Fantasy Football: Week Nine Staff Must Start, Must Sit and Sleeper Picks

Connor Wilcoxen

START: Brandon LaFell, WR – New England Patriots

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The New England Patriots are back, and Brandon LaFell is one reason why. He has become one of Tom Brady’s favorite targets. LaFell caught 19 passes for 276 yards and three touchdowns in the past three games. Plus, his receptions have gone up, which means Brady is looking for him more. LaFell fits well into the Patriots offense, and he will need to have a breakout game this week if the Patriots want to beat record setting Peyton Manning and the Denver Broncos.

SIT: Vincent Jackson, WR – Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Vincent Jackson was projected to be a wide receiver one this year, and he has greatly disappointed fantasy owners. He has reached 100 receiving yards in only one game this season, and it was against the New Orleans Saints weak pass defense. He only has two touchdowns during the whole season, and his most receptions in one game is 8. All of this plus the fact that there are trade rumors surrounding him says that he should be benched or put in as a wide receiver three if all of your other receivers are on a bye week.

SLEEPER: Travis Kelce, TE – Kansas City Chiefs

Travis Kelce could be a top ten tight end if he could get more receptions. He consistently gets about five points a game, and some games he has broken out for over ten points. These are exceptional stats for tight ends, and he is being targeted a lot more now. I believe that if he could get at least seven to eight targets a game, then he could become a starting tight end in most fantasy teams. Pick him up now and see what happens, it won’t hurt.