Get started on your kicking, kicking and defense in Week 9 of Fantasy Football

Dear friends, it’s already week 9! Time to set up those fantastic lineups! Start ‘Em, Sit ‘Em is a best and worst look at the week’s best and worst matchups in fantasy football leagues. Each week I will be examining kickers and defenses who could exceed or fall short of expectations based on their weekly opponent… like Wil Lutz and the Broncos defense in Week 8!

To make your final lineup decision, check out my fantasy player rankings. I update them every day! Make sure too subscribe to the Fantasy Dirt Podcast with Lindsay Rhodes and me as we cover all things fantasy football five days a week!

All items: QB | RB | WR | THESE | K and summer time

Hi: 49ers, Steelers

1. Brandon Aubrey for the Falcons
2. Austin Seibert with the Cardinals
3. Younghoe Koo vs. Cowboys
4. Harrison Butker on Raiders
5. Justin Tucker vs. Broncos
6. Wil Lutz on the Ravens
7. Will Reichard vs. Colts
8. Ka’imi Fairbairn for Jets (Thursday)
9. Blake Group at Panthers
10. Evan McPherson vs. Raiders

Complete Week 9 kicker rankings

The beginning of the week

Younghoe Koo vs. Cowboys (1 p.m. ET, Fox): Koo posted two straight stinkers for a total of seven fantasy points. However, the matchup with the Cowboys is good for his ailments. Their defense allowed four different kickers to score at least eight points, including three players who had 14 or more points since week four.

Run them

Evan McPherson vs. Raiders (1 p.m. ET, Fox): McPherson hasn’t been very productive in recent weeks, scoring a total of 14 fantasy points in his last four games. Still, he’ll be a solid streamer against the Raiders. Their defense allowed all but two kickers to beat them by at least nine points, and five kickers scored 11 or more points in 2024.

Wil Lutz on Ravens (1 p.m. ET, CBS): Lutz has been one of the top kickers in fantasy this season, averaging nearly 10 points per game. I’d like to see him active this week as well, as Lutz will face a Baltimore defense that has allowed at least nine points to five players, including four who scored at least 11 points. Look for Lutz to post a nice total.

Kickers with good matchups

Sit of the week

Matt Gay on “Vikings” (8:20 p.m. ET, NBC): Gay has posted strong numbers in his last four games, scoring no fewer than eight fantasy points while averaging nearly 10. However, he has a tough matchup against the Vikings this week, which makes him a risk. No kicker scored more than eight points against Minnesota, and five scored five or fewer points.

Sit down

Jake Bates on Packers (4:25 p.m. ET, Fox): Bates, listed as a starter last week, has put up a solid 12 fantasy points and has scored 29 points in his last three games, so it’s difficult to keep him out of fantasy lineups. However, he faces a tough game this week as the Packers allowed just 6.5 points per game to kickers. I would temper expectations.

Jason Sanders on Bills (1 p.m. ET, CBS): Sanders is coming off one of his best fantasy stats, scoring 11 points in a loss to the Cardinals. Still, he hasn’t had much luck in his career against this week’s opponent, the Bills. In 12 games, Sanders averaged just 4.6 fantasy points. He scored a total of just 11 points in the last four games.

Kickers with bad matchups

1. Vikings defense vs. Colts
2. Bengals defense vs. Raiders
3. Ravens vs. Broncos defense
4. Eagles defense vs. Jaguars
5. Panthers Saints defense
6. Titans defense vs. Patriots
7. Bills defense vs. dolphins
8. Chiefs defense vs. Buccaneers (Monday)
9. Commanders in Giants
10. Chargers defense on Browns

Full Week 9 defensive rankings

The beginning of the week

Titans defense vs. Patriots (1 p.m. ET, Fox): The Titans are a solid defense as they face a Patriots team that may be forced to start Jacoby Brissett. New England was also generous with its fantasy defense, averaging over nine points per game against them. The Patriots also allowed 27 sacks, which is second in the league.

Run them

Bengals defense vs. Raiders (1 p.m. ET, Fox): The Bengals defense hasn’t been very useful in fantasy leagues, but this week’s matchup against the Raiders makes it a great option. The Las Vegas offense is mostly devoid of talent and may have the fourth-fewest sacks this season. Cincinnati is also available in multiple leagues.

Saints defense at Panthers (1 p.m. ET, CBS): New Orleans’ defense is terrible in real football, but it’s still in the top 10 in fantasy points. I would start with the Panthers and Bryce Young as their offense went to 14 turnovers and averaged just 15.5 points per game. Overall, teams averaged the eighth-most points.

Defense with good matchups

Sit of the week

Broncos defense at Ravens (1 p.m. ET, CBS): The Broncos have the best fantasy scoring defense, but it’s by no means a “must start.” In fact, I would watch out for Denver on the road against the Ravens. Defenses have averaged the fewest fantasy points against Lamar Jackson and his offense, so this could be a bad week for the new “Orange Crush.”

Sit down

Packers defense vs. Lions (4:25 p.m. ET, Fox): The Packers defense ranks third in fantasy points this season, but like the Broncos, it has a poor record this week. Detroit is averaging an astonishing offensive average of 33.4 points and 385.1 yards per game and is also ranking fifth in turnovers on the season. That makes Green Bay a sit ’em.

Seahawks vs. Rams defense (4:25 p.m. ET, Fox): The Seahawks have a top-10 fantasy defense, but starting that unit against Matthew Stafford and the Rams’ revamped offense is a bad move. The return of Cooper Kupp and Puka Nac last week made a huge difference, and I expect that success to continue in an important NFC West battle.

Defenses with bad matchups