By james art Hopefully determining your lineup last week wasn’t too difficult with all 32 teams in action. The 49ers and Steelers have a bye this week, taking out Deebo Samuel, George Kittle, George Pickens and more. Some fantasy managers will be forced to get creative with their lineup this week.
The hardest place to make lineup decisions can be your Flex. There are few players who clearly have better talent or fantasy potential, and it can feel like you’re just guessing which player is the better pick this week. The best thing you can do is consider the option available within a raid and consider the player’s matchup so you can make an informed decision.
After reviewing the Sporting News rankings, we’ve identified five different players you should consider moving to your Flex spot this week. If you’ve been going back and forth about any of these players, save yourself the time and get them in your lineup.
WEEK 9 FANTASY FOOTBALL RANKINGS
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Fantasy Football Week 9 Flex Finder: Sleepers That Could Pay Off at the Flex Position
Brian Robinson Jr., Washington Commanders
Brian Robinson Jr. expands the definition of a Flex candidate, but some managers may be starting to lose faith in him after three straight games as an RB20 or worse. But now is not the time to demote him to the bench, Robinson is in position to dominate in Week 9.
The Giants defensive line is the best in the league this season. Three different players have at least five sacks, and their opponent, Dexter Lawrence, leads the league in that category. They may have a killer pass rush, but when it comes to stopping the run, this might be the worst unit in the NFL.
The Giants are allowing 5.4 yards per punt, the worst mark in the NFL. A whopping 17.7 percent of punts against the Giants went at least 10 yards, which also ranks last in the NFL. Four different running backs have rushed for at least 90 yards against the G-Men this year, including Robinson in Week 2. Robinson has been a tight end this week and shouldn’t fall out of favor after a couple of troubling weeks.
Week 9 FANTASY LIST MANAGEMENT TIP
Watch stocks | Board of Trade | Start ‘Em, Sit ‘Em | Traversi | Busts | Flex Finder | The weather
Josh Downs, WR, Indianapolis Colts
Anthony Richardson was benched for Joe Flacco, which means it’s time to fire up Josh Downs in fantasy lineups. Regardless of which side of the aisle you fall on regarding Richardson’s benching, this is undeniably a positive for the Colts’ receiver fantasy value. Not just the receivers, but probably the offense as a whole.
Even with Richardson on the field, Downs looks to claim the WR1 job in Indianapolis. Since returning in Week 3, Downs has been replaced by Michael Pittman Jr. just once. Among Indianapolis receivers with at least 100 routes run this season, Downs leads with 0.30 targets per route run, an elite mark.
Indianapolis also faces a Minnesota defense that allows the most fantasy points per game to opposing receivers. That’s largely due to the pass-heavy approaches teams were forced to take against the Vikings, but it’s a favorable matchup nonetheless. With this matchup and Flacco at the helm, Downs is an easy pick in this week’s lineups.
Jacoby Myers, WR, Las Vegas Raiders
Brock Bowers was widely discussed as the winner of the Davante Adams trade, but the impact on Jacoby Meyers was largely swept under the rug. Myers is a definite No. 1 receiver in Las Vegas and is a viable flex option in positive matchups. This is turning out to be one of those weeks.
Adams’ last game with the Raiders was in Week 3. Myers has played three games since then. In those contests, Myers has posted a 20 percent target share all three times and has seen the ball thrown his way on 27 percent of his routes. That TPRR (targets per route) number isn’t too far off Bowers’ 30 percent. Meyers also averaged 13.4 PPG in those games.
Meyers will continue to be targeted at a solid rate regardless of the Raiders opponent. Week 9 offers a matchup where he can be productive with those goals. The Bengals defense struggled to pressure the quarterback and was prone to short plays through the air as a result. An opposing receiver has scored at least 18 fantasy points against the Bengals in six games this year – don’t be shocked if Myers is the 7th name on the list.
Bucky Irving, RB, Tampa Bay Buccaneers
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers use a heavily split backcourt, deploying Rachaad White, Bucky Irving and Sean Tucker to varying degrees. When Tampa Bay lost both Chris Godwin and Mike Evans, I assumed the offense wouldn’t be strong enough to sustain fantasy production from a running back in full committee. This assumption was wrong.
In the first Godwin or Evans matchup, Tampa RBs accounted for 28 percent of the targets put up by Baker Mayfield. Irving and White combined for 13 targets last week, their highest total of the year. That receiving usage has been unsustainable all season, especially when Evans returns, but we could see something similar while he remains sidelined.
Tampa Bay will likely fall behind against the Chiefs and turn to the passing game to mount a comeback. If Irving can see a handful of targets and create an explosive play with one or two of them, he has a path to a Flex-worthy performance this week.
Ladd McConkey, WR, Los Angeles Chargers
Those who drafted Ladd McConkey hoped he would immediately come in and take over the WR1 job in Los Angeles. He has done just that, leading the team in goals in four of seven games this year. Throughout the season, McConkey led the team in both field goals and total goals.
The biggest thing about McConkey’s outlook in Week 9 and beyond was Jim Harbaugh’s changing offensive philosophy. At the start of the year, the Chargers were among the toughest teams in the league. Based on Harbaugh’s comments and lineup decisions in the offseason, it wasn’t exactly a shock. But lately we’re starting to see a change.
Justin Herbert has attempted at least 30 passes in three straight games, something he didn’t do once through the first four weeks of the year. Through these first four games of the year, Los Angeles has ranked 31st in turnovers above expectations. They have jumped to 12th place in the last three weeks. McConkey has proven from day one that he can be a WR1 here. With the changes to the Chargers’ offensive approach, McConkey is becoming a weekly flex option.