The byes weeks are back after the NFL gave us a break in Week 8. The Cleveland Browns, Dallas Cowboys, Denver Broncos, New York Giants, Pittsburgh Steelers and San Francisco 49ers are all on bye weeks. That means we'll be without Jacoby Brissett, Dak Prescott, Russell Wilson, Daniel Jones, Kenny Pickett and Jimmy Garoppolo.
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START 'EM & SIT 'EM
Quarterbacks
QBs to Start
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Everything clicked for Tagovailoa in Week 8 at Detroit as he was 29-of-36 passing for 382 yards and three touchdowns, along with 19 rushing yards. He beat up on a bad defense, and he should do the same thing this week against the Bears. Tyreek Hill and Jaylen Waddle are unstoppable right now, and Chicago has allowed three of the past five opposing quarterbacks to score at least 22 Fantasy points. This defense just traded its two best players in Robert Quinn and Roquan Smith, and Tagovailoa should have another strong outing in this matchup.
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Cousins just had his best Fantasy game of the season in Week 8 against Arizona with 27 points. He's now scored at least 21 Fantasy points in three games in a row, and he gets a new weapon this week after Minnesota traded for tight end T.J. Hockenson from Detroit. On the other side of the ball, Washington just traded cornerback William Jackson III to Pittsburgh, and I expect Cousins to become the fourth quarterback this year with more than 20 Fantasy points against the Commanders. We also have the revenge game narrative at play since Cousins started his career in Washington and played there from 2012-17.
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As you would expect, Rodgers has a great history against the Lions. In 24 career games against Detroit, he's passed for 6,055 yards, 52 touchdowns and just eight interceptions. And in his past five games at Detroit he has 1,493 passing yards, 15 total touchdowns and just one interception. He's been a mediocre Fantasy quarterback this season, scoring 20 points or less in every game, but this could be his breakout performance, especially if Allen Lazard (shoulder) is healthy. The Lions are No. 3 in Fantasy points allowed to opposing quarterbacks this year.
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One of Smith's worst Fantasy games this season came against the Cardinals when he scored just 11 points in Week 6. He didn't play poorly in a 19-9 Seattle victory, but he passed for just 197 yards with no touchdowns, adding 48 yards on the ground. The defense and Kenneth Walker III led the way in that first meeting, but this should be a more high-scoring affair in the rematch, with the over/under set at 50.5 from Caesers Sportsbook. The Cardinals allow an average of 23.0 Fantasy points per game to quarterbacks, and three of their past four opponents have scored at least 27 Fantasy points.
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Sleepers (Start/Sit)
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Lawrence only has three games this season with more than 20 Fantasy points, and two of them came against the Colts. He has combined for just 26 Fantasy points in his past two games against the Giants and Broncos, and he has two passing touchdowns and four interceptions in his past four games overall. But I expect a rebound performance this week against the Raiders, who have allowed every quarterback this season to score at least 21 Fantasy points and give up an average of 26.3 Fantasy points to opposing quarterbacks for the season. This should be one of Lawrence's best games this year.
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This could be Heinicke's last chance at a quality outing before Carson Wentz (thumb) is back. Wentz can return in Week 11, but the Commanders play the Eagles in Week 10, which is a brutal matchup. Heinicke should fare better against the Vikings this week, and Minnesota has allowed 55 Fantasy points over the past two games against the Dolphins and Cardinals. For the season, the Vikings allow 20.1 Fantasy points per game to opposing quarterbacks, and Heinicke is averaging 20.5 Fantasy points per game in his past two outings against Green Bay and Indianapolis.
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Let's hope Mariota is forced to throw this week. In two games with at least 25 pass attempts since Week 5, Mariota is averaging 23.5 Fantasy points per game. He's also doing a nice job with his legs in the past four games with at least 31 rushing yards in four games in a row, including one touchdown. Mariota should give you a safe floor since he has scored at least 19 Fantasy points in three of his past four games, including two games with 28 points over that span. It's not an easy matchup this week against the Chargers, who allow an average of just 18.1 Fantasy points per game to opposing quarterbacks, but Mariota should provide a safe floor to trust him as a low-end starter in all leagues.
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QBs to Sit
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Stafford just scored 19 Fantasy points against San Francisco in Week 8, and that's his second-best game of the season. It's been that bad for him this year. It's hard to imagine him having a big game against the Buccaneers on the road, and Tampa Bay allows just an average of 18.5 Fantasy points per game to opposing quarterbacks. Hopefully, Stafford has Cooper Kupp (ankle) in this matchup, otherwise, it would be an absolute disaster. And the Buccaneers have revenge on their mind since the Rams knocked out the Buccaneers in the playoffs last year.
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The Packers just held Josh Allen to 20 Fantasy points in Week 8, which should be viewed as a huge win. And only two quarterbacks have scored more than 18 Fantasy points against Green Bay this season, which were Allen and Kirk Cousins in Week 1. Goff has been better at home this year with at least 18 Fantasy points in each of his four starts, including two games with at least 34 points. But I would expect him to be around the 19 Fantasy points he scored last week against Miami, especially with Detroit trading T.J. Hockenson to Minnesota on Tuesday.
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Carr was a disaster in Week 8 at New Orleans with just two Fantasy points, and he's been held to 15 Fantasy points or less in three of his past four games. He's also averaging just 15.8 Fantasy points per game on the road, and the Jaguars have held 5-of-8 opposing quarterbacks to 15 Fantasy points or less, including Justin Herbert, Jalen Hurts and Russell Wilson. I hope Carr can snap out of his funk and start playing better, and we'll see if Darren Waller (hamstring) can play this week. But Carr is tough to trust right now, especially on the road.
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QBs Bust Alert
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It's been a rough season so far for Brady, who has just two games with more than 19 Fantasy points. He's scored 19 Fantasy points or less in three games in a row, and he only has one game this year with multiple touchdowns. The Rams gave up 36 Fantasy points to Josh Allen in Week 1, but the next six opposing quarterbacks have averaged 11.7 Fantasy points per game. When these teams met in the playoffs last year, Brady passed for 329 yards, one touchdown and one interception, along with a fumble, and scored 15 Fantasy points in a 30-27 loss. I can see a similar stat line for Brady again this week.
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