Bruno Boys Fantasy Football

—Written by Ryan Boser
—Edited by Allie Fontana

Here’s a look at 10 fantasy football matchups that just might help you and your fantasy team come away with a victory in Week 9.

 

1.  Matt Cassel, QB (Kansas City Chiefs) vs. Miami Dolphins Defense

Matt Cassel has recovered quite nicely from his early-season swoon, topping 250 passing yards in three of his past four games. He’s also totaled eight touchdown passes in his last five outings, and with Dwayne Bowe, Steve Breaston and the emerging Jonathan Baldwin, Cassel has more than enough weapons to do some serious damage against Miami’s No. 29 fantasy pass defense. The Dolphins are allowing a league-worst two touchdowns per game, and although Cassel has been prone to interceptions (he’s thrown nine in seven games), no team has picked off fewer passes than Miami (two). This user-friendly matchup makes Cassel an ideal Week 9 plug-and-play, particularly for Cam Newton and Matthew Stafford owners.

2.  Matt Ryan, QB (Atlanta Falcons) vs. Indianapolis Colts Defense

Atlanta Falcons quarterback Matt Ryan has been a complete and utter disaster when you consider preseason expectations about his performance and fantasy draft position. Through seven games, he’s thrown multiple touchdowns just once, and he’s on pace for a career-high 18 interceptions. With that sobering disclaimer out of the way, Ryan comes out of his bye with a fantastic opportunity to kick start the second half of his season in a cupcake matchup against the Indianapolis Colts. In their past four games, the Colts have surrendered a staggering 11 touchdowns, while failing to record a single interception. Moreover, they’ve given up a generous 287 passing yards per game to opposing quarterbacks over their past six contests. With Julio Jones expected to make his return to the lineup, Ryan’s primed for one of his best games of the season.

3.  LeGarrette Blount, RB (Tampa Bay Buccaneers) vs. New Orleans Saints Defense

Tampa Bay Buccaneers’ LeGarrette Blount is expected to return to action this Sunday after missing two games due to a left knee sprain. He’ll be greeted back to the gridiron by a New Orleans Saints defense that’s surrendering a deplorable 5.8 yards per carry. In fact, over the past four weeks, New Orleans run defense has been more penetrable than the Kardashian sisters in an NBA locker room. The Saints allowed DeAngelo Williams to crack 100 yards for the first time since November 2009. Then they gave up 131 combo yards to Blount’s backup, Earnest Graham. In Week 7, Indianapolis Colts rookie Delone Carter and borderline first-round bust Donald Brown combined for 147 all-purpose yards and a score. Finally, St. Louis Rams workhorse Steven Jackson rolled up 191 combo yards and notched a two-touchdown effort for the first time in his last 37 games. Consider Blount a strong RB2 with RB1 upside.

4.  Kevin Faulk RB (New England Patriots) vs. New York Giants Defense

Running back Kevin Faulk’s inconspicuous return from a career-threatening ACL tear last week became unexpectedly noteworthy fantasy news, as the 35-year old played 39-of-58 offensive snaps against the Pittsburgh Steelers. He touched the ball 11 times for 52 yards as the New England Patriots played catch up. While BenJarvus Green-Ellis is still the logical candidate for early-down and short-yardage work, Faulk will likely take over passing-down duties. Although Bill Belichick is notorious for his running back tomfoolery, this week’s matchup simply can’t be ignored. The New York Giants have allowed five backs to top 120 combo yards in as many weeks, and they’ve also ceded seven touchdowns to the position in that same five-game span. Moreover, opposing backs have notched 20 catches in the Giants last three games, rendering Faulk a plausible bye-week RB2/FLEX, particularly in PPR leagues. 

5.  Victor Cruz, WR (New York Giants) vs. New England Patriots Defense

Second-year wideout Victor Cruz has run hot and cold all season, and the forecast calls for a strong chance of salsa dancing this week in New England. With Hakeem Nicks looking more and more likely to join Ahmad Bradshaw on the sidelines Sunday, the New York Giants could be without their two best playmakers against a team that invites shootouts. The Giants will expect Cruz and teammate Mario Manningham to pick up the slack against a New England Patriots team that ranks No. 32 in defending opposing wideouts. Sixteen different receivers have scored and/or reached 70 yards against New England through seven games this season. Good news fantasy footballers—Cruz and Manningham should be No. 17 and No. 18.     

