One of the more difficult tasks in fantasy football is trying to figure out which games will see your star players have their best performances. Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver Antonio Brown and Atlanta Falcons running back Devonta Freeman are two elite fantasy studs that should deliver huge this week.
Before Ben Roethlisberger’s knee injury forced him to miss four games, Brown was generally in the conversation with Julio Jones as the top fantasy wide receiver. Big Ben returned last week but struggled against the Cincinnati Bengals defense. It caused Brown to have a mundane fantasy performance of only ten standard fantasy points despite scoring a touchdown in the first quarter. Many daily fantasy fans will stay away from Brown due to Roethlisberger’s rough game last week but the matchup against the Oakland Raiders should help all Steelers improve.
The Raiders pass defense is ranked second to last in the league and is giving up an average of 302.1 passing yards per game. Roethlisberger should have a great game and his chemistry with Brown is second to none in the NFL. Brown needs to be treated as the top wide receiver of the week in all fantasy formats. The other Pittsburgh star receiver Martavis Bryant could also have a great game. His big play ability is exceptional and the Oakland defense is prone to giving up the deep pass. Another offensive player on the Steelers to watch is Heath Miller. The Raiders struggle immensely against the tight end and Miller saw thirteen targets last week.
The best running back of the weekend should be Devonta Freeman. Atlanta will visit the abysmal San Francisco 49ers this weekend and Freeman benefits most from the matchup. The 49ers have given up the third most fantasy points to opposing running backs this season and have already allowed three running backs to rush for over one-hundred yards against them. Freeman has slowed down a bit from his unbelievable pace but has been extremely consistent. Since becoming the starting running back, Freeman’s worst games are in the thirteen point fantasy range. His worst games are better than the overall average of all but six active running backs this season. The game will ultimately turn into a blowout, which will give Freeman plenty of carries as the Falcons try to control the clock. There are no better stars with higher potential than Devonta Freeman and Antonio Brown in Week 9.