Week 9 Fantasy Football: Look into the crystal ball

By week 9, you should know whether you are a player or not.
With the fantasy playoffs lurking just around the corner, now is the time to make your move.
But be smart about it. The schedule is there for a reason. We know which defenses are good and which are hot trash. Here are some guys you should target in trades and some you should avoid.
Ray Rice — Week 14 vs. Indy, week 15 at SD, week 16 vs. CLE. All three opponents rank in the bottom half in rush defense and Indy and Cleveland are both in the bottom 7.
Arian Foster — Week 14 at Cincy, week 15 vs. CAR, week 16 at Indy. You’ll have to give up an arm and a leg to get him, but it might be worth it. Carolina is 29th against the run, the Colts 31st.
Dwayne Bowe, Steve Breaston — Week 13 at CHI, week 14 at Jets, week 15 vs. GB, week 16 vs. OAK. The Jets matchup is brutal, but other than that you are golden. Chicago 27th vs. the pass, Green Bay 29th, Oakland 24th.
Shonn Greene — Week 13 at Wash, week 14 vs. KC, week 15 at PHI, week 16 vs. NYG. Greene has been putrid, I know. But the Jets know they can’t count on Mark Sanchez to get them to the playoffs. The Eagles are the best rush defense of the bunch (19th).
Cam Newton — Week 13 at TB, week 14 vs. ATL, week 15 at HOU, week 16 vs. TB. Getting the Tampa defense twice is all around good fun (23rd vs. run, 25th vs. pass). Throw in the fact that the Panthers should be playing from behind against both Atlanta and Houston and you’ve got tons of fantasy points to go around.
Brent Celek — Week 13 at SEA, week 14 at MIA, week 15 vs. Jets, week 16 at Dallas. Celek finally seems to be getting set loose by the Eagles offense. Miami and Dallas give it up weekly to tight ends, while the Jets and Seahawks have been vulnerable as well.
LeGarrette Blount — Week 13 vs. CAR, week 14 at JAX, week 15 vs. DAL, week 16 at CAR. Blount is the last man standing in the Tampa backfield, which means he’ll be getting loads of work down the stretch. All four of these opponents are susceptible to the run.
Eli Manning/Hakeem Nicks — Week 13 vs. GB, week 14 at DAL, week 15 vs. WAS, week 16 at JETS. Week 13 is nice, but the next three defenses can neutralize the passing game. You won’t get much for Eli, but maybe you could get something more appetizing than Nicks.
Steven Jackson — Week 13 at SF, week 14 at SEA, week 15 vs. CIN, week 16 at PITT. Four of the top 10 rush defenses in football. S-Jax busted out last week, but you’d be smart to sell high before he hits this bump in the road.
Anquan Boldin — Week 13 at CLE, week 14 vs. Indy, week 15 at SD, week 16 vs. CLE. Believe it or not, the Browns currently have the best pass defense in the league. Indianapolis is a pushover, but San Diego is a tough matchup too. See you Quan.
Any Browns — Week 13 vs. BALT, week 14 at PITT, week 15 vs. ARI, week 16 at BALT. There aren’t many Browns worth owning (Ben Watson?) Either way, you don’t want anything to do with this scheduling nightmare.
Dallas Clark — Week 13 at NE, week 14 at BAL, week 15 TEN, week 16 HOU. Clark and Curtis Painter were finally introduced to each other last week, but their playoff matchups are tight end killers.
In Week 9, Carolina, Detroit, Jacksonville and Minnesota are on a bye.

