Fantasy Stars Who Will Struggle in Week 9: Jalen Hurts, Tony Pollard, Mike Evans and Trey McBride

Picking fantasy stars who will struggle: it’s a losing proposition from the beginning. Weekly starters have that status for a reason, as they defy matchups and put up fantasy-starter stats. Week 8 was a win for this column, though, and showed what “stars struggling” really looks like.

While one player from last week’s round had a very good day, the other three were fine to a certain degree. That’s the struggle of a fantasy star: having a single digit scoring day or being a fringe fantasy starter, not getting shut out. My picks last week:

• Tua Tagovailoa had a good game, but he was only ninth in scoring among quarterbacks. That’s not a failure, but we’ve seen Tua’s highs, and he didn’t reach that level in Week 8 against a decent Patriots defense.
• Josh Jacobs faced a fierce Lions run D and lived to tell the tale. He scored a touchdown and was a top-11 back in both standard and PPR. Jacobs has had a lot of rough games, but last week wasn’t one of them.
• DK Metcalf caught five passes for 67 yards, a fine day. That left him 39th among receivers in PPR and 49th in standard, though, outside of starting status. It was a mediocre outing against a tough Cleveland team.
• Evan Engram had good surface stats (10 catches, 88 yards), but he lost a fumble, taking him below seven standard points. He continues to be a PPR star (where he was ninth in Week 8), but Engram can’t be trusted every week in standard formats (14th).

Let’s go again in Week 9. These players won’t score zero points (probably), but they might struggle to produce consistently and won’t be at the top of the leaderboards. This week we have a star quarterback, a running back not living up to the hope, an aging star receiver, and a fresh face at the end of the line.

 

QB

Jalen Hurts, Philadelphia Eagles vs Dallas Cowboys

I don’t like this; picking against Hurts is scary. He has been a top-10 fantasy quarterback every week except Week 1, according to FantasyPros (which will be referenced with all fantasy rankings). Dallas has also allowed the eighth-most rushing yards to quarterbacks, though no rushing touchdowns. Hurts can be the top fantasy QB any week.

We’ve seen Dallas at work on defense, getting after the quarterback and not giving anything easy. They have allowed the third-least fantasy points per game and second-least passing yards to quarterbacks. The Cowboys have only allowed two quarterbacks to finish in the top 10 in fantasy scoring: Brock Purdy in Week 5 (seventh) and Justin Herbert in Week 6 (tied for fifth).

Dallas has also been good against wide receivers, Philly’s most devastating position many weeks. The Cowboys have allowed the fourth-least fantasy points per game and second-least receiving yards to wide receivers; that will help limit Devonta Smith, though I’m not betting against A.J. Brown no matter the opponent.

Hurts has played Dallas three times in his career, once each season from 2020-2022. He finished 12th, ninth, and 12th among fantasy quarterbacks those weeks. Hurts is great, and his rushing might make all of this look silly, but if anyone can slow him down, it’s Dallas.

 

RB

Tony Pollard, Dallas Cowboys @ Philadelphia Eagles

It’s boring to just pick the running back playing the Eagles each week; variety is more interesting. Philadelphia is just so good against the run, though, and they keep facing good running backs.

The Eagles have allowed the least fantasy points per game to running backs. They have also allowed the least rushing yards to backs, even though they’ve played eight games while others have played seven. This defense is for real: the Eagles look like the best team in the NFC right now.

Pollard has been OK, but there haven’t been a lot of big performances. He has run for 100 yards only once and topped 100 total yards just three times. Pollard hasn’t scored since running in two touchdowns in Week 1, and he is averaging just 3.9 yards per carry.

Running into Philly, both literally and figuratively, spells a tough week for Pollard. He is likely to get volume and will rack up some yards, but don’t expect a great performance in Week 9.

 

WR

Mike Evans, Tampa Bay Buccaneers @ Houston Texans

Evans has been as consistent as any receiver over the last decade: nine 1,000-yard seasons in nine tries and on pace for over 1,200 yards in 2023. Betting against him is a fool’s game, yet here we stand. 

Baker Mayfield has only gone over 250 yards twice this year, a number that only three quarterbacks have reached against Houston. A few players had big games against the Texans (353 yards for Derek Carr), but this is a good defense that has been tough on passing games.

Houston has allowed the third-least fantasy points per game and sixth-least receiving yards to wide receivers. Only the Jets (one) have allowed less than the two touchdowns the Texans have given up to receivers. Evans has scored five touchdowns spread over five different games, but he will have a hard time finding the end zone against this defense. 

A star like Evans can have a big game any week, but I see Mayfield struggling to move the ball and the offense putting up a dud. Evans has a chance to record his worst fantasy outing of the season.

 

TE

Trey McBride, Arizona Cardinals @ Cleveland Browns

McBride isn’t a star, but there weren’t a lot of great options here this week, and he has been a top-12 tight end in two of the last three weeks in both standard and PPR. McBride had already begun overtaking Zach Ertz before the venerable veteran hit IR, but he now has a changing offensive landscape.

Joshua Dobbs was traded to the Vikings (after it was announced he would be benched), and rookie Clayton Tune will probably start in Week 9. Kyler Murray is practicing and will probably return soon, but it would make sense if he missed a little more time getting into game shape.

Tune might rely on his tight end as a security blanket, but the downfield element won’t be there, and McBride owners will be left hoping for a touchdown to save the day. That’s not a good recipe for consistent success.

Week 9 isn’t the week to test out McBride, as he faces the Cleveland Browns. Cleveland has allowed the least fantasy points per game and receiving yards to tight ends. The Browns have oddly given up 62 points over the last two weeks, but they are still a great defense and capable of shutting out the Cardinals.