2022 NFL season: Week 9 fantasy football matchups

Herbert is looking more like Jared Goff this season than the Justin Herbert we grew to know and love over his first two seasons. To make matters worse, he could be without both Keenan Allen and Mike Williams in Week 9. However, I am still willing to start him and trust he can have a big game in this matchup. The Falcons are allowing a league-high 318.1 passing yards per game and the fourth-most fantasy points per game to quarterbacks this season. Over the last six weeks, the Falcons have allowed Geno Smith, Tom Brady, Joe Burrow, and PJ Walker to each throw for over 300 yards against them (Jimmy Garoppolo even had 296 yards). Herbert, please help your fantasy managers and give us a monster performance for the first time this year!

Lawrence is extremely inconsistent, and you never know what type of performance he will give you in any given week (or any given play). The good news is that he gets to face the Raiders this week, who have allowed the most fantasy points per game to quarterbacks this season. Patrick Mahomes, Russell Wilson, Kyler Murray and Justin Herbert each scored 23+ fantasy points against them this year -- and even Ryan Tannehill, Davis Mills and Andy Dalton scored 17+ fantasy points against them. There is no reason that Lawrence shouldn’t put up a solid fantasy performance this week.

Rodgers has been a struggling mess without Davante Adams, and he has yet to hit 17 fantasy points in any game this season. However, he should have his first good fantasy performance of the year as he plays the Lions, who have allowed the second-most fantasy points in the NFL to quarterbacks this season. Geno Smith, Tua Tagovailoa, Carson Wentz and Jalen Hurts each scored 24+ fantasy points against them in 2022. Rodgers has averaged 22.8 fantasy points per game over his last four matchups against Detroit.

Brady is finally looking his age and it is killing his fantasy production as he has only hit 20 fantasy points in one game this season. The Rams have allowed just 9.6 fantasy points per game to QBs over their last four games and have not allowed a QB to hit 18 fantasy points in a matchup against them since Josh Allen destroyed their souls in Week 1. Unless desperate, Brady should not be in starting lineups this week.

The Packers have allowed just 12.4 fantasy points per game to quarterbacks (fifth fewest in NFL) and have yet to allow a QB to score 20+ fantasy points against them this year -- they just held Josh Allen to 17.6 fantasy points in Week 8. Goff has had a few solid fantasy performances in good matchups this season, but this is not the week to plug him into your lineups.

The Jets' young defense has stepped up as of late and is locking down opposing quarterbacks. The Jets have allowed just 9.6 fantasy points per game to QBs over the last five weeks. Their cornerback duo of Sauce Gardner and D.J. Reed is legit and could give Allen some struggles in Week 9. Then again, Allen is the best quarterback in the NFL (yes, I said it)… and you don't sit the best QB in the NFL in fantasy no matter the matchup.

Jones had a season-high 20 carries in Week 8, and the Packers should continue to feed him in a fantastic matchup in Week 9. The Lions have allowed 5.2 yards per carry, a league-high 11 rushing TDs, and the third-most fantasy points in the NFL to the running back position in 2022. The Packers didn't trade for a WR before the deadline and will need to continue to rely on Jones as a rusher and pass-catcher.

Yes, Cordarrelle Patterson has returned to practice and could play this week… but this matchup is juicy enough that Allgeier can still put up a good performance even if Patterson plays. Allgeier has played 59% of the Falcons' offensive snaps in Patterson's absence and should still be relied upon in Week 9 while the team gradually brings Patterson back into the fold. The Chargers have allowed a league-high 6.1 yards per carry and the second-most fantasy points per game to the running back position in 2022. 

Etienne SZN is finally here!! With James Robinson out of the way, Etienne has had back-to-back games with 100+ rush yards and a TD. Etienne is a big-play machine, and he gets to face the Raiders this week, who are allowing the eighth-most fantasy point per game in the NFL to the running back position in 2022. Alvin Kamara had 158 scrimmage yards and three TDs against the Raiders last week. Fantasy managers can sit back and enjoy another big performance from Etienne in Week 9.

The Vikings have allowed the fewest fantasy points per game in the NFL to the running back position over the last five weeks. They have allowed just 2.97 yards per carry over that span and the only running back that had success in fantasy against them since Week 4 is David Montgomery, who had 62 receiving yards in that matchup. Robinson has struggled on the ground and is not being utilized as a pass-catcher in the slightest… he needs to be on your bench in Week 9.

Since Week 2, the Titans are allowing just 3.4 yards per carry and a league-low 56.7 rushing yards per game to running backs. Edwards-Helaire has had fewer than 10 carries in six of his seven games played this season and his fantasy production has relied heavily on touchdowns. Unfortunately for him, the Titans have allowed zero rushing TDs over their last six games.

EDITOR'S NOTE: Taylor was ruled out of Sunday's game with an ankle injury. 

Taylor is dealing with a lingering ankle injury and will likely be a game-time decision for Week 9. If he does play, it will be hard to trust that he will be very productive. The Patriots are allowing the second-fewest fantasy points per game in the NFL to running backs in 2022. No running back has scored more than 15 PPR points against the Patriots since Week 8 of LAST season. If he plays, it is hard to sit a guy like Taylor, but if you have a decent option to plug into your lineups over him, I would consider it.

