Start em or sit em? Fantasy football start or sit decisions can be excruciating. While it feels great to make the right call and cruise to fantasy glory, it hurts just as much when you have someone erupt while on your bench. You can use our Who Should I Start? tool to gauge advice from fantasy football experts as you make your lineup decisions. And you can also sync your fantasy football league for free using our My Playbook tool for custom advice, rankings and analysis.
Let’s dive into our start/sit lineup advice and outlook for a few of the top fantasy football waiver wire pickups of the week. And here are all of our fantasy football waiver wire pickups for Week 9.
- Waiver Wire Picks
- Weekly Fantasy Football Expert Rankings
- Fantasy Football Start/Sit Advice
- Fantasy Football Trade Tools
Fantasy Football Start’em, Sit’em Lineup Advice
Darius Slayton (WR – NYG): 18% Rostered
- Next Opponents: SF, @CHI, GB
- True Value: $1
- Desperate Need: $2
- Budget-Minded: $0
Analysis: Darius Slayton returned to the lineup in Week 8, and while he didn’t post a monster stat line, he did lead the Giants with a 20.8% target share. Sadly, that only amounted to five targets with two receptions and 26 receiving yards. Jaxson Dart is playing at a high level for a rookie, especially when you consider the skill talent and offensive line he’s being asked to work with. Out of the next three games, I don’t want to plug Slayton into a lineup against the 49ers or Packers, but the Bears’ secondary has had its struggles this season and sits at 15th in schedule-adjusted fantasy points allowed per game to wide receivers. Slayton will offer solid Flex value in Week 10 against Chicago.
Sam Darnold (QB – SEA): 40% Rostered
- Next Opponents: @WSH, ARI, @LAR
- True Value: $4
- Desperate Need: $6
- Budget-Minded: $2
Analysis: Before Seattle’s Week 8 bye, Sam Darnold was the QB13 on the season. The fact that the QB13 could be grabbed off the waiver wire in most leagues is a little wild. If you have been struggling to adequately replace Joe Burrow, you could have picked up Darnold and kept your team afloat. The Seahawks have a decent upcoming schedule, starting with the Commanders, who are allowing the fifth-most fantasy points to the quarterback position. The Seahawks have a solid one-two punch at running back, and Jaxon Smith-Njigba is leading the league in receiving yardage. With weapons like that, Darnold is one of the safer fantasy quarterbacks and should be rostered in all formats.
Trevor Lawrence (QB – JAX): 45% Rostered
- Next Opponents: @LV, @HOU, LAC
- True Value: $1
- Desperate Need: $3
- Budget-Minded: $0
Analysis: Just when the Jaguars seem to be making progress, we get a report that they are taking calls about potentially trading star sophomore receiver Brian Thomas Jr. There has been something odd going on behind the scenes with this team, and the fantasy community continues to blame Trevor Lawrence. Although Lawrence has not looked great this season, any quarterback throwing to Thomas and Travis Hunter has fantasy upside. With Hunter taking a step forward in his most recent game (14 targets, eight receptions, 101 yards and a touchdown), the Jaguars could hit the ground running when they emerge from their bye week. They face the Raiders, who have one of the worst defenses in the league. You could do worse than spot-starting Lawrence this week.
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If you want to dive deeper into fantasy football, check out our award-winning slate of Fantasy Football Tools as you navigate your season. From our Start/Sit Assistant – which provides your optimal lineup based on accurate consensus projections – to our Waiver Wire Assistant, which allows you to quickly see which available players will improve your team and how much – we’ve got you covered this fantasy football season.