Some interesting matchups in Week 9 have fantasy football managers having to make difficult decisions. Quarterback injuries are also playing a huge role this week in terms of what wide receiver managers are playing on Sunday.
DJ Moore had one of the biggest weeks against the Washington Commanders a few weeks ago but hasn’t put up the same numbers since Justin Fields went down. Chris Godwin, meanwhile, was finally able to score a touchdown in the game against the Buffalo Bills, but is that enough for him to be in your lineup?
DJ Moore Fantasy Outlook This Week
It was almost a month ago when Moore exploded for eight catches, 230 yards, and three touchdowns in a Thursday Night Football win against the Commanders. That game was good for 49 PPR points and left many fantasy football managers ecstatic.
It hasn’t been quite the same since, though, as Moore has 17 catches for 160 yards in the three games post-explosion. Those aren’t terrible numbers at all, as he’s still averaging 11 PPR points in that stretch. However, without Justin Fields throwing the ball, it has gotten much tougher for him to score a touchdown.
The Chicago Bears will be in action this weekend against the New Orleans Saints, which isn’t an easy matchup at all. The Saints have given up 189.5 yards per game through the air, which ranks seventh in the NFL.
Chris Godwin Fantasy Outlook This Week
Godwin finally scored last week for the first time this year against the Bills, finishing with five catches for 54 yards and the touchdown. He almost had another one on what would have been an incredible Hail Mary, but he wasn’t able to turn around in time.
MORE: PFN Consensus Rankings
While he hasn’t gotten in the end zone much this year, Godwin is still a valuable receiver. He has gotten at least five targets in every game this season and has had at least five catches every week.
Even when he goes up against the best defenses, Godwin has shown he can put up big numbers. The Tampa Bay Buccaneers played a very good Saints team early in the year — he had eight catches for 114 yards.
This week, the Buccaneers play a Houston Texans team that has been better than expected. However, one area where the team struggles is defending against the pass. The Texans are currently ranked 23rd with 236.1 passing yards allowed per game.
Which of the 2 Wide Receivers Should You Start?
Pro Football Network’s Start/Sit Optimizer says that Godwin is the player to start. His projected 12.1 points include six receptions and 55 yards. That doesn’t seem like a big stat line, but it outperforms the consensus projection for Moore’s 11.4 points.
We’re going to side with the optimizer on this one since Godwin has a much more favorable matchup in Week 9. Besides playing a worse pass defense, he also has the more established quarterback in Baker Mayfield. Mayfield isn’t a franchise QB, but he’s not a rookie making his third career start like Chicago’s Tyson Bagent.
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