Fantasy Football Week 9 FantasySP Expert Picks: Jalen Hurts, Patrick Mahomes, Cade Otton and More

We are almost halfway through the NFL season. The end of this week will mark the midpoint on the calendar, meaning fantasy football is sneaking toward the playoffs. It’s time to make your big push, and the experts at FantasySP are here to help.

To help you prepare for Week 9, Ted Chmyz, Morgan Rode, Mark Morales-Smith and Daniel Hepner convened to answer five fantasy football questions.

Which streaming quarterback is going to excel in Week 9?

Ted: Is it cheating to call Patrick Mahomes a streaming quarterback? He doesn’t have a QB1 finish yet this season, but a cake matchup with the Buccaneers secondary should be enough for him to get the job done. 

Morgan: I’ll take Dak Prescott. His matchup against the Falcons is good, and he’s coming off a better showing in Week 8. I think he’s going to deliver one of his best fantasy showings of the season.

Mark: Give me Jameis Winston. This will probably be my answer for the rest of the season. The guy just slings it and makes things happen. It isn’t pretty if you actually watch, but the points are almost always there at the end of the day. 

Daniel: Bo Nix might have the best matchup of the week against the Ravens. Baltimore had given up over 200 more passing yards than second-place Jacksonville heading into Week 9, and they are in the top five in most yards per attempt allowed. Nix also often adds rushing production.

Give us one flex running back who should start or one who should sit (or one of each).

Ted: Tank Bigsby scares me this week. He has been electric on the ground, but the Jaguars clearly don’t trust him at all through the air. Especially if Travis Etienne is active for this matchup where Jacksonville is 7.5-point underdogs, I can see Bigsby being game-scripted out and providing a mediocre result. 

Morgan: I’m against starting Nick Chubb this weekend. His matchup against the Chargers is brutal, and he’s still not a full-go I don’t think. Sit Chubb this week.

Mark: I’m starting Rachaad White who is currently ECR 29 and benching Javonte Williams whose ECR is 30. As long as all the wideouts are hurt in Tampa, White is going to catch a ton of passes, which gives him value even in the toughest matchups. I’m benching Williams for two reasons: he has a bad matchup, and he’s not good.

Daniel: Raheem Mostert put up a performance Jerome Bettis would have been proud of last week: nine carries, 19 yards, two touchdowns. Mostert might seem like a guy to sit against Buffalo, but the Bills have allowed the sixth-most yards per rush attempt. Mostert is a strong flex player.

How about a receiver who is going to disappoint owners this week?

Ted: D.J. Moore has a great matchup with the Cardinals, but he simply hasn’t been productive this season. In Week 8, he was third among the Bears’ receivers in both targets and first-read target share. I’m starting him myself in at least one spot, but it seems insane to me that he is a consensus top-20 option with just one top-30 finish all season.

Morgan: Zay Flowers. He’s got a tough matchup against the Broncos already, and he now has to deal with Diontae Johnson taking away potential targets. I think it will end in another low-scoring week from Flowers.

Mark: I don’t love Amari Cooper this week against the Dolphins. Miami is more susceptible to the underneath guys like Khalil Shakir than top guys like Cooper, who will likely draw Jalen Ramsey this week.

Daniel: Marvin Harrison Jr. is a guy most owners would never bench, but he has a tough matchup against the Bears. Harrison has two weeks over 100 yards and five games under 50 yards; this could be another quiet game for the rookie.

After a big week for tight ends, who is going to repeat with another big game?

Ted: Evan Engram’s splits last season without Christian Kirk were incredible, and now Kirk is out for the year. Especially if Brian Thomas Jr. is also out this week, Engram will be locked in as Trevor Lawrence’s top target and should have a solid outing.

Morgan: Cade Otton is my pick. He was heavily involved last week with no Chris Godwin or Mike Evans around, and that will be the case again this week. In a super favorable matchup against the Chiefs, Otton is a must-start player for me.

Mark: I’m with Morgan here. It’s Otton. They have no choice but to feed him.

Daniel: Yes, Otton. I’ll also give you T.J. Hockenson, who missed the tight end binge of Week 8 but is returning this week from a knee injury suffered late last season. He has a great matchup against the Colts. 

And finally, who will be the Week 9 fantasy MVP?

Ted: Last week, it was Jalen Hurts. This week, I’m going with his teammate, Saquon Barkley. He’s been getting unlucky with all the Tush Push opportunities but putting up great stats regardless. If he gets a touchdown or two in the red zone, Barkley could go nuclear in an easy matchup with the Jaguars. 

Morgan: I’ll go with Hurts. That matchup against the Jaguars is fantastic, and I think he scores a couple times on the ground to post another monster score. 

Mark: Give me Alvin Kamara this week against the Panthers with Kendre Miller hurt.

Daniel: Mahomes was mentioned above, and he has a chance for a vintage performance in Week 9. Tampa Bay has allowed the most fantasy points per game to quarterbacks; the best QB in football can take advantage of that.