Start or Sit Philip Rivers, Derek Carr, or Jameis Winston in Week 9?

Should I Start Philip Rivers, Derek Carr, or Jameis Winston in Week 9?

This year, for start-or-sit advice, I’ve decided to share my wife’s fantasy football “insight” with the world. We will be looking at some sticky fantasy football start or sit decisions each week, and each of us will tell you whether or not you should rock ’em or sock ’em. I will use mostly statistical analysis, with just a touch of gut feeling. Erin will use whatever thing she uses to tell you how each player’s name speaks to her.

First, A Quick Week 8 Recap… 
Scoring System: 1 point for good advice, 0 points for neutral advice, -1 point for bad advice (Deciding if the outcome is good, neutral, or bad is 100% subjective and non-negotiable)

Week 9 Start or Sit Picks

Start or Sit Philip Rivers vs. Green Bay Packers Week 9

Bryan’s Take: There once was a time when those preseason drafters, waiting until double digit rounds to pick a QB, were saying, “I’d be perfectly happy with Philip Rivers as my starting QB.” I don’t know if they’d take that same bet today. Rivers has thrown five TDs and five INTs in his last four games. This week, he draws a Green Bay Packers defense that has given up a respectable 11 TDs this year. They also have eight INTs on the year, but only one in the last three games. The basic basic analysis is that Rivers is going to have to throw to keep up with Aaron Rodgers. And that’s… good? I guess? I think you could find a better option this week, and should Sit Philip Rivers week 9.  

Erin’s Take: I like the name “Rivers,” but only as a first name. In fact, that was another contender when we were picking out names for our unborn son. At the time, I was too afraid that everyone would think he was named after Rivers Cuomo from Weezer. Anyway, the name “Philip” almost ruins it for me, but I’d still Start Philip Rivers week 9.

Start or Sit Derek Carr vs. Detroit Lions Week 9

Bryan’s Take: Imagine how Derek Carr’s numbers would look with a healthy and emotionally stable Antonio Brown! Sure, Carr has had his ups and downs, but he’s been positively not bad this year. In the two games since the Raiders bye, he’s tallied his highest QB ratings since week 1, throwing five TDs and only one INT. He gets a sweet, sweet matchup in Week 9 too, facing off against a swiss cheese Lions defense that will most likely be missing Pro Bowl CB Darius Slay. There may be flashier options available, but you can confidently Start Derek Carr week 9.

Erin’s Take: Why does “Carr” need two R’s?  It doesn’t.  That extra “R” is useless. When I was in junior high, I added an extra “N” to the end of my name because I thought “Erin” was too boring. I also tried spelling it with a “Y.” I hated junior high. Sit Derek Carr week 9.

Start or Sit Jameis Winston at Seattle Seahawks Week 9

Bryan’s Take: I, like so many others, had high hopes for a new look Jameis this season. Well, it was 70% high hopes, and 30% “it’s now or never, Jameis.” If you’ve had the chance to watch a few Bucs games this year, odds are you’ve seen a handful of head-scratching throws, coupled with a touch of ADHD in the pocket. In spite of all that, Jameis is 12th in passing yards, and 7th in passing TDs. It’s the first in INTs that’s the problem. The Seattle Seahawks defense has fallen quite a ways from their glory days. Although they’ve only given up 9 TDs, they are 3rd worst in passing yards against, surrendering almost 275 yards per game. It’s almost guaranteed that Jameis will throw at least one pick, so if your league penalizes hard for INTs, look elsewhere. Otherwise, he should have enough positives to outweigh those negatives. Start Jameis Winston week 9.

Erin’s Take (full disclosure, Erin is well aware of who Jameis Winston is, though she does not know if he’s any good at football): I don’t care about the crab legs incident so much. It’s the sexual assault charges that bother me. It’s difficult for me because he seems like a decent, down to Earth guy. I’ve met him! I also know he has sucked this year. I feel bad because his name used to make me feel happy, but lately he’s only made me sad. Sit Jameis Winston week 9.

Final Ranks

Bryan: Derek Carr > Jameis Winston > Philip Rivers

Erin: Philip Rivers > Jameis Winston > Derek Carr

Check back as we keep score on who made the best calls for week 9, and come back tomorrow for more of Bryan and Erin’s Week 9 start/sit calls.

You can find Erin on Instagram. For more from Bryan Sclar, follow him on Twitter (@FA_BryanSclar).

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[Photo Credits: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Philip_Rivers#/media/File:Philip_Rivers_2017.JPG, https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:DeAndre_Washington,_Derek_Carr_(37255342456).jpg, and https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Jameis_Winston_vs_Redskins_2015.jpg under https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/]