6.  Darrius Heyward-Bey, WR (Oakland Raiders) vs. Denver Broncos Defense

Darrius Heyward-Bey has been a punch line since the Oakland Raiders made him the No. 7 overall pick in the 2009 draft, however the third-year speedster might just get the last laugh. From Week 4 through Week 7, Heyward-Bey has averaged over 96 yards per contest and hasn’t dipped below 82 yards in a single outing. He’s also been on the receiving end of 32 targets in his last three games. Oakland’s Week 8 bye bought the team’s recently signed quarterback Carson Palmer some time to get comfortable. Heyward-Bey and the Raiders have a favorable matchup this week against the Denver Broncos, a team that’s allowed 10 touchdowns to the receiver position six times this season. In addition, five wideouts have topped 100 yards. While Heyward-Bey was limited to four catches for 44 yards against Denver in the season opener, he and the Denver secondary have been trending in opposite directions for over a month.

7.  Brent Celek, TE (Philadelphia Eagles) vs. Chicago Bears Defense

After a decidedly rocky start, the Philadelphia Eagles offensive line has been steadily improving in recent weeks and that’s freed up tight end Brent Celek to run more pass routes instead of block. Celek has been targeted nine times in each of his last two games and he’s turned those looks into 11 catches for 136 yards and a pair of scores. With Michael Vick finally looking his way, Celek makes for an intriguing option this week against the Chicago Bears. The Bears are allowing averages of 6.6 catches and 69.7 yards to opposing tight ends, and they’ve surrendered a league-worst six touchdowns to the position. Celek should find plenty of open space as the Bears focus on slowing down Philadelphia’s explosive playmakers.

8.  Dustin Keller, TE (New York Jets) vs. Buffalo Bills Defense

New York Jets tight end Dustin Keller has worked a butt groove into benches across fantasyland after r failing to score or even top 53 yards in his past four games. However he has a nice opportunity to produce useful fantasy numbers this coming Sunday against a Buffalo Bills defense that struggles to contain opposing tight ends. In Buffalo’s past four games, they’ve given up three scores and an average of 6.0 catches for 88.5 yards to the position. While he and several other New York starters rested in the Jets-Bills Week 17 matchup last season, Keller notched a pair of scores when the two teams met in Week 4 . Considering the soft matchup, Keller shapes up as a low-end TE1 in Week 9.

9.  Kansas City Chiefs Defense/Special Teams(D/ST) vs. Miami Dolphins Offense

While the Kansas City Chiefs have been an ordinary fantasy D/ST this season, something about the Miami Dolphins quarterback Matt Moore in Arrowhead Stadium should trigger a green light for fantasy owners. Actually, several things. Moore’s thrown one touchdown and four interceptions in four games, which plays into the strength of Kansas City—only the Buffalo Bills have picked off more passes than the Chiefs’ 13. Kansas City’s weakness has been in the sack department, where they’ve totaled a league-low nine. Moore can help them there as well—he’s taken at least four sacks in each of his starts, and the talented young cornerback Brandon Flowers should keep Brandon Marshall corralled long enough for the pass rush to get to Moore. With Miami averaging less than 13 points per game under Moore, Kansas City is a very nice option this week.

10.  Oakland Raiders Defense/Special Teams (D/ST) vs. Denver Broncos Offense

Like the Kansas City Chiefs, the Oakland Raiders have been a middling fantasy D/ST and they are probably available on your waiver wire. They become a viable option this week thanks to a home meeting with the mistake-prone Tim Tebow. In two starts under center for the Denver Broncos, Tebow has completed well below 50 percent of his passes. He’s also been sacked 13 times and the team has averaged just 14 points per contest. Tebow was intercepted once and he put the ball on the ground three times in Denver’s 45-10 blowout loss to the Detroit Lions in Week 8. Even a below-average defensive unit like Oakland’s has a prayer playing opposite the Mile-High Messiah.