Put ’em in
QB: Matt Ryan at IND: The Falcons come off a bye to visit the lowly Colts. 15 passing touchdowns allowed versus 3 interceptions. That’s all you need to know.
RB1: Jackie Battle vs. MIA: Clearly the man with the plan in Kansas City. Battle can’t catch a ball worth a lick, but 54 carries in three weeks means the job is all his. Number one running backs don’t just fall out of trees, but this one might have.
RB2: Beanie Wells vs. STL: The Rams can’t stop the run. Kevin Kolb is likely out. See how simple this game is?
WR1: Miles Austin vs. SEA: He’s been killing you for weeks now, racking up 5 catches for 43 yards over the last two games. But the window to buy low will run out shortly. Very likely after this weekend.
WR2: Braylon Edwards at WAS: Likely an afterthought in many leagues, Edwards is back and ready to contribute to your team. Edwards was targeted 7 times in his first game back and that should continue to be the trend. Even though he is ancient, he still might be the Niners top deep threat (which is actually kind of sad).
WR3: Pierre Garcon vs. ATL: There was a Reggie Wayne sighting last week and Dallas Clark came out of his Painter induced coma. But still, it was Garcon who led the team with 15 (!) targets last week. The Colts will be trailing in most every game they play, which means throw, throw, throw!
TE: Brent Celek vs. CHI: Guess who’s back? Celek led the team in targets for the second straight game and it looks like Michael Vick finally realized that it is legal for tight ends to make receptions. Oh, and the Bears allow more points to tight ends than any other team. Good news all around.
D/ST: Oakland vs. DEN: It’s never fun to kick a guy when he’s down (well, sometimes it is), but Tim Tebow is a turnover machine. I feel for John Fox because he’s pretty much burdened with this guy until the season mercifully comes to an end. The Raiders D is far from even being considered ‘good’, but this week they are worth noticing.

Take ’em out
QB: Matt Schaub vs. CLE: Yes Virginia, there is one thing the Browns do well and that is defend the pass. I’m not counting on Andre making it back before the Texans bye week, so expect Gary Kubiak to run Arian Foster and Ben Tate into the ground this weekend versus the Browns.
RB1: Ryan Matthews vs. GB: He’s banged up again, this time with an achy groin (ahh, to be young again). Matthews has been very productive this season (especially out of the backfield — 30 receptions). But you absolutely, positively must own Mike Tolbert if you are a Matthews guy.
RB2: DeMarco Murray vs. SEA: If you have Murray, you should probably play him this week. That is not why he is in the take ’em out section. Murray is here because head coach Jason Garrett muttered the two most dreadful words in fantasy football today. ‘time share’. I knew this was coming and I warned you last week. Enjoy week 9, because the DeMarco train might be off the tracks by week 10.
WR1: Larry Fitzgerald vs. STL: St. Louis is an awful defensive team. Larry Fitzgerald is a beast. So why is he stuck down here with the dregs of society? John Skelton … the Cardinals likely QB for week 9. You’ve been warned.
WR2: Stevie Johnson vs. NYJ: Revis Island is bad enough, but take a look at Stevie’s numbers so far this year. 39 catches, 439 yards. He hasn’t gone over 100 yards yet. He’s had only catch for over 40 yards. People may think he’s a top 10 guy, but the numbers don’t hash out.
WR3: Nate Washington vs. CIN: Another guy who is considered a team’s No. 1 WR (granted, Washington is it by default), but he is proving otherwise. There is a reason why the Steelers let Washington walk (other than the fact that they are cheap). Twelve catches in four weeks is not worth it. Leon Hall will eat Nate’s lunch.
TE: Aaron Hernandez vs. NYG: A top ten tight end fantasy point wise, you would be silly to take Hernandez out of your lineup. But I’m telling you to do just that. For this week, at least. The G-Men don’t do much well defensively, but they do know how to handle tight ends. (sounds dirty, but it really isn’t). The Giants have yet to allow a tight end to score this year and over their last three games, have allowed just two tight end receptions combined.
K: Ryan Succop vs. MIA: I drew his name out of a hat.
D/ST: St. Louis at ARI: You might be tempted to grab the Rams off waivers to give them a throw against John Skelton. Please don’t.
Remember to tune into Z88.9 FM Sunday at noon for the fantasy football show. Also, check back here for the week 9 rankings, which will be posted prior to Sunday kickoff.