People might ask, "Who can I trust in Week 9 fantasy football?" I think people should ask another question: " Who can't I trust in Week 9 fantasy football?" Just as likely as anyone is to be great, they are likely to be bad. At wide receiver, the following eight players have data points that signal to me they should sit on the bench.
We can sit here and hypothesize why Cooper Jr. flopped in Week 8. But he did, and no matter the reason, it is a bad signal for us fantasy managers. Cooper Jr. had as many snaps as Adonai Mitchell, but he recorded zero targets that day. Week 9 doesn't help his fragility, as he faces the Chiefs, who rank third-best in Yards per Target Allowed to wide receivers.
There are two core reasons why you must fade Addison. For one, he has an abysmal 49% catch rate. His quarterback is also playing so badly that, despite having a six-win, one-loss record, fans want Nolan Teasley to trade for a quarterback, perhaps Kirk Cousins or Jacoby Brissett. Maybe even an elevation of Carson Wentz. Nonetheless, we cannot trust any Vikings wide receiver outside of Justin Jefferson.
The Packers dominate slot wide receivers. I mean it. They allow 4.9 Yards per Target to the position, second-best in the NFL. Only five teams allow less than 6.5 yards per target.
Since Week 1, Douglas has had a target share above 20% in only one game . He averages only 9.0 Yards per Target and is 52nd in PFF Receiving Grade.
Lemon is averaging 8.1 Yards per Reception, well below the league average. Especially in non-PPR formats, he wasn't very viable. Tanner McKee isn't helping with 5.6 Yards per attempt, and the Eagles are rated the NFL's worst offense.
Worthy's season is going so poorly that the Chiefs are rumored to explore a trade by next week's deadline. At the player's name value and the team's value, it sounds good. But it is not. He technically does lead the team in targets (42), but he averages 8.5 Yards per Reception, has four red-zone targets, and only one touchdown of the team's 12 through the air. Worthy has two straight games with under 20 yards.
No Buccaneer pass-catcher is trustworthy until further notice. They have been a bit secretive about it, but Tampa Bay is clearly limiting Baker Mayfield's passing given his thumb injury. They have attempted 14 total passes over the last two games. Start at your own risk.
Kirk is unlikely to have a full workload in Week 9. Kirk will likely play about 50% of the snaps, give or take. In Week 8, he only ran 14 routes, with one target and zero receptions. The lack of a sample size, practice, playing time, and snaps with his new team adds significant risk. Kirk could have awesome weeks ahead, but keep him on the bench for now.
This article was originally published on www.si.com/onsi/fantasy as Omar Cooper Jr., Makai Lemon, and 6 More Must-Sit Wide Receivers in Week 9 Fantasy Football .