McLaurin has put up over 16 fantasy points in each of the last two weeks with Taylor Heinicke as the starting quarterback, and he has 70+ receiving yards in three of his last four games. His success should continue in Week 9 as the Vikings have allowed the third-most receiving yards and seventh-most fantasy points per game to the wide receiver position this season. Over the Vikings' last two games, DeAndre Hopkins (33.9), Tyreek Hill (29.7) and Rondale Moore (23.4) each had monster fantasy performances against them.

Kirk has been disappointing as of late, scoring fewer than 11 fantasy points (PPR) in four of his last five games. However, if you still are rostering him, you are holding for matchups just like this one… Despite already having their bye, the Raiders have allowed the most receiving TDs and fourth-most receiving yards in the NFL to wide receivers in the slot this season. On the other hand, Kirk has the second-most receiving yards among WRs out of the slot this season (behind only Tyler Boyd). Kirk is close to a must-start this week.

Keenan Allen has reinjured his hamstring yet again, and someone on the Chargers will have to step up in the absence of both Allen and Mike Williams. Carter played on 94.5 pct of offensive snaps and had seven targets in his last game -- unfortunately, that turned into just three receptions for 37 yards. But with the same workload, Carter should find much more success against the Falcons defense. Per Next Gen Stats, the Falcons are allowing the most receptions and receiving yards in the NFL to wide receivers in the slot in 2022, while Carter has run the most routes in the slot for the Chargers this season. If you need someone for a one-week fill-in, Carter can be found on waivers and should be a solid play in Week 9.

Wilson is a great young talent, and he had a fantastic game in Week 8 with 115 receiving yards… but unfortunately for him, he plays on the Jets, with QB Zach Wilson, which is causing him to be very inconsistent for fantasy on a week-to-week basis. Wilson is bad, bad when under pressure (completing just 31 percent of his pass attempts under pressure this season), while the Bills are allowing the lowest passer rating in the NFL when they force pressure on opposing QBs. This game could get ugly for the Jets quickly if their defense can't stop Josh Allen early. I prefer to stay away from any and all offensive players on the Jets this week. 

The Colts are allowing the second-fewest fantasy points per game in the NFL to wide receivers this season. Meyers is a PPR machine, but the Colts have allowed the fewest receptions per game to WRs in 2022 and have allowed just one WR to score more than 16 PPR points against them this season. Meyers has had 60 or fewer receiving yards in three straight games and will need to find the end zone in this matchup to have a productive fantasy week.

Davis is a fantastic deep threat and can have a great fantasy week on the back of just one big play in any given game. However, he might not get that big play in this matchup as the Jets have allowed just five deep completions (20+ air yards) and one deep touchdown over their last seven games (per Next Gen Stats). Josh Allen can overcome any tough matchup and figure out a way to get the ball to Davis deep down the field, so he isn't a must-sit, but it could be another low-scoring fantasy week for Davis.

Everett is the TE12 in fantasy points per game this season and has scored double-digit fantasy points in four of his seven games. The Chargers will need to target Everett often in this matchup if Keenan Allen is not able to suit up. The Falcons are allowing the fourth-most fantasy points per game in the NFL to the tight ends in 2022. Everett is a fantastic fantasy start in Week 9.

Ertz is the fantasy TE3 this season (behind only Travis Kelce and Mark Andrews) and he gets to face the Seahawks, who are allowing the second-most fantasy points to TEs in 2022. Ertz had seven receptions for 70 yards against the Seahawks in Week 6. Although Ertz's target share has decreased drastically since DeAndre Hopkins returned, he should still be a very solid start in this matchup.

Dissly and Noah Fant have been splitting the tight end target share for the Seahawks in 2022, which in return is destroying the fantasy value for both players. However, one of these guys should have a solid fantasy performance against the Cardinals, who are allowing the most fantasy points in the NFL to TEs this season. Dissly has the higher upside this week as he is more likely to find the end zone than Fant. The Cardinals have allowed a TE to score 10+ points against them in six of eight games this year. 

Hockenson was traded to the Vikings on Tuesday, and I do not expect him to see many targets in his first week with the team. On top of that, the Commanders have been the toughest matchup against tight ends this season, allowing just 6.5 fantasy points per game to the position. Dallas Goedert (11.6 points in Week 3) is the only TE to score 7+ fantasy points against the Commanders this year. Hockenson has a very low floor in Week 9.

Conklin had a big Week 8 performance after putting up duds in each of the three weeks prior. The Bills have yet to allow a touchdown to a tight end and have allowed just one TE to have 50+ receiving yards against them this season (Travis Kelce in Week 7). Conklin is too inconsistent to trust him in this tough matchup -- he should be on your bench (or on waivers) in Week 9.

Unfortunately, the Ravens play on Monday Night Football, so we might not know Mark Andrews' status by the time the Sunday games kick off this weekend. However, even if Andrews suits up, Likely should still see a big increase in snaps and target share this week -- the only issue is that this is a terrible matchup for tight ends. The Saints are allowing just 6.6 fantasy points per game to the TE position and have allowed no TE to score 10+ fantasy points against them this season. However, the Ravens' system runs through their TEs and their WR corps is extremely thin… Likely is a risky start but he has upside this week even in a tough matchup.