Fantasy Football: Start ‘Em, Sit ‘Em Week 9 Patriots Edition
The New England Patriots are currently riding a four-game losing streak, but their opponent this week is halfway towards an imperfect season.
The lack of fantasy weapons in New England has been evident for weeks now, but the winless New York Jets have been a punching bag as of late. The Patriots could be the next ones to take advantage of that on Monday Night, even with continued shaky play at the quarterback position.
Here are the personnel in New England you should start and sit in your fantasy lineups this week.
All scores are calculated using half-point PPR, ESPN standard scoring
Start ‘Em: Patriots D/ST
Even though they have scored in double digits since Week 3, the Patriots’ defense has big game potential written all over them this week.
The Jets offense makes for the 32nd-ranked opponent for fantasy defenses, allowing 11.9 fantasy points per game. It doesn’t really matter who takes the field for New England on Monday, since anyone who plays the Jets seems to have at least a half-decent fantasy performance up their sleeve.
The Patriots are already a top-10 fantasy defense, averaging 6.3 points per game and staying in the positives in their matchups with the high-powered Chiefs, Raiders, Seahawks and Bills offenses. They have forced 13 turnovers in seven games this year, and five in their last three.
The Jets haven’t been completely careless with the ball this year, as their nine giveaways rank 15th in the league. But four of those turnovers have come in the last three weeks.
Anyone who needs a big night from the Patriots’ defense to cap off their fantasy matchup will be sitting pretty on Monday night.
Sit ‘Em: Jakobi Meyers
A solid return from the doghouse by Meyers doesn’t mean he’s a go-to fantasy option, even with a solid matchup this week.
Meyers had 1.2 fantasy points through Week 6 this season, but is averaging 9.5 in his last two outings. He led the Patriots in targets against Buffalo with 10, and he hauled in six of them.
A double-digit outing from someone who had barely played a snap for the first quarter of the season is nothing to sneeze at, and one could be excused for picking him up heading into Week 9.
But the inconsistent passing game makes it hard to trust any Patriots wideout in 2020.
Julian Edelman wasn’t performing up to standard before he went down with an injury. N’Keal Harry hasn’t taken a sophomore leap just yet, and now he’s injured again as well.
Having hope for Meyers might feel nice, but history shows it could be unwarranted. Meyers caught just two of his four targets for 17 yards in the second half against Buffalo, as Damiere Byrd started playing a larger part in the offense down the stretch.
The Jets secondary allows the 10th-most fantasy points to opposing receivers this season, but they haven’t played a receiving corps as weak as the Patriots’.
If Meyers can post another solid outing, he could be an option in the future – especially if Harry and Edelman miss extended time. But for now, he’s too big of a question mark to even justify playing him at flex.
Start ‘Em: Damien Harris
Rex Burkhead’s 30-point explosion is still the highlight of the fantasy season for the New England running backs room, but Harris has chipped in some solid performances as well.
Expect another on the slate come Monday. Harris has broken double digits twice in the four games he has started this season, and his 16.2-point outing against the Bills brought his season average to 9.4 per game.
With Sony Michel out of the picture (at least at the moment) and James White getting fewer and fewer touches, New England’s ground attack is even more reliant on Harris to succeed. Lucky for Harris, New York boasts the eighth-worst defense against opposing running backs this season, and he’s in position to carry the brunt of the load yet again.
15-plus carries, 100-plus yards and a touchdown are certainly a possibility for Harris again on Monday, as his team continues to lean on the run in order to move the ball downfield.
Harris is a low-end RB2 this week, and certainly a solid flex play if you’re all set in your starting backfield.
Sit ‘Em: Cam Newton
It isn’t rocket science – Newton simply isn’t a viable or consistent fantasy option anymore.
Newton was averaging 30.1 fantasy points per game through Week 2, but has averaged just 11.7 in the four games since. Whether that’s because of a positive COVID-19 test, a lack of practice or deteriorating mechanics, the fact of the matter still remains that he has been one of the worst passers in fantasy for most of this season.
Still, Newton has scored over 17.9 points twice in his last three games, even if the Patriots lost both in excruciating fashion. That’s a respectable figure, and it’s mostly due to his 130 rushing yards and two rushing touchdowns in those games.
If Newton can get it going on the ground, he avoids being labeled as a complete fantasy dud, and that’s what justifies keeping him on your roster.
But if his floor is very likely in the negatives, there’s no way to justify inserting him into your starting lineup unless you’re in a two QB league and free agency is bone dry.
