Fantasy Football Week 9 Wide Receiver Start/Sit: Calvin Ridley, Amari Cooper, Xavier Legette

Ted breaks down six of the toughest fantasy football start/sit decisions at the wide receiver position for Week 9.

Welcome back to FantasySP’s weekly fantasy football wide receiver start/sit breakdown! After a few good weeks as a hater, I got too bold with my Sit picks last week, as Marvin Harrison Jr. lit up the Dolphins for a top-five finish. Josh Downs also punished us with a top-five outing, although I feel much better about the process with that one — Anthony Richardson still completed just 10 passes and the vast majority of Downs’ production came on one play where his defender ran into someone. Our third Sit gets an N/A grade, as Diontae Johnson was ruled out with an “injury” before immediately being traded out of Carolina.

Luckily, we had more luck on the Start side of things. Jaxon Smith-Njigba was mediocre, but Darnell Mooney finished as the WR8 on the week. Cedric Tillman, my deepest pick of the week, outperformed even Downs and MHJ with a massive WR3 finish. Hopefully, I can put it all together this week with good picks in both the Start and Sit sections. Without further ado, let’s get started!

For more help with your toughest Week 9 Start/Sit decisions, check out FantasySP’s NFL Start/Sit tool!

Fantasy Football Wide Receivers To Start Week 9

Jakobi Meyers, Las Vegas Raiders @ Cincinnati Bengals

Meyers returned to the field last week after missing time with an ankle injury, and he picked up right where he left off: racking up targets. The former Patriot caught all six of his targets for 52 yards and a touchdown against a tough Chiefs defense. 

Looking over his three games played without Davante Adams, Meyers has now posted target shares of 42%, 24%, and 20%. His air-yards share over those three contests is 36%, and his first-read target share is 33%. That is absolutely elite usage.

Meanwhile, the Bengals rank as a top-10 schedule-adjusted matchup for wide receivers. Even on a terrible Raiders offense, Meyers should see the volume to have a solid outing this week in Cincinnati.

Courtland Sutton, Denver Broncos @ Baltimore Ravens

Sutton has been up and down all season, but this profiles as another big week for the veteran receiver. For one, Bo Nix has been improving as a passer as the season goes on. Last week, Nix set new career highs in both passing yards (284) and passing touchdowns (three). Unsurprisingly, this coincided with Sutton’s best game of the season, as he racked up 100 yards on eight catches.

To be fair, the Broncos faced the Panthers in Week 8, who are truly terrible on the defensive end. But the Panthers haven’t been the best fantasy matchup for wide receivers so far in 2024 — that honor goes to Denver’s opponent this week, the Baltimore Ravens. Baltimore has a banged-up secondary and an offense that doesn’t stop scoring. Nix will have to drop back early and often, and that means Sutton, his top target in all but two weeks so far this season, should have a productive day. 

Calvin Ridley, Tennessee Titans vs. New England Patriots

Like Sutton, Ridley is coming off his biggest game of the season. He set season highs across the board in Week 8, catching 10 passes on 14 targets for 143 yards. Importantly, there are reasons to believe this big day wasn’t just a fluke.

Last week, Ridley ran a route on 93% of the Titans’ dropbacks. Coming into the week, his route participation rate for the season was just 75%, and he hadn’t reached even 80% since Week 2. That’s a huge change, as being on the field is the first step to scoring fantasy points. It wasn’t the only change, either, as Ridley saw an elite 41% first-read target share last week, up from a 25% average heading into Week 8. That change is less likely to be sustained, but even if he settles somewhere in the middle, those extra targets will be huge for Ridley.

The Titans’ offense, especially their passing offense, is bad. Things are better with Mason Rudolph under center, but not by much, and Will Levis might return this week. But we know that elite usage can overcome a bad offensive environment, and that’s what Ridley saw last week. Especially facing a beatable Patriots defense, Ridley looks like a much better play now than he has in weeks past.  

Fantasy Football Wide Receivers To Sit Week 9

Xavier Legette, Carolina Panthers vs. New Orleans Saints

With Diontae Johnson in Baltimore, many fantasy managers are likely turning to Xavier Legette as the WR1 in Carolina. The first-round rookie becomes an even more appealing play against a bad Saints defense. 

However, there are some red flags in Legette’s profile. Although he did lead the Panthers in targets last week (with Diontae sidelined), he ranked third among the team's WRs with a route participation rate of just 55%. His fellow rookie, UDFA Jalen Coker, and journeyman veteran David Moore were the Panthers’ clear top two receivers. 

I don’t think this will last, as sitting a first-round pick for a guy like Moore in what is already a lost season would be a new level of incompetence, even for the Panthers. But any sort of limited participation would be a huge blow to Legette’s fantasy value, especially given Carolina’s overall offensive ineptitude. Bryce Young, who has 2.58 adjusted net yards per attempt on the season (for context, that's absurdly bad), is set to start in Week 9. Even on a guaranteed full route share, that would make Legette risky. Add in the question mark over his playing time, and the rookie should not be in lineups this week.

Amari Cooper, Buffalo Bills vs. Miami Dolphins

Disclaimer: I recommended sitting Cooper in his Bills debut for many of the same reasons I am about to present, and he proceeded to finish as a WR1.

After an impressive first game for the Bills, Cooper was a non-factor in Buffalo’s offense in Week 9. Not only did he only catch one of two targets for three yards, but he also posted a route participation rate of just 62%. That was third among the Bills’ WRs, as both Keon Coleman and Khalil Shakir were above 70%.

Cooper’s usage, in terms of both targets and routes, may continue to expand as he grows more comfortable in his new offense. However, until we see that, he will be a very risky play. That is especially true this week, as the Dolphins have been one of the bottom five matchups for opposing WRs so far this season. The return of Tua Tagovailoa makes this matchup a bit more appealing, but the Bills easily beat the Dolphins (with Tua healthy for three quarters) in Week 3, while Josh Allen threw just 19 passes. 

We know Buffalo is happy to run the ball, and they may not be looking Cooper’s way (if he’s even on the field) when they’re passing. I’m leaving Amari on my bench where I have him.

Tank Dell, Houston Texans @ New York Jets

Last week, I made a bold decision with my third Sit pick and was immediately burned by Marvin Harrison Jr. going off. If I were smart, I’d probably pick someone like Elijah Moore in this spot and call it a day. But where’s the fun in that?

Instead, here’s my case for sitting Dell, a top-20 receiver in current consensus rankings. Yes, both Nico Collins and Stefon Diggs are out, leaving Dell as essentially the only game in town for the Texans’ passing offense. But that also leaves him as the only player for the Jets’ defense (which has struggled this season but still has elite talent) to focus on. And nothing we’ve seen from Dell so far this season indicates he can win as a team’s WR1.

Perhaps related to the broken fibula that ended his 2023 season, Dell is simply not the same player he was as a rookie. His PFF Grade (66.7 from 83.3) and yards per route run (1.08 from 2.40) have absolutely plummeted. He has yet to finish with more than 62 yards in a single week and is averaging just three receptions per game. Even if we look just at the last four weeks (without Collins), he is averaging just 8.0 Half-PPR points on a 16% target share. 

There’s still a chance that, with all the injuries, Dell sees enough volume to have a solid game. But in what could be an ugly Thursday night matchup with a slow-playing Jets team, I’m not solid on Dell’s ability to consistently win as the Texans’ top target. He’s not a must-bench, but leaving him in your lineup for tonight is risking a very ugly start to your fantasy week. 

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