Each week, you can try to predict the perfect fantasy lineup on NFL.com for a chance to win $1 million. Never played before? Don't worry, it's super simple and completely free. All you have to do is select who you think will be the highest scoring player at each position in a given week. Easy. And it gets better. Each week I'll collect the perfect lineup from each of our fantasy experts to try and help guide you all to the $1 million prize. Haven't joined NFL Perfect Challenge yet or bothered to play? Don't worry, you can get started in just a few seconds **RIGHT HERE**.
Below are the Perfect Challenge picks for Week 9 from Marcas Grant, Matt Franciscovich, Alex Gelhar and myself, Matt Harmon.
Marcas Grant's Week 9 lineup (on Twitter @MarcasG)
Devonta Freeman hasn't found the end zone in two weeks after scoring 10 times in the previous five games. Marcas Grant says, "Somethings got to give" this week when he travels to face the 49ers. Atlanta should throttle the Blaine Gabbert led Niners, creating a perfect game script for a big Freeman rushing day. Philip Rivers was Marcas' only non-chalky pick, and it's an interesting call. The Bears give up plenty of touchdowns through the air, yet Rivers did just lose his top wide receiver for the season. Marcas must believe that Steve Johnson can take over for Keenan Allen as the tertiary receiver, and target hog underneath, while more reps for Malcom Floyd and Dontrelle Inman could lead to more downfield shots. Rivers still chucks the ball more than anyone in the NFL, and has some weapons left to take advantage of this matchup.
Matt Franciscovich's Week 6 lineup (on Twitter @MattFranchise)
Franchise's lineup only just slightly differs Marcas'. It's almost like we just keep picking all the good players. Tom Brady makes his cut as the top quarterback, which seems to make some sense. Not only has Brady been consistently among the top quarterback scorers on a weekly basis, he faces a Washington secondary that is both leaky and injured. It seems almost crazy to pick anyone other than Brady. Franchise also holds strong with the Denver Broncos defense. While the Bengals will be a trendy pick, there's little reason to go away from ol' reliable. The Broncos have been matchup-proof all season, and it's not like the Colts offense has been prohibitive this season anyways. At home in a game they'd surely like to win, Denver can force Andrew Luck into a mistake or two. Basically everyone else has done so this season.
Alex Gelhar's Week 9 lineup (on Twitter @AlexGelhar)
Gelhar expects the Steelers passing offense to more resemble the high-flying unit we expected to see prior to the season. Without Le'Veon Bell in the fold, we're just never going to see all the triplets together at once. However, against a weak Oakland secondary, we could see the quarterback and wide receiver portion get back on track with blowup weeks. Austin Seferian-Jenkins is an interesting choice at tight end, provided he actually suits up for the game. The Giants' long-time lack of speed at linebacker, and inexperience at safety makes them one of the easier to exploit teams for tight ends. The Bengals play Thursday night against Johnny Manziel. They'll be a popular choice this week.
Matt Harmon's Week 9 lineup (on Twitter @MattHarmonBYB)
All chalk picks from me this week, too. Todd Gurley found his way into all of lineups, and I bet you can guess why. Hint: he's good at this football thing. Mark Ingram is a solid weekly pick, and quietly has been fantasy's most consistent running back this year. He's the RB2 overall in PPR leagues, and has scored less than 12 points just once. The Titans actually field a solid defense this season, but do most of their good work through the air. The Saints offense is humming right now which just means more work in the red zone for Ingram. The Jets defense was one of the bigger letdowns of Week 8, getting shredded on the road by the Raiders. However, they return to their home stadium to face the Jaguars on Sunday. Blake Bortles struggles when you make things complicated for him. The Jets should shadow Allen Robinson with Darrelle Revis, muddying the picture for the young quarterback. A turnover week could ensue.
Anyway, that's how we're rolling for Week 9. We aren't in this for ourselves though. We are men of the people. We want you to use our picks to make your own perfect lineup and come away with the $1 million prize. So what are you waiting for? Sign up for NFL Perfect Challenge and prove that you're indeed smarter than all of us. We will gladly celebrate with you if and when you take home that grand prize. Please keep us posted.
Matt Harmon is an associate fantasy writer/editor for NFL.com, and the creator of #ReceptionPerception, who you can follow on Twitter _**@MattHarmonBYB**_.
