You are likely at or past the midway point of your fantasy season as we enter Week 9. The Kansas City Chiefs are well rested after their bye week and have multiple players who can help you win your league. As they take on the Tennessee Titans on Sunday night, let’s see who to sit and start for both teams.
*Projections from our colleagues at The Huddle
QB Patrick Mahomes
You should always be excited to have Mahomes on your fantasy team, but especially this week. The Titans have one of the worst pass defenses in the NFL and will be without their best defensive back Amani Hooker.
Mahomes is coming off his best game of the season where he threw for over 400 yards and three touchdowns against the San Fransico 49ers. He has found a groove with his receivers and should make a push to finish atop the QB position in fantasy this season.
RBs Clyde Edwards-Helaire/Jerrick McKinnon/Isiah Pacheco
The Chiefs did a good job of utilizing their running game against the 49ers. Pacheco and Edwards-Helaire saw a near-even split in carries while McKinnon had two carries and two receptions.
While a rotational three-headed monster works well for K.C. on the field, it doesn’t do much for fantasy players. After a solid start, Edwards-Helaire hasn’t had more than nine carries in his last three games and has only caught four passes in his last four games.
Despite being labeled as “starter” two weeks ago, Pacheco only received eight carries and wasn’t used in the passing game. McKinnon usually makes the most of his touches when he gets them, but has been limited to mostly third-down snaps. Facing a solid Titans’ run defense, all three Chiefs’ RBs should remain benched this week.
WRs JuJu Smith-Schuster/Mecole Hardman/Marquez Valdes-Scantling/Kadarius Toney
After a middling start to the season, Smith-Schuster has posted two straight 100-yard receiving games with a touchdown in each. He has established himself as the top receiver for K.C. and should be one of the better options in the league this week against a struggling Titans’ pass defense.
Valdes-Scantling finally got going in the Chiefs’ vertical passing game and crossed over the 100-yard mark for the first time this season. He is still boom-or-bust, but the matchup justifies a flex start if you don’t have any better options.
The same could be said for Hardman, who is coming off three-touchdown performances against the Niners. He has a unique skill set red zone skill set, but he isn’t likely to get a ton of volume.
Expect Toney to get a few touches in his Chiefs debut, but playing him in fantasy will be a big risk. His success in fantasy this week will be highly dependent on whether he can manage to get into the end zone.
TE Travis Kelce
Despite being held out of the endzone in his last two games Kelce is still on pace for a career-high in touchdowns. With Hooker out for Tennessee, there’s a good chance Kelce gets back to his touchdown-scoring ways. Even in last season’s game which the Titans dominated, Kelce still caught seven passes for 65 yards.
Chiefs' defense/special teams
The Chiefs’ defense had its best fantasy performance of the season two weeks ago against the Niners, recording three turnovers, five sacks and a safety.
With starting cornerback Trent McDuffie returning from injury, the K.C. defense is healthy and rested from the bye. Derrick Henry may produce, but a home matchup against an overall weak offense makes the Chiefs’ defense one of the better units for your lineup this week.
K Harrison Butker
Butker has missed a field goal in each of his last two games since returning from injury, but he is 8/8 on extra points. It’s possible he was still knocking off some rust. Butker should finish the season producing at his usual high level, especially paired with the high-scoring Chiefs offense.
QBs Ryan Tannehill/Malik Willis
Tannehill is a game-time decision with an ankle injury. If he can’t go, backup Malik Willis will get his second-straight start. Fortunately for Willis, he wasn’t asked to do much last week with Derrick Henry running wild. Willis completed just six passes for 55 yards and an interception. He should not be rostered.
It hasn’t been a great ride for Tannehill either. His fantasy point total has dropped each week of the season. He’s only thrown for over 200 yards twice and hasn’t run the ball like he has in previous years. Tannehill should also not be rostered.
RB Derrick Henry
As he has been for so many years, Henry is the heart and soul of the Titans’ offense. He leads the NFL in rushing yards per game and has gone over 20 fantasy points four times.
There is a slight concern that the Titans will have to be pass-heavy to keep up with the Chiefs’ offense, but obviously, you’re never benching Henry. Odds are he produces at least a solid stat line.
WR Robert Woods
Woods is the No. 1 receiver for the Titans, but that’s not exactly an endorsement. He hasn’t reached 100 receiving yards in a game yet and only has one touchdown on the season.
Being in a run-first offense with subpar quarterback play hasn’t helped him. If you’re in a deep league and weak at receiver Woods could be worth a start since the Chiefs have the 30th ranked pass defense.
TEs Austin Hooper/Geoff Swaim
The Titans have a tight end-by-committee with Hooper and Swaim. Factoring that in with their quarterback situation, neither Hooper nor Swaim should be rostered. The duo has combined for just 17 catches and one touchdown on the season.
Titans' defense/special teams
The Titans’ defense has been a solid unit this season and has been dominant the last two weeks, although against weak offenses in the Houston Texans and Indianapolis Colts.
Tennessee’s front seven is solid against the run and rushing the passer, but its secondary is among the league’s worst. A matchup against the explosive Chiefs should render the Titans’ defense on the bench this week.
K Randy Bullock
Bullock is a solid kicker, but playing with the Titans’ offense limits his opportunities. He is 9/11 on field goal attempts and 15/15 on extra point tries on the season. There’s just not enough volume there to justify rostering Bullock unless you need a bye-week filler.
