Welcome to the Week 9 Positional Matchups Report, aka POSAFPA. In this article, I provide an easy-to-use positional matchups table and highlight potentially exploitable matchups. If you’re curious about the process you can find a full introduction HERE where I lay out the methodology.
How to Use the Week 9 Positional Matchups Table
First, find YOUR PLAYER’S TEAM in the first column. Next, follow that line to THEIR POSITION’S column. That percentage is how much better or worse you can expect them to do compared to what they typically score.
Example: Let’s say you’re deciding between Javonte Williams (RB-DEN) and Jordan Addison (WR-MIN). For Williams, find DEN in the first column. Follow that row over to the RB column, and you’ll see his positional matchup is 36%. That’s an extremely positive matchup. Next, for Addison, find MIN in the first column. Follow that row over to the WR column, and you’ll see the Week 9 positional matchups for him is -13%, which is a moderately negative matchup. Given both players are averaging just over 11 points per game, I’d lean Williams.
Offensive Week 9 Positional Matchups to Target
Bo Nix has averaged 19 points per game over the last 6 weeks. He’s had some nice positional matchups along the way, but this week is no different. He goes up against Baltimore who have been giving up 22% more points to opposing quarterbacks. The Broncos are expected to trail so expect Nix to throw quite a bit.
Both Josh Downs and Michael Pittman are great options in Week 9. They go against Minnesota who are now the best matchup for opposing wide receivers. It was just announced that Joe Flacco will be the starter in Week 9—a boon for both receivers. The Indy WR duo should be in all your lineups.
Chase Brown and Zack Moss have been solid RB2 and flex options respectively through several tough matchups. Now they get the Raiders who have been giving up 20% more points to opposing running backs. Only one will likely finish top 24 at the position, but it’s not unreasonable to expect both to finish top 36.
If you are competing, now is the time to look at acquiring Taysom Hill. Chances are he can be had for bench assets and his outlook moving forward is excellent. This week he has a great matchup against the Panthers who have been awful against tight ends. With Rashid Shaheed out for the season, there is a good chance they lean on Hill in the passing game. Derek Carr will likely return this week, so Hill’s versatility can get you 20 points and week, and his floor keeps him as a Top-12 TE. His value is likely to go up after Week 9, so buy now.
Offensive Week 9 Positional Matchups to Avoid
Trevor Lawrence is QB12 on the year and is coming off of a very nice performance against Green Bay. His Week 9 positional matchups outlook is less ideal, though, as the Eagles are the 4th-toughest matchup in the league for quarterbacks. Lawrence’ll likely give you a solid floor, but expect this to be another of his 10-15 point weeks.
Calvin Ridley is coming off of a massive week, but temper expectations for Week 9. His last 2 matchups have been excellent, but this week he faces New England. While they are only a mildly negative matchup at -5%, the implied game script and game over/under both favor Titans running backs more than receivers. He’s not the worst play of the week, but don’t expect another 20-point outing.
The Buccaneers backfield is more split than ever with all 3 running backs seeing some level of work in Week 8. Rachaad White and Bucky Irving each saw a nearly 40% rushing share along sizeable target shares. Sean Tucker was the clear RB3 and can be left on your bench. This week, they go against Kansas City who have been exceptionally tough for opposing running backs. The saving grace for these two is the Buccaneers receiving corps has been decimated with injuries, so White and Irving will both be used heavily in the passing game. They’re expected to play from behind this week, so treat them as deeper RB2 options in PPR formats.
Tucker Kraft came through last week with 16.8 PPR. That total came on just 3 targets though. Kraft’s touchdown came from Malik Willis, and while Jordan Love will likely miss Week 9, Detroit has been exceptionally tough for tight ends. With his current volume, Kraft can’t be trusted as anything more than a desperation play.
IDP Matchups
IDP Week 9 Positional Matchups to Target
Chances are the Cardinals’ defensive linemen are available on waivers in your IDP leagues. If that’s the case, then Dante Stills is worth a pickup to play this week. He’s been performing all right for fantasy this year but is coming off a big game, and has an excellent outlook for Week 9 positional matchups. If you need to look deeper, watch practice reports for Naquan Jones who dealt with a thigh injury but returned to the game in Week 8. Jones is a weaker DL2/3 play but could be utilized in deeper leagues.
Bobby Wagner and Frankie Luvu are both in for big weeks. They go against the Giants who have been giving up 27% more points to opposing linebackers. Both are likely to feast, but don’t overlook Dante Fowler as a volatile option with huge upside. His snap counts aren’t ideal, but he’s had two massive games in Week 6 and Week 7, and it’s realistic that he could repeat against the Giants.
The Saints’ defensive backs are the top streaming option for Week 9. Tyrann Mathieu and Alontae Taylor are both locked-in starters this week, but so might Kool-Aid McKinstry. With Paulson Adebo out for the season, it was McKinstry who saw an increase in snaps. He looks much better in Week 9 positional matchups than last week, so this is exactly the situation you want to target at this point in the season.
For additional IDP waiver adds I’d recommend checking out Jon Glosser’s Week 9 IDP Waiver Wire series.
Week 9 Positional Matchups Team Trends
Notable Rush Funnel Teams: The Cardinals, Patriots, Saints, Steelers, and (to a lesser extent) the 49ers can all be called rush funnels as of late.
Pass Funnel Teams: The Falcons, Bengals, Vikings, and Buccaneers are currently pass funnel defenses.
IDP Targets: The Buccaneers and Seahawks are the top two targets for streaming defensive backs right now. The Bears and Patriots are who you want for defensive linemen, and the Giants are the clear top choice for opposing linebackers.
Final Word
As we approach the trade deadline, I will continue to highlight players that have both immediate upside for the current week, but could also have fantasy impacts through the rest of the season.
For more Week 9 content to help win your Championship, check out Senior Nerd Mychal Warno’s Week 9 Trade Advice and get your roster ready for the final push:
