Key Starters and Tough Calls - Week 9 Lineup Spotlights for Fantasy Football Include Chase Brown, Keon Coleman, Ladd McConkey, Joe Flacco, more

Scott Engel’s Lineup Spotlights are an essential weekly feature on RotoBaller.com for the 2024 fantasy football season. Every week, he focuses on players to choose as starting options when you are dealing with tight lineup decisions.

The lineup picks included in this rundown are based on Scott’s Premium Weekly Lineup Rankings, available as part of the RotoBaller NFL Premium Pass. Enter the promo code KING at checkout for an additional discount and access his player rankings in all formats. Plus, you will gain access to a deep bucket of tools and analysis for in-season use.

When considering the players included here for lineup usage, also consult our staff fantasy football rankings to see if they are ranked higher or lower than your other possible starters. The skill position analysis is tied to Scott’s Week 9 PPR rankings.

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Wide Receivers – Fantasy Football Week 9

Ladd McConkey

The rookie is starting to come on strong for a Chargers team that has needed a wide receiver to step forward. McConkey busted out in NFL Week 9 to catch all six of his targets for 111 yards and two TDs. The Chargers are starting to throw the ball more, and he is emerging as a top-25 fantasy WR.

Earlier this season, under offensive coordinator Greg Roman, the Chargers seemed set to be a heavy run-first team. Yet he and the rest of the staff do realize that Justin Herbert is the team’s best offensive player, and McConkey may be on the verge of solidifying himself as the No. 1 WR for Los Angeles.

Herbert has completed 30-plus passes in the last three games. With fearless gunner Jameis Winston opposing him at QB this week, we may see a game script with a healthy amount of passing attempts on both sides in Chargers-Browns.

McConkey has a top-8 WR/CB matchup grade against the Cleveland corners for Week 9 on Pro Football Focus. That grade qualifies as “Excellent.” Lock McConkey into your lineup.

Keon Coleman

Here is another first-year WR who is starting to hit his stride. Coleman is more of a pure downfield threat than McConkey, who is a fine all-around pass catcher.  It is apparent in recent weeks that Coleman, who struggled in the preseason and early in the regular season, is starting to get more comfortable as a pro.

Keon Coleman will be a STAR.pic.twitter.com/VDfOW8jWIj

— Dov Kleiman (@NFL_DovKleiman) November 1, 2024

In Week 7, the 6-foot-4, 215-pounder posted a career-high 125 receiving yards. Last week, he caught five of seven targets for 70 yards and a TD. Josh Allen has continued to maintain confidence in Coleman, who will also function as a contested catch and goal line area target.

Some may point out that Miami ranks third in Fantasy Points Per Game allowed to WRs, but I am not concerned about the Buffalo passing game in this matchup. Khalil Shakir will get his receptions as a dependable option for Allen. Amari Cooper is new to the offense, though, and dealing with a wrist injury, and Dalton Kincaid has not produced as hoped.

I have Coleman ranked as a top 20 fantasy receiver for NFL Week 9, as he is becoming an upside play to consider for now and likely going forward.

DeAndre Hopkins

When the Chiefs acquired Hopkins, I thought the hype was overblown in real life and fantasy football circles. There were a lot of “superstar QB gets standout WR” type of narratives. Yes, Mahomes is a superstar, but Hopkins is certainly past his prime.

That’s not to say that Hopkins won’t help the Kansas City offense, and he will be productive for fantasy purposes. But I view him as more of a fantasy WR3 type at this point of his career, and the 2024 Chiefs offense has shown it does not need to be explosive to win games. Also, getting traded at midseason is challenging for any wide receiver.

Chiefs coach Andy Reid expects to "see more" from WR DeAndre Hopkins this week after 22-snap debut vs. Raidershttps://t.co/j6iKnXV05V pic.twitter.com/tuDU6BlySW

— Around The NFL (@AroundTheNFL) October 30, 2024

Despite all of those points, I do expect Mahomes to get Hopkins more involved this week in a good matchup. Tampa Bay ranks 28^th in Fantasy Points Per Game allowed to WRs. I believe you can expect at least a respectable fantasy performance from Hopkins.

