Fantasy football managers of Chicago Bears WR DJ Moore are in a bit of a tough spot heading into Week 9. Moore’s talent and big-play ability make him tough to fade out of your starting lineup, but his fantasy ceiling could be capped if rookie QB Tyson Bagent is the Bears’ starting quarterback against a stingy New Orleans Saints defense.
Since Moore’s fantasy outlook this week is a bit murky, should fantasy managers consider starting Tampa Bay Buccaneers WR Chris Godwin instead? Let’s take a closer look.
DJ Moore’s Week 9 Fantasy Outlook
Fantasy managers who invested in the Justin Fields hype train heading into the 2023 season started to see big fantasy returns when he and Moore started firing on all cylinders against the Denver Broncos and Washington Commanders in Weeks 4 and 5.
During that two-game stretch, Moore went bonkers for 16 receptions, 361 yards, and four scores. Not only was Moore looking like he was a solid WR2 play, but he was starting to work his way into top-10 consideration at the WR position with the Bears passing offense starting to make significant strides.
Unfortunately, Fields suffered a dislocated thumb on his throwing hand, which brought that progress to an abrupt halt. Moore’s production has fallen back into WR3 territory with Bagent under center, which puts fantasy managers in a tough spot when deciding what to do with Moore in Week 9 against the Saints.
Chris Godwin’s Week 9 Fantasy Outlook
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers offense may be struggling as a whole, but Godwin has really started to hit his stride over the last four games. He finally scored his first TD of the season last week against the Buffalo Bills and has seen 37 targets over the last month.
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His floor of seven targets, five receptions, and 54 yards over this span does give him a reliable floor in PPR formats, despite the lack of any 20-point games up to this point of the 2023 season.
While these numbers don’t scream a sky-high fantasy ceiling, the Bucs continued lack of a running game is forcing Baker Mayfield to pepper both Godwin and Mike Evans with targets to keep the team competitive.
Should You Star Moore or Godwin This Week?
The Bears’ passing offense will likely be without Fields for at least one more game, which isn’t a death sentence for Moore’s Week 9 fantasy outlook, but it certainly doesn’t make fantasy managers very excited either.
While Mayfield hasn’t been great in 2023, he has still provided the Bucs with competent quarterback play this season and made two WRs viable fantasy options on a weekly basis.
Both of these players are in the same WR2 tier in my weekly rankings, but the uncertainty of QB play mostly dictates why I have Godwin slightly higher than Moore in Week 9.
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