Fantasy Football Start ‘Em, Sit ‘Em: Week 9 Predictions

Start: QB Cam Newton vs. Bucs

Sit: QB Marcus Mariota at Cowboys

Newton is coming off three straight great fantasy outings. This week, the Panthers get a plus matchup against the Bucs defense. Tampa Bay is giving up the second-most passing yards at 318 per game. There is some talk that Newton is playing better now than he did in 2015 when he won the MVP, but Panthers head coach Ron Rivera admits there is still plenty of time left in the season.

“He's playing well. It is way too early to judge that,” Rivera said per Panthers.com. "The proof will be in the pudding when we get to the end of the year. We'll see. But he is playing well...The past week we had to work with him because he was working through the shoulder, and you can tell his whole metal approach is different. A lot has to do with the people around him. I think right now, we're protecting him as well as we've ever protected him. He's making just as good decisions as he did in 2015, but just in a different way. And he's got a great set of weapons around him. I think we're playing well as a team right now in all three phases, and I think that helps.”

Newton has a good chance to be a top 10 quarterback this week thanks to a favorable matchup combined with his ability to rack up rushing yards.

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Marcus Mariota & the Rest of the Titans Offense Should Remain on Your Bench

Sometimes making fantasy football decisions is as simple as basic math. The Titans have the third-worst passing attack in the league, while the Cowboys defense allows the fourth-fewest passing yards. All this spells a disastrous fantasy formula for Marcus Mariota.

Mariota has passed for less than 120 yards in four of his six games this season, including two of the last three matchups. Mariota cannot be started right now with any sort of confidence. Titans head coach Mike Vrabel believes some of Mariota's struggles have to do with the Tennessee receivers not catching the ball.

“We’ll keep working,” Vrabel said per TitansOnline.com. “I’m going to stand behind them and continue to try and push my arm through the back of them (to challenge them). We’re going to put the boxing gloves on and continue to do those types of things. You have to practice it as fast as you can. It is never going to be a game-tempo, but it has to be fast enough where there’s going to be some carry over when the games come. … You just keep working it.”

Mariota along with the rest of the Titans players should remain on your bench until they prove they can be trusted.

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