Running Backs – Fantasy Football Week 9

Tyrone Tracy Jr.

It was actually astonishing to see Tracy clear the concussion protocol for Week 9. I won’t be worrying about his health outlook because if the team clears him to play, then he is cleared for my fantasy football lineup.

The significant question now is, who do you start Tracy over this week? He is certainly earning surefire fantasy RB2 status. The Giants rookie showcases a blend of vision, patience, elusiveness, and the ability to kick into another gear when he hits the second level of defenders.

For this week, the Giants have a top-12 run-blocking advantage grade for their offensive line against the Commanders on Pro Football Focus. Washington ranks 26^th in rushing yards allowed to RBs. I have Tracy ranked inside my top 20 this week, ahead of James Conner and Brian Robinson Jr., among others.

Chase Brown

Zack Moss is not expected to play this week, putting Brown in a position to truly operate as an unquestioned featured back for the first time. Now we get to see what he can do with a larger role on offense. He was still splitting a good amount of reps with Moss recently, with his snap counts not exceeding 62% in each of the past three games.

Brown played on 50% of the snaps last week, per FootballGuys. He has rushed for TDs in two of the past three games, but he also averaged under three yards per carry in the last two games. While a matchup against the Raiders seems like a great ticket to fantasy production, starting Brown will mean you are depending on what should be satisfying TD production.

Chase Brown could excel as a pass-catcher vs Las Vegas

Brown ranks 6th among RBs in target rate this season. The Raiders defense has faced a high rate of RB targets (27th in in the NFL). pic.twitter.com/xDg5pSgpPJ

— PFF CIN Bengals (@PFF_Bengals) October 31, 2024

Getting quality yardage numbers from Brown will be the nice bonus that could make him a difference-maker in fantasy football this week.  Las Vegas ranks 23^rd in rushing yards allowed to RBs. I have Brown also ranked just inside my top 20, but if you want to start him over a more established RB, I won’t vehemently debate it in some cases.

Chuba Hubbard

It may appear that time could eventually expire on Hubbard as the unrivaled lead back for Carolina soon. If Jonathon Brooks makes his NFL debut next week, we could see a timeshare of sorts by the fantasy playoffs.

Still, the Panthers reportedly won’t be trading Hubbard, as having a solid and proven lead back can only help Bryce Young in his development. So take what you can get from him while you can, even though he has a higher statistical ceiling when Andy Dalton is at QB for Carolina.

The Panthers actually have the second-best run-blocking grade of any team on PFF for this week. New Orleans ranks 24^th in rushing yards allowed to RBs. Hubbard can be started as a flex option for quality production.

Quarterback And Tight End – Fantasy Football Week 9

Joe Flacco

Much to the chagrin of the online NFL community, the Colts chose to bench Anthony Richardson. Many opponents of the move opined that Indianapolis is not going to make the playoffs and should let Richardson work out his issues on the field.

Inside NFL headquarters and locker rooms, however, the mentality is not the same. The Colts believe they have a chance to make the playoffs, and they are not going to increase the potential for losses. Flacco gives them the best chance to win games right now.

"You play to win the game."

Herm Edwards

October 30, 2002 pic.twitter.com/pTaBZ4AFUY

— Kevin Gallagher (@KevG163) October 30, 2024

Minnesota’s defense is the lowest-ranked unit against the pass in the NFC. Flacco’s potential upside is his QB4 finish in Week 5. I rank him as a top-12 fantasy QB for NFL Week 9.

T.J. Hockenson

We get a top fantasy TE back this week, which can be an important event at the thinnest position in fantasy football. But you should be cautious about using him right away after he came off such a long layoff following a major injury.

It will be good to see Hockenson recover to the point where he will be back on the field. You may have stashed him waiting for the week when he will be available for lineups again. But we can look to the Nick Chubb arc of progress and performance for a loose but sensible comparison. He has yet to deliver an impactful fantasy performance since returning.

Hockenson is only a top-15 TE for this week. I would only consider starting him if your situation at the position is shakier than most.

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