Fantasy owners will be without a number of their usual starters this week with a season-high six teams on bye. Choose wisely from among those remaining.
STUDS
RB Chris Ivory, New York Jets: After a 15-carry, 17-yard flop against the Oakland Raiders, Ivory will rebound. The Jacksonville Jaguars have been hurt by bruising interior backs such as LeGarrette Blount and Doug Martin, who scored a total of six touchdowns against them. Ivory should find paydirt at least once.
RB Doug Martin, Tampa Bay Buccaneers: Like Ivory, he'll show up for his owners this weekend after averaging only 3.1 yards per carry in Week 8. The Bucs passing game could stall once again with all the injuries to their receivers, so Martin will see no shortage of touches.
WR Amari Cooper, Oakland Raiders: Cooper wound up shipwrecked on Revis Island, contained by the Jets in Week 8. Quarterback Derek Carr threw to plenty of others facing less resistance. Yep, it's another rebound week for a big-time player. The Pittsburgh Steelers' cornerbacks in no way rival New York's, and their stats against wideouts on the year don't reflect how poorly they've performed lately.
QB Matt Ryan, Atlanta Falcons: Ryan doesn't need to rebound. He threw for 397 yards and two scores in Week 8. Stick with him in your lineup, even though he's on the road. The San Francisco 49ers have blown up their offense (Blaine Gabbert at quarterback?), which will keep a middling defense on the field for way too long.
TE Charles Clay, Buffalo Bills: A few elite efforts are sprinkled throughout Clay's up-and-down game log. One of those came in Week 3, when he caught five passes for 82 yards and a score against these same Miami Dolphins. They have decent stats against the position, but have wilted against teams with active tight ends.
DUDS
WR Allen Robinson, Jacksonville Jaguars: He'll likely be matched up against Revis, so look for quarterback Blake Bortles to take what the rest of the Jets' coverage gives him: likely a lot of Allen Hurns and, if healthy, Julius Thomas.
RB Alfred Morris, Washington Redskins: The New England Patriots have ranked as one of the stoutest walls for running backs. With a bye week to prepare, Washington will favor using Matt Jones, and perhaps Chris Thompson, over Morris.
WR T.Y. Hilton, Indianapolis Colts: Hilton mustered a single 15-yard catch last week and should again stay silent. The Denver Broncos rank as the second-toughest statistical matchup for wideouts, on the back of an elite pass rush and arguably the best group of cornerbacks in the NFL.
RB Darren McFadden, Dallas Cowboys: Given bye-week carnage and recent rash of running back injuries, playing McFadden would make sense for the volume of rushing and receiving touches. But what will he do with them? Only one running back has totaled 100-plus offensive yards against the Philadelphia Eagles, who will force quarterback Matt Cassel to beat them.
QB Sam Bradford, Philadelphia Eagles: Bradford wilted against a much worse Cowboys pass rush in Week 2. Expect a healthy dose of ex-Cowboy DeMarco Murray and Ryan Mathews so Bradford doesn't have to shoulder so much responsibility.
SLEEPERS
QB Ryan Tannehill, Miami Dolphins: Though he's tossed six interceptions in his last four contests, Tannehill has accumulated fewer than 260 passing yards just twice this year. More consistency should pay off against the Buffalo Bills, who've allowed multiple touchdown passes in all but one outing. Tannehill threw for 297 yards and a pair of scores the first time vs. Buffalo.
RB Jeremy Langford, Chicago Bears: With Matt Forte expected to miss at least a few weeks, Langford stands to assume at least the majority of the workload. The San Diego Chargers are one of the biggest statistical doormats for running backs, giving the rookie an easy window to production.
WR Malcom Floyd, San Diego Chargers: Floyd snared four passes for 92 yards and two touchdowns last week, and now Keenan Allen is out for the year, The Bears have improved their defense vs. wideouts as the season has progressed, but their 12 touchdowns yielded to this position stands as the fourth-highest total.
RB Jeremy Hill, Cincinnati Bengals: The Cleveland Browns give up the third most fantasy points per game to running backs, which should pay off for both Hill and Giovani Bernard. Hill's value has depended on game pace, and this looks like a lopsided affair that'll require him to kill plenty of clock. A touchdown stands as a good bet.
TE Delanie Walker, Tennessee Titans: Whether the injured Marcus Mariota or backup Zach Mettenberger takes snaps, Walker should find room to roam against the New Orleans Saints' top-10 defense for allowing tight end points. Walker hasn't logged fewer than six targets and four receptions in each of his last five outings.
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