Life is about choices. Every single day you make hundreds of them both big and small. But how do we make those choices? Most of the time, I just weigh the pros and cons. Other times, the correct choice is blatantly obvious.
Take Monday night's football game, for example. I was tired from waking up extra early that morning but my Washington Redskins were playing in prime time. I had a choice: stay up and watch the entire game or get a good night's sleep and be well rested for the next day. Since I'm a sports writer, I think you can guess which option I went with. There was no way I was missing that game and it ended up being an excellent decision as Washington fought for a gutsy upset victory over the Dallas Cowboys.
Sometimes, the obvious choice is the right one. I think last week I tried to get a bit too cute with some of my selections in this column. I tried to be a bit too clever (note to self: you're not clever). This week, it's back to the basics.
Here are a few players worth starting and some to avoid in Week 9.
Worth It:
QB: Drew Brees
Drew Brees hasn't exactly been Drew Brees this year. While he hasn't killed your team, he also ranks just 11th among QBs in fantasy scoring. That's a far cry from the top three you likely expected when you drafted him. But it looks as if Brees could be rounding into form. Since New Orleans' bye week, Brees has topped 300 yards and thrown at least two touchdowns in consecutive games. The Saints are also playing the Carolina Panthers and their 18th-ranked passing defense. The Panthers have allowed 25 touchdowns so far this season, third most in the league, 16 of which have been passing scores. With a healthier Jimmy Graham, I think Brees adds to that total.
RB: Andre Ellington
I'll give you one guess as to who leads the Arizona Cardinals in targets since their Week 4 bye? Give up? It's Andre Ellington! Come on, his name is right there! Ellington has seen 29 targets over Arizona's last four games. He's averaging just over 105 total yards from scrimmage per game and has carried the ball 18 times per contest, fifth most in the league. Yes, he only has two rushing touchdowns on the year. But goal-line back Stephfan Taylor is expected to miss several weeks with a calf injury, meaning Ellington will probably see more work where it counts. On top of that, the Dallas Cowboys are allowing the second highest yards-per-rush average to opposing backs this season and they just let a struggling Alfred Morris have a bounce-back game.
WR: Jeremy Maclin
Tacklin' Maclin has proven difficult for opposing secondary's this season. I don't see that changing against a Houston Texans defense that has allowed eight receiving touchdowns in their last three games. Just for the record, Maclin is tied for sixth in the league in touchdown receptions (6). I'm no mathematician, but all that seems like a formula for fantasy success, no?
TE: Travis Kelce
It's perfectly OK to be concerned with Kelce's eight catches for 78 yards and no scores over his past two games. I'm just here to tell you that that is about to change. Kelce's lack of production isn't due to a lack of talent. The guy leads all tight ends in yards after the catch (245). He's 10th among tight ends in fantasy points despite playing less than 50 percent of the offensive snaps for the Chiefs. Expect Andy Reid to have Kelce on the field a lot this week. The Chiefs are playing the New York Jets and, if you haven't heard, the Jets have some issues. Forget their disastrous quarterback situation for a second. New York has allowed nine scores to opposing tight ends, most in the league. Betting on Kelce this week is like betting on seeing an explosion in a Michael Bay movie; it's a sure thing.
Avoid:
QB: Ben Roethlisberger
I don't need any stats to support this argument. I own Roethlisberger in one league and each of his big games this season (Week 1, Week 4, and this past week against the Colts) has happened while he languished on my bench. Naturally, I start him the next week after a good performance only for him to disappoint. Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice...This is a pure karmic call. No go for Big Ben. (In case you wanted some stats: the Ravens have only allowed three 300-plus yard passing games and just one multi-touchdown passing performance all year).
RB: Frank Gore
Over the past three games, Gore has 45 rushing attempts to the combined total of 38 for Colin Kaepernick and Carlos Hyde. That is not a good trend for Gore owners as it seems other San Fran rushers are eating into his workload. Additonally, running back Marcus Lattimore is set to return from injury soon, providing another mouth to field in San Fran's backfield. The 31-year-old Gore ranks just 24th among running backs in fantasy scoring this season. The golden age is over for Gore unfortunately. His opponent this week, the St. Louis Rams, are surrendering the 13th-fewest fantasy points to opposing ball carriers. The Rams allowed their first rushing touchdowns on Sunday since Week 3. I wouldn't trust Gore as a consistent contributor at this point.
WR: Vincent Jackson
The matchup doesn't even matter anymore. Jackson failed to reach double-digit fantasy points against the susceptible defenses of the Panthers, Falcons, Rams, Steelers and Vikings this season. He has the second worst reception percentage (41.9) in the NFL. The Bucs are 28th in passing yards per game (208) in the league. Tampa Bay is just "The Perfect Storm" of suck this season, laying waste to any potential fantasy value that stands in its path. V-Jax, like George Clooney and Mark Whalberg, is going down with the ship.
TE: Jared Cook
Cook has 27 receptions this season and not one of them has been for a touchdown. Cook isn't going to catch a ton of balls and he's never going to rack up a ton of yards. His fantasy value is pretty much touchdown-dependent, so if he's not scoring then his value goes in the toilet. The San Francisco 49ers allow an average of just 6.7 fantasy points to opposing tight ends per game. Don't expect a breakout from Cook in this one.