Hand eventually, but fantasy managers are going to need to exercise patience. Griffen is a top-level talent who should be able to see his strengths maximized under Matt Patricia. Keep him on benches for Week 9 and re-evaluate next week.
D.J. Wonnum (DE – MIN)
Wonnum recorded his second sack of the season in Week 8 and could be in for an expanded role in Week 9. However, he is third on the depth chart and is merely rotating in behind starters Ifeadi Odenigbo and Jayln Holmes. Wonnum recorded one solo, one sack, and one forced fumble in Week 8. Odenigbo was already a starter, but it was Holmes who led the position with 82 percent of the snaps for the Vikings. Wonnum could pass him eventually, but until then, he is going to be hard to trust. Keep him stashed, but benched, until further notice.
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Raju Byfield is a featured writer for FantasyPros. For more from Raju, check out his archive and follow him @FantasyContext.
